"You were elder brother so you should have got whatever Li Heng had today. If you had, then Li Chen would not have felt any need to do that. He knows that Li Heng has the power to decide everything and Li Diu is elder than him so he is scared that he will never get a chance to prove his worth and hence he will never get to become the next general…"
Li Qiang stood there with a hard face in front of the woman he loved from the moment he got to know the meaning of love.
She blamed him for the current situation of their children. She continued but he didn't have anything to say.
He was too broken to say anything …to think anything.
He suddenly wished to close his eyes and lie down on the bed motionlessly. However, he knew that Li Rong's words would still not leave his mind.
He knew that she was saying all this just in anger and despair but he still couldn't help but feel those words ringing in his ears.
It was because of him.
It was because he was too stupid and hence Li Heng got everything.
It was because of him that Li Na and Li Caihong started to envy Li Rui and hence decided to shame her like that.
It was because of him that Li Chen felt worthless and hence chose this weird way of proving his worth.
Everything was because of him.
After a few moments of standing there motionlessly, he turned around and left the room in a daze while Li Rong continued to cry silently and alone inside the room.
-----------
It took Xi Ying and Li Rui a whole shichen to reach Xi Manor in the carriage.
Since Li Rui was sleeping inside his arms, Xi Ying had specially ordered the coachmen to drive the carriage slowly. So by the time they reached the Xi Manor, it was already afternoon.
Today was the last day of the leave from the Imperial Court after the Mid Autumn Celebration banquet. So Xi Ying didn't need to worry about going to the Imperial Court in hurry.
He stepped out of the carriage with Li Rui in his arms and then carefully went inside.
In front of him walked two shadow guards who ensured that no noise was made on the way their master walked.
Hence, Xi Ying was very successful in taking Li Rui to Plum Courtyard without waking her up. Looking at Li Rui's sleeping and peaceful face, Xi Ying smiled happily.
It was rare for Li Rui to sleep so deeply in his presence.
In the past, he used to think that she was like this only. Her sleep was always very light and she would wake with very small noises or some small movement. However, now it seems that she was just wary of him and hence she never slept soundly in his presence.
But now, she was no longer wary of him. She trusted him and hence she had completely let down her guard in his presence.
Nothing else could be more pleasurable to Xi Ying than this.
The words 'I trust you' had given him more happiness than the words 'I love you' for a man.
"Mot…"
Xi Ying came out of his trance when he heard the soft and childish voice and instantly raised his head. In front of his eyes was standing his three-year-old son Xi Ling.
He, first, signed Xi Ling to remain silent and then looked at his child from top to bottom. It gave him a sense of relief to see him sound and healthy.
He nodded his head in assurance when he saw the child's worried eyes on his mother.
He knew that after seeing the unconscious Li Rui in his arms last time, Xi Ling must have thought that something happened to his mother this time also. And that's why he assured him that Li Rui was fine.
Xi Ling was instantly happy. He walked to his father's side and held the hem of his robe in his small fist. Xi Ying didn't stop him when he followed her inside the Courtyard.
Xi Ling peeked at his mother in his father's arms from time to time with his big black and clean eyes.
Even after Xi Ying laid Li Rui down on the bed, he wanted to climb on the bed and sit by his mother's side.
However, before he could do so, Xi Ying held him and dragged his son's small body out of the room.
Outside the room, Xi Ling struggled to get out of his father's hold and Xi Ying couldn't help but look at his struggling son with a frown.
"Father, leave Xi Ling. Xi Ling wants to go inside and stay with mother."
Xi Ling mumbled softly with a pout on his lips.
Xi Ying narrowed his eyes as he look at his son. He couldn't help but think inside his heart that the brat in his arms had completely forgotten him after meeting his mother.
Here he wanted to have a look at his son and calm down his restless heart, however, the brat had no thoughts to spare on his father.
Angered, Xi Ying put his son on his shoulder and then spank his butt thrice.
"Father…"
Xi Ling shouted in embarrassment as well as in surprise.
Although it was not the first time his father did such a thing, it had been very long since the last time he was spanked.
His cheeks burned red as he looked around the living room only to see his mother's maids standing at the door and covering their mouths.
The shame-filled his heart and he was panicked by the fact that the maids would tell his mother that his father spanked him on his butt.
How shameful that would be for him!
Xi Ling's eyes started to get teary and he waved his legs in the air as if showing his rebel silently.
However, a few cold words from his father and his rebel end very easily.
"Do you want to get more spanks, my dear son?"
The legs swaying in the air stopped instantly and Xi Ling hung on his father's shoulders like an unmoving sack with a pout on his lips.
Xi Ying was very satisfied with this response and a few moments after Xi Ling stopped struggling, he finally let Xi Ling down on the ground so that he was standing in front of him.
His eyes again roamed on his son's face very carefully. His face was ruddy and didn't have any paleness as he saw in his dream.
However, he was still worried.
In the past life, Li Rui thought that only Princess Wenling was a danger to Xi Ling so when she cured Xi Ling, she thought that Xi Ling would be in no danger.
However, she never knew that there was another person also …behind everything.
It was the Emperor, Zhao Wang Lei.
Not only did he want Xi Ling's life but he wanted to kill Li Rui also.
In the past life, Princess Wenling really didn't poison Xi Ling after Li Rui changed the medicinal paste just as Li Rui had predicted.. However, as soon as she left the Imperial City, the Emperor started to poison Xi Ling with a poison…whose cure no one in Xin knew.
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