Yuzu stands up from the bed with a confused frown. He remembers that he slept in Zixaun's bed chamber yesterday but when did he came back to his own room ?
He doesn't remember waking up in the middle of the night. Also what is this chaos outside.
"Meimei ... What's happening?" He shouts a little.
Soon Meimei runs inside the room "master ... Concubine Jia-li...
"YOU MURDERER! YOU KILLED THE FUTURE HEIR OF ZI ." Jia-Li burges into the room with a fierce shout.
Yuzu looks at Jia-Li. He frowns "Jia-Li I don't think you should prete..."
"SHUT UP ! I ALREADY CALLED HIS HIGHNESS. HE IS GOING TO BURRY YOU ALIVE. WHAT DID YOU THINK ? JIA-LI WILL BE UPSET AND CRY , SHE WILL NOT REMEMBER WHO PUSHED HER ?"
Yuzu sighs. Looks like she has no idea. But how can someone be so dumb ?
"WHY ARE YOU SILENT?" Jia-li huffs. Her head can brust in anger. She still can't believe she lost her queen card. She can't believe Afreen betrayed her.
But she will deal with Afreen later. First, she needs to throw Yuzu in prison. She can't believe Yuzu is still the noble consort. Didn't they hear her last word before she fell ? Was she whispering?
Yuzu sits on his bed calmly. He wouldn't correct Jia-li. Now he knows how he came back in his room. It must be empress dowager's order. That woman wanted to see Jia-li's act.
But if he doesn't lie, he wants to see Jia-li's reaction too when the truth comes at her.
Meimei calms down a little seeing her master's calm expression. She heard the gossips among servants that Jia-li was carrying someone else's child. Looks like it's true.
"Consort Yuzu, aren't you too happy that I lost my child ? Just wait a minute, this will be the last happiness of your life." Jia-li hisses.
Yuzu watches Jia-li with a calm expression as she messes her hair, smudges her makeup, she even rubs her eyes to make it look red.
And in the blink of an eye, she looks like a devastated mother whose son has died. Yuzu and Meimei both make a silent wow with their lips.
Jia-li starts crying as soon as she finishes her preparation. She has already heard the footsteps comming towards this room.
Soon, empress dowager, Zixuan, Afreen and Xingchen enter the room.
Everyone's eyes fell on Yuzu who was sitting silently in the room.
Jia-li weeps "look your highness .. just look at him .. not only he pushed me from the stairs and killed my child, but also he is sitting there happily watching my sorrow with joy."
Xingchen clears his throat as empress dowager glares at him. He needs to speak now "we understand your sorrow, concubine Jia-li. But we can't punish a noble consort for a concubine's son."
Jia-Li snaps at Xingchen like he is a criminal"what did you say ? My son was the future heir of Zi."
Jia-li ignores Xingchen and looks at Zixuan "your highness, Yuzu killed your son. Why are you silent ? Are you not going to punish him ? Your highness .. I will never forgive you if you don't give me justice."
Zixuan tilts his head "of course. I need to give justice."
Jia-Li smiles weakly. Once his highness announces Yuzu's imprisonment, she will rise to power.
Zixuan looks at his mother "mother I will let you handle this matter. Is that ok ?"
Jia-li's eyes lit up. Empress mother handling the punishment. Looks like god is on her side today.
Empress mother nods "I will be glad to do that. Jia-Li .... "
Jia-li tries to hide her smile "yes empress mother."
Empress mother smiles "you are not a concubine from today onwards."
Jia-Li widens her eyes. Oh god.. she is getting promoted to a consort.. "yes empress mother."
"From today onwards you will be a resident of Zi brothel. And you will serve any man who visits you. Since you already have an experience, I don't think you will have any problem."
Jia-Li looks at Empress dowager horrified "empress mother ..."
"But before you are thrown to a brothel, you will get lashes until you reveal the details of the man with whom you have slept."
Jia-Li gasps. "Nooo ... No your .. highness..."
Zixuan smirks "announce this all over Zi. This is your punishment for your infidelity, Jia-li. Now, for framing my consort repeated times and killing an innocent child in the process , you will be under arrest in the brothel.
