Yuzu stands in front of Jia-li with a serious face. He can't believe this woman escaped the house arrest.
"You think you won ? I lose ? You bitch ! I never lose."
Yuzu takes a deep breath in. Jia-li is not in her sane mind. Yet he can't harm her. Jia-li is a woman and he is a man. "What do you want ?"
"What do I want ? I want you to lose. I want you to die. If I can't be the empress, I will not let you be the empress." Jia-li spats.
"That will solve your problem ?" Yuzu tries to stall the time until Meimei comes back from the market. Or even Yimli comes back from her friend's house. Any woman will do ..
"You are worried about my problem ?" Jia-li laughs hysterically "You are my problem."
"I did nothing to harm you. You are the one who came at me first."
"I did. Because you were risking his highness's life. How come you marry his highness when you had an affair with his brother ?" Jia-li shouts.
Yuzu gasps "an affair ? What the ..."
"Don't pretend to be an innocent bitch , Yuzu. You betrayed prince Ze-min to marry his highness, just because prince Ze-min is a spare and his highness is the emperor. You said that you will go back to prince Ze-min if prince defeats his highness and becomes the emperor."
Yuzu's head spins. "What ?"
"Then what did you do ? You dare to behave like you love his highness. You dare to sleep with him ? You dare to snatch him from me because of your stupid game ?" Jia-Li scoffs
"Yes , I came for you. What else did you expect ? To let you and your lover murder his highness ? Do you have any idea how much I love his highness ?"
Yuzu tilts his head. He ignores the accusations for the time being "you don't love him. If you had loved him like the way you claim, you wouldn't have cheated on him."
"I had no other way. He was so invested in you that he didn't see your real face." Jia-Li shouts louder.
"I have lived a life of not being loved by his highness. I have never cheated on him." Yuzu mocks.
"Oh .. now you deny your affair with prince Ze-min?" Jia-Li laughs again.
"Prince Ze-min lied to you." Yuzu finally explains. Why Meimei is not back yet ?
"I have no contacts with him. I am loyal to his highness. I know about your affairs because I have seen your love letters which you wrote for him. And guess what ? After I finish you, I am gonna show it to his highness. Then he will praise me for killing the traitor." Jia-Li laughs louder and louder.
Yuzu takes two steps back. "Jia-Li, you are being a fool right now."
Jia-Li smirks "yeah ! Am I ?" She raised her knife high ..
Yuzu hurriedly swings left and grabs Jia-li's wrist tightly "Jia-li, you are a woman ..I can't harm you but if you come at me .. I will do anything to save me."
Jia-Li struggles to push her wrist downwards. She is not in the mood to listen any more words. It's her only chance. She had to please an ugly fat royal guard for this escape. She will not let it slide.
"Aaaa " Jia-li raises her hands again pushing Yuzu back.
Yuzu catches the blade of the knife this time. Blood runs down from his palm weting his peach robe.
Jia-li's eyes lit up seeing the blood. She gets her energy recharged. She laughs while doing another attack with full force.
Yuzu falls on the ground. He needs to find something to save himself. He looks around.
Jia-li laughs louder. It's her time to shine. She takes advantage of Yuzu's distraction and launches her final blow.
Blood splashes all over Jia-li's face as the knife goes in.
Yuzu looks at his blood covered hand "Zi..Zixuan ..."
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh" Jia-li screams in horror. "Aaahhhhh ..."
Zixuan hugs Yuzu tighter in his arms. "I am sorry .. it's ..my fault."
Yuzu sits hurriedly. He presses his palm on Zixuan's wounded back. He pulls out the knife. "Zixuan ..."
"HELP..." Yuzu shouts out of his lungs. "Zixuan .. hold on."
Zixuan nods slowly "I am fine. .."
Yuzu stands up hurriedly. He needs to do something. But what ...
He looks around. His house in not close to any other house. The closest is the market. He looks up at Jia-li "bring someone to help ... Gooo .... "
"No ... No ... I didn't mean to.."
"Jia-Li .. YOU LOVE HIM ? HELP ... BRING SOMEONE ..." Yuzu shouts pressing hard on the wound.
Jia-li takes step back. "No no no .." she runs opposite to the market.
"JIA- LIIIII ..." Yuzu shouts in desperation.
Zixuan sighs "Yuzu ... Calm down. I will be fine.. you go to ..."
"M..master !"
Yuzu looks up "Meimei ... meimei .."
Yuzu breaks down "help ... Father ...call father ... Healer ... Hurry."
