"How is he ?" Zixuan asks the old man. The old man is the healer of xingching village near Xiang lake.
"Weak. But his highness was on time. He will survive. But he needs a mother to breastfeed him." The old man replies softly.
Zixuan breathes a sigh of relief. "Is there anyone who can breastfeed him in this village?"
The healer nods. "I gave noble consort the information. But ... It would be better if his highness discuss it with noble consort."
Yuzu caresses Zhan's tiny forehead in a daze. He still can't believe that he found Zhan this way. For one moment he thought that he lost Zhan forever when they carried Zhan's motionless body all the way to Xingching village.
"Yuzu !"
Yuzu looks up hearing Zixuan's tired voice. For a second Zixuan sounded like a sixty year old.
"He is fine." Yuzu whispers.
Zixuan slowly sits beside Yuzu "Healer said he needs someone to breastfeed him ?"
Yuzu nods "There is two woman in this village. One became mother just two months ago , living happily with her family. And there is another woman, I want her to do the work. But the healer isn't very willing .."
Zixuan frowns. "Why ?"
"She became mother just one month ago. But her little girl has crippled legs. So her husband left her for another woman and somehow the villagers have boycotted her."
Yuzu sighs "If we take her to the palace... She and her child will have a better place to live and that way we will have a permanent solution for Zhan."
"Is there any health related reason for the healer's unwillingness?"
Yuzu shakes his head "people here a bit ... They don't like a woman who can't keep her husband. He hasn't even mentioned the mother's name. It's like that woman whose husband has left her.."
Zixuan nods. "I will send some people to search for her. She is a better choice in this case."
Yuzu nods happily.
Zixuan looks at Yuzu's happy face but he doesn't smile. "So .... It was not a dream ?"
Yuzu blinks. "Huh ?"
"Zhan , Ze-min, you , I .. all those were not just a dream and you knew about this all this time ?"
Yuzu looks at Zhan's sleeping face. When he pulled Zhan out of the grave,his face was blue. It's better now. He nods "yes , I knew."
"Why didn't you tell me ? don't you trust me ?" Zixuan asks disturbed.
"I didn't know how to tell you. You said it was a dream. And .. I thought you wouldn't trust me if I suddenly said that it was all true."
Zixuan covers his face with his both palms. "I am so confused Yuzu. I don't know what is happening ? How long ? Since when did you know it ?"
"I knew my side of the story since the abandoned chamber and your side of the story since the day you told me."
"So, we both travelled back in time ?" Zixuan asks to confirm.
"I died and it's my rebirth. You travelled back from the dungeon, I guess."
Zixuan blinks. He stays silent for sometimes. "Y..yeah , I guess. I will go get the mother. You take care of him."
***
Afreen paces in her room restlessly. Something is not adding up. Every time his highness has left the palace for Xiang lake, he always comes back before morning court. Then why is he not here this time ? Does he want everyone to know that he is missing with his scum consort ?
But if he wanted that then they wouldn't leave in silence like that. Afreen is sure they are doing something else. But what?
She looks at her dressing table. Her eyes fall on the ring without missing the enormous diamond at the centre.
The only proof of Jia-li's murder. And the diamond is the only thing that can lead to murderer. She needs to find that diamond before anyone else. But where ?
***
Yimli stabs a book in her hand repeatedly. "That evil Yuzu ! He dared to run away with my husband ? What does he thinks ? If he consummate his marriage, I would back down ?
Never ! He can't snatch my happiness away from me and live happily ? His highness is supposed to be my husband. Not his. He is not even a woman. I would never let him win.
I will be the empress no matter what ! If you try to stop me then you will end up like this book. Yimli throws the damaged book on the ground. Yuzu gave her that book as birthday present. She feels better after destroying it.
"You think you will get away with it ? Dare to hurt his highness or noble consort , you will end up in prison !"
Yimli looks up annoyed. He expected it to be empress dowager or Afreen but it's an unknown face. "Who are you ?"
"Zubina ! His highness's second consort !" Zubina replies with a disgusted look at Yimli.
Yimli laughes "A consort whose name I haven't even heard of. You better worry about yourself."
"I don't need to. I am a consort not someone who desperately wants to be a consort and makes the emperor run away from his palace in the process."
"The fuck you want ?" Yimli shouts.
"Nothing from you." Zubina walks in. "I was just passing by. When I heard your voice. So I just came to see the madwoman who talks with herself."
"You .."
Zubina rolls her eyes and stands in front of the big mirror in Yimli's room "you should use this mirror more often, you know. Only then you will know in comparison to noble consort Yuzu, you have no chance."
Yimli laughes "what about you ? Became a consort before Yuzu , yet nobody knows you..."
"I don't want everybody to know me. A person like you who is blind by the greed of being the empress, wouldn't understand. I am in this palace because I am greatful to his highness. He saved my father's life." Zubina turns around to looks at Yimli.
"I don't love his highness like noble consort Yuzu, I respect him. So I am pretty happy with his highness not forcing himself on me. I am satisfied with being a good consort and don't have any desire to be an empress without love like you."
Yimli clenches his fist. "You are a fool."
Zubina rolls her eyes again. "Going against the emperor and the noble consort or your own kingdom is what I call fool's decision. Anyways, I should leave but I am warning you .. if you dare to hurt his highness or noble consort, I will be the one to give you away."
"You ? You live in delusion consort Zubina ... You have no power in this palace. Looks like your head was shaved too by my brother."
Zubina grins "You know Yimli, there is one thing you should know if you want to survive in harem. You don't cut the branches which you sit on.
"Before the branch was Afreen. I was loyal to her and went against consort Yuzu. But the moment guards dragged Afreen from the great hall ...
I knew that the branch had changed. So I changed sides. It was fun to see Afreen's disaster."
Yimli's eyes lit up "wouldn't it be fun to see Yuzu's disaster ?"
Zubina laughs "owh trust me Yimli , I prefer consort Yuzu as Empress thousand times more than you."
***
The new mother looks old and tired with dark circles around her eyes. She looks at noble consort timidly.
"What's your age ?" Yuzu asks with a frown. Why does she looks so old.
"I am forty-eight. I was trying for a baby forever. I almost lost hope. But suddenly I got pregnant with Angel. I shouldn't have tried so hard. I should have given up."
"Don't say it like that. She is your child. If you don't want her, where will she go ?" Yuzu picks up the little girl in his arms. "She is beautiful."
The mother smiles. "She is. She looks just like my sister."
"Your sister ?" Yuzu asks.
"Yes ! She is beautiful and young. My ex husband married her last week."
Yuzu sighs. "Then do you want to come with us ?"
The mother nods."I would love too, noble consort. I was planning to leave this village anyway. They all have abandoned me.
"You have to take care of Zhan, feed him and protect him from other concubine and consorts. You may not know how harem works .. but there will be concubine and consorts wanting to harm him.."
"I understand." The mother nods. "I will take care of prince."
Yuzu smiles "I will call you JieJie , and you can take care of Angel along with Zhan too. She needs your care. I wouldn't ask you to give more attention to Zhan."
JieJie nods with teary eyes. "thank you, Noble consort."
Yuzu smiles "Then it's settled." He gives back Angel to JieJie and picks up Zhan from the bed."
Zhan giggles in Yuzu's arms. Yuzu giggles too "let's go.. back to Zi palace."
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( A/n : You don't need to worry about updates just because I updated another story. Scum Consort will be updated on Every Friday as usual.
But you don't get to DM me 'if you have time to write , update scum consort instead.' Oh Dear, my one click can stop you from reading S of Scum consort and I am petty like that. )