14 CHAPTER 14 : If she stays longer, he will cheat more of her stuff

When Long Jie and Long Qing come back to the stone pavilion, a feast already being served.

"Come eat Qing, Jie. Today Xi Rui already cooked many delicious food", without looking at her nephew, she almost drooled at the food in front of her.

Li Xi Rui twitched. 'This princess Long doesn't behave like a princess at all'. Looking at the little princess, she long forgo her ettiqutes, using her hands to directly hold the chicken. 'Like mother like daughter', she almost laughed out.

Long Jie sit in front of her with silence. He is watching her. And without saying anything, he started to dig in. Once in a while, he would be glancing in Li Xi Rui's direction. The crown prince on the other hand still maintain his crown prince demeanor. If not because of the rate of movement of his chopstick, one would think the crown prince is just eating like usual. When all the dishes had been wipe clean, Princess Long shout, "Ah! I forgot about my husband! Xi Rui ah.... aunty invited you here because of my husband and to actually forgot about him and eat all the dishes... haih", she nearly cry.

Holding on to the princess' sleeve, Li Xi Rui said, "Aunty, don't worry, I already keep the dishes meant for General Lan. The maid can reheat the dishes before serving".

"Thank you Xi Rui, aunty have to go to see my dear husband. I'm afraid, he will refuse to eat again", she gave Li Xi Rui a smile.

"Father is always like that. If mother is not there, he always refuse to eat", little princess couldn't believe her father is the same general the citizens admire. For her, father is an unreasonable man and always compete with her for her mother affection.

"Yan-er let's go see your father", Princess Long almost dragged her daughter while saying to crown prince, "Qing, you said you wanted to see your uncle. Come now".

Long Qing had wanted to stay at the pagoda for a while because his stomach hurts. He can't believe he actually overeat! But when his aunt urge him to follow, he manage to walk without showing his discomfort. It is harder to meet his uncle than seeing his imperial father. So when there is a chance to do so, he wouldn't stupidly refuse.

When the empty plates have been cleared, suddenly Long Jie and Li Xi Rui found themselves alone. The atmosphere awkward. Li Xi Rui wanted to leave, but the man in front of her keep on staring.

"2nd prince, may I offer a cup of chrysanthemum tea?", Li Xi Rui offered her favorite tea. She is not stingy with it. Even her enemy can drink it, she doesn't mind.

"A pot", he said.

"Excuse me?", she ask bewildered.

"A cup is not enough, so a pot will do", he explained.

"Right. Forgive me for being stingy your highness. But maybe it's better to take the whole jar of the dry tea", Li Xi Rui couldn't hold back anymore. She knew she is being sarcastic with him but she had been controlling herself all day. Now even her favourite tea he wanted to take. Is it his hobby to take all her favourite things away?

"En. If Miss Li insists, this prince could only receive", Long Jie is overjoyed. This is her first gift to him.

Speechless, Li Xi Rui asked Xiao Xi to give the porcelain jar to Long Jie's servant. Hastily, she bids farewell to the 2nd prince. She was afraid that if she stays a bit longer, he will cheat more of her stuff. The worst thing is, that is her last jar of chrysanthemum tea. Now she has to make more.

While Li Xi Rui is reluctantly parting with her favourite tea, Long Jie is over the moon sipping the said tea. Sitting alone in the pagoda, he enjoyed himself.

***

"Miss we're here", announced Xiao xi.

After her visit to Princess' Long residence, they go to a small tea house in a small alley. Wearing her veil, she slowly get down from her carriage and enter the tea house. From Xiao Xi inquiries, this tea house are used to held her meeting with a hired spy. Usually the spies or assassins wouldn't have a fixed place for meeting. But it just so happened this spy is particularly easy to find. At first she was suspicious but because she is in a race with time, she decided to take a chance. 'Life is a gamble!'

