Chapter 167 - A Wise Minister
Xi Ying walked out of the banquet hall with Li Rui in his arms who was still staring at his face in shock. The coldness on his face was swept away as soon as he stepped out.
Feeling her gaze on himself, he moved his eyes to her face with a small grin on his face.
"What? Do I look so irresistible that you can't move your eyes away from me?"
Li Rui was more startled by his sudden change of behavior. When she registered his words in her mind, she rolled her eyes and looked somewhere else.
However, during all this she didn't notice how her actions in front of Xi Ying had became more open now but Xi Ying noticed it.
A flicker of joy, amusement and interest flashed in his eyes.
He wondered just how many layers he had to peel through to bring out the real self of her in front of himself.
.
The part of her that she had hidden in somewhere.
When General Li had told him about the Rui who was so lively in her childhood, Xi Ying had not believed him for a moment but now sometimes he could really see the existence of that Rui sometimes.
But it was very rare.
Sometimes when he saw her playing with Xi Ling, she would intentionally tease him by playing some naughty tricks and then coax him with her own methods hiding her actions very easily or sometimes when she designed new games to amuse Xi Ling and those games would involve Li Hua, Liu Lan and other maids who were always tricked by her smart tricks in every game.
A different Rui was there. She was lively, bright however she has been suppressed with the time.
In front of him was the Rui who fears to show her emotions in front of anyone because she thinks that her emotions would become her weakness.
"You didn't need to resign from the Imperial Court?"
His trance was broken when he heard the soft voice of Li Rui.
He smiled gently when he found her looking at him again. She was actually observing him, Xi Ying knew. He let her and answered truthfully.
"Do not worry about this. Just wait for a few moments."
As soon as he finished his sentence, Li Rui saw someone walking out of the banquet hall towards them. Her eyes flickered abruptly and she looked back at Xi Ying who smiled and whispered
"I see …they have already sent someone…but it's soon."
He mumbled the last part with a frown.
He didn't need to turn around to know that someone has just come out. He could feel someone walking towards them.
Although he had know that someone would come, he didn't want that someone to come so soon.
He had wisely grabbed the opportunity to leave the banquet with Li Rui on the first day only, however, it seems like that he won't be able to do that in the end.
Li Rui hid her surprise and maintained her calm and composed face.
"You should let me down now."
She whispered in a low voice, however, Xi Ying shook his head and said firmly.
"No, I quite enjoy holding you like this."
Li Rui looked at him with a baffled face.
Should she appreciate his straightforwardness? She really didn't know so she stayed silent, however her earlobes went red.
However, the next moment she realized that by staying silent she is allowing him to let her take to the carriage only in this
"Prime Minister Xi"
A very polite voice sounded and Xi Ying stopped. He didn't turn around and said
"What is the second Prince doing here?"
Behind Xi Ying, Zhao Zhang Wei smiled mockingly and said
"Doesn't Prime Minister Xi know that better than anyone else?"
Xi Ying smirked. The second Prince seemed to be more intelligent than he had thought. Turning around with Li Rui still in his arms he said
"Perhaps Xi Ying knows but still would like to hear it from the Prince's mouth itself."
Zhao Zhang Wei's eyes narrowed for a infinitesimal second as he looked at Xi Ying and a moment later he scoffed
"Benwang had not expected Prime Minister Xi to be so childish."
During this bickering Li Rui just stayed silent with her head lowered just like a woman was supposed to act at that moment according to the propriety.
However, she was hearing and understanding everything.
As she heard the second Prince talking eloquently she glanced at him once and then moved her eyes away indifferently.
In the end, he was still the man who had hurt her elder sister and she didn't have any good thought of him.
To her he was just a prince not even Yi Huiqing's husband.
On the other hand, Zhao Zhang Wei now knew that the young Prime Minister would not really take a step back so in the end he had to say for what he had come outside.
"His Majesty hopes that Prime Minister Xi will keep his calm and will not leave the banquet like this. His Majesty will not wrong anyone in this matter."
In other words, what he meant to say was he had been sent by the Emperor himself to stop him from leaving the banquet.
"His Majesty has also asked Her Majesty and the first Princess to leave the banquet hall for today and reflect on their deeds."
Zhao Zhang Wei still remembered the Empress' face when the Emperor had admonished her in front of everyone for creating such a ruckus and spoiling a festive occasion.
In his heart, he couldn't help but praise the young Minister silently.
He had played his cards very nicely.
First he humiliated the Empress in front of everyone and then he threatened the Empress to resign from the Imperial Court so that the Emperor would not be able to take any action against him. Because after that, the Emperor would only focus on how he can make him stay even if for that he had to reprimand the mother of Xin, the Empress, in the presence of so many noble families.