His Rui

Chapter 57 – This Lord Will Show You Hell

"His Excellency, Prime Minister Xi is here."

The news stilled both the figures inside the room. Yi Junjie's eyes went cold. No one could tell by looking at his face that a moment ago there was a smile on his lips.

He was actually wary from the moment Li Rui told him that Lord Xi refused to divorce her.

Why a man, who had not stepped inside his Wangfei's courtyard for four years, would deny such a thing?

It was not like he would get mocked because of this. Instead, there are still hundreds and thousands of clans who are ready to send their daughters to his manor even if she was to become a concubine.

Now, the news brought by Liu Lan just added to his doubts.

What exactly was this man trying to do? Yi Junjie wondered.

Li Rui's thoughts were no different from Yi Junjie's. Her eyebrows knitted in a frown the one that expressed annoyance and confusion. 

'Why is he here?'

When she remembered how he was pretending in the study room, her annoyance only increased more. Instead of finding fault in someone's pretense, she had so many things to do but here it seems like she has to do it again.

"I can't leave now."

  "Rui, There is no need to worry about this. If not tonight, then we will leave tomorrow."

Although he himself thought that something is fishy, Yi Junjie comforted her.

Li Rui nodded her head acknowledging his words. Her things were already packed so she can leave whenever she got the chance. Looking at Yi Junjie she said

"Elder Brother, You should leave now."

Yi Junjie nodded his head while Li Rui stepped out of the room to welcome her husband who had come to visit her after four years.

However, the scene outside in the living room was something she had not expected to see.

Standing at the doors of the living room, Li Rui saw everything that was happening there. In front of the cold Prime Minister, Liu Lan was kneeling on the floor. The Prime Minister of Xin was looking coldly at everything inside the room.

He walked towards the table where someone perhaps placed the dinner for tonight. He stopped there for a few seconds.  Then after a full one minute of glancing here and there, he looked at Liu Lan spit out a few words emotionlessly.

"You… go and call Steward. Tell him to come to Plum Courtyard this instant."

Liu Lan who was trying to control her trembling answered hurriedly.

"Yes, My Lord."

Leaving the plum courtyard Liu Lan heaved a sigh of relief. It was the first time she saw Lord Xi. The aura around him was so cold and suffocating that she had to be careful even before taking an extra breath.

'How will her delicate and soft mistress be able to stay with Lord Xi for this one whole night?'

She could not help but feel distressed for Wangfei.

On the other hand, as soon as Liu Lan left, Xi Ying's gaze fell on his Wangfei who was standing at the doors silently.

The indifference in his eyes reduced to the gentleness and he stretched his hand in her direction.

"Come here."

Li Rui looked at the forwarded hand for a few seconds, then lowered her head and walked inside the room.

When she placed her hand in his, she felt him entwining his fingers with her and tightly holding her hand.

"Why are your hands so cold?"

Even though her head was lower, she could hear the same worry and concern in his voice. She was startled when he raised her hands to his mouth and blew warm breath on them. Reflexively, she tried to take back her hands but the tight yet gentle grip didn't let her.

'How can anyone act so well?' Li Rui thought inside her heart.

Warming her hands, Xi Ying looked at her lowered head that made her look so obedient and gentle. He felt a little angry and funny inside his heart.

Fortunately, he had asked An Zhi to keep an eye on Plum Courtyard. As soon as An Zhi told him that Yi Junjie and Li Chen were inside the Plum Courtyard, he knew that his Wangfei was planning something.

Planning something to make him divorce her.

How could he sit still and concentrate on other matters knowing this? So he rushed to Plum Courtyard.

He was curious to know what was going on in her small but smart head.

Feeling the need to look in those clean black eyes, he held her chin and raised her head. His lips had a small smile as he gently placed pecked her chin and said

"Now I know why you want to separate from me suddenly."

He enjoyed seeing the bewilderment and confusion in her eyes.

