Yuzu knocks on Xingchen's door for the third time. He taps his feet outside the door impatiently. In hurry he forgot to ask Meimei whether Xingchen also went out with Zixuan or not !
He knocks again. "Chief minister ? Are you inside ?"
"......"
Yuzu sighs as no one answers the call. He needs to come back again to meet Xingchen but that will be a great risk.
Yuzu was about to leave when he heard something falling down inside the chamber. Yuzu stops.
"Minister ... Are you inside ?" Yuzu calls again "I am .. comming in.. ?"
Yuzu frowns as there is still no reply. Did something happen to ... Yuzu pushes the door open with his both hands and steps inside the room hurriedly.
An empty glass rolls to his feet as soon as he steps in. Yuzu looks up.
"N..noble consort." Xingchen lowers his head in distress.
Yuzu looks at Xingchen standing at the corner of his chamber in confusion before looking at the person sitting at the centre of the room - Zixuan.
Zixuan smirks "I was waiting for you since morning consort Yuzu. Aren't you too late to visit your minister ?"
Yuzu blinks. What is happening? Zixuan spread fake rumours to catch him guilty ?
"Anyways," Zixuan stands up from his seat "Since consort Yuzu is here, should I leave, Xingchen? Need personal space ? To discuss personal matters which can't be done in front of me ?"
Xingchen kneels on the ground devastatedly "His highness, this is not what you think... Consort Yuzu has nothing to do with this minister...."
Zixuan turns to look at Yuzu "Really ? Surprisingly, consort Yuzu has nothing to do with me either!"
Yuzu sighs. He is tired of this shit. He just wanted to live in peace. How hard was it ? "Minister Xingchen, what you said to me that day, were you talking about the ex. Healer ?"
Xingchen looks up hurriedly. He didn't expect consort Yuzu to bring it out in front of his highness.
"Was he the one who was threatened twice ?" Yuzu asks again ignoring Zixuan who was still looking at his face with a cold look.
Xingchen understands the seriousness of Yuzu's voice. He nods "yes , your highness, the ex. Healer was threatened twice to lie to his highness."
Zixuan who subconsciously hears Xingchen's words turns around at Xingchen. "In which matter ? I thought I already solved the poisoning case. Or does consort Yuzu depends on you for justice these days ?"
Xingchen trembles. His highness isn't shouting. He isn't even raising his voice but the tone ,the taunts .. those are worse than his highness's shouts.
Yuzu on the other hand stays as unbothered as possible. He doesn't care. He has cried a lot yesterday and till today morning he realised that if Zixuan throws him again to abandoned palace, he will be better again.
So he is not afraid of Zixuan. As long as Zixuan isn't punishing Xingchen, he doesn't care if Zixuan thinks that he has an affair with Xingchen.
"Minister Xingchen was responsible for escorting the ex. Healer to dungeon. When he was doing his duty , the healer confessed his another crime to him. As that crime is way more serious and grave Minister Xingchen wanted to consult me before you. As I hold the second highest rank after you." Yuzu states casually.
"What Crime ?" Zixuan looks at Yuzu seriously this time. "Why it was not mentioned to me before ?"
"I haven't met the ex. Healer. Minister did. It's better if you hear from him directly."
Xingchen gulps. He dreaded this day for almost one week and now the moment is here. "Your highness, ...
"The healer , I mean the ex. Healer confessed that Concubine Jia-li was not pregnant when she claimed to be first." Xingchen whispers.
"What. Do. You. Mean ?" Zixuan looks at Xingchen in disbelieve.
"Concubine Jia-li threatened him to give his highness fake news." Xingchen repeats more clearly this time. "Ex. Healer claimed that concubine Jia-li wasn't pregnant when he checked her first time and gave you the news but ....
"BUT ?"
"But she conceived after one month of her pregnancy news. She even asked the ex. Healer for growth promoting medications for the unborn, so that she can give birth in time."
Zixuan looks at Xingchen with an ugly face. "You. Know. What. You. Are. Saying. Right ?"
Xingchen lowers his head "This is what the ex. Healer claimed, your highness. This minister doesn't dare..."
"SHUT UP !"
Yuzu stands there in pin drop silence. He guessed it before already, yet hearing it from Xingchen's mouth feels unreal. He loved the crown prince in his last life thinking that the kid was Zixuan's son.
