Yuzu looks at Meimei with suspicious eyes as he walks towards the meeting room early in the morning. "I asked you to inform everybody."
Meimei pouts "I informed everybody. I shouted out of my lungs in the hall. Concubine Afreen heard it and her chamber is just beside concubine Jia-li. So she must have heard it too."
"Jia-li was in Zixuan's room last night." Yuzu argues. He knows he was angry with Jia-li last night and wanted to take revenge but now when he thinks about it carefully, it will only trouble his life. Nothing more.
"I shouted there too." Meimei retorts. She knows her master very well. People call him scum consort but her master can't even trick a fly without hesitation. So, even if she didn't want too, she made sure that Jia-li heard the news.
Yuzu ignores Meimei's pout as he enters meeting room.
Every concubine and consorts stand up greeting Yuzu.
Yuzu nods, eyeing every concubine and consort. Jia-li is missing "sit.."
Yuzu walks in and sits at the center "I thought I informed every consort and concubine to be present."
Consort Zubina nods "yes, noble consort. We came here early in the morning. Everybody is here, except concubine Jia-li."
"I can see that." Yuzu states eyeing Afreen "can you tell me why she is not here ?"
Afreen who was already angry with Yuzu makes a disgusted face but replies "concubine Jia-li is pregnant. She must be having some complications."
"Is that so ?" Yuzu raises his one eyebrow "anyways, let's start the meeting. You all can have the breakfasts on the table in front of you while I announce some new rules of our harem.
Afreen's eyes shoot up "new rules ?"
"Yes , new rules. Apparently Afreen there are several complaints against you guys were submitted to me." Yuzu informs "and mostly against you Afreen."
All the concubines start whispering among themselves as soon as Yuzu states this.
"Silence." Yuzu interrupts after he lets them do some gossping. "Till these days a concubine and a consort was given a monthly allowance which included every expenses of herself , her maids and her guards.
But I got complaints that some Concubines have decided to cut their maid's salary to a minimum amount. And some even dared to cut salaries for their each and every mistake."
Afreen grits her teeth. "We need to know who complaint this."
"Why ?" Yuzu looks at Afreen "why you need to know ? You have no reason to know."
"That complaints were against us, so we need to know." Afreen almost shouts.
"So that you can throw them out of the palace or beat them senseless ? That wouldn't happen as long as I am the head of this harem." Yuzu feels his anger rising.
"From today onwards every concubine consort will get only their own share of monthly allowance. For their maid's and guards I will credit their salary myself." Yuzu states looking at the pale faces of the concubines and consorts. It was not only Afreen who was stealing the money of their maid's, others were doing it too.
"Noted?" Yuzu asks as nobody has replied to him yet.
"Noted." All of them replies in unison.
Yuzu smiles. "Now the second and the last rule."
Again everybody looks up at him in fear.
"I have complaints of abuse.I heard some of you are abusing and bullying your maids just because they work for you and they are lower than you."
"We never did it. It's a lie." One of the concubine shakes her head.
"I have seen the burnt marks and brusies myself." Yuzu states coldly "So the new rule, If any of you ever raise a hand on your maids and guards, you will be cut off their services. In short, you will have no maids or guards ... for the rest of your life. Noted ?"
Yuzu heards Snickers and sniffs as all the concubines and consorts reply "noted."
"Greetings noble consort Yuzu."
Yuzu looks at the entrance as Jia-li walks in leisurely to the meeting room. "You are late, concubine Jia-li."
"I am really sorry noble consort, I wanted to come early but you know I spent last night in his highness's room and he wasn't letting me go." Jia-li smirks oblivious to the tense situation of the room.
"That's your problem concubine Jia-li, not mine. My problem is you are late." Yuzu repeats the words more firmly.
Jia-li frowns a little seeing indifferent expression on Yuzu's face. She deliberately came late to the meeting to piss off Yuzu. But .. "But isn't it his highness's fault ?"
Yuzu tilts his head "So you are blaming his highness ?"
A cold sweat breaks on Afreen's head "concubine Jia-li, think before you say anything. You don't have any position to find his highness's fault."
Smirk disappears from Jia-li's face "I didn't mean it that way."
Then what are you trying to say, Jia-li ?" Zubina asks this time. She hates Jia-li from the core of her heart. Even more than consort Yuzu. But she never got an upper hand on Jia-li because Afreen was head but now ...
"It has nothing to do with you." Jia-li snapps.
"You are talking with a consort, an upper ranker from you." Yuzu states.
Jia-li suddenly feels herself getting cornered. What should she do now.
Yuzu stands up from his seat "I can't change my words concubine Jia-li. I announced it yesterday very clearly that anybody who would be late to the meeting will recieve punishment. Now if I let you go, that will harm my and his highness's figure."
Jia-li looks at Yuzu in disbelief"noble consort I am with a baby, I am pregnant."
"That's could be an excuse if you had some complications with baby early in morning.. like morning sickness, vomitting , cold or fever. But not now .."
Jia-li looks at Afreen for help. Afreen stays silent. She is already upset about new rules, also when Jia-li planned the baby, she didn't include Afreen. Afreen doesn't even know whether the baby is actually his highness's or not. So why should she help her in front of everyone.
Jia-li panics "punishment can harm the baby."
"It will not. I don't think noble consort would do anything that will be risky for the baby." Zubina interrupts again.
