His Rui

Chapter 74 - What Changed Rui?

Xi Ying stepped inside the camp. He saw Commander Xie sitting by General Li's side.

His face didn't change a bit when he saw the approval and trust in Commander Xie's eyes for him. He really didn't care whether the commander trusted him or not. He had just wanted Commander Xie's soldiers' help to cover his shadow guards.

There was only one person whose opinions matters to Xi Ying. He only cared whether that person trusted him or not.

Nodding his head in greeting to both Commander and General as they reciprocated, he looked at General Li and said

"General Li, I want to talk to you about something."

He felt awkward talking to General Li. After all, he had never initiated a conversation with the General before.

However, with a face that was free of any emotion, he should be able to hide it.

Then why is it he could feel that General Li's smile was saying something else? As if the General could see his awkwardness.

"I will go and check on Li Diu and Yi Lei again. We will talk later."

Commander Xie stood up and after patting General Li's shoulder he left the camp.

Xi Ying walked forward and sat on the chair placed by General Li's bedside. He didn't need to say anything to start the conversation as General Li said before he could say anything.

"This General thanks Minister Xi for saving my life."

The words shook Xi Ying's heart. Not because he was afraid that General Li could have died but because of the consequence the 'not happened events' could have.

What if General Li would have really died today?

He would have lost Li Rui forever.

Even the thought was enough to make him feel as if he was being suffocated by someone. He suppressed the uncomfortable feelings inside his chest and nodded his head at General Li's words. 

"However, This General wonders why did Minister Xi save me?"

Xi Ying looked at the General who had a playful smile on his face. His face remained indifferent as he said his next words without any shame.

"Of course, for my Wangfei."

Surprise flickered in General Li's eyes. He had not expected this answer from the young minister. He had thought that Xi Ying finally came to know about the scheming Emperor and hence came to save him.

Although the answer was unexpected, it didn't disappoint him even a bit.

Instead, he laughed out loud and said

"This General has already told Minister Xi that my daughter and Minister Xi are made for each other but …"

General Li let out a sigh and continued

"you didn't believe me at that time."

Xi Ying remembered the day General Li had asked him to marry his daughter and he had rejected the proposal right away.

He felt regret inside his heart. If only he had seen Li Rui once, he would never have rejected General Li's proposal that day. Things would have been so different that way. Maybe Rui would also have loved him then just like he loves her.

However, he could only regret it now.

All this made him wish if he could see Li Rui right now and hear her soft voice as she read the book to Xi Ling. He wondered what she would be doing at this moment.

Xi Ying glared at the General for distracting him and finally paid attention to the matter he had come for.

"General Li, I want to ask you something….about Li Rui."

When the General nodded his head he continued

"Fourteen years ago…"

Xi Ying saw General Li's face had a serious expression and he continued

"Why was Li Rui banned from entering the Imperial Palace?"

This was something he had come to know when Princess Wenling had called Li Rui to her chambers. He had sent his men to find out anything about this matter but he was told only one thing.

'Li Rui was banned from entering the Imperial Palace for ten years when she was seven.'

But why? What was the reason behind that?

He never found out.

Xi Ying had been trying to find out who was behind the attack on Li Rui and for that, he needed to know everything about Li Rui.

Having the power to blend his shadow guard among Princess Wenling's shadow guards, the person must be someone more powerful than Princess Wenling.

He had a feeling that he can find out about this person if he found out why Li Rui was suddenly banned from entering the Imperial Palace.

Amidst his thoughts, he heard General Li's firm voice asking him.

"Why does Minister Xi wants to know this?"

Xi Ying scrutinized the General as he said

"Well she is my Wangfei, I had to know everything about her."

When the General didn't say anything after that, he pursed his lips and stood up from the chair

"If General Li does not want to tell anything then I can only send my man to look into this matter."

However, when he was about to exit the camp, he heard General Li asking

"What is the guarantee that whatever Minister Xi finds out is the truth?"

Xi Ying turned around and looked at General Li's face with a confused expression on his face. General Li smiled a little and patted the chair saying

"Come back, I'll tell you everything about your Wangfei you wish to know."

Xi Ying didn't mind that General was not using honorifics anymore now. As long as the General was ready to tell him everything, he didn't mind anything.

He walked back and sat on his previous seat and looked at the General waiting for him to speak.

General Li let out a heavy sigh as he started

"Rui, my daughter, she was not like this before. So calm, silent, cold, and indifferent."

Xi Ying frowned hearing this. Yes, Li Rui speaks less. But his Rui was not cold and indifferent. She has the softest heart for her loved ones.

However, the General seemed to be lost in his own world and didn't notice it. As he continued, a smile played on his lips.

"She was the liveliest and naughty child, I have ever seen. My daughter, Rui, had the power to create chaos in the whole Li Manor that was so huge compared to her small frail body. She would never let the servants of Li Manor breath in relief in her childhood."

"The sound of her laughter was something that I was used to hearing while going to the morning court and coming back as well. She was very naughty and stubborn and never liked to be scolded."

General Li laughed remembering something and looked at Xi Ying.

"You know…once her mother scolded her because Rui had scared away the teacher that was called to teach her and that little brat ran away from the home."

Even now whenever General Li remembered the hilarious scene when he had found out Li Rui, he could not help but laugh out loud. 

On the other hand, when Xi Ying heard everything General Li was telling him, he felt that the girl, General Li was talking about was a stranger to him.

Rui and naughty, both the words didn't even seem to match each other.

However, when he imagined everything General Li told him, he couldn't help but smile with a silly expression.

He had never heard Li Rui laughing. Let alone laugh, he only heard her soft voice hiding outside the doors when she read something to Xi Ling.

A while later Xi Ying frowned as he thought.

What made Li Rui change so much?

Perhaps General Li had read the question on his face, he smiled sadly and said

"However, I could not protect the smile of my most love child. I could not protect the most spoilt child of my Li Manor."

-------------------------

(Fifteen Years Ago)

Li Manor

A six-year-old girl dragged the small table while using all of her strength. When the table was finally at the place where she wanted it, she smiled widely.

Then put her knee on the top of the table and finally after a few moments she stood upon the table with her short legs somehow.

She rummaged inside the wardrobe with her small chubby hands. Taking out a few favorite dresses of herself, she dropped them on the floor where a white sheet was spread.

Then she got down from the table with very difficulty and tied her clothes inside the white cloth. With this small bundle, she raised her dress with one hand and with silent steps made her way outside her courtyard unnoticed from anyone's eyes.

A few moments later, she hid her small body behind a wall and peeked at something.

She was looking at a servant who was plucking the flowers from the tree while standing on a ladder leaning against the wall.

After a while, the servant got down from the ladder and walked away from there.

The young girl looked around and when found no one around she came out of her hiding place and walked towards the ladder.

She watched the ladder for a few seconds and remembered how the servant climbed on it every day. With the small bundle in one hand, she put one foot on the ladder while holding it with her other hand.

Finally, when she was on the high wall, she laughed happily. However, when she looked down on the other side of the wall, her face was morphed into a confused one.

'How to go down now?"

Her thoughts were disrupted when she heard a furious shout from her behind

"Rui, what are you doing there?"

*(Please read the author's note)