His Rui

The trail of red blood floor painted the floor as the Imperial guards dragged out.

Standing by General Li's side, Yi Jie gasped as she looked at the maid.

Red blood soaked her clothes.

"Yi Jie"

General Li called his Wangfei to divert her attention. 

He hid Li Rui's face in his chest. He could feel her wet cheeks. She was already like this. He doesn't want her to see this scene.

But Li Rui already knew that something was not right. She could hear Li Hua and Li Mei's sobbing as they whispered

"Jiejie…"

"Father, is it Li Zhan? Let Rui see her."

Rui's voice came muffled but General Li understood her words. Still, he didn't remove his hand from her head.

"Father, please…"

A very irritated sigh escaped General Li's lips. He let Li Rui stand on the ground.

'Since she wants to see then let her see. Perhaps it will make her understand things will not go her way every time.'

Although General Li said this inside his heart, he still felt very afraid to think of Li Rui's reaction when she would see Li Zhan.

Li Rui's feet touched the ground and she turned around to look at Li Zhan.

She saw that Li Zhan was lying on the floor.

She looked at the two guards with a frown.

Even in Li Manor, after the punishment, the servants were provided with a physician. And here in Imperial Palace, they laid Li Zhan on the cold ground like this.

When she stepped closer, she could see the blood on L Zhan's clothes.

Li Rui bit her lips to stop the sob that was about to escape from her lips. So much blood. Li Zhan must be in so much pain.

She went forward and turned Li Zhan to look at her face.

"Li Zhan."

No one responded to her call.

Li Rui uncovered Li Zhan face from her hair carefully and saw that her eyes were closed. Her eyes widened and she shouted

"Father, call a physician. Li Zhan is unconscious."

Then she patted Li Zhan's cheek softly.

"Li Zhan…Li Zhan…The physician is coming. You'll be fine soon."

Princess Wenling hugged the Empress tightly as she continued to hear Li Rui's words.

Li Rui frowned when she saw her father didn't order anyone to call the physician. She stood up and while pulling her father's sleeve, she asked him

"Father, why are you not calling the physician?"

General Li was thinking about how to answer her daughter's question. While Li Rui thought that he was silent because of the Emperor.

She turned around and looked at the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, Li Zhan completed her punishment. Now she should be allowed to be checked by the Imperial Physician, right?"

Zhao Wang Lei looked at Li Rui for a few moments silently. His eyes flickered and then he said

"Miss Li, Unfortunately, the physicians in Zhen's palace are not capable to bring life to a dead person."

General Li's fists were clenched.

What a cruel way the Emperor chose to disclose it to his daughter.

"Dead?"

Li Rui whispered with a frown.

She looked at unmoving Li Zhan and felt a little scared.

She sat beside Li Zhan immediately and held her fingers under her nose.

The teacher had told her that the dead people don't breathe.

Li Rui held her fingers for a long time but she could feel nothing.

However, she was not ready to believe that Li Zhan is dead. She held Li Zhan's hand but they were so cold that the coldness seemed to penetrate her heart.

Shocked, she couldn't maintain her balance and fell on the floor.

"Rui…"

Yi Jie shouted and General Li walked towards his daughter.

He picked her up from the ground and made her stand. 

"Rui..."

General Li called but Li Rui was only looking at Li Zhan in shock. 

"Li Zhan...Li Zhan...Li Zhan"

She muttered again and again.

"Young Miss"

Li Mei and Li Hua stood behind her and sobbed seeing her like this.

"Rui, look at me."

General Li forcefully turned his daughter's face away from Li Zhan towards himself. 

Finally seeing her father, Li Rui said in a daze.

"Father, Li Zhan...she is not breathing. Call the physician immediately. Li Zhan is not breathing."

She was repeating the sentence again and again as she pulled her father's sleeves. 

"Rui..."

General Li tried to stop her but she didn't. 

He held her daughter's face in his hands and made her look at him. 

"Rui"

With a very serious and hard face that didn't have any emotion, General Li told her

"She is dead. Stop thinking that she would ever wake up again."

Li Rui went silent at her father's words. Her eyes were blank as she stared at her father's face.

"Rui"

She didn't respond to her father no matter how many times he called her.

"General Li"

General Li stood up when he heard the Emperor calling himself. As he held his daughter close to him, he heard the Emperor's next words

"General Li, looking at your daughter's attachment towards the slave, Zhen allows you to take this slave's body with you."

Despite the anger inside his chest, General Li had to bow his head and thank the Emperor for his greatness.

Then Zhao Wang Lei looked at everyone and continued

"Zhen knows that everyone might be thinking why did Zhen ask all of you to witness this slave's punishment."

"A slave always represents his master. If the slave commits something unforgivable then his master also has a role in that unforgivable sin. That's what Zhen thinks. It is because you don't handle them well, they thought of doing that thing."

Everyone nodded their head showing their agreement with the Emperor's words.

Zhao Wang Lei looked at the firm General. He then glanced at Li Rui who was still staring blankly.

"So Zhen hold Miss Li accountable for her maid's doing. Miss Li also pushed the First Princess inside the pond. The act could take the life of an Imperial family member."

"Seeing all this, Zhen forbids General Li's daughter, Li Rui to enter the Imperial Palace for the next ten years."