Chapter 4 - I Hate You
The palanquin stopped as soon as it entered the grounds of Imperial Juyan Palace. Ying Lili without wasting any second came out of the palanquin and saw the palace ground was indeed converted into a morning ground. She ran as fast as she could and fell on her knees beside her father's body. Chou Mei looked at Ying Lili and embraced her tightly. "Your father is no more," she cried out.
Ying Lili looked at her father's lifeless body. "I will not spare him. I know he killed you, and I will avenge for your death," Ying Lili took a pledge, looking at her father. There were no tears in her eyes, which worried the palace- women.
"Why are you not crying? Mourn for him," Ying Lili's aunt told her, whose face was filled with tears. Tears poured down her eyes, but she did not speak anything. Her mother lost her consciousness in her arms that worried her out.
"Mother. Mother. What happened to mother?" Ying Lili concernedly stated. "Take the queen to the chamber," one of the ministers there ordered. Five maidservants came there and carried the queen up. She was taken to the chamber while Ying Lili followed her up when General Wang stopped her.
"Forgive me for stopping you this way, your highness but, there is a message from the Crown Prince. Because of some reasons, we have to leave right now for the capital of Han," General Wang told Ying Lili while his eyes were lowered.
The maidservants left from there along with the sister-in-law of the queen to the queen's chamber at Ying Lili's request. She then walked to General Wang and said, "Tell your Crown Prince that he broke the alliance by killing my father. I am not going back." Her voice was affirmed.
"Your highness, please refrain from accusing the Crown Prince. The marriage alliance is still valid. If the princess will not agree to this, then unwanted bloodshed will occur. The crown prince will not spare anyone here," General Wang proclaimed.
Ying Lili's uncle, Song Li Xiu, standing beside Yenay heard that and told Ying Lili to leave for the capital.
"Shū shu (uncle in Chinese), my father is no more. Now, this alliance has no meaning. The Emperor's son backed off from his promise not to kill anyone here, but he killed my f-father," Ying Lili's voice broke down saying this. She looked at her father's body and tears started pouring down her eyes. Song Li Xiu noticed General Wang's expressions and told him to excuse them for a while.
General Wang bowed his head and stepped back. Li Xiu took away Ying Lili from there in a room nearest to the palace grounds. "Ying Lili, this time is not to decide because of the emotional turmoil you are going on.
Brother's loss is indeed grave to all of us but fulfilled your father's last wish. Brother was concerned about your safety till his last breath. He did not want the bloodshed, and most importantly he did not want to be dragged out from here with disrespect. I think the brother was not killed by the Crown Prince. He does not kill people at their backs. If he had to kill, then he would have killed him earlier," Song Li Xiu in the best of his limits made Ying Lili understand.
"So, you are here?" Sheng Li voiced from the other side. Both Li Xiu and Ying Lili turned to him upon hearing his voice. "You do not like to follow the orders," Sheng Li further said as he kept walking towards them.
Li Xiu immediately lowered his eyes, while Ying Lili beamed at him. Sheng Li stepped towards them and stopped right in front of them. "Your highness, forgive my child-"
Song Li Xiu stopped speaking as he felt the dagger near his neck. Ying Lili shouted at him. "Are you not satisfied enough after killing my father?" Ying Lili angrily asked Sheng Li.
"Why did you kill your brother? Wait, let me think," Sheng Li pronounced.
"Stop accusing others for your mistakes," Ying Lili stated, defending her uncle. She then grabbed Sheng Li's arm who turned his eyes towards Ying Lili. "You have not got brains at all. Your uncle killed your father for the throne," Sheng Li told Ying Lili and chuckled. Turning back his eyes onto Li Xiu, Sheng Li said, "Accept your crimes if you do not want to die. You see, I am not a very patient person."
General Wang also came there with the same man who shot Ying Lili's father. "You should have been more careful of my sight. I am not made the crown prince just because I am favored by my father. I have exceptionally great observing skills," Sheng Li proclaimed.
Ying Lili was confused now as she left Sheng Li's arm and turned to look at her uncle. "Did you do this? Did you order the shooter to kill father, Shū shu?" Ying Lili asked her uncle.
Song Li Xiu lowered his eyes. "I do not trust this man so, I am asking you. I know this shooter works for him," Ying Lili stated as she glared at Sheng Li. Sheng Li lost his patience and deepened the dagger in the neck of Song Li Xiu when he spoke. "Please, your highness, do not kill me. Yes, I o-ordered my man to kill brother Wai." Li Xiu accepted his crime. "Forgive me," he further spoke.
"You are telling lies. You do not be afraid of him. He cannot do anything. Just tell the truth, Shu shu," Ying Lili was not ready to believe her uncle.
"I am saying the truth. I k-killed brother Wai for the throne," Li Xiu announced with a stutter and told her to forgive him.
"How could you expect forgiveness when you accused the crown Prince? Close your eyes. This will not hurt at all," Sheng Li spoke and almost going to slit Li Xiu's throat when Ying Lili stopped him.
"You cannot stop me as this matter is of my reputation now," Sheng Li proclaimed. "General Wang, take away this shooter and kill him," Sheng Li commanded his general when Ying Lili again intervened.
"Do not kill him," Ying Lili said and started crying. The tears she was holding back for a long were burst down from her eyes.
"Your tears will not stop me from killing him," Sheng Li stated. "Tell me a valid reason to stop," he added. When Ying Lili did not speak anything, Sheng Li said, "I will take it as a yes." But then she grabbed Sheng Li's wrist. "Will my father come back if I will allow you to kill him? Why did you even come here? If you had not had come here then, my father would have been alive," Ying Lili complained as she hit on Sheng Li's chest.
Sheng Li looked at his general and gestured him something. Sheng Li threw the dagger and gestured Li Xiu to go out from there. General Wang took the two out of the room and closed the doors behind him.
Sheng Li grabbed Ying Lili's wrists and told her to stop. "This is your father's foolishness to trust his brother," Sheng Li pronounced.
"It is all because of you, Sheng Li. I hate you," Ying Lili declared, peering into Sheng Li's eyes.
"Good for you. I do not want you to love me," Sheng Li stated and smirked. "Now, you have seen your father, then we must leave. Ahh, before leaving I want to remind you of something important. Be respectful towards me and do not ever accuse me of the things I have not done. You do not have permission to call me by my name. Your tongue I can cut at any instant. You are fun to play with but if I lose my temper, you are going to hurt very badly." Sheng Li whispered in Ying Lili's ear.
Sheng Li released his grip from Ying Lili's wrist and stepped back. "A royal tribute will be given to him by me, and your uncle would be punished. I do not forgive people easily. Yes, your father will not be brought back by this but, I cannot let a wrong man rule this tiny kingdom," Sheng Li pronounced. "Unlike you, I am not a kind man," Sheng Li remarked.
"It is not about the kindness but it is about the trust my father had on him till his last breath," Ying Lili stated, wiping off the tears from her cheeks.
"Trust turns you into a fool- keep this in mind. He might attack the Han Kingdom in the future," Sheng Li opined.
"Juyan will never betray the Han Empire. The marriage alliance has mentioned that you will not harm any people if I will marry you. I assure you that uncle will never betray," Ying Lili, with an affirmed tone said.
"I will kill you if he will betray Han in the near future. Then, do not beg for your life," stated Sheng Li.
"I have given you my words. Juyan is now a loyal ally of Han," Ying Lili asserted. Sheng Li agreed to Ying Lili, but somewhere he suspected her.