"Her being late is as much insult to you all as it is to me. So I wouldn't punish her myself." Yuzu states "I will let you all decide her punishment. Also as consort Zubina said, don't select anything that would be risky for the baby." Yuzu smiles at sits again on his seat.
"Let's decide the punishment while eating our breakfast. Jia-li you sit too. Standing this long is not good for the baby." Yuzu smiles at Jia-li like nothing happened.
Jia-li looks at Yuzu in a daze before sitting slowly "can I .. call my maid to bring me lotus soup ?"
Yuzu smiles again. He knows why Jia-li wants to call her maid. She wants to inform Zixuan about her punishment. "Sure, why not."
Yuzu looks at Jia-li signs her new maid to call his highness. "Your old maid... I have released her from prison." Yuzu informs after the new maid leaves.
Afreen frowns. "But she tried to frame you, noble consort."
Yuzu grins "no, she didn't. She just helped to frame me. Jia-li tried to frame me. Since Jia-li is out of prison then what's the meaning of putting that poor soul in there. She also has two small kids to look upon."
Jia-li's face sours. Yuzu is letting everyone remember what she did, subtly, so that no one forgets.
"So any thoughts about the punishment ?" Yuzu asks casually.
"If we punish her physically or cut her allowance that will harm the baby , what if we cut her hair like you punished all of us.." Zubina suggests again.
Jia-li shoots Zubina a glare.
"Not bad." Yuzu smiles "concubine Afreen ? What about you ? Give me some idea.. you were the head of this harem."
Afreen hesitates. She doesn't want Jia-li against her but she can't declare war against Yuzu either. " How about ... we take back all her jewelleries and make up ?"
Jia-li looks at Afreen wide eyes. She can't believe her best friend is suggesting her punishment.
"Not bad.." Yuzu nods "anything else ?"
"Son of heaven , His highness is entering the Harem's meeting room."
Jia-li face lits up as a guard shouts from the outside.
Yuzu chuckles. He already knows that Zixuan is coming. That's why he has already pulled out a long silk cloth from his inner robe. He silently covers half of his face ingoring the frown of Jia-li and Afreen.
Zixuan enters the hall while looking at his left side. He was looking at wall when he heard Yuzu's voice.
"His highness, can look at the front without any worry. He wouldn't see my face."
Zixuan looks at the front with a frown. His eyes meet a covered face of Yuzu, with only Yuzu's eyes visible.
Zixuan's eyes captures the honey coloured pupils of Yuzu which he never noticed before. Yuzu's pale face, long hair and pink lips are the things that grabs everyone's attention always. But now, with everything else covered everyone's eyes fall on Yuzu's eye.
The eyes that looks like sunshine out of disaster. In pools of black , blue and dark eyes,.Yuzu's eyes look like a forgotten sunflower field. Zixuan blinks. His mind wonders how those eyes will look when it sees the sunrise on mujikawa hills. Will it reflect the greenery of the hills or the hue of sunlight.
A faint blush covers in Yuzu's cheeks under the silk clothes as the dark eyes maintains the eye contact with him. He was always in love with Zixuan's eyes. He used to say that Zixuan's eyes are like a abyss but a beautiful abyss and if you get the chance to get lost in the abyss once, you will never want to be found.
He finds those lines cliche in this life and he is not thinking about those lines now but he can't help remembering how he imagined about those eyes rolling is pleasure when Zixuan making love to him.
He remembers his castle in the air and all the wild thoughts, wild fantasies runs inside his head again. The blush deepens.
"His highness !!"
Both Yuzu and Zixuan breaks the eye contact hearing Jia-li's almost crying voice.
Zixuan looks at Jia-li with a questioning gaze "What's wrong ?"
"Your highness, you know I am with a baby. My body stays tired these days. I can't wake up early like before. I didn't mean to come late for this meeting but I got late. Can't I ask for mercy this once ?" Jia-li whines holding her belly.
Yuzu stays silent. So, now the blame is on baby ?
'Jia-li, you never mentioned your baby to noble consort Yuzu. You said his highness stopped you from coming here. You even blamed his highness." Zubina cuts Jia-li's words.
Zixuan frowns "I stopped concubine Jia-li from coming here ? How is it ?"
Jia-li murders Zubina in her mind repeatedly before smiling thinly "I didn't blame his highness. It was a misunderstanding. I just panicked thinking about punishment which can harm my baby."
Zixuan looks at Yuzu "what is the punishment?"
Yuzu shrugs "I haven't decided it yet. I asked for suggestions. Do you have any ?"
Jia-li shoots a look at Yuzu. Is he for real ?
"She is with a baby, consort Yuzu. Is there any way you can forgive her this time ?" Zixaun asks Yuzu in a light voice. He knows whatever he is asking is wrong and everytime it's Yuzu who is compromising. Just like now Yuzu is standing with a cover on his face but the baby even if it's not his ... is innocent. Punishing a pregnant woman is against Zi kingdom's morals.
Yuzu smiles calmly "why not ? Then I will be dismissing this meeting now and packing my bags."
Zixuan frowns "packing your bags ?
Yuzu nods "of course, did You forget I came back to main palace with two conditions. One of them was I want complete control over harem. Since, you are breaking that condition....
I will be back to the abandoned chamber or if you don't allow me there , I will be back to my father's house."
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