Chapter 684 Xi Ying Finds Out About Gu Li And Li Rui Sleeping Together
After having this long conversation in the study room, Xi Ying finally decided to go to Plum Courtyard…especially when he saw Li Rui yawning, he felt very guilty for making her stay awake.
Though he liked very much to see her yawning. Because she looked like a cat. His fierce but sensible cat.
Xi Ying cleared his throat telling himself that it was not the time to think about all these things.
"Let's go. You should be sleeping."
"Hm…"
Li Rui hummed and Xi Ying stilled.
Why did that simple hum from her was making him think something not so decent!
Shaking away his not-so-decent thoughts, he picked her up carefully and made her stand. Afterward, he himself stood up.
Outside the study room, Xi Ying first called a few shadow guards.
He sent five shadow guards to the Imperial Palace who will try to find anything about Zhao Wang Lei's plan.
After that, he sent another five to the border and asked them to guard everyone from Li and Yi Clan carefully.
Xi Ying also sent a few shadow guards again to Li Manor.
He felt relieved that Li Rui was standing by his side to see this and she didn't seem to have any problem with this.
Finishing all this, Xi Ying finally walked to the Plum Courtyard.
All the way, Xi Ying held Li Rui's hand, and even when they reached the room, he didn't leave it.
Inside the room, Xi Ling was deeply asleep. Xi Ying walked to the one side of the bed and helped Li Rui in covering her body with the blanket when she was lying down on the bed.
Before walking back to the other side, he gently kissed her forehead and whispered
"Your Ying promises you Rui. From this day onwards, you will not hear the words about running away from me again."
Li Rui smiled and Xi Ying was relieved to see that.
He walked to his side of the bed and laid down.
His hand unconsciously went to hold Li Rui's hand that was placed on Xi Ling's chest …where she was patting him very gently.
Xi Ying slept a sleep free of any dreams for the first time after the night when he had the most terrible dream of his life.
The knot inside his heart had finally loosened.
.
.
.
The next morning was quite usual in Xi Manor.
Xi Ying woke up early. He didn't wake Li Rui and Xi Ling up and got ready first.
Afterward, he went to his study room.
He called for An Si and An Ping asking them how exactly Qin Wenya had planned all that and what evidence they have against her.
After hearing everything, Xi Ying dismissed them.
Sitting on his chair, he smiled coldly all of a sudden.
He wondered what will Zhao Wang Lei do if he will come to know of all this. The craziness he showed for Yi Jie…if all that was really true then he should be willing to kill Qin Wenya. But would he be able to bear the pressure from Qin Empire if he really did that!
Qin Empire was no small empire and that was the only reason that Zhao Wang Lei had been wanting to reduce Qin Wenya's influence. However, reducing someone's influence and clearing that same person altogether from the Imperial Palace was completely a different thing.
So what will Zhao Wang Lei do?
Xi Ying stayed inside the study room for some more time.
After a quarter of shichen, he folded the map he had laid down on the table and put it inside some book, and then went back to Plum Courtyard.
When he stepped inside the room, he saw that Li Rui was getting ready and Li Hua and Liu Lan were helping her.
Xi Ying silently walked inside the room and stopped Li Hua and Liu Lan when they tried to greet him with a raise of his hand. Sitting on the bed, he silently watched as Li Hua and Liu Lan readied Li Rui.
It was also one of his favorite things. Especially when he would find Li Rui trying to evade his eyes while looking into the mirror because she knew very well that he was watching her.
However, Xi Ying couldn't enjoy it for long as soon his son came running inside the room.
"Father…Father…"
Xi Ling shouted as he came running inside the room.
Xi Ying frowned as he helped his son's shoulder to stop him from jumping around when he came to stand in front of him.
"Xi Ling, stop jumping around. You will get hurt."
"Ohhh…"
Xi Ling whispered then obediently nodded his head.
"Alright, Father."
Xi Ying raised his eyebrows wondering how he agreed so smoothly. He knew instantly that the brat wanted something.
And sure enough, Xi Ling took out a small wooden sword from his behind where he had been hiding it and showed it to Xi Ying.
