Scum Consort

chapter 46

Yuzu takes a breath of relief. How can he explain his rebirth ? He can never.

Minister Bai looks at the bed before leaving. He feels like Zixuan is not a child anymore either. Zixuan is learning to protect too. His lip curves upwards.

***

"Do you have any plan ?" Empress dowager asks Afreen.

Afreen humms in her thoughts.

Yaad stands in the corner with a sour face. Everything was going according to his plan. Yuzu was out of the palace. He made peace with Zixuan but that bitch Jia-Li wasted everything .

Afreen stands up from her bed "Did you say that minister Bai stopped you from visiting his other rooms ?"

Empress dowager scoffs "He behaved like I am thief and if I enter in a wrong room, I will steal."

Afreen frowns harder "but why mother .. why ? It sounds a little absurd."

"What absurd ? Zixuan was not in other rooms. He guided me to the right room but in a bad way. And why are we talking about him ?"

"Because I am worrying about the bad way. His highness was injured. You entering the wrong room should be the last of his concerns unless ...."

"Unless he wants to hide something." Yaad completes Afreen's unfinished words "like stolen money .. or ornaments .."

Empress dowager scoffs "You two are useless. 'Hide stolen money..' why do you think I accepted Yuzu when he gave me the proposal of his son ?"

Afreen keeps on frowning. She doesn't reply to empress dowager. Yaad asked instead "why ?"

"Because minister Bai has the money that can lead our entire army against us." Empress dowager replies with an ugly face.

Afreen stands up from the bed "you need to visit minister Bai's residence again, empress mother and this time I will visit with you."

Empress dowager scoffs at Afreen in disgust "you can clearly say that you have no plans. No need to pretend like you have one..."

***

Yuzu gasps for air. "This can't be real.."

"Yuzu calm down." Zixuan holds Yuzu's cold hands tightly.

Yuzu looks at Xingchen for another confirmation "Jia-li is dead ? Someone murdered her ?"

Xingchen nods "someone stabbed her from the back. Five times."

Yuzu's head spins. "I should've known .. I should've.. She told me."

Zixuan holds Yuzu's face with a serious look "what ? Who told you ? Has someone threatened you ?"

Yuzu blinks. Threatened? Warned ? What was it. Whatever it was .. it was not joke when she said ... "You can't cheat on death. But may death cheats on you and gets mistress."

Death took the mistress.

"Yuzu.." Zixuan gives Yuzu a shake.

Yuzu comes out of his thoughts "I .. I need to visit the temple. I will be back soon.'"

Yuzu didn't stop for Zixuan's resistance. He ran. He ran as fast as he can. He didn't stop anywhere until he reached the stairs of the temple.

Yuzu looks at the male begger sitting in place of the old woman. "Where is she ?"

The male begger tilts his head. He is surely drunk. "Who ?"

"The old woman who sits here. Why are you talking her place?"

"It's my ....place." the man slurrs.

Yuzu shakes his head "no ..not you...

"Leave it my son..he is way too drunk to understand what you are talking about." The priest who came out of the temple addresses Yuzu.

Yuzu looks at the priest. "Have you seen an old woman who sits here ?"

The priest smiles "you maybe new here. That's why you don't know , I can't see."

Yuzu blinks then frowns "What ? Then how can you be a priest ?"

"How ? Because eyes have no use when he it comes to god. You have eyes .. can you see him ?" The priest asks.

"Maybe, I saw her yesterday..." Yuzu replies in a questioning tone. He doesn't know, that woman can be a good fortune teller too instead of God.

"Can you see him today ? You have the same eyes." The priest asks again.

Yuzu looks around "no..".
Maybe she was not a god. Yuzu repeats in his mind.

"Why ?"

"She is not here today."

"Temple is her home, noble consort. She can't be anywhere else except here. But you can't see her as you wish.. you will only see her, when she decides to let you see her .. with or without eyes. Go back , consort Yuzu. You need to be in your home too before someone else possesses your home."

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