chapter 16*

"come here !"

Xingchen stumbles back in the dark alley behind the palace. "What are you doing here ?" He glares at Zemin.

Zemin grins "Missing you. You haven't met me since morning. Don't you miss me ?"

"I am busy. Let me go."

"Kiss me first !" Zemin pouts in front of Xingchen.

"The f .." Xingchen looks around "his highness is waiting for me. I need to go."

"Kiss me , I will let you go."

Xingchen smiles thinly. He never knew his pretending game would backfire at him like this. One fine morning Zemin started this kissing culture, now everyday is like this.

He leans closer and kissed Zemin on the cheeks "now , let me go !"

Zemin pouts harder. He leans his head on Xingchen's neck and breaths there "when will you kiss me properly in the lips ?"

Xingchen controls the goosebumps crawling under his skin. "Never !" He whispers.

Xingchen feels Zemin's butterfly kisses on his neck. He closes his eyes.

"Don't say it like that..don't you know the saying. They say that once in a day the goddess of wisdom, sits on our tongue.. whatever we say at that time, becomes the truth. What if goddess of wisdom is in your tongue right now ?"

"Still I would say never !"

Xingchen opens his tear stained eyes in the dark prison cell. He didn't realise when he fell asleep.

"Had a dream ?"

Xingchen looks at Yang Xi "Not dream .. just remembered something. How long did I sleep ?"

Yang Xi shrugs "I don't know. I heard consort Yuzu's voice from outside. He was searching for Meimei."

Xingchen looks at the small girl sleeping at one corner of the cell "How is she doing ?"

"Better than before, I guess. With time the pain numbs."

"Did you hear anything about Zemin ? How is he ?"

"Not dead yet, most probably. Otherwise Le gui would've given a visit."

Xingchen leans on the wall "can't we do anything? You are here for so long ? You never tried to escape ?"

Yang xi chuckles "There is not even a whole to peak outside and you are talking about escape ?"

Meimei opens her tired eyes slowly "I know... a route."

Xingchen sits straight with a jerk "you know a route ?"

"Yeah ... When my master was.. prisoned ... I used to visit him...from that route."

Yang Xi chuckles again "She has gone mad. Consort Yuzu was never prisoned."

Xingchen looks at Meimei with a frown. Yang Xi is right. Consort Yuzu was never prisoned. Not in this life. But....

"What is the route?"

"There is .. a tunnel ... that leads to garden but ... The tunnel is ... not connected to ...this cell."

Yang Xi tilts his head "then which cell ?" He asked it like a challenge.

"The fourth cell from south-east corner of the prison." Xingchen states instead of Meimei.

Meimei nods thinly "that .. one."

"Wait..there is indeed a tunnel ?"

"Is there any way we can go to that cell , Yang Xi ?"

Yang Xi frowns "well .. I can engage the guards until Le gui comes. You can sneak out. But come back with force before Le gui murder us."

Xingchen nods. "I promise !"

***

"I don't think he is going to wake up !"

"I know ! We are just wasting our time , guarding a dead body."

"It's it better , no need to work hard. Just stand , gossip and enjoy."

Xingchen clenches his fists as all the guards laugh among themselves. He walks out of the shades without any caution. The guards aren't guarding anyway. So, nobody saw him when he entered Zemin's bedchamber through main door.

He wanted to meet his highness as soon as he came out of the garden gate. But, somehow he feet ended up walking towards this room. He looks at the pale motionless face of Zemin with teary eyes.

Nothing has changed. It's the same motionless face from the past. Xingchen sits on the floor and leans towards the bed frame "I .. am sorry !"

"Wake ...up please ... I will kiss you properly... Please.. don't you want a kiss ... ?" Xingchen slowly caresses Ze-min's face. "This is so wrong. I can't lose you.... in my both life. How can my fate be ..so cruel ? Even his highness and empress Yuzu have a better fate this time ... Why it's only me ? Wake up ! You can't die again ... If you die ... They will kill me again .. they will kill everyone.."

"Who is talking inside ?"

Xingchen turns around in fear. Did he just talk loudly ? No no no ! He needs to hide.

Xingchen looks around as he hears the footsteps. Where to hide ? This room doesn't even have place under the bed. He panics. No ! He closes his eyes as someone walks in.

"No one is here. Your ears are ringing." Xingchen hears another guards voice from outside. "Let's go. It's lunch time."

***

Yang xi sweats in fear "He promised that he will come for us. Shouldn't have trusted him."

"Minister doesn't break ..his promise."

"Stop being a loyal dog , Meimei. You are going to die soon because Le gui is coming."

