Chapter 41: Agreement (1)
What a relieve feeling XiaoRue has when she sees TanTan goes out with others. Coz TanTan seems still busy talking with Lady FengHuang and others, XiaoRue decides to wait. Not too long there is ManQi, walking not too far from her, so XiaoRue approaches him to get the information,
"Mr ManQi, what is actually happened inside? Did Xiao Jie get any trouble?"
ManQi looks to her and chuckles,
"Your XiaoJie is really giving a big trouble this time..."
"Really? Did Prince Li punish her?" XiaoRue looks to him in worry.
"Well, on the contrary, she successfully defeats Prince Li and making him upset..."
"defeats him?..." XiaoRue thought like in the past, HuaMuTan might just threw her emotional easily and then ended being felt humiliated or even got punishment from the Prince although till now as XiaoRue remembered, no one dared to give any hard punishment to her XiaoJie as HuaMuTan always using the name of the GrandMother Queen as her shield, this time maybe not too different.
"ManQi!" Hearing his name is called by Prince Li, ManQi turns back to approach Prince Li who is also just walking out from the room. But before that, he has a time to pat XiaoRue's head and says, "Don't worry, Young Madam is fine..."
XiaoRue feels a little surprised and a little bit upset for ManQi treating her like. a child. XiaoRue observes that Prince Li seems busy instructs some orders to ManQi, perhaps also asking him to prepare the horse to return to Li Mansion.
"XiaoRue.." TanTan calls her and XiaoRue immediately comes approaching TanTan.
"XiaoJie, are you okay?" concerns XiaoRue, that is responded by TanTan's smile,
"I am fine..." TanTan gestures introducing QingQing to XiaoRue,
"This is QingQing. She will stay with us for a while..." As their agreement, TanTan and QingQing feels it is okay to call each other by just names.
QingQing smiles to XiaoRue, gestures politely and says,
"Please take care of me for a while, XiaoRue..."
XiaoRue observes QingQing and has a little bit worry for she recognizes QingQing as the woman who started trouble at the restaurant,
'Will this woman be okay to stay with XiaoJie...?' XiaoRue feels uneasy but she just can smiles responding to QingQing.
Then she turns to TanTan, asks
"XiaoJie, so are we going home now?"
The sky began to become dusk, yet TanTan doesn't feel to go home nowq...she still want to find any clues coz she feels getting nothing useful till now so she turns to QingQing,
"QingQing, tell me exactly how can you help me to find the clue that I need...? Is there any place we can go now to get clues?"
"XiaoJie, you don't planning to go again right?" XiaoRue already feels panic with TanTan's request to QingQing.
QingQing is also surprised to be asked directly like that. She is willing to help TanTan but not that instant, especially not after getting out from jail just now.
"Wow, calm down, HuaMuTan...I don't think we should go now...why don't we take a rest first and call it a day? We still have time tomorrow, right?"
TanTan shakes her head as she thinks,
'I am not sure I can get out freely again later...not after I made him mad like that...'
She looks to QingQing seriously, repeating her question before...
"QingQing,...are you really know any place we can ask? I prefer to go now to find any clues..."
QingQing wonders what rushes TanTan, but she really can't fulfill TanTan's request, so she shakes her head
"I can't think any places for now, HuaMuTan. At first, I thought my sister can give you the clues coz she has many connection with the underground people..."
"The underground people?" The word attracts TanTan, she widens her eyes and focusing to QingQing's explanation,
"That's how we call to some people who being in some secret organizations..."
TanTan puts her thought,
"Beside the connection your sister have, where can we usually find out about these underground people?"
QingQing knows the answer, she just feels unsure to tell but looking to TanTan's demanding eyes, she decides to tell TanTan,
"...There is one place...but that is very dangerous...I won't suggest you to go there by yourself..."
"Where is it?" TanTan is too enthusiastic with the information till she didn't realize that a figure comes closer to her and has listening her mentioning about the underground people. That figure suddenly takes TanTan's hand and shows his anger face,
"Where do you think you will going, HuaMuTan?! Finding more trouble than you had now?! Come with me!!!"
Seeing Prince Li captures HuaMuTan makes QingQing and XiaoRue become silent and just letting Prince Li takes HuaMuTan back to the room.
Prince Li releases his hand on TanTan harshly, pushes her to sit and uses his both hands to block TanTan standing up again.
"What is your intention, HuaMuTan?!"
"What do you mean?...let me go now...!"
But Prince Li keeps gripping the chair firmly, he stares sharply to TanTan, threaten her...
