Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 127: Bai Li Loves Her!

Chapter 127: Bai Li Loves Her!

"How could that be, Bai Li?" Meili cried, taking her hands from her face to protest against his patently untrue claim.

"You don’t need to try and preserve my delicate sensibility by pretending love at first sight. I’m happy enough to hear the truth from you. Happier, even..."

"I would never make up such an important thing between us, Meili," he spoke sincerely. "I want us to have complete honesty and trust, and that can’t be built on a foundation of empty flattery. I think you know me well enough by now to know that’s not how I operate."

"I do! I do, Bai Li! I trust your words, and yet somehow, I can’t bring myself to believe them..." she said sadly.

"Why is that Meili?" he spoke gently, holding himself back from looking into her face so that she could collect herself after hearing the unhappy news that her friends had been on her rooftop.

"Do you find it so difficult to believe that a man like me could fall in love with you at first sight? I would understand if you did, it’s a concept I was sceptical about myself, until I experienced it first-hand."

"I do believe in love at first sight, Bai Li, but just not with a woman of my appearance. I’m hardly the type of woman to inspire such instantaneous feelings in any man, much less a man of your position and looks."

He couldn’t help feeling a rush of pleasure at her compliment.

"Meili," he said delicately, "are you still holding on to this idea that you’re unattractive? I thought you’d moved past that and come to understand that it’s not true. It’s not true at all. You have a face like a fairy. You’re actually a peerless beauty! It was simply a ploy used by your family to protect you from the concubine selections, and from yourself. It was designed to keep you modest and humble. I’m not saying that I agree with it, but there it is."

"It’s kind of you to say that Bai Li, but don’t you think you might be a case of ’in the lover’s eye is the foremost beauty’?" she said, a small, pleased smile curling up her lips.

"No," he said, puzzled that she would say that. "You must know by now that you are a very beautiful woman, Meili," he argued. "All of the evidence points to the truth of that fact."

"Then why would my brothers nickname me Momu?" she asked.

"Because they were part of your parents’ conspiracy to pretend you were ugly."

"And why would the people ironically call me Wang Zhaojun?"

"It’s not ironic."

"Why did the sight of me in my undergarments at Soulmate cause the scholars’ boats to collide and sink."

"Because they were dazzled by your beauty..."

She couldn’t help smiling at the cute manner in which her Li had reconstructed all of these events to construe her as a great beauty.

Even if it wasn’t true, she was very satisfied that he thought it to be the case.

"If I was some great beauty like you’re suggesting, why would the Second Prince think he could insult me by making me his concubine?" she asked him triumphantly, knowing that her logic on this point at least, was unassailable.

"You’d have to ask his highness that question," Li said stiffly.

And here his logic started to fall apart... she thought merrily.

"And, why would the Emperor have employed me as a Court Lady when he would clearly have taken me into his harem if I was so lovely and serving him every day!"

Her pièce-de-résistance!

"I don’t presume to second guess the plans of our Lord," he admitted reluctantly. "I understand what you’re saying, but you’ve reinterpreted all of these events to meet your preconceived ideas."

I think that might be you who has done so, she thought. But she didn’t want to argue with him, and frankly, it was quite adorable that he believed her to be a great beauty, and that he had fallen for her at first sight!

"Okay Li," she agreed vaguely.

He nodded resolutely, pleased to have finally gotten through to her.

The girl would be more cautious in the future if she understood the unintentional effect her beauty could have on men.

"Meili," he suddenly growled, "I promise I’ll do everything in my power to get the Emperor’s approval to marry you as soon as I return from the campaign".

"I know you will, Li," she said with such utter trust and tenderness that he couldn’t help but lean around and give her a quick stolen kiss on the cheek.

She blushed pinkly and lightly touched the spot where his lips had landed, like she could trap the feel of it with her fingers.

"Leave such matters to me. Don’t you try to influence the Emperor. It may backfire."

"Mm," she agreed easily.

"I will inform your parents of our desire to marry."

She nodded. "Father will be pleased. He really does want the Mei and Bai families to be joined in marriage. He just didn’t want to force me into an unhappy relationship."

"I know," he nodded. "He’s a good man. My parents will be overjoyed too. Especially my mother. Though we have a long road ahead of us before that happy day," he sighed, but he squared his shoulders with determination.

There could be no greater motivation to win this campaign than this happy and glittering prize awaiting him at the end of it.

"Before I leave in two days, it’s the Lantern Festival. If you can get His Majesty’s approval to attend, I’ll escort you?"

She clapped her hands with delight. "Oh yes, Li! I will definitely convince the Emperor to let me go."

Her mind started to whir on how she could wheedle another outing from the Emperor so soon after this one...

"We’re getting close to the capital. You’d better hop back onto Tufei to avoid gossip," he said reluctantly.

She nodded and he lifted her across to her horse.

She thrilled at the man’s hands on her waist, his touch tingling on her skin as she basked in the happiness of his confession.

Bai Li liked her! Bai Li loved her! He wanted to marry her for all the right reasons.

Here, finally, was her good man...

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