67 CHAPTER 67: SNAIL PACE

Arriving in front of the imperial palace, Li Xi Rui slowly descended from her carriage. As Li Xi Rui glanced up, she saw the all-familiar palace. In the last life, this is the place she had dreamed to enter. This life she had prepared herself to never step into this place ever again. But, as cruel as it can be, fate brings her here again. She will be one of them albeit its only in the eye of the public.

"Princess An Ping, I am Eunuch Xu. Please, the empress has been waiting for you in the Soaring Pheonix Palace", Eunuch Xu politely bowed his head in front of Li Xi Rui.

Behind her, Xiao Xi is fuming mad. 'How dare a mere eunuch mocked the miss like this?! She will soon become the princess consort of the second prince!', screamed Xiao Xi in her mind.

Without her veil on, all her features could be seen. It is considered rude for covering one's face in the palace, so she didn't. She didn't care if she is rude or not, but for the sake of her future husband, she decided to care a little for his sake. The mocked Li Xi Rui didn't even change her expression under the pressure Eunuch Xu seems put on her. The expressionless face she put on, didn't revealed her thought. It was as if the mocked title has nothing to do with her.

The eunuch keeps on glancing up to look for any sign of distress. But what he saw is- Nothing! The beautiful lady didn't even care. He gulped. Suddenly he felt scared. 'Didn't this woman have a terrible temper?', he thought. He had prepared himself to be scolded and even beaten. 'Wouldn't I failed the crown prince if she stays calm?', Eunuch Xu suddenly have a predicament.

What the Eunuch didn't know, is that Long Jie had long warned Li Xi Rui on what she might be facing in the imperial palace. Li Xi Rui herself is prepared. 'What a truly laughable situation', she had thought. In her previous life, she didn't even have a chance to meet the Empress. But after she is engaged with her adopted son, the Empress suddenly wanted to meet her? The situation itself scream with warning. Itching with anticipation, Li Xi Rui couldn't wait to see what does the Empress have up her sleeves.

"Erm… Princess An Ping, this way please. We mustn't let the Empress to wait any longer", Eunuch Xu disturbed her thought. Without saying anything, Li Xi Rui stepped inside the palace and begin walking. She is not a nice person to just ignore the Eunuch's insults. At the very least she wanted to retaliate a bit.

Watching the woman didn't even utter a single word, Eunuch Xu feel irritated. 'Just an abandon woman but that girl dare to take me lightly? See if I don't make you miserable!', Eunuch Xu begin walking hurriedly to the front of Li Xi Rui. "The walk to the Soaring Phoenix Palace might take a long time, thus Princess must hurry", Eunuch Xu urged them. He didn't mention that the walk might take half an incense to burn for them to arrive. He wanted Li Xi Rui to get angry. Crown Prince expected him to carry this task without fail. He didn't question why. He just knew that he didn't want the crown Prince to target him if he fails. Grinning, he walks faster, faster and faster. Wouldn't the woman feel exhausted by now following behind him?

After walking for some time, he feels a bit weird since he didn't hear any rustling sound from behind. Normally, when a lady's long skirt brushed against the leg, one would hear rustling sound of the clothes. Slowly he turned around. And what he saw is- NOTHING! To be precise, there was no one behind him. Mentally, he screamed, 'Where did that girl go?!!'. Deciding to walk back to the front gate, he searched for her.

After walking back almost all the way, he saw Li Xi Rui and Xiao Xi. At that point, he nearly loses his composure. He wanted to scream. To shout all profanity towards her. He had been walking half the way to the Soaring Phoenix Palace before he realized that the girl didn't followed him. Calming himself down, Eunuch Xu asked in a tone that almost blaming her, "Why didn't the princess followed this eunuch? This Eunuch almost arrive at the Soaring Phoenix Palace". The latter half of his sentence revealed his anger of being stood up.

Xiao Xi couldn't take the insults any longer. It was that eunuch who deliberately making trouble for her miss! She wanted to shout against the Eunuch as she was enraged. But before she could make that blunder, Li Xi Rui speaks, "It was not this Princess's intention to disappear. But a 'man' like Eunuch Xu truly have the rigor of a healthy normal male. This Princess couldn't even walk fast enough as if there is an enemy trailing behind". Her tone remained neutral without any indication of her feeling, but there was no mistaken what she implied. There is no man who would not feel bad for having his 'thing' to be cut off to just be a servant of the imperial family.

A eunuch is an existence that is no longer a male nor a female. It is like sitting on a line contemplating which line he should cross. Would he pee standing up or sitting down? It was that kind of dilemma. The worst is for not being able to continue his line of descendent. Eunuch Xu feel slighted. Gritting his teeth, he tried to smile. With a contorted face and an eerie smile, he said, "Forgive this incompetence servant prince. It was this servant fault, please punish this servant!".

Li Xi Rui couldn't help but wanting to make the eunuch feel more desperate. Maybe it was the villainess in her that was itching to show her fangs. She is like a cat playing with a mouse. "How could this princess have a heart to punish a man older than her? Quickly let us go to see the empress least she might be upset", Li Xi Rui taunted. She just implied that an older 'man' like the eunuch just bullied a young like her. Even if he did that much, she, a young lady still have the bigger heart to forgive.

The eunuch is still in a confused state whether to thank the girl or feeling offended for her dual meaning sentence. He is rooted to his place.

Without waiting for the eunuch to thank her, Li Xi Rui starts walking. As expected, the eunuch didn't thank her. Rather, he lost the opportunity to thank her and quickly walking front of her. Li Xi Rui mocked him in her heart. The little eunuch really is trying her patients!

As for the 'little' eunuch, he had thought he managed to evade a crisis. He had thought Li Xi Rui would follow obediently behind him like she was supposed to. Slowly he turned his head again. 'This woman is deliberate!', he nearly lost his sanity.

The lady that is supposed to walk quickly to avoid being late for the meeting with the empress is now leisurely walking behind him. It was as if her skirt is too tight for her to take a bigger step. But looking at the loose flowy skirt, the eunuch cursed inside his heart. What could he do now? He couldn't drag a princess to see the empress. He couldn't even touch her! So he fell into the same pace. Taking a step at a time as if enjoying the scenery. At the snail pace, it would take twice the amount of time to arrive at the Soaring Phoenix Palace.

What scenery? He saw the same scenery over and over again!! He worked at the F*king Palace!!! Thus the eunuch could only look forward to face the empress's wrath.