"I heard it just now, you are looking for the underground people?!... Are you planning to use them to do your evil deed this time?!! Just forget it! They are not the people who you can control like in the palace or at your house! And also I won't let you do that !!
TanTan stared back to him angrily,
"I don't looking for them to do evil...!! I told you I won't harm anyone!"
"If not, why do you want to meet them?!"
"Its my own business...Nothing to do with you!!"
For a second, they stared to each other...
and somehow Prince Li feels a litte bit disappointing with TanTan's last words but he can see the pure intention from TanTan's eyes which he never see before.
Prince Li releases his hands from the chair, stands aside from TanTan,
"You are not planning to harm ShuangAi or FangFang anymore?"
TanTan confuses with the question. It is like the Prince want to get a clear confirmation from her again, she feels upset about it,
"Of course, I won't harm them! ShuangAi is my friend and FangFang is my daughter...how could I harm them!"
Prince Li still staring on her sharply,
"Are you planning to harm anyone else? One of your enemies?"
"How many times I need to tell you. I am not planning to harm anyone...!!Do you want me to swear here?....I swear not to harm anyone or I won't mind to get any law punishments!" TanTan stands firmly raising up her right hand, like if she stands at the court place. which confuses Prince Li.
'She seems honest this time... her eyes are also looking honest, those eyes are different from in the past...'
Prince Li comes closer to TanTan.
"Then tell me the truth, why on earth do you want to meet the underground people? Don't you know that they are dangerous people?!"
"Dangerous?" TanTan is curious how dangerous they can be.
"Mostly they are criminals, and some of them are the cold-blooded killers and rebels...do you think you can handle them? Didn't going to the gambling house teach you any lesson?!"
TanTan notices that her distance to Prince Li just a step far. She starts uncomfort with that closeness. But what Prince Li said, she heard it as a concern, its not usual to see Prince Li worry about her? TanTan asks too be sure,
"Do... you worry about me?"
Prince Li is startled with that question and he answers TanTan right away but somehow he can't look to her so he turns back from TanTan,
"No...I am not worry about you! But I am worry that you can bring troubles to Li Mansion with your careless actions like what you did lately!! Either I like it or not, your status is still my wife, the young madam of Li Family, the Royal Family so you must concern about your actions!"
'Yes...I am not worry about her...it just lately her impulse actions caused many troubles and it can effect Li Family as well...' Prince Li makes his mind clear about it.
TanTan thinks about the Prince's answer,
'So he just worry about me dishonor of surname Li as part of the Royal Family?' TanTan understands that people in this ancient time seems care a lot about their family's good name, and that's why the women especially can't be too free with their actions. The past HuaMuTan who grew with the ancestor's teachings must understand this very well that she managed to do her evil deed behind her flawless courtesy. But TanTan, she is not from this ancient time. How can she being restricted to do what she want to do?
'But I can't always offend this man if I still want to get any chance finding clues later...' As the result of her thought, TanTan sighs before she answers,
"You are right, Prince Li...I have forgotten a lot things including my manners as a young madam of Li Family...I admit my wrongs, so please forgive me and don't worry, I will behave as good Li Young Madam for now."
Unexpecting TanTan to drop the argue so soon, Prince Li lost word to say. He just stares to TanTan curiously while TanTan gestures politely to excuse herself,
"Well, if nothing else...please excuse me" TanTan walks to the door, but Prince Li stops her by holding her hand,
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Where? I return to Li Mansion of course...isn't that Li Young Madam's duty, to stay at home?!" Although TanTan seems cooperate so well, there is a sarcastic tone in her words about being Li Young Madam, which being noticed by Prince Li. Somehow Prince Li still suspicious toward this TanTan's obedience manner. So he keeps holding TanTan's hand,
"Then as a good husband, its my duty to make sure you go home safely... let's go!" Same like TanTan's...although the words seem nice but clearly there is a sarcastic tone TanTan can hear in them.
"What...wait! I can go home by myself..."
Prince Li pulls TanTan and they walk out from the room together. Prince Li instructs ManQi to assist XiaoRue and others to go home after them while he forces to hold TanTan up to his horse, ignoring that TanTan keeps noisy, insisting to go home alone. Then Prince Li rides his horse away, leaving everyone who just seeing Prince Li and TanTan go with confusing looks.
QingQing is the one who speaks out her thought first,
"I don't know that Prince Li is so caring to his wife? I thought he hates her?Is that just a rumour?"
XiaoRue and Manqi just look to each other, they don't know how to answer QingQing coz they are also confused with what they saw. It is so opposite than in the past when Prince Li who always rejected and tried to stay away from HuaMuTan, who is trying everything to be close with Prince Li.
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