Chapter 11 - This Is My Kindness
In the morning, after taking a hot bath the crown prince was getting ready. Two maid- servants helped him wear the black-colored, golden border- Dragon upper coat over the inner robe. At the back of the Dragon coat, a tiger was carved using the golden threads, symbolizing the Imperial might and strength of the crown prince.
The crown was placed over the head of Sheng Li in the bun and it was fixed by the golden hairpin. "Your highness has to go for the morning greetings with her highness thereafter, joining the family breakfast hall along with her highness," Xing-Fu told the crown prince humbly.
The golden belt was tied around the waist of the crown prince and he turned to Xing-Fu. "Is the crown princess ready?" Sheng Li questioned.
"Her highness is ready and is waiting for you," Xing-Fu replied with a bowed head.
"We are leaving for the crown princess' Inn. Inform the court lady Xu that I am coming there." Xing-Fu bowed his head further upon hearing the crown prince's order and left for the Zhenzhu Inn. General Wang came to the dressing room and bowed his head, joining his both hands by raising them to his shoulders.
"What happened? Are you here in the early morning?" Sheng Li queried him.
"Your highness, we have caught the spy from Juyan who was sent by the new King of Juyan after us." General Wang informed the crown prince whose expressions darkened.
"Why did he send the spy after us? Did you interrogate the spy?" Sheng Li queried Wang Hao who shook his head in agreement.
"The spy is loyal to his master so, is not speaking anything. Your highness, I think we shall inform the Emperor regarding this, as this is the issue of rebellion where even after accepting the suzerainty, the Juyan King is using the other ways." General Wang raised his suspicions.
"Wang Hao, the Juyan King will not send the spy when his princess is just married to me. He knows the consequences. The spy was intentionally sent but not from Juyan King instead of someone who is a foe of me- to create destabilization in my position," the crown prince proclaimed.
General Wang put his both hands down and then looked at the crown prince. "Is his highness referring to the first Prince because he is the only person who is not happy with this alliance. The first Prince could not stop your marriage with the crown princess so, he is using this evil way to create a conflict." Wang Hao made some assumptions.
"I am not sure but except the first Prince, no one can dare to do that. I will interrogate the spy after general greetings and the court session will end," Sheng Li proclaimed. General Wang bowed his head and left the chamber while Sheng Li left for the crown princess chamber.
An-Ying Lili was sitting near the dressing table when she heard that the crown prince was coming there. The maidservants left the inn as soon as Sheng Li stepped inside. Ying Lili stood up from the chair and asked him why he came there.
"Shall you not greet me first?" Sheng Li annoyingly asked from An-Ying Lili who glared into his eyes. "It seems you are quite desperate for my greetings," Ying Lili proclaimed, which infuriated the crown prince.
Sheng Li stepped ahead and said, "No, I do not want your greetings. Instead, I want you to learn some manners that you have left in Juyan. Do not let anyone know about our relationship else you have to face my wrath."
An-Ying Lili did not feel good hearing Sheng Li's words so she snapped at him. "I wish not to tell our relationship to anyone because people already know about your lover." Sheng Li knitted his brows. "It seems the crown princess is jealous of my lover. Shall I tell you why? Because you are not getting the love and attention of your husband." he smirked and turned.
"The crown prince is in the biggest illusion of his life. Who wants the love of a person like you? I request the crown prince not to come here now and then," Ying Lili proclaimed when Sheng Li turned back to her and grabbed her neck.
"L-leave me," Ying Lili struggled and grabbed the hand of Sheng Li who had tightened his grip on her neck. "What do you mean a person like me? Just say that in your eyes I am Barbaric who was kind enough to your family and you. You would be in prison for hurting me last night. Your entire family would be wiped away by now but, you should be grateful to me that I spared you along with your petty family." Saying this, he pushed off the crown princess.
Ying Lili was hit against the table and a knife that was placed on that table cut into her hand. "Ahh," Ying Lili passed a low scream and looked at her hand, which had bled. Sheng Li stepped towards her and gripped her injured hand. The crown princess whimpered in pain. "You are hurting me," Ying Lili said as she hit him on the chest, using her other hand.
"This is my kindness on a kind woman like you that I am still bearing your sight. It will take me seconds to make your life hell but I am holding myself back from not doing anything to you," Sheng Li pronounced. Ying Lili's eyes filled with tears as Sheng Li kept on increasing the pressure on her injured hand.
"You killed my father and you think it is the kindness you did to me. You have already turned my life hell. You are hurting me when you have no right over me," Ying Lili proclaimed. The two were glaring at each other when Sheng Li left her hand and strode out of the chamber.
Ying Lili saw her hand on which the wound was deepened. "My lady, what happened to your hand?" Su Binxi, who just came in, concernedly asked. "I am calling the physician," Su Binxi asserted and walked out. Ying Lili did not let the tears off her eyes and took a deep breath. She was broken inside but for her father, she had to be strong because that's the only way she could fight against the inhuman crown prince.
The Royal Physician came running there and bowed his head. "Your highness, please get seated. I will treat your wound else it will leave the scar on her highness hand," asserted the royal physician. Su Binxi made the crown princess on the chair there and the royal physician started dressing the crown princess' wound.
As it was done, the royal physician took his leave. "Who placed the knife over there?" Court Lady Xu asked angrily from the maids there who had bowed their heads.
"Court lady Xu, I was the one who had put the knife there. We shall leave for the greeting hall," Ying Lili stated and stood up from the chair. The Court Lady bowed her head, accepting the orders of the crown princess. They then left for the greeting hall.
As they came to the central imperial palace, they encountered a few princes whom Ying Lili could not recognize. "Your highness, this is the second prince and on the left of the second prince is the third prince," Court lady Xu whispered near Ying Lili's ear who shook her head.
"Forgive me for not being able to recognize the second brother and third brother," Ying Lili stated as she bowed her head slightly, lowering her gaze.
"The crown princess shall not ask for apologies. I am the second Prince Yongzheng and this is my third brother, Rong Zemin. It is our pleasure to meet her royal highness. The rumors are indeed true. Her highness is a heavenly beauty. But, where is the crown prince? Did his highness not accompany the crown princess?" Rong Zemin asked and looked back.
"Third brother, thank you for asking about me," Rong Zemin turned back as he saw Sheng Li who came towards An-Ying Lili and stood beside her. "My dear crown princess, forgive me. An urgent work had come so I could not come to your chamber," Sheng Li asserted.
"Your highness, did you injure your hand?" Yongzheng worriedly asked as he saw Ying Lili's hand. Sheng Li thought Ying Lili had intentionally shown her hand to them, so he quickly grabbed it.
"My dear princess, how did this happen?" Sheng Li asked, showing his fake concern, and then gazed at court lady Xu. "It seems because of the old age you are having difficulty in working," Sheng Li pronounced. Ying Lili pulled back her hand and spoke. "It is fine. I was not careful and ended up getting hurt."
"You shall be careful, my crown princess," Sheng Li asserted. Rong Zeming and Yongzheng smiled at seeing the two. "It seems the crown prince has fallen for the magnificent beauty," Yongzheng whispered in the ear of Rong Zemin who shook his head in agreement.
"Indeed, I shall be careful of you," Ying Lili said in a low voice and averted her gaze from the crown prince.