Chapter 242 - A Fan Dance
Ying Lili was bewildered to see the space behind the left door. She thought it would be a room, more like a secret room. There was a narrow path that opened at the right end. "Follow me," Sheng Li said and walked ahead of Ying Lili. They came out of the pathway in an open space.
There was a water pool at one end and the other end, there was a broad wooden swing that had cushions on it. Other than that the space was empty. But the place was good to spend alone time. "I thought there was a secret room here. Why did you not allow me here earlier?" Ying Lili turned her gaze to look at Sheng Li.
"You were not that close to me, that's why. Do you want to sit with me on that swing? We will talk till late night," Sheng Li stated and back hugged her. His chin rested on her shoulder as he held both her hands. "Father told me to praise his daughter-in-law for coming up with this brilliant idea of wiping out corruption. He will soon bestow you with a special power," Sheng Li affirmed. They stood like that for a few minutes before Sheng Li pulled away and took her towards the swing.
He made her sit on the swing and then sat beside her. "Yang Fei Ke was not aided by the Ju Family. He said it's someone from Luoyang," Sheng Li told Ying Lili.
"Is it the Empress?" Ying Lili raised a suspicion.
"No. Someone who had sent the message to Cai Hong and ordered him to kill me in the Southern Province," Sheng Li proclaimed. "I showed Fei Ke the message which Wang Hao had recovered from Cai Hong. He recognized the writing and told Wang Hao that the same person sent him messages. Unfortunately, he never showed his face to him so it will take more time to catch him," Sheng Li pronounced.
"So, the person is from Luoyang and did all this!! Sheng Li, what if this is the same person who's backing the Empress," Ying Lili asserted.
"I also think the same. Zhang Yong told you that Weng Wei cannot do anything on her own, but there is someone who's helping her. Lei Wanxi went to the Buddhist Temple where Weng Wei goes daily for the prayers but he could not find anyone there. So, now, we need to find how and where Weng Wei communicates with this unknown man!" Sheng Li remarked.
"I have an idea. I will go to that temple with Weng Wei and try finding out who's the other one with her," Ying Lili suggested.
"She does not let anyone go with her so, there is no way you can go there," opined Sheng Li.
Ying Lili brows furrowed and asked, "Who cleans the temple? I mean that I will go there in the disguise of a cleaner," she suggested. At this moment, finding the true conspirator was crucial. For that, Ying Lili was even ready to take the risks.
"It could be dangerous for you. I do not want you to…" Ying Lili placed her forefinger on Sheng Li's lips thus, stopping him from speaking further.
"It is dangerous, that's why I must do this. I am the most suitable person for this task," Ying Lili asserted.
Sheng Li peered into the eyes of Ying Lili for some time. He agreed with her and said, "I trust you. Find the person then. We need to bring the Empress down from her position and punish her as soon as possible."
"Thank you for trusting me." Ying Lili recalled how the Emperor shared with her that he was even trying to find the person who was the reason for all the schemings in the palace. She was a little befuddled how a person could plot so much when he had no real power or he had but none of them was aware of that except Weng Wei.
Ying Lili came out of her thoughts. "Brother Jian is not a bad person." She saw the impassiveness on Sheng Li's face. "He is sorry for whatever he did to you but it was not in his hand. He is happy that his brother is married to me," Ying Lili proclaimed.
"What?" Sheng Li exclaimed as his brows were drawn together. "The First Prince told you this?" It was unbelievable for Sheng Li to believe that Jian Guozhi would say such words about him.
"Hmm. I think he is a nice person, but because he is the son of the Empress, he was forced to treat you badly," Ying Lili deduced.
"I do not know. For me, he is a bad person. Just stay away from him," Sheng Li menacingly said. He was a little pissed off after Ying Lili talked about Jian Guozhi in front of him.
Ying Lili did not want to ruin the mood, so she kept quiet. Since the place had no lights, she stood up from the swing. Sheng Li watched her go and felt guilty for getting angry with her. After a few minutes, he stood up to look for Ying Lili when he saw her coming with two paper lanterns in her hands.
He went to her and helped her in, carrying one lantern. "It was dark, so I brought these here," Ying Lili said and raised herself on her toes to tie the lantern to support made between the two wooden pillars. Sheng Li had hanged one lantern and caught Ying Lili's hand.
"I will do it. Go there," he said, gesturing towards the swing. Ying Lili hummed and went towards the swing. She took out a red-colored fan from her sash. The fan has white-colored flowers painted on it.
Sheng Li came towards her and told her to sit on the swing, but she refused. "Do you want to see a little performance of mine?" Ying Lili asked.
"You want to dance?"
"Hmm." She nodded her head.
"What kind of dance will you do?" Sheng Li queried.
"Fan dance. It is popular among both the civilians and military. You must be aware of this," Ying Lili said with glistening eyes.
Sheng Li shook his head. "No, I am not aware of this dance form," Sheng Li asserted.
Ying Lili pouted. "But General Wang and General Xiao also know this dance. How come you do not know," she muttered and huffed. "You hardly know good things. Go sit there!"
"Are you scolding me?" Sheng Li asked.
"No. Sit on the swing. I will show you how to do a fan dance," Ying Lili stated. Sheng Li went towards the swing and sat down.