Sheng Li came out of the arsenal room after checking the supply of new weapons with Wang Hao. "Your highness, Xiao and I with our soldiers yesterday searched the entire forest but there was no one. Did his highness get the false information about the attack?" Wang Hao asked.

"It cannot be possible. Maybe they retreated from the forest," Sheng Li stated. Wang Hao nodded and handed a scroll to the Crown Prince.

"Your highness, this is from Juyan City. The Aunt of Ying Lili had sent a message for the Crown Princess. It arrived in the morning," Wang Hao informed the Crown Prince who took the scroll and checked the scroll first. Reading the message, Sheng Li folded it up.

"There is another important news his highness must know about," Wang Hao stated. Sheng Li tilted his head to look at Wang Hao. "The Second and the Third Prince are getting married. But before that Princess Qi Jing will get married. The Prince with whom Princess Jing is getting married is arriving tomorrow," Wang Hao passed the message to Sheng Li.

"Sister Qi Jing is getting married!" Sheng Li muttered. "I am leaving. If anything important comes up then come to my chamber to inform me regarding that," Sheng Li commanded and walked away from there.

Sheng Li soon reached outside the chamber of the Princess. The maidservant there informed him that the Princess was taking lessons before the marriage.

"When will Sister Qi Jing return?" Sheng Li questioned.

"Your highness, it is not known," replied the maidservant. Sheng Li nodded and decided to come there later. He went to Zhenzhu Inn to meet the Crown Princess when he found her coming from the garden.

"Does she love being in the garden that much?" Sheng Li murmured and walked towards her. He found she was in deep thoughts when she hit against his chest. "Be careful," Sheng Li said when Ying Lili lifted her eyes.

"You here? Where have you gone earlier, leaving me there? It was so embarrassing," Ying Lili in a fit of rage said and hit lightly at Sheng Li's arm who ended up smiling.

"What was there to embarrass about? Is my sudden kissing was embarrassing or your wait for another kiss was embarrassing!?" Sheng Li amusingly asked and saw a red rose in her hand.

"Indeed both were embarrassing," Ying Lili immediately replied.

"What? Really? So, I shall not kiss you anymore," Sheng Li concluded.

Ying Lili raised her hand and again hit his right arm. "Why? I am just angry at you. Can't you see? Fourth and Sixth Brother saw me in that state. I was waiting for you when you were not there. Even Sister Qing laughed seeing how her brother made a fool of me," Ying Lili complained. Court Lady Xu smiled upon hearing the conversation of Ying Lili with Sheng Li.

"Forgive me. I had some work in the barracks and if I had told you, then you would have insisted that I take you there. So, I thought to leave you there," Sheng Li stated and again looked at the rose in her hand. "Is it for me?" Sheng Li asked as he forwarded his hand to take the red rose from Ying Lili when he was hit on the hand.

"No, it is not for you," Ying Lili replied; shot glares at him, and walked ahead. Sheng Li drew his brows together and turned to Ying Lili. He walked after her and grabbed her arm, turning her back towards him.

"Leave," Ying Lili said.

"I have no intention of leaving you until you will give me that rose," proclaimed Sheng Li and tightly wrapped his both arms around Ying Lili. "Doesn't the red rose symbolize love? Are you confessing to me?" Sheng Li questioned Ying Lili and smirked.

"Wrong! Who is confessing to you?" Ying Lili yanked and hid the truth from Sheng Li. "It is for me. I thought about putting it in my hair. Now, leave me," Ying Lili stated. Sheng Li let go of Ying Lili and was sad to learn that Ying Lili was still not confessing to him. But then he had decided earlier that he would confess to her first because that was the only way to make Ying Lili admit her feelings for him.

"Tomorrow let's go to the Residence which my father has gifted us for our marriage. I want to show you something there," Sheng Li told Ying Lili as he took the red rose from her hand.

"What do you want to show me?" Ying Lili asked as she lifted her eyes to look at Sheng Li, who had leaned closer to her and placed the red rose near her hair bun. "It's a surprise," Sheng Li replied and leaned back. He shifted her gaze back to Ying Lili's face and placed her hand on her cheek.

"Your aunt has sent a message for you," Sheng Li stated and took out the scroll which he had placed inside the sash. Ying Lili was slightly tense thinking what it could be about.

"It's a good message. I read it," Sheng Li told Ying Lili as he brushed his thumb on her cheek and then pulled his hand back. The smile on Ying Lili's reappeared and she took the scroll from Sheng Li's hand.

Opening the knot on the scroll, she opened it and read the message. After a minute, she scrolled it up and tied the knot on it. "She liked the new arrangements and has thanked you for sparing her and her children despite uncle was behind your poisoning. Thank you for forgiving them," Ying Lili expressed her gratitude. "I had given you my words that time that Juyan would never betray you but my uncle did, but you did not punish me. Why?" Ying Lili then asked.

"I cannot punish, I realized. You saved my life that time so, you proved your loyalty towards me and I proved my loyalty towards you by sparing your aunt and her kids," Sheng Li replied and started walking. Ying Lili followed him up and came to his right side.

"Don't answer back to the Empress in the future. She might harm you," Sheng Li suddenly said.

"How can she harm me when you are there to protect me," Ying Lili stated. "Moreover, I cannot hear anyone insulting you for no reason. Your insult is my insult," Ying Lili asserted and looked at Sheng Li.

"Let's meet Hu Jingguo. I did not even ask him how he is doing," Ying Lili said.

"No," Sheng Li refused immediately.

"Why?"

"Because I do not want to meet him," Sheng Li said.

Ying Lili twitched her lips. "Then stay here. I will be back in a while and I need to get this check from him," Ying Lili said as she showed her right hand to Sheng Li which had a scar.

"You can check it with the Royal Physician," Sheng Li argued.

"Why bother the Royal Physician!? You cannot stop me from meeting my friend. How inconsiderate of you! He saved your life and you are not even asking him if he is doing fine," Ying Lili remarked.

Sheng Li could not help but agree to Ying Lili's request. He turned to look at the Court Lady Xu and other maidservants who were following them. "You all shall leave to the Zhenzhu Inn. We will be back after a while," Sheng Li ordered them and turned back to Ying Lili.

"Let's go," Sheng Li told Ying Lili, and the two left from there.