"Carefully, your highness. Do not put pressure on your right foot," Court Lady Xu stated as she helped the Crown Princess to get seated on the chaise. Ying Lili was wearing a white-colored Hanfu Dress with red stripes on it.
"Court Lady Xu, I would like to be alone for some time," Ying Lili expressed in her wish.
"Yes, your highness," Court Lady Xu bowed her head and walked out from the chamber, closing the doors behind. Ying Lili quickly stood up from the chaise. Putting the pressure on her left foot, she went towards the bed and took out the Diary from under the mattress.
Ying Lili sat on the bed, stretching her right leg out, and looked at the diary. "Sorry, mother but I think I shall read it first before handing it to Sheng Li. Why was this doing there? That's the biggest mystery for me," Ying Lili muttered.
She opened it and saw a beautiful piece of paper art that was made on the front page. It was a picture of a woman with her baby in her hands. "It must have been painted by mother when Sheng Li was going to be born," Ying Lili murmured. A smile carved on Ying Lili's rosy lips, and she flipped the pages again.
"Is it good to read about Sheng Li's mother?" She had not read anything till now and was only flipping pages. She stopped at the last page when she saw the writing had become irregular as if the former Empress was finding the difficulty while writing.
"I do not have much time left. I hope you will be loved by everyone around you. I know like your name you will win everyone's heart around you. Everyone will cherish you, my son! I wish I could be with you and see you growing up." Tears were formed in Ying Lili's eyes as she read those lines. She found there were red blood marks too in the paper, but they had faded out with time.
She must have coughed the blood!
Ying Lili continued reading. "I just want you to see everyone with love and be the Ruler of the people. I want you to treat your subjects as your own children. That's what a True Ruler is! I want an Empire where everyone loves my son, respects him, and willingly sacrifices for him.
I think I cannot write anymore. I rest my words here."
Ying Lili could not control the tears in her eyes and they rolled down her cheeks. "Mother wanted everyone to love Sheng Li, but it is the opposite," Ying Lili mumbled and closed the diary. "It is the personal diary of Sheng Li's mother which I must hand to Sheng Li. Only he may read it," she continued. Wiping the tears off her cheeks, she put the diary on the table beside the bed.
"I do not know why I am feeling bad when I should not. It must be tough for him, growing up without his mother's love and then bullied by his elder brothers. Even I did wrong with him, he never said anything to me. I will apologize to him," Ying Lili thought in her mind and again wiped her face.
The Crown Princess called for Court Lady Xu who came inside. Bowing her head, she asked the Crown Princess about the sudden call. "Please sit here," Ying Lili told Lady Xu and gestured to her to sit on the bed.
"Your highness, a lowly person like me is not allowed to sit in the same place as her highness," Court Lady Xu replied politely.
"You are the age of my mother. How can you think of yourself as lowly? Please sit beside me," Ying Lili stressed her words.
Court Lady Xu could not refuse Ying Lili and sit on the bed. "Court Lady Xu, something has been bothering me for a long time. You have been with the Crown Prince since the time of his birth." Court Lady Xu keenly looked at the Crown Princess. "Would you please tell me about the childhood of the Crown Prince?" Ying Lili completed her words and looked at Court Lady Xu.
~~~~~
Sheng Li was leaving the CourtRoom when he encountered the Prime Minister. Wei Zhang Yong bowed his head in front of the Crown Prince. "Why does it feel like that something is going on with the Prime Minister?" Sheng Li taunted Zhang Yong.
Zhang Yong drew his brows together. He was disturbed by last night's incident but he could not tell anyone about that except the Empress.
"Nothing is going on with me, your highness. Thank you for asking," Zhang Yong affirmed. Sheng Li smiled and walked away from there. Zhang Yong lifted his head. "Apart from you, no one can break the security of my residence. I have to find the ledger before you could use it against me, your highness," Zhang Yong thought and went to Empress Manor.
A huge red translucent curtain was hanging in the middle of the chamber. On one side, the Empress could be seen seated on a chaise while on the other side, the Prime Minister could be seen on his knees. Both of her hands rested on the arms while she was glaring at the Prime Minister.
"So, a woman gave you tea, and you got unconscious. Not only that, she took away the ledger with her! How dare you let your guard down?!" Empress Weng Wei bellowed at the Prime Minister.
"Your majesty, please forgive me. I did not expect this coming," Zhang Yong apologized, bowing his head.
"Do not even ask for forgiveness. First, you let the Crown Princess live and now you let them take the ledger. Sheng Li will not spare you. After this poisoning incident, he has turned into a hungry lion. That's why I told you not to let him live," Weng Wei pronounced and clenched her fists tightly.
"Is there anything else missing from your secret chamber?" Weng Wei queried Zhang Yong, who refused.
"Do not do anything. Let me think about what I can do! You may leave," Weng Wei asserted. Zhang Yong stood up, bowed once again, and then left from there.
"Tell the Crown Princess that the Empress is visiting her," Weng Wei ordered her personal assistant, who passed the message through a maidservant to the Crown Princess.
