The sky was dark when Li Rui finally came to her isolated Plum Courtyard with her maids. No one spoke anything. Li Mei's face was still red due to anger. Li Hua who was trying to calm her down had her fist clenched that showed that she was not less angry, while Li Rui just sat on her chair with a very distant and thoughtful expression on her face.
Xi Ying sat on a chair that was placed in front of Li Rui. He was still trying to comprehend everything. He was somewhat bewildered by the guesses he made in his mind. It was difficult to believe them.
Who was An San?
An San was one of person among his shadow guards, all surnamed An. All of them were chosen and trained by him personally. He knew each and every one of them or this was what he thought.
It was also his illusion.
Remembering how An San was talking to Li Rui; his face hardened. No one can look down on his wangfei especially a mere shadow guard.
He looked at Li Rui whose expression told him that she was not angry at all while her maids were angry in her stead.
Li Mei, standing with Li Hua, kneeled by Li Rui's side and tried to hold her knees.
The sudden touch gained Li Rui's attention and she looked at Li Mei.
Li Mei was sobbing.
Knowing the reason for her tears, Li Rui's expression softened and she held her worried maid's hands in her hands.
"My Lady, why are you tolerating all this? Four years....Four Years have passed living with you carrying everyone's shame and disgust. This servant can't bear to see you anymore like this. Even the servants don't respect you here. Every time you try to meet Young Master, that ....that insolent shadow guard doesn't even let you see. My Lady, why don't you separate from Lord Xi? This maid can guarantee that General Li will never blame Young Lady."
With tears streaming down on her face Li Mei completed her sentences trembling. She knew it was not her place to advise her mistress separation from Prime Minister Xi. But she can't see anymore. Her heart aches every time she sees someone looking down on her mistress.
Xi Ying was glaring at the maid with a cold face.
The initial words of the maid somehow make him understood that it was his shadow guard who didn't let Li Rui meet Xi Ling.
In fact, He was never informed that Li Rui tried to visit Xi Ling.
He remembered four years ago, he had asked the Steward why he was informed so late about his wangfei carrying his child. The Steward told him that he himself didn't know anything. According to him, Li Rui didn't even come out of her courtyard for few months and any servant from Xi Manor was not allowed inside her courtyard.
He was confused on hearing all this. Then he took the child in his courtyard. Not a single maid from Li Rui's side came to take back the child. Like this, the one whole month passed. At the end of one year, he thought that Li Rui never wanted this child.
But now it seems that it was all along his shadow guard who didn't tell him intentionally.
Now he remembered Was it not An San who had told him that Li Rui drugged him?
He was fooled by his shadow guard to despise his wangfei.
But still, what rights does a maid have to advise Li Rui about something like separation?
He would never agree to this. Even if he didn't know anything he would not have agreed. Now when he knows the truth there was no chance that he would never let Li Rui separate from himself.
*~*~*~~*~*~*
The last sentence of Li Mei reminded Li Rui of something.
"Rui, Promise Father that you will not divorce or separate from Lord Xi in any situation."
Li Rui leaned on a chair with a sigh. Very softly she patted her maid's hand to console her and said
" Li Mei, Do you know when the physician had announced that I was pregnant, I was very scared."
The words made Xi Ying's heart clench. It was her first child. He was not there to take care of her.
Li Rui continued looking into Li Mei's eyes.
" Your Mistress is from a clan that Emperor want to vanish, is a daughter of a father who is trying to protect his family with everything he has, is a wangfei who is despised by his husband, is a person who has enemies hiding behind the bushes to devour her if given any chance."
Even Li Hua started crying hearing her words and kneeled by her mistress's side.
" It made me afraid of what kind of future would my child have. Since Lord Xi despises me, will my child also be despised by his own father?"
Li Rui rested her head on the headrest and closed her eyes.
" The child was a part of me. How could I bear to see him suffering? I promised myself to protect my child at any cost. Even if the cost was not to see him in this lifetime. At the very least, maybe Lord Xi would forget that Xi Ling was birthed by me. He would not hate Xi Ling and protect him as a father should."
" It was sufficient. "
After hearing everything, there was a crack in Xi Ying's cold expression. He looked at Li Rui with misty eyes. He could hear the vulnerability in her words. He wished to take her in his arms and tell her that he would protect her as well as their child. She didn't need to worry about anything.
Because she was his wangfei.