"Lady Li, I will never try to go against you. I will silently stay in my courtyard and will only do those duties that are given to me, that is, taking care of Young Master. The only request of this concubine from you is not to …k...kill me."
Standing in front of the kneeling and afraid woman, Li Rui didn't know what she should say.
She just stood there silently staring at Concubine Mu's lowered head.
A moment later, she had left the front hall leaving only a few words.
"It is not me who you should fear."
It was true because it was not she who killed those concubines. So it was not her whom Concubine Mu should have feared.
It was someone else.
Li Rui came out of her trance when she heard Madam Wen asking Xi Ying.
"Prime Minister Xi, you took my sister inside your Manor, although she was just a concubine… wasn't she your responsibility? Your wife killed my sister, instead of punishing her for her sins, you are standing here to protect her like this…hah…"
Madam Wen looked in Xi Ying's eyes straight.
Although her fists were trembling because of fear, she didn't show it on her face. Perhaps it was despair from her sister's death in her heart that was giving her strength.
Her sister's death…it has left a deep scar in Madam Wen's heart.
Madam Wen regrets that she didn't stop her father who was blinded in greed of having any relationship with Lord Xi by marrying his daughter to him.
She couldn't do anything.
What could she possibly do?
Neither could she not replace her younger sister as she was already married nor did she have any power to stop her father's decision as a daughter of the Mu family.
In the end, her younger sister died like any other concubine of Xi Manor.
Everyone said that it was Li Rui who killed her sister and she thought the same.
A woman's envy could be very disastrous. Madam Wen knew this thing very clearly but have never experienced this as her husband had always been very loyal to her and never took any concubine in the inner courtyard.
However, she had never thought that her sister would die because of the same envy.
So today when she saw Li Rui, she wanted to humiliate her in front of everyone. However, Li Rui changed people's opinion by saving the young Prince and she could not bear to see it.
Why should this vicious woman be praised for saving a life when she had killed so many people? Madam Wen thought.
So she came out to vent her anger on Li Rui.
Now when she saw Lord Xi standing in front of her and protecting Li Rui, she couldn't help but feel sorrow for her sister more and more.
However, the man in front of her stood with coldness and indifference in his eyes.
Looking at her, he said in response to her previous question.
"Madam Wen, you should feel thankful that this Lord has arranged a proper burial for your sister because what she has done…she didn't deserve anything from Xi Manor."
Yes, he had arranged a proper burial for Concubine Mu after coming back to Imperial city with his body but outside Xi Manor.
The steward had just asked the servants to bury Concubine Mu but never arranged a proper funeral for Concubine Mu but he did that also.
He even had Concubine Mu's maid sit in front of her grave for a night.
This was something that Li Rui had asked him to do.
When Xi Ying had asked her the reason she had told him that Concubine Mu had taken care of Xi Ling very well for the time she lived in Xi Manor.
In response, Xi Ying had scoffed. The woman was poisoning his son then how could she take her care for Xi Ling into account and forgive her.
But only Li Rui knew that Concubine Mu had her own reasons for doing that.
What could the frightened woman possibly do? To save her life, she poisoned her son.
Li Rui also could never forgive Concubine Mu for what she did to Xi Ling but she respected that woman, for she had cared for Xi Ling like her own son for a whole year.
On the other hand, Madam Wen was looking at Xi Ying with a frown when she heard his words and Xi Ying generously cleared her confusion.
"Your dear sister, Madam Wen poisoned this Lord's three-year-old son."
"Impossible…"
Madam Wen shouted as soon as Xi Ying completed his words but Xi Ying didn't care whether Madam Wen believed him or not.
He just turned around and took Li Rui away from there, leaving Madam Wen with disbelieve written all over her pale face.
-----
A few moments later, Xi Ying finally covered Li Rui with a blanket and stroked her hair.
"Rest here for some time."
There was a frown on his face as he looked at her face that was pale now.
He saw that Li Rui stared at his face for a few moments and he smiled gently while looking into her eyes. Li Rui might not know but he liked it very much when her eyes stayed on his face…when her whole attention was on him.
This was the deepest desire of the young Prime Minister…being in his wife's mind every moment just like she occupied his mind and heart since the moment he had seen her.
When she finally closed her eyes and he felt that she was asleep, he stood up from the bed and left the room.
Outside the room, he saw that An Ju was waiting for him.
With his hands behind his back, he waited for her to say what she wanted to say.
"Master, today's lunch served by the Imperial Palace for Master… it was drugged. An Si told this servant that Master's meal was changed twice."
And with that, Xi Ying sneered coldly.
It seems that everyone has been waiting for this banquet restlessly.
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