Zemin was smiling in his mind when Yang Xi entered his room unannounced. "Zemin ..."
Zemin's face turns cold "it's his highness !"
Yang xi clicks his tongue. "Leave that. Do you know what I just found out?"
"What ?"
"Zi kingdom has a law. According to that law you can claim half of the Zi kingdom on your own name." Yang xi informs happily.
Zemin's face stays neutral. "And ?"
"And what ?"
"I already know that. What's new ?"
Yang Xi frowns "Then why didn't you claim it as Zemin ? How long will you be in disguise as Zixaun?"
"Forever !" Zemin fixes his robe without giving any attention to Yang xi. "Now, you can leave. Yuzu will be here soon. He may suspect."
Yang Xi grips his fists "why would you meet him ?"
"Because he is my consort now."
"He is Zixuan's consort." Yang Xi growls. "Don't tell me you like that irritating bastard !"
Zemin laughes "You are one who is being irritating now , Yang Xi. Leave otherwise we will get caught."
"Shut up ! We already got caught. Yuzu recognised you are not Zixaun, already."
Laugh disappears from Zemin's face "what did you say ?"
"He realised that you are Zemin."
"Where is he now ?"
"In the cellar with Zixuan."
"HOW DARE YOU ?"
***
Zemin runs towards the cellar in hurried steps. Yang Xi runs behind him with fuming anger. "Wait ! You can't betray me like that. Answer me."
Zemin runs without giving a second thought. Before this day he used to hate Yuzu. How Yuzu chooses Zixuan over him ? But today , Yuzu said he hasn't consumated his marriage with Zixuan. It means Yuzu doesn't belong to Zixuan.
Yang Xi looks at Ze-min's running back. He sheeths in his mind. Zemin has betrayed him ? Zemin used him ? He grips his knife tightly. This is not happening. "ZEMIN !"
***
Zemin runs inside the cellar only to find a bloodified Yuzu. He gasps. His nightmares ... His nightmares of Yuzu and Zixuan in a cellar , covered in blood ... came true.
"No no NOOOOOO !" Zemin kneels down on the ground with a fierce scream. "No ... "
Zixuan opens his eyes as soon as he finds Zemin off guard. He tackles Zemin with his one hand.
Zemin was so in shock that he couldn't react.
Yuzu opens his eyes finally. "Be careful."
Zemin gasps at Yuzu "You betrayed me again. You betrayed me again."
Yuzu frowns but he decides to stay silent. "We need to get out of here."
"Not so soon !" Yang Xi walks in the cellar with his knife. "All three of you...will never go out of this room."
Zixuan sighs. That's what he feared.
"Why did you think of me , Zemin ? Do I look like a fool ? You pretended to love me ? What do you think ? I will let you go easily ?"
Zemin scoffs "I never said that I loved you. It's all in your head. Why would I love you when everyday I get nightmares of you murdering me ?"
Zixuan shoots a look at Zemin. Could it be ? No ! It's not possible. He needs to waste time now. He has already ordered Xingchen if he doesn't send his shadow guard to him in every three hours then Xingchen would come in this cellar with full force.
Xingchen would be here anytime now. He needs to divert Yang Xi's attention. Zixuan looks at Zemin who is still under his arm. "How did you meet Yuzu ? And what's with your accusation ?"
Zemin scoffs "why should I explain to you ?"
"Explain to me. I don't remember meeting you." Yuzu joins.
"You don't ? You literally wrote me letters." Zemin hisses.
"Wrote you letter ? Never, I only wrote to ..." Yuzu stops in the middle. Suddenly a realisation hits him. "Wait ...When did we first meet , Zemin ?"
"Xiang lake .. in the middle of the night. You were out for a walk. Do you remember now ?"
Yuzu frowns "wait ... Did you meet before Xiang lake ? In public school or anywhere ?"
Zemin frowns "no! We first met in the dark at Xiang lake. I escaped from home. You gave me a home .. you said I can live in the house across the lake because it was rightfully mine."
We talked a lot that night. Then you wrote me letter with your name and address and your father's name too. I thought you were serious. You loved me ..." Tears rolls down from Zemin's eyes.
