His Rui

A few steps away from Xi Ying, sitting on his seat General Li glanced towards Xi Ying.

The letter given to him by Li Rui flashed in his mind and General Li suddenly didn't know whether he should feel happy that his daughter was going to give some hard time to the young Prime Minister or he should pity him for not being able to win his daughter's trust until now.

A moment later, General Li sighed and walked out of the banquet hall.

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"Father"

General Li turned around when he heard the soft voice and saw Li Rui standing behind himself.

His gaze unconsciously fell on the stains of mud on the corner of her dress and his eyes narrowed.

"Girl…don't tell me that you jumped down from the window of your room to come here secretly"

General Li's mustache trembled as he looked at his daughter who looked too calm in front of his anger.

"Did Father read the letter given by Rui?"

She asked without delaying even for a moment, however, General Li was not going to let go of this matter like this.

"Rui, don't try to change the topic."

Li Rui sighed in defeat.. She looked at General Li as if she was looking at a stubborn child and said

"Father, what do you expect to hear? If you have already read the letter then you should know why I jumped down from the window to come here…the maid by my side is also appointed by him. She is his person. If I have told her that I was going to meet you then she would have followed me here and I would not have been able to talk to you freely."

"Rui"

This time it was General Li who sighed in defeat.

Looking at his always calm and serious daughter, General Li didn't know if he should blame himself for making her unable to trust anyone in her life. Since Li Rui's birth, he had been worried about her life being in danger, so he had instilled in her mind that no one except family members can be trusted.

"He is not that kind of person. Rui, if he dislikes you then he will never pretend in front of you that he likes you. Xi Ying is very lazy and unbothered to do that. If he wishes to destroy Li Clan then he will use his mind for that but he would never put up such a pretense for that. This time you are going the wrong way, my daughter."

Li Rui looked at General Li with an incredulous expression on her face. When General noticed it he stepped forward but Li Rui stepped back as she avoided her father's hand that was about to catch her arm.

"You are telling me that I am going the wrong way?"

She asked her father with a frown on her forehead.

"I have heard with my own ears. Wenling was talking to him…she was clearly saying just how he is putting up such a big act in front of all of us so that he can gain our trust and then find something to harm us permanently. He was standing there silently …in front of her...never refusing even a single word and you expect me to trust a person like him."

"Father, I don't know why you trust him so much...even more than your own daughter."

"Did he accept it?"

General Li looked at his daughter with a serious face and asked just one question.

Li Rui's face went blank. She was silent for a moment as if she was recounting everything in her mind. A moment later, she shook her head in 'no' but said

"He didn't…but he didn't refuse it also…"

General Li sighed in exasperation as he looked at his daughter.

"Rui, what happened? You were never like this. Why do I feel like you are finding reasons to not trust him?"

The air stilled suddenly when General Li finished his words.

A moment later, General Li heard Li Rui's answer

"Because Father, I don't have any reason to trust him."

It was true. She really didn't have any reason to trust Xi Ying. He was the same man who was planning with the emperor to destroy her clan until a few months ago so how could she digest his sudden goodwill towards her and her clan all of a sudden.

Princess Wenling's words from the day before just gave her answers to all of the doubts she had in her mind since Xi Ying came back after saving her father and brothers.

To destroy them completely, he had chosen this new way now.

Perhaps he had come to know that she and Yi Junjie had hidden shadow guards…or perhaps he knows something else and that's why he was doing all this.

"Rui, is it not enough that your father trusts that man?"

Li Rui looked at her father when she heard this question. She didn't answer her father's question and stayed silent.

General Li looked disappointed but nonetheless continued

"Rui, go and talk to him. Ask him whatever you have in your mind. Tell him about your doubts. This is the only way to solve this problem. Father assures you that you will find out that he is very genuine towards you….because if he wasn't then I would not have given my precious daughter in his hands."

General Li patted his daughter's head and was about to walk away from there but he suddenly felt Li Rui grabbing his arm.

General Li looked at his daughter and waited for her to say what she had inside her heart.

"Rui just wants a promise from Father.

Don't tell him anything...any secrets or any important detail about Li Clan...please Father."

General Li sighed and nodded his head indicating that he was giving a promise.

Inside his heart, General Li could not help but think

'Minister Xi....you still had a very long way to go."