***
"What's the news ?" Minister Bai asks the healer as soon as the healer comes out of the room.
"Noble consort is all right. His wound was not deep so the poision didn't sink in his blood. But ... "
"But .. what about his highness?" Minister Bai feels anxiety all over his body.
"Can't .. say anything until he gains his sense back." The healer sighs in worry.
"When .. when ?" Yuzu jumps out of the room like a mad man. "Why is he not waking up ?"
"Your highness." The healer bows "I wouldn't give you any false hope but the chances of survival is thin."
Yuzu falls on the ground "Are you mad ? He was safe and sound last time.... Why .... "
"Yuzu, stop crying..he will be fine. Trust in God." Minister Bai scolds Yuzu even though he himself is worried.
"What about that concubine who stabbed his highness ?" Yimli asks in the middle.
Minister Bai also looks at Xingchen curiously "we are still searching for her."
Minister Bai nods "don't let this information go out. Nobody should know his highness is injured."
"What about the empress dowager?" Xingchen asks lightly.
"No .. don't tell her yet."
"But she is the mother. She needs to know that his highness is injured while saving Yuzu." Yimli protests.
"Yimli , stay out of the royal matter." Minister Bai glares at his daughter as Yuzu cries more with her words.
"Meimei !" Minister Bai points at crying Yuzu "take him inside."
! Side story 11 !
Zixuan opens his eyes as soon as the sunlight hits his face. He hasn't seen sunlight for so many days. He groans tiredly. The chain tied to his body clangs.
"Wake up sleeping beauty. I have some exciting news for you."
Zixuan looks up at the man who looks exactly like him. "W..hat ?"
"Your consort Yuzu .."
Zixuan moves with rising anger "You said you wouldn't touch him. You promised .."
"I didn't. Don't shout. If I wanted to harm him, I would've done that till now. You may not know ... It's been years since you are caged here." The man laughs like a psychopath.
"You ..." Zixuan hisses.
"What ? Your consort Yuzu was like my golden goose. One arrow at him, and you would give your all to help me. Look how you helped me to be you all these years. Nobody noticed. Not even your bitch of a mother."
"SHUT UP !"
"DON'T SHOUT !" The man stands up. "Let me show you something. Bring it in."
Zixuan looks at the man's back. Two guards pulls something inside the dungeon with great efforts.
"Your consort Yuzu ... is gone." The man pulls the white cover away to reveal a pale face.
Zixuan looks at the pale face is despair "noo ... nooooo ... What did you do ??"
Zixuan hugs the cold body tightly in his arms. "Nooo ...."
The man whistles "I did nothing. Your beloved couldn't handle the fact that you abandoned him and made Jia-li the empress.. that's why he died early."
Zixuan hugs Yuzu's motionless body tighter. Tears run down from his cheek uncontrollably. "Why ... Why ... Why did you wait for me ..a little more ... Whhyyyyy ..."
"A little more ? You were planning to escape ?" A snicker came at him. "What a joke ...ha ha .."
Zixuan tries to stand up but the chains on his legs restrains him "I WILL KILL YOU ..."
The man stops laughing. He looks at Zixuan with a serious yet mocking face. "That wouldn't bring your beloved consort back. Even if you kill me, your consort is gone, forever."
Zixuan trembles with bloodshot eyes.
"So why don't you kill yourself ? Do yourself a favour. Maybe, I would bury you two together, you never know." The man turns around and leaves the dungeon blocking the single source of light in the cold room.
Zixuan comes out of his trans as his hand falls on the long black hair of his motionless consort. He chuckles.
"Do you hate me ?" He whispers alone in the room. "Would you let me lie beside you ?"
Zixuan slowly lies on the cold floor beside the cold body. "They say ... Silence is consent."
Zixuan closes his eyes slowly "would you let me lie beside you in your coffin ?"
Zixuan smiles after a long pause. He looks at his side. He pulls out the blossom from Yuzu's hair "let me borrow it for a while. Ok ?"
Zixuan smiles again. He raises his left wrist in front of his face. His right hand grips the blossom tightly. "Do you think last wishes are always granted ?"
Zixuan sniffs. "My last wish is.. if we ever loved each other, even for once.. if you ever wanted to live another life with me together, even for once .... then it would not be our last time."
Zixuan raises the hair stick with all his remaining strength "We will meet again."
ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ
(A/n : there is a certain pain of being an author. One is that you are the only one who knows the whole story.
Every time I read comments saying 'kill Zixuan' , I resisted Myself from replying 'I would.'
Anyways, your wishes are granted. )