When he felt something, he left her chin and made her stood by his side holding her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. Then he walked to the front hall with Li Rui.

Steward Xui came running inside the courtyard with his bouncing belly. Till the time he stood in front of Xi Ying, beads of sweat were rolling down his temple.

Bowing his head, he took a deep breath and greeted Minister Xi.

"My Lord, this servant is here. What does My Lord wish me to do?"

The indifference in Xi Ying's eyes was back as he hummed.

"Bring the food placed inside on the table."

Liu Lan was immediately back inside the front hall with the plate and bowl in her hands.

"This Lord wants you to finish this food."

Confused at the weird command, Steward Xui could only say obediently.

"Yes, My Lord."

But when he approached Liu Lan and glanced at the food, Steward Xui's chubby figure froze. The young maid had one plate and one bowl in her hands. The plate was full of vegetables but they were not adequately cooked and the bowl was filled with porridge that had more water than rice.

"This…..My Lord, what …."

Steward Xui mumbled in a daze.

Liu Lan bit her cheek to stop the emerging smile on her lips seeing the fat steward's terrified face.

"What?"

This one word was enough to bring him out of his daze. He immediately picked the chopsticks and started to eat the vegetables. However, in the first bite itself, he felt like vomiting. The vegetables were too much cooked, burnt and bitter.

Working in the Xi Manor for so many years, when had Steward Xui eaten this kind of food? It was worse than the food eaten by the servants in Xi Manor.

Steward Xui turned and kneeled on the floor with his hand supporting the floor and cried out pitifully

"My Lord, did this servant does something wrong making My Lord punish me like this?"

"What are you doing? I asked you to finish all the food."

The words, full of displeasure, made Steward Xui shiver and unable to cry.

When he still didn't get up, Xi Ying shouted coldly.

"Bring a few servants here and ask them to shove down this food in his mouth."

Hence, Liu Lan ran again and this time came with many people. Two servants held the struggling Steward and forcefully poured the tasteless porridge inside his mouth.

"My Lord…This servant apologizes…My Lord.."

Xi Ying looked at the pale and afraid faces of the maids and servants. Even amidst the screams of Steward Xui, his words could be heard clearly.

"The food that you, a mere servant can't swallow inside is being given to My Wangfei in this Manor. How courageous of you to do this…."

Xi Ying knew that the meal sent to Plum Courtyard was sometimes even worse than this. It was Liu Lan who started to bring edible meals after Li Rui helped her.

Among these scared faces, Xi Ying's gaze fell on a familiar face.

"Shui Cao"

A middle-aged man stepped forward.

"Yes, My Lord"

From a middle-ranked servant to the steward of Xi Manor.

Shui Cao has been working in Xi Manor for almost three decades. Xi Ying could only find Shui Cao trustworthy in the ongoing situation.

"From this moment, you are the steward of Xi Manor."

Shui Cao was startled by the sudden change in position but soon kneeled down to express his gratefulness.

"This servant will never disappoint My Lord."

Steward Xui saw his position being snatched by a mere servant was furious.

"No…., I have worked here for so many years. How can he suddenly snatch my job? My Lord… please don't do this."

Steward Xui was used to boast in his village that he worked in Prime Minister Xi house and he had gained a very good reputation because of this. Now if he was thrown out of Xi Manor like this, would not he be mocked in his village?

And leaving aside all this, where will he get the new job after being thrown out by Lord Xi himself.

He regretted. He regretted that he underestimated the importance of Lady Li in Xi Manor. But how could he predict that Lord Xi would suddenly visit Plum Courtyard tonight?

"Shut his mouth."

At Xi Ying's command, the servant put a cloth inside Steward Xui's mouth. Looking at the afraid faces of all maids and servants, he said coldly.

"Whoever dares to disrespect my Wangfei would be thrown out of Xi Manor left with nothing and this Lord will show you what is hell until you are breathing your last."