"I liked that hero because he was brave," Ying Lili replied. "To protect his wife from the King of the Ten States, he fought with the Ten Great Generals of those Ten States. He was the hero of my dreams because to save his love, he brought the King on his knees," Ying Lili pronounced.

  "Did he save her?" Sheng Li asked.

  "Yes," Ying Lili smiled.

  Sheng Li got curious to know about the folktale. "Will you tell me about this folktale?"

  Ying Lili nodded her head.

  "He saved his wife from the bloody tyrant. Teng Ru was an ironsmith. In the Legend it was depicted how beautiful his wife was! The King of the Ten States, Wu Xinyang once happened to see Teng Ru's wife in the market of the capital. The King fell for her at the very instant. Xinyang wanted to bring her to the Palace and marry her. He sent his right-hand man to find out about the woman, who used to live far from the capital, in a village of ironsmiths and other worker classes.

  Soon he found out about her and informed Xinyang about her. He ordered his first General to bring her. The General followed the orders of his King. That day, Teng Ru had gone to the other city to bring some goods. He had no idea what was ahead of him. When he returned, he did not find his wife in the home, so he asked his neighbors, who told him how the First General took his wife away.

  Angered, Teng Ru reached outside the Palace with two swords in his hands. He single-handedly killed all the Ten Generals as he had challenged the King for this. The King felt weak in front of the love of Teng Ru for his wife. He let go of his wife. However, the injuries that Teng Ru got were so severe that he succumbed to those injuries."

  Ying Lili's eyes turned teary while narrating the story to Sheng Li. "That's why he was the hero of my dreams. Also, Xinyang baited the woman with many things. He was ready to make her the Queen of the Ten States but she refused. He even asked her why she would keep her heart open to a man who has nothing! When she replied to him that Teng Ru's love was more than enough for her. The love of her husband could not be compared to the Queen's position. For her, their love was supreme even if they were poor," Ying Lili affirmed.

  "But people change when wealth and power are in front of them. Don't you think so?" Sheng Li questioned her.

  "That's why it's a folktale. To inspire everyone. Wealth and power are not everything. Money cannot buy love and faith," Ying Lili made Sheng Li understand. "However, not everyone can understand this folktale. Still, this folktale is popular among the commoners since Teng Ru was a commoner," Ying Lili explained to him.

  Sheng Li nodded his head. "He was indeed brave. Is he no longer your hero?" Sheng Li queried. Ying Lili wiped the tears from the edge of her eyes.

  "I met the real-life Teng Ru, so I stopped liking a folktale character," Ying Lili told him. Sheng Li was stunned to hear that.

  He amusingly peered into her eyes. "And who's that real-life Teng Ru?"

  "My Husband," Ying Lili replied and kissed him on his lips. Sheng Li was in a half-lying position on the bed. Ying Lili leaned back when Sheng Li wrapped his arm around her waist.

  He drew her closer and pressed their bodies together. "I am glad that I became the hero of your dreams. The folktale has a sad ending though. What do you think about us?" He suddenly asked her.

  The smile on Ying Lili's lips vanished. She furrowed her brows. "We will have a happy ending," She said confidently.

  Sheng Li stroked her cheek with his thumb and smiled. "Sad stories put lifelong impressions on one's heart. They can never be forgotten," Sheng Li countered her answer.

  "But they give immense pain," Ying Lili replied. "Why did you suddenly say this? It scared me for a second," Ying Lili stated with a worried expression.

  "Even I do not know why I said that," Sheng Li replied. "I think that I was looking at the other side of the coin– the dark one, which we always tend to ignore," Sheng Li affirmed.

  "We don't ignore it. We try to make it brighter," Ying Lili replied.

  "Let's leave this discussion," Sheng Li suggested to her. He closed the distance between their lips and kissed her. After a while, they withdrew back and gazed at each other. "Let's sleep. It was a tiring day," Sheng Li loosened his grip from her waist. Ying Lili moved away and laid down on the bed.

  Sheng Li covered her from the blanket. Ying Lili turned her face towards him and said, "You said that we would go to the Lu Province to meet Sister Jing."

  "I need to postpone that. Father's health is not good," Sheng Li answered. "I have sent her a letter. Soon, I will get a reply from her," Sheng Li said delightedly.

  "Hmm."

  "Lili, I think I shall put faith in my brothers. The folklore you told me was about love and faith over wealth and power. Brother Nianzu will be back soon. Then, the Royal Family will be completed once again. However, the absence of the Second Prince will always be there," Sheng Li said and heaved a sigh.

  Ying Lili moved closer to him and put her arm around him. "Indeed we will miss the Second Prince throughout our lives," she murmured.

  ~~~~

  Hello Dear Readers!

  I added 4 more chapters in this tier, but have not increased the price of this tier. Also, do redeem the code for 100 coins which I received after 2 months of continuous updates (Thanks to you all).

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