Scum Consort

chapter 11 - expression

Meimei sobs silently beside Yuzu who is still in the bathtub. Yuzu sighs "Stop crying Meimei. You are behaving like I am dead."

Meimei sniffs "Master you will be like this. It's been one hour already. His highness didn't come back. What if he doesn't come back tonight ? What if he forgets that he has punished you ?"

Yuzu chuckles "Stop it. Nothing will happen to me. Maybe I will get a fever . So you have to take care of me a little bit more tomorrow."

Meimei shakes her head "How do you know that ?"

Yuzu raises his hand to wipe Meimei'e cheeks. He didn't say anything. He knows because he has lived this life once. In his last life he got a very bad fever around this time.

That time he waited for his husband outside in heavy rain. He asked for a visit and pledged he wouldn't leave until Zixuan visits him. Zixuan didn't visit him that night and let him stand in the rain whole night. Next day he got fever. But even after that Zixuan didn't come for him.

Maybe in different way but history is repeating itself. He knows he has to stay in the water for whole night. He knows Zixuan wouldn't come back.

Yuzu coughs a little.

Meimei panics "I am going to look for his highness. I will take the rest of your punishment on me."

Yuzu holds Meimei's hand to stop her from leaving "Meimei ! Do you think what I did was wrong ?"

Meimei turns at her master "master ... What ... "

"Do you think what I did was wrong ? If not then don't plead to him." Yuzu states firmly.

Meimei stops "Master .... I served you for .. years..and please forgive me if I crossed my limit but ... What you did was not right. I don't know if it was wrong or not but you could've avoided Minister Xingchen in your bed chamber at midnight."

Yuzu frowns.

Meimei slowly looks up at her master "I am really sorry master. I never meant to judge you. I just ...."

"Meimei !" Yuzu sits straight splashing some water out of the tub "bring me a quill and paper , quickly."

Meimei stops apologising abruptly"quill and paper ?"

Yuzu nods "I didn't notice it before. But now as you mentioned it , there is indeed something very urgent and important which made Xingchen come for me at midnight."

Meimei covers her mouth in horror "no no .. master , you can't write letter to minister Xingchen. If his highness comes to know about it ...."

"He will not , if you do it now." Yuzu retorts.

"No no ... He may come back anytime. It's already been two hours. His highness wouldn't punish you that long. You are his noble consort."

Yuzu sighs. This Meimei is really far from the reality. "Meimei , I am assuring you his highness will not come back to me and he is with his concubine Jia-li, now."

**

Zixuan drinks his tenth glass of alcohol with a scroll on his face. "I asked you what you are doing in my chamber at this hour ?"

Jia-li blinks sadly "I thought his highness would need me. I heard he is upset."

Zixuan pours his eleventh glass "Zhen upset ? Why ? What happened?"

Jia-li walks closer to Zixuan slowly and sits on the ground holding Zixuan knees "Whole palace is talking about ... Noble Consort Yuzu and chief minister Xingchen. I thought this would effect....."