His Rui

Xi Ying entered the Plum Courtyard. His heart was very excited and eager to see Li Rui. The pace fastened and he was soon near Li Rui's room. However, his steps halted suddenly when he saw the crying Xi Ling outside Li Rui's room.

A maid that he had appointed for Li Rui just before leaving for the borders was trying to coax his son. However, Xi Ling was crying relentlessly.

Xi Ying frowned.

Xi Ling never cried without any reason.

He stepped forward and picked his son from the maid's hands.

The maid greeted him but he just ignored her and wiped Xi Ling's tears gently.

"Xi Ling, what happened?"

He asked Xi Ling.

Xi Ling seemed relieved after seeing his father. He pulled his father's sleeve and between his hiccups as he said only one word again and again.

"Mother…Mother."

And then he glanced towards the door of Li Rui's room.

A sinking feeling couldn't help but emerge inside Xi Ying's heart.

Rui… Did something happen to her?

He gave Xi Ling to the maid instantly and pushed the closed door and stepped inside the room.

Seeing the small and lonely figure of Li Rui leaning against the alone couch in the form, Xi Ying ran towards Li Rui.

"Rui"

His hands stretched out to take her in his arms but when he remembered his promise to not touch her without her will he took them back.

However, a moment later, even the consciousness of that promise couldn't stop him from taking Li Rui in his arms.

There was blood.

Red blood on Li Rui's clothes.

What happened?

Was she hurt?

Was she in pain?

"Rui."

He very carefully took her in his arms and felt the skin beneath the blood's stain. However, he didn't feel any wetness of blood under her clothes.

Only then, Xi Ying noticed that he couldn't feel her reluctance towards his touch when he took her in his arms a few moments ago.

Swiftly raising his head to look at her face, his sight was caught by those lost, blank and empty black eyes.

So lost and so empty.

They seemed to prick his heart like thorns.

"Rui"

He patted her cheek gently hugging her tightly in his arms but she never responded to any of his calls. He followed her gaze to where she was looking at.

Looking towards the bed, he finally found the reason why Li Rui looked so lost.

On the bed was lying Li Hua. Her eyes were closed and her clothes were bloody.

Looking back at Li Rui's blank eyes, his heart suddenly felt a little heavy.

He had seen her condition when her maid, Li Mei had breathed her last and after knowing about her first maid had died, Xi Ying could understand why she behaved like that.

He carefully supported her unmoving body on the couch and moved towards the bed. Taking out his handkerchief from his sleeve he put it on Li Hua's wrist and then checked the pulse.

His eyes held surprise when he felt the faint movement.? Li Hua's clothes were full of blood. He could see the trail of blood rushing down from the wound on her stomach.

It was unbelievable that she was still alive.

Instantly, Xi Ying left Li Hua's side and kneeled down in front of Li Rui.

He held her shoulders and made her look at him firmly.

"Rui, look at me. She is still alive,"

"You can try to save her, Rui. It is not the time to sit like this."

He knew that Li Rui thinks that if she had not collapsed before then she could save Li Mei. This time he doesn't want her to regret that she didn't save Li Hua.

He doesn't want her to have nightmares of Li Hua's death.

He could see that the focus in Li Rui was coming back. He gently picked her up in his arms and took her towards the bed.

Setting her down by the bedside, he told her.

"Feel her pulse, Rui. Even though it is faint, she is still alive."

Li Rui's eyes were full of disbelief. She looked at Xi Ying with a slightly opened mouth and then seeing his firm gaze on herself, she held Li Hua's wrist and she could actually feel the faint movement of her pulse.

Her hands trembled as she put down her wrists carefully.

She looked at Li Hua's face that was getting paler and paler with every passing moment.

"I have to stop the bleeding."

She murmured and then applied pressure on Li Hua's stomach.

"Come inside."

Two young maids ran inside hearing Xi Ying's command.

"Rui, you can tell them whatever you want."

Li Rui looked at the maids and then asked them to bring clean clothes and warm water. The maids started the work.

After stopping the bleeding, Li Rui stood up to go to the backyard of the Plum Courtyard. She picked some herbs from the table and made a paste.

During the whole time, Xi Ying didn't leave her side. Whenever she needed anything, he would provide her or ask the maids to give it to her. Her hands didn't seem to have the strength to grind the herbs into the paste so he took them from her hands and ground them under her guidance.

As he made the paste, he didn't notice that Li Rui was staring at his face. She removed her eyes instantly when he asked her if he should grind more.

She checked the paste and then shook her head.

With the paste in her hands, she exited the backyard and went to her room.

She needed to undress Li Hua so she glanced at Xi Ying standing by her side who understood what she meant and nodded his head.

He stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Outside he saw, An Shing looking at the door nervously. When An Shing saw him, he composed his emotions and kneeled down.

"An Shing greets My Lord."

Xi Ying didn't acknowledge his greeting and asked instead.

"What happened here, An Shing?"