Sitting in secluded spot in the tea house, Li xi Rui is waiting for her future spy. As if on cue, the moment she looked up, a man suddenly appears. 'I nearly got a heart attack!', Li Xi Rui's reaction is clouded by her veil, but she is nonetheless is in shock. The man didn't care too much about it and sit in front of her. He too is wearing a mask.

"Miss Li I presume? I'm Mask. Now cut to the chase, who should I investigate or who do you want me to kill?", he asked without any flowery words.

"Mr. Mask, I have an information- in a few days, my family will be robbed. As to Who, What and Why, I didn't know. But I believe it will happen in 4 days. So, the reason I need your service is to find out who, what and why they want to rob us. You don't have to kill and just investigate for me. I'll pay you a thousand taels now and another thousand after you complete your work", Li Xi Rui didn't want to speak too much. For her, this masked man seems forthright and trustworthy enough.

"Sure Miss, I will send an anonymous letter to you as soon as possible. Then...", the masked man disappeared after taking his payment.

"Xiao Xi, Mr. Mask seem trustworthy enough. You did good today. But you shouldn't disclosed my family name in this kind of matter", Li Xi Rui couldn't maintain her smile. Even though Xiao Xi is her most trusted friend she couldn't help but reprimand Xiao Xi a bit. She just easily trusted anybody.

"Miss, forgive me!", Xiao Xi almost kowtow at Li Xi Rui's feet.

Looking at the crying face, Li Xi Rui quickly hold Xiao Xi's arm and held her up. "Xiao Xi, I know you are a good person, but not all people are as good as they portrayed. Someone who looks good might have a black heart, and someone who looks bad might have a good person", she patted Xiao Xi. She really love this maid of hers.

"Xiao Xi understood. I'm sorry miss", as she cries.

"Xiao Xi, sometimes naivety can lead to our own destruction. And if that time ever arrived, we couldn't blame others as we are also wrong to begin with", Li Xi Rui told Xiao Xi. Li Xi Rui sometimes blamed herself, if she was not naive back then, would the outcome be any different? Can she save her family? Holding Xiao Xi, they left the tea house hand by hand.

"Xiao Xi, enough crying", after leaving the alley and going to the central market, Xiao xi hasn't stop crying.

"B..but miss, Xiao Xi couldn't help but reflects back to my fault", as she sobbed.

"Xiao Xi, let's get down here. Let's take a look at the street vendor", Li Xi Rui thought Xiao Xi will be too embarrassed to cry in front of people. Asking the driver to stop, they walked around looking at the shop. Li Xi Rui bought Xiao Xi's many food and true to her thought, Xiao Xi stopped crying as soon as they get down from the carriage.

Looking around with street food in her hand, Xiao Xi suddenly stopped and Li Xi Rui bumped into her. Looking up she saw the someone they knew. It is Long Jie and the heroine! 'What is she doing here?', thought Li Xi Rui.

"Miss, it's the second prince. Who is that man beside him? Xiao Xi has never seen him before", asked Xiao Xi.

Whispering, "That is a woman in disguise. It's miss Mu", said Li Xi Rui in Xiao xi's ear.

"That shameless woman?!" Before Xiao Xi can shout, Li Xi Rui clamped her mouth shut.

"Li Xi Rui greets 2nd prince and young master", Li Xi Rui almost tempted to blow Mu Jiu Jiu's cover. That stupid disguise again! She really is speechless. Apart from putting her hair up like a gentleman and wearing a man's garment there is nothing different from her usual self. How could people still couldn't see that this is a woman in disguise?

As Mu Jiu Jiu look at Li Xi Rui's scrutinizing eyes, she almost forgot that she is now a man.

Composing herself she replied, "Ah, Princess Anping of all the places to meet, we met at a market".

Mu Jiu Jiu slightly nodded at Li Xi Rui. Mu Jiu Jiu had thought Long Jie will also greeted Miss Li as sarcastically as usual but when she didn't hear any voice, she looks at the man beside her.