His Rui

Half an hour later, Xi Ying finally stepped out of his study room and went to Plum Courtyard.

He found Li Rui sitting inside the living room with Xi Ling. Waling further, he saw that Xi Ling had a pout on his lips and his eyes were a bit red.

"Xiao Ling also wants to go with Mother."

Li Rui sighed softly and wiped the corner of her son's eyes as she whispered

"Xiao Ling should try to understand Mother. You have just recovered. The Imperial Palace will be very active for the next three days. If you went with Mother there then you won't be able to get sufficient rest and Mother will worry about Xiao Ling.

Does Xiao Ling want to worry mother?"

Xi Ling hesitated for a moment and then shook his head slowly..

"Xiao Ling doesn't want to see mother's frown."

Li Rui smiled and rubbed her son's small head.

"Xiao Ling is very sensible. When Mother will come back, I will teach you more games."

The lasts sentence brought back the brightness in Xi Ling's eyes. He looked at his mother with wide eyes and said

"Really?"

"Really."

Li Rui said with a small and hugged him in his arms.

Xi Ying who had been standing a few steps away frowned seeing his son's clingy behavior. When did his son start to need so much coaxing?

In the past when he used to spend a whole week in the Imperial palace for some reason, his son would only frown for a few minutes and then would become just like before.

Now seeing him like this, he was a bit displeased.

What was the need to hug his wangfei like this?

He stepped forward and picked his son effortlessly from the couch.

"So you will only miss Mother? Where did I go?"

He asked his son with narrowed eyes.

Xi Ling knew that his father becomes jealous easily whenever he got too close to his mother. Actually, he also becomes slightly jealous when he sees his father taking his mother away.

So he very patiently and sensibly answered his father's question.

"Xi Ling will also miss Father. Father has to protect Mother."

Xi Ying pinched his son's cheek and let him down from his arms satisfied with his answer.

Actually leaving Xi Ling in Xi Manor was Li Rui's decision. He knew why she said this. Perhaps because of the incident from fourteen years ago, she doesn't consider the Imperial Palace safe for Xi Ling who was still very young.

So he didn't oppose her decision and let Xi Ling stay in Xi Manor. If it provided her peace then he didn't have any problem in doing it.

The carriages were ready. So Xi Ying looked at Li Rui but froze suddenly.

He noticed her dress only now.

Actually, when Li Rui said that she also wanted to attend the Imperial banquet, he asked Shui Cao to bring the best tailor of the Imperial City to Xi Manor.

He himself selected a few colors for Li Rui's dresses and asked the tailor to make them best personally.

He wants everyone to see that Li Rui was not a despised Wangfei of Xi Manor.

He wanted them to know that she was his beloved Wangfei who ruled his heart and his Manor so that no one would dare to raise their finger at her.

However, he had never expected that Li Rui would look so beautiful after wearing the dress.

The light green dress hugging her small and thin waist was enticing him to do something else and postpone going to the banquet.

How could Li Rui not feel the meaning behind his intense stare?

Her cheek went red and she lowered her head and gulped.

"We should leave."

She said feeling afraid that the maids would also notice his peculiar stare. It would be so embarrassing for her.

His throat felt dry and he cleared it loudly. Moving his eyes away, he repeated his words because his mind seemed blank.

"Yes, We should leave now."

When he looked back at Li Rui, he smiled seeing her red ears. Her shyness always filled his heart with joy.

He stepped forward and held Li Rui by her waist.

He felt her body stilled so he leaned down and whispered helplessly.

"Relax, I'm your husband so we are not doing anything wrong."

Li Rui looked at him. Before he could not read anything in her eyes, she lowered her head again.

Xi Ying sighed in relief when he felt her body relaxing.

"Come."

He whispered as they walked out of the Plum Courtyard.

Outside the manor, two carriages were ready. Li Rui frowned when she saw the two carriages. The next moment she saw a woman stepping in front of herself in maid's clothes.

"She will accompany you throughout the whole banquet."

The deep voice fell in her ears but the words made her frown deeper.

She looked at the maid's bowed head and said

"But the Imperial Palace doesn't allow servants in such kind of banquets."

It was true. The noble families could use the Imperial servants and salves for anything they wanted. While entering the Palace, they could tell exactly how many servants a noble family needed and they would be provided that many servants.

They could order around those servants to do their chores.

Li Rui could never forget this.

Because it only started after Li Zhan's death. The Emperor announced it the next day after Li Zhan died making it more memorable.

She came out of her trance when she heard Xi Ying's voice.

"I know. You don't need to worry about that. I will talk to the Emperor myself."

However, the words didn't make her heart settle down. Her frown had settled down but her mind was running fast as she asked calmly.

"They why not bring Liu Lan or Li Hua? They are more familiar with everything."

Xi Ying was silent when he heard Li Rui's words.

"They don't know much about Imperial palace's rules. I'm afraid that they would offend the Emperor."

'Offend the Emperor…he doesn't even care about that.' But he could only say this.

As Xi Ying helped Li Rui inside the carriage holding her hand he didn't notice how Li Rui's eyes flickered at his words. She glanced at him and then at the maid for one last time and then lower down the curtain of the carriage.