"Coming ? I am already here." Le gui unlocks the prison cell with a smirk "how was your day ? Had fun with new guests ?"

Yang Xi gulps. He needs to keep le gui's attention to himself. "I need medicine.. my stomach is hurting !"

Le gui chuckles "oh your highness, this servant is here to serve you. Isn't it ?"

"Finally you realised .. you are just a servant .. eh ? Took you long but better late than never. At least, you wouldn't end up dead like Afreen's other supporters !"

Le gui sneers "Afreen loves me. She is doing all this to make me the king. I will the King of Zi once I kill you all."

"Dream on ! A woman like Afreen would never love a trash like you. She is using you to achieve the throne. Once she gets it, you will be useless."

"You are the one who is useless ! How many days it has been ? Two years ? More than two years .. yet ,nobody is looking for you. Even this maid has empress Yuzu who is looking for her. Even that stupid Xingchen has ..... " Le gui stops in the middle. He looks around the cell "where is Xingchen ?"

Yang Xi closes his eyes. He is dying today.

"Here you are , Minister Xingchen. How was your day ?"

Yang xi shoots up his glance hearing Le gui's words. His eyes fall on Xingchen sitting at the farthest corner of the prison. Why didn't Xingchen come back with a force ?

Xingchen takes in a deep breath "I don't want to talk with you."

Le gui laughs "why you still think , you are better than me ?"

Xingchen looks at least gui straight in the eyes "I don't think le gui. I AM better than you."

"Is that so ? Then why don't you handle my pet for me today? Let's see, who can do it better?"

"Do you think I am scared of your threats ?" Xingchen spats.

"Oh really, you are not ?" Le gui pulls out his black mamba and boomslang from his robe pockets and places them in front of Xingchen. "I will leave them in your care then."

Xingchen looks at the snakes coldly. His eyes turn red as he remembers the last breath of Zemin. He has nothing to fear anymore. He has nothing to lose either.

"If I die, I die. I will not bow to you. You are not qualified. You never were, you never will be."

***

Side story 5

"General Xingchen ... Please help us !"

Xingchen looks at the commoners in worry "You know what you are saying is truly serious. If you lie, even for one word, you all will get death sentences."

"We are saying nothing but truth, general. It has become his everyday routine. We can't complain, we can't escape. At this point , we can only see one way out... Our death."

"Never think of such things."

You don't know , general Xingchen.. every night chief minister Le gui comes .. he eats our dinner, he asks our women to dance , he forces them to feed him alcohol.. he even forces them to sit on his ... Lap..

If we deny... He beats our children, threats to kill them.. General please do something or ..."

" You all just keep it a secret for now. We need catch him red handed. Otherwise, it would be impossible to make the court believe."

Xingchen dismisses the commoners with a heavy heart. He doesn't know what he should do? Confess everything to his highness? What if his highness doesn't trust him ? He is just a general.

Meanwhile Le gui is chief minister of Zi kingdom.

"What are you thinking , general Xingchen?"

Xingchen hides his frowning face with a smile "minister Le gui ! I wa comming to see you."

"I can see that. You are just out of my bedchamber. Come inside."

Xingchen chuckles "No no... I am just here to invite you."

"Invite ?"

"I was thinking about having a feast at nearby hotel tonight. Me and some court officials... Though, we are only some generals .. and your rank is higher than us. Yet, I thought I would ask you. You can deny if you are busy !"

Le gui smiles "Then I will deny , Xingchen. You generals enjoy. As you said my rank is higher than you all, you guys wouldn't enjoy freely in my presence."

Xingchen nods "Then I must thank Minister Le gui for his consideration. I will take my leave."

"Wait !" Le gui calls when Xingchen turns around to leave. Xingchen stops his steps before slowly turning around "yes ?"

"You didn't bow to me, general Xingchen."

Xingchen face turns cold for a second "I have my reasons minister le gui. I don't bow to those who aren't qualified...

"What ?" Le gui squints his eyes.

"I mean I am not qualified to bow right now. My back is injured."

Xingchen left Le gui's residency in hurried steps. He should control his mouth. He finally made a plan to trap le gui. And the first step of his plan is - to stay silent.

So he stayed silent when he invited all the generals for the feast. He stayed silent when he invited his highness for the feast. He even ignored when his highness asked him , why they weren't going towards the hotel ?

He only opened his mouth when he opened the door of one of the commoner's bedroom.

"Your highness, our Zi kingdom's power is in wrong hand. Le gui isn't qualified to be the chief minister of Zi."

ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ

(A/n : so, I had fever and some other real life dramas last week. That's why the delay. The fever is down , I just hope the real life drama ends.

See you .. sooner or later ! )