Bab 22: The Letter

The next morning when Li Hua and Li Mei opened the door of Li Rui they found her sleeping on the chair. They didn't know if she was really sleeping or not because she opened her eyes as soon as they came inside.

Li Mei even asked her if she slept there for the whole night and distressedly requested her not to do this again as it would cause aches in her body.

Xi Ying who had been standing by Li Rui's side all night glanced at both the maids coldly.

It was another thing that his glares could not be seen by anyone.

Rui had just closed her eyes a few minutes ago. She didn't rest the whole night and continued to stare blankly. He didn't know what she was thinking. But after hearing her murmurings inside Xi Ling's room from last night, he knew that it was nothing good.

She was in pain.

She was in so much pain that she could not sleep. Her pain made his heart hurt. But he could do nothing. He could only accompany her in her pain without her knowing.

Maybe this was his punishment. Because for him seeing her in pain seemed like the most difficult suffering he would never want to suffer again in this life.

When he found out that Li Rui didn't drug him, he had felt guilty in his heart.

Because Li Rui was calm, he had thought both of them had their own wrongs on their side. He never tried to talk to her and she never came to ask him about Xi Ling.

He had thought if she had been a responsible mother, they would not have become like this in four years.

But what came next was a slap on his face. All along, it was only him who had been wrong. It was he who was at fault.

Rui was never at fault. She never did anything wrong.

It was his shadow guard who didn't let Li Rui meet Xi Ling. He didn't even know how many times his wife was insulted by a mere servant.

All the accusations, all the schemes. It was not her work. She was wronged in every situation but she didn't let out a single word or maybe she thought that explaining herself will amount to nothing.

Many thoughts swirled in his mind the whole night.

It was only when she closed her eyes he found a little peace in his heart. Finally, she could take some rest. But in less than half an hour, the door was opened by her maids and now she was getting ready for the next day instead of resting on her bed.

He was also worried for Xi Ling but his heart said that Li Rui will not let anything happen to their child.

This time he wanted to believe his heart. He wanted to believe Li Rui.

After an hour, the maid came from the kitchen with the food. Li Mei and Li Hua looked at the food with grim faces.

There was more water than rice in the rice porridge. The vegetables were either burnt or were uncooked. The meat was also not eatable. They took that food and put it on a table in the corner far from the table on which Li Rui was going to sit.

Even though Xi Ying needs to be close to Li Rui he could wander around the courtyard as long as Li Rui was inside her room. So when she was taking a bath, he went to the garden from last night. There were many plants there or he should call them medicinal herbs.

So when he came back inside the Courtyard, he naturally saw this scene. Li Rui was still inside her room.

Looking at the grim faces of the maids, he glanced at the food placed on the table. His face turned black and in his rage, he tried to flip the table but his hand just passed through the table without any obstruction.

Even the ill concubine residing in his manor whom he took inside to take care of Xi Ling eats better food than this.

Those servants dared to treat the main wife in this manner like this. He wished he could kill all of them. The hole in his heart was growing more and more.

What else had she suffered in his manor? The more he found out, the more the suffocation inside his heart was growing.

No doubt that she looked so thin and frail.

At this moment, the woman shadow guard Yi Ju appeared again in the courtyard. This time she held something in her hands.

She handed it to the two maids, Li Hua and Li Mei. She uncovered her face and said with a goofy smile.

"Lord said that today all the dishes are Lady's favorite."

Xi Ying saw that it was food. The words buzzed in his brain.

'Which Lord?'

There was some restlessness inside his heart.

The two maids happily arranged the dishes on the table. The food really looked very delicious.

Li Rui came outside and they served her. Xi Ying saw that she glanced at the bowl on the table placed far away.

She knew everything. She knew that the food she was having came from outside the manor.

Xi Ying felt the same feeling from four years ago when his shadow guard had told him that Li Rui was going to marry someone else.

He couldn't name this feeling. But he didn't like it all.

*****

Of course, Li Rui knew what kind of food was sent from the kitchen of Xi Manor. Even if her maids try to hide things from her, she knew them.

But she doesn't reveal anything. It will only increase their sadness.

Those who cared for her, she never wanted to see them sad. So she silently ate her breakfast.

A maid came from outside and she seemed from Xi Manor. She gave a letter to Li Hua saying that it was for Lady Li. Then she went out without greeting Li Rui.

Xi Ying didn't expect anything from the servants of his manor now.

However, he was curious about the letter.

Li Hua gave the letter to Li Rui. His curiousness grew more when he saw a somber expression on Li Rui's face.

She didn't even complete her meal and ordered Li Hua.

"Make the arrangements. I am entering the imperial palace today."

PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA
Ada_5253

Hello! Thanks for all the love and support. I have participated in WSA 2021 with another story. Please check out my second story 'CEO He: Please don't love me'. If you like it, consider it adding to your library.

Thanks for reading

Ada:)