"Your highness !"
The ex. Healer kneels in front of Zixuan as soon as he steps inside the court.
"Rise !" Zixuan orders in a cold tone.
The ex. healer nods and slowly stands up, still not making eye contact with Zixuan.
"Do you know why you are summoned here ?" Zixuan wasted no time in asking.
The ex. healer shakes his head.
"There is blame against you that you lied to me about concubine Jia-li's pregnancy. Is it true ?"
Yuzu takes a deep breath as he sees the healer shaking his head again.
"It's not true ? Was she pregnant when you first checked her ?" Zixuan asks specifically "Use your words !"
The ex. Healer looks at his highness for the first time. His eyes look tired and worried "Yes , your highness. She was pregnant when I checked her for the first time."
Zixuan's grip on Yuzu's wrist tightens "Then why did you say the otherwise to my chief minister?"
Yuzu looks at the ex. Healer in worry. Should he put all the blame on Xingchen ?
"Your highness ! Minister Xingchen asked me to say otherwise."
Xingchen looks at the ex. Healer in disbelieve "Why would I do that ?"
"Xingchen !" Zixuan warns.
"Pardon, your highness." Xingchen bows with a deep frown on his face. He was sure it was not a trap when ex. Healer confessed to him. Then why ....
"Answer chief minister's question. Why would he ask you to do that ?" Zixuan focuses on the ex. Healer again.
"Because, chief minister was not satisfied with your punishment to concubine Jia-li. He felt bad for consort Yuzu. He wanted to punish concubine Jia-li for consort Yuzu." The ex. Healer states without any hesitation.
Zixuan tilts his head. "And why didn't you do what Xingchen asked you to do ?"
"I lied once , your Highness. I wouldn't do the same mistake again."
Zixuan stays silent hearing the reply. Everybody in the court starts whispering anticipating the result.
Yuzu looks at Jia-li's smiling face with the corner of his eyes. He sighs internally. After all this time, he has realised one thing .. he can't change the past. Doesn't matter how hard he tries. In one way or another the history will repeat itself.
Just like the way his blossom broke, he had to go back to main palace, and now he will be thrown out again then Jia-li will take his position again. Yuzu's eyes burn. Will his father ....
"Your highness !"
Yuzu stops thinking as he hears Jia-li's voice calling for Zixuan. Zixuan hasn't uttered a word neither did he release his grip from Yuzu's hand.
"Your highness, I was punished when I did wrong. Today, I want same punishment for noble consort too. He did wrong too. He questioned My character, he questioned your heir." Jia-li utters these words without any pause but she has maintained her pityful acting all along.
Yuzu stays silent. He is not affraid of going back to abandoned chamber. He is not affraid of his position freezing either. But he is afraid thinking what Zixuan will do to Xingchen.
Zixuan raises his hand to calm down the court as the whispers was getting louder. "Healer .. do you know anything about growth promoting potion ?"
The healer gulps "yes ... Your highness."
"What is it ?" Zixuan tilts his one eyebrow.
"It's a potion than can be used to promote growth of a kid or a fetus. It can decrease the duration of pregnancy."
The whole court starts whispering again.
"Have you ever made such potion ?"
Before the healer could reply Jia-li breaks into tears "your highness, you don't trust me."
Zixuan didn't look at Jia-li and waits for the healer's reply while he feels consort Yuzu's gaze on his face "Are you falling in love with me ?" Zixuan whispers.
Yuzu averts his gaze hurriedly "I didn't expect you to have brain."
Zixuan tastes sour "What did consort Yuzu expect then ?"
"Something like throwing me back to abandoned chamber." Yuzu replies while looking at the front.
The healer is still hesitating to give any answer to Zixuan's question. But he can't stay silent for long.
"I have a feeling that throwing you to abandoned chamber wouldn't be a punishment to you." Zixuan hisses throught gritted teeth "I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY , HEALER."
The healer panics "your highness, this servant doesn't remember. This servant is getting old. He has a vouge memory. He doesn't remember."
"Very well.." Zixuan raises from his throne leaving Yuzu's hand. "GUARDS ! SEARCH EVERY CONSORT ABD CONCUBINES ROOM FOR ANY KIND OF POTION AND BRING IT HERE."
Jia-li stands up from her seat with struggle "Your highness, please look at me."
Zixuan ignores the call again.
"Your highness, if you want to search then search" Jia-li still continues "but if you can't find any proof against me and if I am proven innocent then Promise me, I'll get the justice. Promise me, you will never see the face that questioned my charecter, my virtue, my child. Your highness ... Just because I am a concubine doesn't mean ...... " Jia-li holds her head.
"Concubine ..." Every other concubine rushes towards Jia-li as she falls on the ground with spinning head.
Zixuan frowns. He also walks toward the curtain in hurried steps. "Be careful."
Jia-li opens her eyes tiredly hearing Zixuan's voice close to her "your highness ... Promise me... I can't handle.the insult ... Promise me .. you will not see consort Yuzu's face .. if I ...
"This is wrong." One of the concubine opens her mouth finally "your highness, we are concubines, people already see us as sex workers outside. And if we are blamed for treachery inside the palace too, then where will we go ..."
"Concubine Jia-li isn't asking anything wrong." Consort Afreen joins finally. She was sitting silently with a cloth covering her bald head for so long. But it's the time "She asked if she is proven innocent, your highness. If she is wrong then you can punish her but if consort Yuzu is wrong then...."
"Then I wouldn't see his face again." Zixuan cuts all the consorts and concubines. "Zhen's judgement is equall for all."