"Father, Xi Ling wants to learn swordsmanship."
Xi Ying sighed when he looked at the sword in his son's hand. The shadow guards from Youxio ad made it for him. Not only a sword but he also has a crossbow and arrows.
However, when he thought about it, he felt happy that Xi Ling had an interest in learning all this.
So he nodded his head and said calmly
"I will ask An Ping to start teaching you from today onwards."
Xi Ling's eyes brightened up instantly and he threw the sword on the bed and then his small arms around his father's waist.
"Father is so good to Xi Ling."
Xi Ying smiled knowing very well that if he had refused then he would have been the worst father in the small bun's eyes.
A child's love was somewhat like this. He tried to comfort himself.
He caressed his son's head and raised his head to look at his wife again. However, his smile vanished when he saw a frown on Li Rui's forehead.
"Rui, what's wrong?"
Li Rui raised her head to look at Xi Ying when she heard him asking her what was wrong.
She turned around and looked at her son who looked happy as well as confused perhaps the latter was because of her.
Then she looked at her husband and said
"That…would it be alright for him to learn all this at such a young age? I don't want him to work hard at such a young age …he should also enjoy his childhood also his body is not yet too strong because of … "
Xi Ying understood his wife's concerns.
He knew that she wanted their son to enjoy all the things that she couldn't. And the poison…though it was out… Xi Ling's body was still recovering from the loss the poison had incurred.
However, Xi Ling who didn't understand why his mother was saying so looked deflated.
He walked to his mother with a crestfallen face and said
"Mother, Xiao Ling is strong. And Xiao Ling is also a big boy now."
Li Rui sighed while Li Hua and Liu Lan smiled when they heard Xi Ling's innocent words.
As if feeling that he might not be able to convince his mother, Xi Ling again turned around to look at his father and started speaking.
"Father, Mother had also started to learn swordsmanship at a very young age."
Xi Ying who already knew all this from Li Rui still showed his surprise and raised his eyebrows. Looking toward Li Rui with amusement he said
"Oh really?"
"Yes, Father. Brother Wang told Xi Ling so many things. He praised Mother a lot. He said Mother learned much more than any one of them could just in a month…she had also defeated an enemy shadow guard. And Father…Mother used to wake up very early to practice. Every night Brother Gu Li and their mother would sleep together and then in the early morning, Brother Gu Li used to wake Mother up to practice…"
Xi Ling spoke, spoke, and spoke.
However, the amusement from Xi Ying's eyes and already vanished. From the moment, he heard that 'Brother Gu Li and Mother would sleep together' the room's atmosphere suddenly went very strange.
Li Hua and Liu Lan sensed this and lowered their heads.
Even they seem to realize what wrong had gone already. However, Li Rui and Xi Ling didn't.
Not until Xi Ying suddenly said to Xi Ling
"Xi Ling, go out and have your meal."
"Ah…"
Xi Ling looked confused and tried to speak.
"But Father…"
However, Xi Ying looked at him strictly and said
"Leave…Liu Lan takes him to the dining room."
Li Rui looked at Xi Ying with confusion-filled eyes while Lu Lan and Li Hua immediately followed Xi Ying's order.
After they had left the room, Xi Ying stood up from the bed and walked toward Li Rui who was sitting on in front of the dressing table but with her back facing the mirror.
Her eyes were filled with confusion as she looked at him and whispered
"Ying…"
When Xi Ying stopped to stand in front of her, his face was void of any emotion and he asked calmly
"You and he …both of you slept together?"
The confusion in Li Rui's eyes vanished suddenly and her eyes widened slightly finally understanding what was going on.
"Ying…that is not the truth. Senior Brother used to think of me as a boy. He didn't want to leave me alone after he had seen someone attacking me. That's why…"
Xi Ying understood what she wanted to say.
However, his heart was still filled with something he couldn't describe.
"But he slept with you."
Li Rui looked at him with opened mouth suddenly not knowing what she should say when she saw how he looked like an angry child.
She sighed.
"Ying, he is like a brother to me."
In response, Xi Ying also sighed and whispered
"I know. I…just want to ki…"