Zixuan let Yuzu enter with Zhan and JieJie through the secret door of his palace. He has decided to conceal Zhan's existence from everyone for the time being. Announcing Zhan will only creat trouble at this moment.
Yuzu agreed with him but he is worried that they can't conceal Zhan's cry. Everybody will find out eventually.
But now they have bigger fish to fry. He needs to find the person who hurried Zhan. Though he doubts it's Ze-min himself, yet he needs to be sure before arresting him.
Zixuan leaves the secret door and leaves for Xingchen's chamber.
Xingchen was having a hard time handling anxious court ministers who believe his highness has escaped with his male consort like his father. His eyes lit up as soon as he sees his highness.
Zixuan glares at the ministers with a cold face before shouting "RETREAT."
***
Zixuan sits on a chair in front of Xingchen "What's the news with Jia-li's murder ?"
"We doubt it's Afreen."
"I DON'T WANT IT TO BE A DOUBT. DO WE HAVE ANY PROOF AGAINST HER ?"
Xingchen lowers his head "We don't."
All the shadow guards confirmed that she didn't leave her room that night."
"Then what about the letters ? Did she write any anonymous letter ?"
"No ! There is nothing."
Zixuan growls. "Send some people to search the areas around Xiang lake. Ask them to look for me or someone who looks like me."
Xingchen bows.
Zixuan stands up "Track my step father Tao's whereabouts. If you find him, take him hostage."
Xingchen nods again.
***
Afreen keeps frowning at the ring like a madwoman. She is sure that she knows where the diamond could be. She has seen it but where ? Is her dreams .. she has seen the diamond in her dreams. How could it be possible.
She screams suddenly.
"Afreen !"
Afreen stops screaming. She widens her eyes looking at the source of the voice. "Y..your highness !"
"Why are you screaming ? Shouldn't you be dancing ?" Zixuan walks in the room with a strange look. He has never entered Afreen's room before.
"Dancing ?"
"Yeah dancing !" Zixuan grits his teeth.
Afreen gets the tone of mock but she pretends to ignore it "yeah ! I should be happy. His highness decided to visit me.. have a seat."
Zixuan looks at the seat Afreen offered but he didn't sit "Happy not because I came here, but because you successfully removed the thorn of your way."
Afreen frowns "your highness ?"
"You murdered Jia-li !"
Afreen gasps. "I didn't."
"The guards confirmed she met you in the palace justfew hours before she died." Zixuan squints his eyes to see Afreen's reaction and there he sees Afreen stepping into his trap.
"She met me to accuse me of betraying her. I asked my maids to throw her out for the palace. Trust me , I didn't know how she died. I didn't murder her."
Zixuan facial expressions relaxed. "GUARDS ! TAKE CONSORT AFREEN TO PRISON."
Afreen widens her eyes "You can't do that. My father ..."
"DO YOU THINK THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR MAIDS SPYING ON MY HAREM ? DO YOU THINK THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE BETRAYAL, JIA-LI WAS TALKING ABOUT ?"
Zixuan grits his teeth "Afreen, I stayed silent because I never wanted a war. I never wanted a blood bath. But that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want, and I will tolerate it."
***
"Master ... Master ..."
Meimei runs in Yuzu's room with rushed breath. Yuzu passes Zhan to JieJie with a concerned face "his highness .. his highness order to arrest consort Afreen."
Yuzu takes the news with no surprise "for what ?"
"Jia-li's murder. Consort Afreen met Jia-li the night she was murdered."
Yuzu nods. "That's what I guessed. You don't need to worry about this Meimei. Why were you running?"
"Because empress dowager .. is comming here. She thinks you are farming consort Afreen."
Yuzu makes an O with his lips before indicating JieJie to leave through the secret door. He was half expecting this when Zixuan asked him to keep Zhan's identity a secret. If they can hurt Zhan once, they will do it again.
"You witch ! How dare you use my son against Afreen ?" Empress dowager didn't waste time for a single glance. She came like a thunderstorm.
Yuzu steps back to avoid her slap. She slaps the air. "I did nothing. If you don't trust me , ask your son."
"You did nothing, why did you escape with my son ?" She tries to grab Yuzu again but Yuzu moves swiftly out of her reach.
"I don't need to explain anything to you. Leave. This is my time to rest."
"Rest ? You will rest in hell !" Empress dowager shouts "guards ! Take this scum and throw him into the prison."
The guards who were standing behind empress dowager hesitates.
"You don't want to listen my order. Huh ?" Empress dowager shouts.
"TAKE HIM TO PRISON." Empress dowager shouts.
"For what crime , mother ?" Zixuan enters the room just in time. Meimei picks from Zixuan's back. She was in time.
