The maidservant stepped back upon seeing the Crown Prince. Ying Lili ignored him and took the umbrella from the maidservant. She lifted her skirt a little and descended the stairs.
Sheng Li walked behind her, and when both reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped her again. "Lili, please forgive me. I said that in anger," Sheng Li stated.
"No. You doubted me," Ying Lili replied and walked past him. Sheng Li ran to her and stopped her again.
"You cannot ignore me. Lili, you know that after what Yongzheng did to Wang Hao and Princess Zhu Lin. I was in anger. Also, I did not want you to go there because he could have harmed you. He almost poisoned you. My trust had gone from any of the Brothers, but I understand now. I was wrong. I indeed need to trust people," Sheng Li pronounced.
Ying Lili chuckled. "You are not sincere, Sheng Li. What if Brother Yongzheng had told you that I was with another man, then you would have believed that too, didn't you? You do not trust me. You do not trust my love. You think I should not talk to your brothers or any other man," Ying Lili affirmed. "And you drank wine in this daylight! Don't tell me you were stressed that is why you did it," Ying Lili started to cry.
"Let's walk to the Pavilion. It is raining. You might catch a cold," Sheng Li concernedly said and stepped towards Ying Lili. Their dresses were drenched in rainwater, and it kept getting heavier.
Ying Lili took a step back. She turned left when Sheng Li stopped her again. "What do you want me to do then? This is my nature. I am like this. I am possessive for you. Is it wrong?" Sheng Li questioned her. The umbrella in his hand fell as the strong wind hit it. Ying Lili quickly came closer to him to protect him from getting drenched in rain.
"I will drop you to the pavilion," Ying Lili asserted, gazing into his eyes.
Sheng Li put his index finger on her cheek and wiped the tears from it.
"I trust you, but I do not trust the people around you. Do you expect me to trust the First Prince after Yongzheng did that? Try to think from my way. You are my everything, Lili. The way I said that to you was wrong. I accept that, but that was the concern of your husband. You have already seen that I lost Hu Jingguo and Wan Ju… because of that bastard. I am broken from inside after that day and when I heard that there was poison in your meal– that shook me.
About the feelings of Prince Jian for you, I do not care for them either. I only care for you. The thought I had that time was, what if he harms you by betraying you? Kind people always suffer, Lili," Sheng Li explained to Ying Lili.
"It was about the lives of two people and also about Prince Yu," Ying Lili affirmed. Her anger had calmed down.
"I do not care about them. I do not care whether his mother is old or his wife is young. The person I care for is you. It doesn't matter to me if everyone will call me Cruel for not sympathizing with them," Sheng Li pronounced. The umbrella was tiny, and both of their faces had become wet. Sheng Li's back was drenched, in rain at that time.
"I will not lie to you. I drank because I was indeed stressed. And then I fought with you. You told me to not follow you, and I ended up drinking… a little," Sheng Li stated.
Ying Lili lowered her eyes and rested her forehead on Sheng Li's chest. "Forgive me. I always make you worry," Ying Lili softly said.
"Did you forgive me?" Sheng Li asked.
"Hmm." She leaned back. "Let's go before we will be completely drenched," Ying Lili told Sheng Li, who grabbed the umbrella from her hand.
The two started to walk and soon reached Sheng Li's chamber, which was nearer. "Send the dresses for us," Sheng Li ordered Xing-Fu, who was happy to see them together.
Sheng Li and Ying Lili walked in when he took her to the garden. "You love the rain, right?" Sheng Li asked her.
"Hmm. Why?" Ying Lili questioned him.
Sheng Li descended the first stair while holding hands with Ying Lili. "I want to experience what it feels like to be in the rain with you," he expressed his desire.
"No. Earlier you said that I would get cold and also it's not a good occasion. The Second Prince is beheaded today. Come inside," Ying Lili requested him. However, Sheng Li did not listen to her and brought her down the stairs.
The raindrops hit Ying Lili's cheeks and head. She closed her eyes tightly but soon opened them. She saw Sheng Li was gazing up at the dark clouds, while his face was hit, by the raindrops. Ying Lili quickly tiptoed and covered his face from her palms. Sheng Li gazed down at her.
"What were you doing?" Sheng Li asked.
"Covering your face," Ying Lili replied and put her palms down.
"You do not need to! It is the best way to deal with your emotions," asserted Sheng Li. "Rain does not always mean to get romantic, but it means to let out your juggling emotions which disturb you," Sheng Li asserted. Both of them, by now were completely drenched.
Ying Lili found Sheng Li crying, but in the rain, it was impossible to see. "I had almost lost everything," Sheng Li muttered. "I wish I would not have been bo–" Ying Lili put her palm over his lips.
"No. Don't say that," Ying Lili said.
"Lili, in the end, I became the reason for many deaths, whether the person was good or bad. Because of the throne, many lives are gone. I again started to question my father's decision to make me the Emperor. I do not want my future son, if any, to fight for the throne like me.. I want him to have a peaceful life," Sheng Li stated.
