Chapter 25 - Humiliating Her
A woman was leaning on a beautifully furnished chair with her eyes closed. Her beautiful black hair hung down the chair without touching the floor elegantly. Her curvaceous body is hidden behind the red dress that made from the softest cloth. Her features so beautiful that whoever looks at her could not help but steal more glances.
"First Princess, that royal guard lost his hand and was found unconscious behind the trees in the Imperial Garden."
Princess Wenling who was leaning comfortably on the chair abruptly opened her eyes and looked at her personal maid with a surprised expression and asked
"What? Who did it?"
" This.... Princess we don't know, who did this but the maids saw Lady Li going inside the Imperial Garden and coming out as well. After that, the royal guard was found out by the servants. We suspect that Lady Li did all this but...."
Although the maid expressed her doubts, she still was not able to convince herself that Lady Li who has such a frail and thin figure can cut the hand of the burly healthy man and that too of an imperial guard.
However, Princess Wenling heard her words and raised her eyebrows. Letting out an 'Oh' she put her chin on her hand that supported by the chair.
"Interesting..... Where is Lady Li, now?"
The maid answered her question hurriedly.
" Lady Li is on her way to go out of the Palace."
First Princess Wenling frowned at her maid.
" So what are you doing here? Stop her and ask her to come to this Princess' courtyard."
The maid took a second to register these words in her mind. When she saw that Princess's frown was getting deeper while looking at her, she trembled and ran away to do as asked as if her tail was on fire.
As the maid said, Li Rui was on her way to the exit gates of the Imperial Palace. The two guards standing on her way bowed their heads in greeting when she crossed them. Xi Ying was walking beside her without moving his gaze from her face. He was trying to find any emotion on her face that she maybe was trying to hide after brutally cutting the hand of that man. However, he was destined to disappoint. There was no change in her expression. She was very calm as if she had just taken a casual stroll inside the Imperial Garden just now.
A maid came running behind her. When one of the guards saw her, she waved them to stop Li Rui on her way and the guard did the same.
By the time, Li Rui was about to ask him the purpose of stopping her like this, the maid reached by her side. Panting heavily, she bowed her head in front of her and said
"This servant greets Lady Li. My Lady, First Princess Wenling is inviting you to visit her in her courtyard."
Li Rui glanced at the maid for a few seconds and then looked away while Xi Ying frowned at the sudden invitation when he saw her following the maid who was leading the way to Princess Wenling courtyard.
The Imperial Place was constructed very nicely, there was no doubt in that. But there were some regions that were exceptionally wonderful in the Palace and these were the places that were occupied by those who were favored by The Emperor, Zhao Wang Lei. Princess Wenling was also one of these people. She was the most favored daughter of The Emperor.
The courtyard was very spacious and has nice scenery to look around. The maid halted her steps in the outer hall. Li Rui also stopped behind her.
" This servant will inform Princess of Lady Li's arrival. Asking Lady Li to wait for a few seconds here."
The maid led her to a cushioned chair. Many more chairs and tables were placed in the outer hall. Letting Li Rui wait in the hall, the maid walked away from there to the inner hall.
Minutes passed, and slowly an hour passed but the maid never came back from inside. Li Rui was sitting calmly as if expecting something like this to happen.
But Xi Ying glanced coldly at the doors of the inner hall from where the maid went inside but never came back.
He never wanted Li Rui to accept the Princess's invitation. Even if she refused, there was nothing Princess Wenling could do to her as she was his wangfei. But now, First Inviting his wangfei to the courtyard and then letting her wait like this was simply an insult to his face.
He glanced at Li Rui feeling confused. Why is she still sitting here? From the garden incident, he felt that she was the kind of woman who doesn't let anyone step on her. But she was still silently facing all the rudeness of the servants of Xi Manor and today she was calmly letting Princess Wenling humiliate her like this. He felt very confused by her behavior.
At one moment, she looked the strongest and emotionally calmest woman he had ever seen. The next moment, she was the delicate woman who was not able to control her emotions.
The woman who ruthlessly cut the hand of a man stronger than herself and the woman who was blaming herself seeing her child's pale face, both of them were her.
Then what was her real self?
His reverie was broken when the maid who had led her here stepped in the outer hall with an embarrassed expression.
" Lady Li, this servant apologize for letting you wait for such a long time but the Princess was having rest. It slipped from this servant's mind to tell someone to inform Lady Li about this. Now the Princess is awake and invites Lady Li for a chat."
Xi Ying narrowed his eyes and at the maid coldly. He would be a fool to think that it was the maid who forgot. Everything was done intentionally. But Li Rui had already stood up to follow the maid so he could only follow his wangfei steps.