Yuzu looks at the white power which Meimei has brought for him. In his past life he used to wear a lot of make up. He used to put all the efforts to not to look manly.
From wearing red lipstain to pink blush he used to do everything to look beautiful. He knew that he couldn't complete against emperor's other female concubine or consort yet he was too blind in love to accept it.
"I don't need it." Yuzu pushes the white powder away.
Meimei gasps "But master , today emperor is going to take you back to main palace. You have to look beautiful."
Yuzu chuckles. "You are too naive Meimei."
"Master ?"
Yuzu who was looking at mirror stands up facing Meimei "I have one serious question for you Meimei and you will answer me honestly. Ok ?"
Meimei frowns "what master ?"
"Will you have any problem if we stay here in this chamber instead of main palace ?"
Meimei looks at her master's serious face. She has never seen her master this much calm. "don't you want to go ....back ... master ?"
"Answer my question first , Meimei."
Meimei feels her eyes burning. She was worried about this since yesterday. She was feeling that her master has cut not only his wrist but also his heart this time. She guessed it since the moment her master didn't ask for emperor.
"Meimei ? Why are you crying ?" Yuzu asks with a frown.
Meimei sniffs "master , emperor will love you one day. But if you give up like this...."
Yuzu chuckles. "Stupid. Are you a kid ? Crying like this ? Tears don't suit you."
"B...but master , don't you love emperor anymore ?"
Yuzu sighs. He doesn't have the answer for that. Should he still love that person who caused his death ? "Let's go !"
Meimei runs behind her master as her master walks towards the court without his carriage. She has never seen her master walking outside his chamber. Even when he made fuss and demanded to visit emperor , he always waited for a carriage.
"Announce Consort Yuzu's arrival." Meimei runs ahead of Yuzu as she sees the courtier.
The courtier got surprised to see consort Yuzu's maid at court's gate.
"No need. I am not here to attend court. I will leave soon." Yuzu steps beside Meimei.
The courtier who was surprised before now gets shocked. Consort Yuzu walking at the court and without make up. What is happening ?
Yuzu ignores the courtier and walks behind the curtains where there is a seat for every consort. The seats were empty. No consort is present in today's court. Yuzu looks at his empty seat for a long time.
He has decorated that seat with so many articrafts and soft fabrics. He wanted his seat to be most beautiful among all consorts so that whenever emperor's eyes falls this side behind the curtain , emperor sees only him. Later after two year from now that seat was given to concubine Jia li. She was made a consort after birth of crown prince.
"Master , willn't you take your seat ?" Meimei whispers to Yuzu.
Yuzu looks away from the seat "no !"
Meimei nods. Her eyes burns again. She clearly saw the flash of pain that passed through her master's face just now. Why emperor is so cruel ? Couldn't his highness visit her master only once when he was sick ?
"Father is here." Yuzu whispers to Meimei. Meimei looks at the front. There .. she can see the big master through the curtain. She smiles. There is a hope.
Zixuan smirks as soon as he sees Minister Bai taking the centre position. So this is consort Yuzu's trick ? Using his father as a trade ?
"Minister Bai , is there anything you want to say ?" Zixuan asks in his authoritative manner.
Yuzu's father , Minister Bai bows "your highness , I am here with a request today. A request for a second chance to my son.
My son loves his highness so much. He is immature and foolish, but I swear he didn't mean any harm."
"Be clear minuster Bai, what does your son want from me now ?"
Minister Bai bows again "please take him back to your palace your highness. I promise , he will behave. He will never give you any reason to complain again. He..."
Zixuan raises his hands to stop minister Bai "your son hasn't apologised yet. You know that , right ?"
Minister Bai panics "I am apologising for him, your highness. I will personally meet concubine Jia Li and apologise to her."
"And your apology will fix everything ? You are a minister , tell me is that a fair prize for the life risk of my crown Prince ?" Zixuan shouts with a cold voice.
Everybody in the court starts whispering.
"No no ... I didn't mean it that way." Minister Bai shakes his head while looking around "I didn't ."
"Then what do you mean by apologising, minister ?" One court official finally opens his mouth.
"I mean , I will do whatever his highness wants me to do as an apology. Just .. please forgive my foolish son." Minister Bai replies helplessly.
Yuzu stays silent behind the curtain. His heart is aching seeing his father's trembling figure and bend posture, yet he is waiting. Waiting to hear how cruel zixuan - his beloved emperor was towards his father. He waited to see how zixuan asked his father to kiss the dust.
"Your son is twenty five years old. He is not foolish. He is not immature. He is an annoying, spoiled , attention seeking brat. You couldn't raise your son properly minister and now when I am teaching him a lesson, you are meddling in my business." Zixuan states more coldly if possible.
"I am really sorry, your highness."
Zixuan stands up from his throne "you are just saying sorry , I can't see your sorry , minister Bai. Apologise properly , then I will consider your request."
Yuzu blinks. Apologize properly ? So that was the word ? The word which drove his father to death?
Zixuan looks at his hesitant minister and smirks. Like father , like son. Too arrogant to apologise. "We don't have all day , minister Bai."
Minister Bai sighs. He doesn't want his son to cut his wrist again. He slowly kneels on the ground on his knees.
Meimei bites her lips in worry "Master ... do you want to go back ?"
Yuzu who was looking at his father through the curtain smiles "yes !"
Meimei breaths in relief.
Yuzu smiles again before removing the curtain in front of him "Wait father."
Soon the entire court's eyes fall on Yuzu including the emperor himself. Yuzu ingores those eyes and walks straight towards his father "stand up ! There is no need to apologise. You son is not immature. Neither he is foolish.
Zixuan stares at the face of his consort who hasn't jumped on him yet. Zixuan looks up and down at the man standing in the middle of the court.
The man is consort Yuzu but his appreance ...no make up , no expensive robes... Consort Yuzu looks like a man. The fuck !
Minister Bai also looks at his son in disbelieve. What is happening ?
The court officials start whispering again.
Zixuan comes backs to his sense. He looks at consort Yuzu fiercely who is still ignoring his presence. No greetings , no acknowledgement, no apology. What does he thinks of himself ?
"TELL ME MINISTER BAI" Zixuan shouts "YOU STILL WANT ME TO GIVE YOUR SON A SECOND CHANCE ?"
Minister Bai trembles in fear. So does the other officials.
"No no ! I will apologise. I will kowtow , I will kiss the dust ..
"DO IT NOW." Zixuan shouts still looking at the side face of consort Yuzu.
Yuzu stays calm. He only held his father's wrist when his father was about to kowtow. "No father , I am sorry that I asked you to beg for me. But now I have realised I don't need you to beg.
Minister Bai looks at his son in horror. "You are not in your right mind . Why ... why did you come here ? Your highness ! Your highness !"
Minister Bai kneels down on the ground in great panic "I apolo...
"Father ! If you really have to apologise today then don't apologise because you son did anything wrong , apologise because you gave your son to such a person who trusts a maid's voice more than his own consort. Apologise because you work under that emperor who declares punishment before proving the crime." Yuzu states firmly.
Whole court falls into silence.
Minister Bai halts in his place.
Yuzu looks at his father's half bend posture "If you apologise today then I will consider you apologised for marrying your son to such a lowly person who never respected neither your son nor you."
Yuzu takes a step back before turning around. He didn't greet the emperor before leaving the court .
If he is getting punished for being scum consort , then he will be the greatest and bravest scum consort in history. He will make sure of it.
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