You can't leave the brothel, can't have any conversation with any man outside your service, also you can't serve any royals who are in direct contact with Zi palace."
Jia-Li shakes her head "your highness ... You have mistaken .. the child was yours. Consort Yuzu has brainwashed you. He is lying..."
"The child was a different race, Jia-li." Afreen reveals the news finally "were you drunk when you spent the night with another man ?"
Jia-li looks at Afreen with deep hatred in her eyes "you .. don't even talk with me ... You are the one who suggested if I act to fall, your maid will catch me. Framing consort Yuzu was your plan."
Yuzu tilts his head and looks at Afreen but Afreen doesn't look shocked. Afreen smiles "same old trick Jia-li. You have always threatened me with your made up stories and I was really scared before because his highness used to truth you the most. But now .."
"Now he knows your real face too. He wouldn't trust you."
Jia-Li laughes "nobody is stupid enough to fall when she is nine months pregnant. Don't you think ?"
Afreen smirks "No ... Nobody is that stupid but Jia-li deep down you knew that you aren't nine months pregnant.. you were only on your six months .. so you took the risk !"
"No .. I didn't. If I am going down , his highness ... Let me tell you the whole truth .. "
Zixuan folds his arm in front of his chest. He knows he can't do anything to Afreen on Jia-li's words. As Jia-li herself is a traitor. Yet he can know the real faces more. So "go on."
"Your highness ... I had no other way ..I just wanted to be here ... By your side .. "
"So you decided to deceive?" Empress dowager cuts Jia-li.
Jia-Li sniffs "your highness. . you know empress mother bought me here .. after you marriage with consort Yuzu. She bought to me .. so that I keep you away from consort Yuzu.
She threatened me .. if I can't do my job properly, she would throw me out. And I .. didn't want that. I loved you . I fell in love with you since the moment I saw you
So I started to work for empress mother. I thought it would be easy .. but it was not. I was losing miserably. And consort Yuzu wasn't giving up either .. and that's how ... I started to hate consort Yuzu. His position was fixed , no matter what he would remain your consort , then why can't he just calm down ...
But then for being desperate, consort Yuzu started to make mistakes one after another .. I saw his highness getting irritated my by him slowly. So I lowered my guards. I thought his highness wouldn't look at Yuzu again.
I was wrong. you were planning to conssumate your marriage with him ? You haven't consumate your marriage with Afreen and Zubina .. they came before consort Yuzu."
Yuzu frowns. He didn't know this. Wait, if Zixuan hasn't consummate his marriage to Zubina or Afreen then who is his actual wife ? Nobody ?
"I even tried to stop you from doing that but you refused to back down. So I had no other way ... I pretended to be pregnant on the day , you were supposed to visit consort Yuzu."
Zixuan stays silent. He just realised how his every meeting with Yuzu has been sabotaged by Jia-li till now. Yuzu was right. And he is not even shocked that his own mother is behind all this.
"But I was not pregnant. I tried to get you , your highness .. but you were busy with the court works most of the days , and those days you weren't consort Yuzu would be present in your bed chamber always. Nobody can enter your bed chamber without a previous appointment.. why it was different for consort Yuzu ?"
Yuzu blinks. What appointments ?
"So I had ask help from my maids. And they took me to a place. And I got pregnant like that. I didn't see the man that place was completely dark but I just knew it was a tall and big man so ..
I thought I will manage it but if anything goes wrong I will ask help from Afreen.
But then One day I saw a beautiful hair-stick in his highness's room. That hair-stick was more beautiful thuan blossom which consort Yuzu used to wear. I asked about it thinking it was for me. But it was for consort Yuzu.
Your highness you already gave blossom to him, why that one was for him too ? Even after he almost killed a baby with sleeping pills ?" Jia-li cries.
"Empress mother would have killed me if she saw it on consort Yuzu. So I had to frame him."
"But he got away with it too. I saw myself losing you. Then Afreen planned all these, your highness. She told me that there will be a maid who would catch me .. and I was desparate.. I was scared of empress dowager."
ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