But it turns out, the kid was not Zixuan's unless ..
"If. This. Is. A. Lie. To. Hide. Your. Affair. Xingchen. You. Wouldn't. See. Tomorrow." Zixuan hisses through gritted teeth.
"We don't need to hide anything." Yuzu finally opens his mouth. He is listening to Zixuan's bullshit for days, he needs to reply now.
Zixuan snaps at Yuzu with hatred in his eyes "WE ?"
Yuzu stands straight "We. Neither I nor minister Xingchen has anything to fear. At this point, you should understand that nobody fears you. Your concubine lies to you, your healer lies to you, your maids lie to you. Tell me, who fears you ?"
"Your highness ..." Xingchen interrupts in a timid voice but Yuzu ignores him.
"If we have an affair, we will do it anyway, who will stop us ? You ? In what rights ? Am I your official consort ? Are you my official husband ?"
"BAI YUZU !"
"DON'T SHOUT AT ME." Yuzu snaps "It's you who brought your dirty mentality in this room. Not me. To hide affair ? To meet affair ? What else ? If you dare to question then dare to hear the answer too."
Zixuan grabs Yuzu's wrist to give it a jerk "And. What. Is. The. Answer ?"
Yuzu ignores the intense pressure in his hand "The answer is if I have a affair, I don't need to hide it. I don't nee to lie about anyone to hide it."
Zixuan looks deeply in Yuzu's eyes "And if I do find it a lie then ? What will you do consort Bai Yuzu ?"
"What will I do ?" Yuzu chuckles. His wrist feels numb. Zixuan hasn't released his hand yet "I don't need to do anything. Wouldn't you do it before me ? Throwing me out of the palace ? Cutting off my allowance, leaving me to die alone ... Aren't you experienced in it ?"
Zixuan grits his teeth hearing the taunt "Then believe me Bai Yuzu, if I find all of it "A lie", then that's what I am going to do with you. I will make sure you indeed die alone."
Zixuan turns his cold gaze on Xingchen before he drags Yuzu out of the room by his wrist.
Yuzu stumbles at the door step because of the sudden pull. He looks at the iron grip on his wrist "Where are we going ?"
Zixuan ignores the question just like he ignores the curious gazes all the way to his court.
The courtier bows hurriedly as he sees his highness almost marching towards the court.
"Inform all the member, the court will begin momentarily. Inform all the concubines and consorts to be present . Bring the ex. Healer from dungeon."
The courtier nods and runs off to inform everyone. But the first person he needs to inform is minister Bai. He feels like Noble consort is in trouble again.
"It's hurting." Yuzu opens his mouth finally after Zixuan sits on his throne with Yuzu by his side resulting Yuzu to sit on the empty chair beside Zixuan - The Empress's chair.
"It's hurting me too." Zixuan states coldly without looking at Yuzu. "You need to feel the same pain that you are giving me."
Yuzu was about to retort but he stops as his father almost runs into the court. Yuzu's gaze meets his father's worried gaze. Yuzu shakes his head subtly. Indicating not to apologise to his father.
Minister Bai blinks. Then he bows to Zixuan slowly before taking his seat as a minister.
The court remains in pin-drop silence until the last member enters the court who is chief minister Xingchen himself.
Yuzu adjusts his seat a little as he feels strong gaze of concubines and consorts on him. He knows the meaning of this gaze but only if they know the real reason. Yuzu tries to move his wrist a little as the grip has loosened with passing time, yet as soon as he tries to move the grip is back making him hiss in pain.
"There will be another inquiry session in this court. The ex. Healer of Zi Kingdom has accused concubine Jia-li of threatening and blackmailing him to lie to zhen about the heir of this kingdom."
"Nooooooo !" Jia-li stands up from her seat holding her big belly. "Your highness, I never did such thing. Why would a mother lie about her child ?"
Yuzu looks at Jia-li with a frown. There is something about Jia-li's tone which he doesn't like. Something odd. Like Jia-li is chuckling in her mind. She is not panicked, not nervous not afraid either. Don't tell him that ...
"Bring the ex. Healer to Zhen......."
Yuzu averts his gaze from Jia-li, hearing Zixuan's order but the light smirk on Jia-li's lips didn't escape from his eyes. A cold sweat drops on Yuzu's forehead. "Why does he feel like , he has stepped on a trap again ?
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