The Ageless Dream

4.3 Letting Go in Reluctance (14)

"What agreement?" Ying Zheng knitted his brows but Xie Er smiled deviously.

"I'll help distract Li Si and you can take Sister Hua. Deal?" she answered, gazing at Li Si and Dong Li Hua who were having a good time chatting with each other.

"Help? You're just doing this because you like Li Si, aren't you?" crossing his arms, Ying Zheng raised a brow since he had long known Xie Er's feelings with his subordinate, Li Si.

"What? Me? No!" Xie Er refused to admit it. "Im helping you, is that bad?"

"Seriously? Helping me? You only help me when you gain benefit."

"Alright. Since you don't need my help, I think I'll just leave and let you watch Sister Hua quickly fall for Li Si. Maybe in that way, you will feel no regret, right?" innocently smiling, Xie Er's words made Ying Zheng alarmed. His face turned ashen then as Xie Er turned her back against him, he pulled her hair to stop Xie Er.

"Hey!!" Xie Er's shout reached Dong Li Hua and Li Si. The two turned their gaze on the pavilion nearby and after a while, Xie Er and Ying Zheng came out.

"Greetings Your Majesty." Li Si bowed as Ying Zheng hummed coldly.

"You came here for?" Ying Zheng inquired. He didn't receive a letter from Li Si saying he would drop here. Maybe Li Si came here to see his Li Hua? He wont allow that!

"To inquire Your Majesty about Lord of Chang'an." still lowering his head, Li Si felt a cold chill as if someone is glaring at him. Little did he know it was Ying Zheng. However, upon mentioning Lord of Chang'an, Ying Zheng froze.

Inside the study room, only Li Si, Dong Li Hua, Ying Zheng and Xie Er are there. The two girls stood beside Ying Zheng while Li Si sat on a cushion chair nearby the desk.

"What about Yi Ge [1]?" Ying Zheng gloomily asked.

"First Prince Chengjiao lost in Tunliu and fled towards the State of Zhao. His family has been captured. Lü Buwei held back this information so that he can benefit from detaining Prince Chengjiao's family. He had them arrested and kept inside a jail in Shu Region." Li Si solemnly reported.

"So, Lü Buwei wants to act as the hero again?" Ying Zheng muttered with his lips tilting upward as if mocking someone. "When will this information be reported?"

"The next day, Your Majesty."

"Li Si, you did a good job. What reward should I give you?" he asked, leaning on his chair while wearing a pure innocent smile yet his almond eyes were in contrast.

"Its my honor to serve Your Excellency. There is no need for reward." Li Si spoke despite taking a glance at Dong Li Hua. The observant Ying Zheng saw this and hid his annoyance.

"That cant be. Xie Er, lead Li Si to the treasury." Ying Zheng stood up before Li Si can even speak, he pulled Dong Li Hua outside the study. Xie Er and Li Si were left behind, the young girl secretly thanked Ying Zheng in her mind for giving her a chance to be with Li Si. Specially now that she will lead Li Si into the treasury that is far from the study hall.

"Li Hua, you keep leaving without my permission!" Ying Zheng let out his frustration seeing Dong Li Hua's reluctance to leave the study hall. Both of them stood on the hallway where eunuchs tried to avoid.

"Ying Zheng, I just went out to pick supplies. Didn't you request the cook to make an enthusiastic dish this morning? He asked me to pick some fresh stored vegetable out there. Did the cook not mention?" she blinked in confusion. Why is this great imperial monarch getting so worked up?

"No." he avoided Dong Li Hua's confused gaze, worried that his annoyance will dissipate in an instance. "Li Hua... Do you perhaps uhmm... Like Li Si?"

"Mn. Brother Li is a gentle guy and he's easy to get along with. There's nothing wrong so I do like him." she answered, unable to see Ying Zheng's expression change from red anger to dark gloominess. Unknown to him, Dong Li Hua only liked Li Si in a friendly way.

"Y-you..." Ying Zheng was left speechless. He cant think straight as his thoughts turned muddled before turning his back at Dong Li Hua and harrumphed as he left her there.

"Eh? What just happened?" Dong Li Hua scratched the back of her head. Why did that kid suddenly leave? She shrugged her shoulder when a eunuch was sent to stop her there.

"Sister Hua, wait!" the young eunuch breathlessly stopped behind her. She looked back to see another kid, probably at the age of ten.

"Yes?"

"His Majesty... His Majesty asked this servant to pass a message that Sis Hua will clean the library pagoda beside the study."

As soon as Dong Li Hua heard it, her face darkened. What's wrong with that king? The library pagoda is a seven storey building and it has been cleaned yesterday! Why is Ying Zheng sending her there? Nevertheless, Dong Li Hua set off towards the library pagoda and helped some maidservants in cleaning it. Trying to recall why Ying Zheng became moody, she came to a conclusion it might be because of Ying Chengjiao. That is his elder brother and in history, ever since Ying Zheng was enthroned, the first prince rebelled. The royal bloodline is really the worst family where one can get born into.

She tried to understand Ying Zheng's emotional state and patiently dusted shelves. Just as she finished tens of wooden shelves, a palace servant tugged on her sleeve, pointing at the door.

"Ughh!" Xie Er groaned in frustration as she dropped on the table. Ying Zheng casually threw a book beside her head to make her spill her emotions. "Im done! Im done! Li Si is gifting Sister Hua an expensive earring! Wuwu~! Why didn't I grow up earlier to look like Sister Hua too?"

"What?!" Ying Zheng closed the Book of Annals in his hand.

[1]yi in english is one or first and ge is brother. Ying Zheng refers to Ying Chengjiao as First Brother.