Yuzu's clenches his fists to ease the coldness around him. "I thought you were ... Zixuan."
Zixuan frowns. "Xiang lake ? When did you visit Xiang lake ?"
Yuzu closes his eyes. "If I met him in the dark then that day you were at Xiang lake too. I saw you ... Umm .. pleasing yourself in the lake." Yuzu whispers at Zixuan.
Zixuan widens his eyes. "That was Yue Yan ..."
"I lied about my name. I thought you were going to punish me for watching you .... So I lied." Yuzu sighs "then I guess I met him and told him my real name not you ..."
Yuzu looks at Zemin "I never knew you excited before few months Zemin. I never betrayed you. I thought you were Zixuan. You never mentioned your name to me either."
"Enough with this talks !" Yang Xi cuts in finally. "After destroying my life you are playing sorry game ?"
"No one is playing game, Yang Xi. It was a misunderstanding." Zixuan sighs finally. He just noticed a shadow outside the cellar door.
"Misunderstanding? Using me was never misunderstanding. I murdered Zubina for you." Yang Xi shouts out of his lungs.
"I never asked you to murder. She was my son's Mother." Zemin shouts too. "I told you clearly that I don't want a blood bath."
Zixuan looks at Yuzu with a nod. The blood on their body has been drawn out of Zixuan's arm. Zixuan has stabbed his arm with the hairstick to produce blood. Just to give the fake illusion to Zemin.
After Yuzu left fighting with Zixuan last time , father Tao told him that Zemin can never murder or see blood. It was Zemin's nature. And father Tao was sure about it. Also in his last life Zemin didn't murder any of them. So , Zixuan took the risk.
"If you didn't want to win then why did you ask me to seduce that useless minister ? I thought you would murder Zixuan , the first chance you got."
Zemin huffs "Because that minister was useless. Just little flirt, he gave all the details away. And all I wanted was information from that useless guard dog of my brother. I never asked you to sleep with him. I didn't know your level goes to the guard dogs."
"We are here , your highness." Xingchen enters the room with a sword on Yang Xi's neck.
Yang Xi looks around.
Xingchen looks straight at the front without looking at Yang Xi. His eyes are burning red. Never in his life he has felt so humiliated.
Zixuan stands up from the ground and pulls Zemin by his collar. "Let's go .. Xingchen."
Xingchen's burning eyes falls on Zemin. How he wishes to murder this person right now.
Zemin looks away from the murderous eyes. He doesn't believe he said anything wrong.
Yuzu takes the knife from Yang Xi's hand hurriedly. "Let's go."
Zixuan looks at Zemin while pulling him out of the cellar. "What was my fault in this , Zemin ? That day , it was also my first time knowing that I had a brother. I tried to approach you ... "
"Yes you tried ! How ? You hugged me in front of my entire friend circle. Do you have any idea how much they used to bully me for being gay ? And you added fuel to the fire." Yuzu turns around. The way Zemin's voice broke...
"We are twins. I am your brother. Anybody can see that from miles away."
"No . They can't. You were in your all glory. Golden robe, leather cuff, and all that. Me ? I was raised like a begger. You took my mother, you took my childhood, you took everything luxury that was supposed to be mine and still you were not full. You took the only person who didn't look down on me because of my appearance."
Zixuan takes in a deep breath. "I wouldn't have this talk with you, Zemin. I would have stabbed you right then and there ... But father Tao said he would bear all the consequences of your actions."
Zemin looks at Zixuan with wide eyes "What do you mean by that ?"
"Don't you hate father Tao for taking you away with him ? So , it shouldn't bother you. But,father Tao will be sentenced to death tomorrow."
"DON'T YOU DARE TO THAT ? I WILL KILL YOU." Zemin grips hard on Zixuan's collar.
"You can't do anything. I am the emperor of Zi."
Yuzu frowns. What is Zixuan's plan ?
"YOU CAN'T. HANG ME. I DON'T NEED YOUR MERCY."
"That is your punishment. You have to live on my mercy."
"I WILL NEVER ! I WOULD DIE BEFORE THAT."
Zixuan squints his eyes "whether you die or not , father Tao will be sentenced to death tomorrow. That's final."
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