Yuzu stays silent. He is still sitting on the Empress's throne. He isn't bothered with Jia-li's fall. He has seen her acting way too much to get fooled by it.
But whatever Jia-li said, is also good. If Zixuan leaves him, then he can go back to his parent's house and take care of his father's health. He wouldn't be a consort anymore but his father would be around for a longer time. And how will history repeat if Zixuan breaks the marriage ?
He really thought about breaking the marriage when he first came back to the past. But in Zi kingdom, a consort or a concubine has no right to break the marriage, only his highness can break the marriage. And he asked Zixuan to break the marriage in his last life too.
At that time he just said it out of anger, he didn't mean it but one sentence he asked for it, he still remembers Zixuan's reaction vividly. And that's the reason, he didn't ask for it this time. But now as Zixuan has promised Jia-li to break the marriage, he has to keep his promise.
Yuzu already knows there will be no potion in Jia-li's room or any consort's room otherwise Jia-li wouldn't take such promise from Zixuan.
"Your highness !"
A group of guards walks in the court and bows to Zixuan.
Zixuan takes a deep breath and looks at the guards "Did you find any potion ?"
"Yes ! There is one." One of the guard shows a bottle of blue potion to Zixuan.
Yuzu blinks. Really ? Is Jia-li dumb enough to act innocent even after leaving evidence of her crime ?
Jia-li cries like a mad woman "This is not true, your highness. I have never seen this potion in my life. Trust me .."
Zixuan grits his teeth controlling his anger "Oh. Really ? Then. This. Potion. Has. Wings. It. flew. To. Your. Room. On. Its. Own. Huh ?"
"Your highness." The guard who brought the potion hesitates "This potion was found in ... Noble consort Yuzu's chamber."
***
Side Story 3
"Is your concubine still sick , your highness ? Isn't six years a long time to be sick ?"
Zixuan looks at his annoying consort irritated "You just came back from abandoned chamber and You still don't know how to behave ?"
"I am not misbehaving. I am just asking for my rights. Am not I your consort too ? Then why are you so biased about me ?"
"I am not biased, consort Yuzu. I have works to do. I am not spending my nights with anyone else. Can't you see it ?" Zixuan asks irritated.
"I can see. I can also see that you have spent night with all other concubines and consorts except me. Am I not good enough for you ? What's wrong with me ?"
Zixuan sighs. He slowly stands up and pulls consort Yuzu in his arms "Nothing is wrong with you. I am just busy this week. And somehow everytime I tried to visit you or spend night with you, troubles comes to me like cyclone. It's just some weird co-incidence. I promise, I will consummate our marriage with you next week. Ok ?"
Yuzu pushes Zixuan breaking the hug "Excuses. Always excuses. I am busy today, concubine is sick today, there is a ln attack today... Don't fool me."
"I am not fooling you. You havewaited six years, can't you just wait one more weak ?" Zixuan tries to reason out.
"No. I can't. Next week you will say, your pregnant concubine is having her mood swings ... You need to feed her strawberries.."
Zixuan growls in frustration"What's your problem with a-li ?"
"What's your problem with me .. can't I do make up like her ? Don't I have a figure like her ? Am I less woman than she is ?"
"For god's sake Yuzu, you are not a woman. You are a man. Behave like one." Zixuan shouts a little.
"I wouldn't. You will either spend the night with me or break the marriage with me. Tell me, what do you want ?"
"Consort Yuzu, Are you giving me an ultimatum?" Zixuan roars in a hushed tone.
Yuzu blinks "I ... have no other way."
"GUARDS !"
Yuzu looks up hurriedly hearing the shout. "What are you doing ?"
Zixuan's nose flares "You want me to break the marriage, let me break the marriage."
Yuzu frowns as one guard enters the room bowing at them.
"Drag consort Yuzu's whole family to court now. Tell them their son wants to break the marriage with his highness and ask them to bring a new husband for their son."
"What does it mean ?" Yuzu interrupts.
"You want to break the marriage becaus I didn't sleep with you. That's why I am making the arrangements of your sleeping schedule. All you want is fuck right, then I am going to gift you a good fucker as my inability to fuck you."
Yuzu's eyes filled with tears. He looks at the guard who was still standing in the room. How can Zixuan insult him like this in front of a guard ?
Zixuan turns at the guard "Ask them to bring a new husband for consort Yuzu before dawn. Otherwise they all will be slaughtered at the dawn ."
Yuzu trembles "You are joking ..."
Zixuan turns at Yuzu with gritted teeth "I am not. If you can give me an ultimatum consort Yuzu then I can give your family an ultimatum too."
Yuzu looks at Zixuan in horror.
"You have one more choice, consort Yuzu. You have pissed me off enough and wasted my time enough too. So now, if you want to save your family leave this room and never whine like a woman in front of me again."
"If I don't leave you will really kill my family ? My father has served you for years ..."
"That's why, you are still standing in front of me , don't forget."
Tears roll down from Yuzu's cheeks. He doesn't know why he feels dirty. Is this how his highness looks at him ? A whore ... Who only wants ... Why can't his highness see his love ..
"Zhen is sorry."
Yuzu looks up with glossy eyes.
Zixuan sighs in headache. He pulls his consort in his arms again "I lost my control when you talked about breaking the marriage. Never say that again."
Yuzu cries silently in Zixuan's chest. "Promise me, you will visit me next week ?"
Zixuan wipes the tears from Yuzu's cheeks slowly "I promise. You believe it or not consort Yuzu, I am equall to all."
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