Empress dowager looks at her son with rising anger "you are asking for what ? For framing Afreen ! Just because Afreen doesn't listen to him , he framed Afreen as a murder !"
"Afreen herself confessed that she met Jia-li that night." Zixuan stands in front of his mother.
"So what ? Does that mean she murdered her ? No ! But this scum has brainwashed you in a way that you can't see the simple truth. Zixuan , he is no better than Tao."
"I had no talks with him about Afreen."
"Then what did you two do last night ?" Empress dowager inquires with sheeting rage.
Zixuan looks at the disgust in her mother's eyes. He tilts his head "I conssumate my marriage with him."
Empress dowager Snickers "NOOOO..... YOU .. YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN YOUR CUT SLEEVE FATHER. YOU CHOOSE THIS SHIT OVER THE SISTER ? HE MADE YOU A FAG ..."
"Mother ! Don't cross your limits. Whatever I do with Afreen or Yuzu , it's between me and them. You have no say in it." Zixuan controls his anger with great efforts "You can leave now."
Empress dowager gasps "I can't believe you are my son. I Can't !"
"LEAVE !" Zixuan almost shouts.
"DON'T SHOUT ! DON'T YOU DARE ! YOU ARE HERE , THE EMPEROR OF ZI BECAUSE OF ME ! IF I WOULD'VE SOLD YOU TO TAO LIKE YOUR BROTHER ZE-MIN, YOU WOULD BE IN STREETS TILL NOW."
***
! Side story 13 !
{Zixuan's mother -Yiyi
Emperor - Zixuan's father
Tao - male consort of Zixuan's father}
"Tao hugs the crying baby in his arms tightly "how can you be so shameless , Yiyi ?"
"I am not shameless Tao. You are the one who is shameless. I gave birth to crown prince. Yet you are the one who is getting the empress's position.
"What do you expect me to do ? Sit back and cry ?"
Tao rocks little Ze-min in his arms "You can protest any other way. Not feeding the babies isn't a solution."
"Then what is a solution Accord to you, Tao ? Give up my rights ? Isn't it?"
Tao pats little Zixuan with his free arms. "Zixuan isn't crying. He isn't hungry yet. At least feed Ze-min a little."
"Aren't you the empress , go feed him. Oh, I forgot, you are a man."
"No need to argue with her , Tao. I will arrange a wet mother for my kids." The emperor (Zixuan's father) walks in the room with a sour face.
"You will give your kids fake mother , but you wouldn't let me have my rights, huh ? Is Tao being the empress much more important than our kids ?"
The emperor huffs lightly "What rights are you talking about? Rights of being pregnant after drugging the emperor ? If I let you be the empress, then I will justify your actions. Which never gonna happen. I can make a beggar from the streets an empress but not you."
"I gave you your crown prince."
"I never asked a crown prince from you." Emperor almost shouts.
"Oh really !" Yiyi stands on the bed grabbing one month old Zixuan who was close to her reach. She hangs Zixuan out of her window in a hanging position. "Then let me get rid of it."
"NOOO .." Tao shouts in fear.
"Why are you Shouting ? I am cleaning your way. I am getting rid of it and then you can give birth to crown prince... Come on ..." Yiyi shouts over Zixuan and Ze-min's cry.
"Yiyi .. enough. If anything happens to my son , I will kill you." Emperor growls but the fear of hanging Zixuan is what keeping him low.
"Before you do that. I will your son. The son you don't want."
"You got us wrong. Why don't you make her the empress ? I don't want to be the empress. Please .." Tao pleads to his husband in panic.
The emperor sighs "ok ok ! Give me Zixuan .. you will be the empress. Give Zixuan to me."
Yiyi laughes "You think I am a fool ? If you want your crown prince alive , then ask your lover to leave this palace."
"YIYI !"
Yiyi laughes louder "Tao leaves, Zixuan lives. Tao doesn't , Zixuan doesn't."
"You are crossing the limits." Emperor shouts.
"No .." Tao interrupts in the middle "I will leave."
Yiyi smiles "Now we are talking. Leave before the sun sets today."
Tao nods and turns around to hide his tears. He didn't realise Ze-min is still in his arms.
"Wait !" Yiyi stops her looking at Ze-min. "If you want to take the spare with you, then buy him. It's not free."
"YIYI !" Emperor looks at Yiyi in disbelief. How can this woman be a mother ?
Tao looks at Ze-min in his arms. Spare ? Did she call him spare ? His eyes become foggy. She wouldn't take care of him. "What do you want ?"
"The house across Xiang lake which your beloved husband made for you. Give me that house, you can take the spare."
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