chapter 14*

"Poison and not normal poison.." The healer confirms after examining Zemin "most probably the poison of boomslang snake."

Xingchen sits beside Zemin helplessly "Is he going to be ok ?"

"The chances are low. I don't think emperor Zemin had done his poison training in childhood."

Zixuan gives out a shaky breath. Every prince undergoes poison training in childhood when they are fed a little bit of snake poison in his every meal. This way the body gets immune to a certain amount of poison. But Zemin was away from palace .. he was never..

Xingchen's body shakes in fear. "Boomslang snake can kill within a day. Do something..please .."

"It will be better if we can make his highness puke. But his highness has no sense now. If I could know how much poison.....

"That hutalang soup ... He ate that hutalang soup... Yaad made for him. Xingchen points at the bedside table.."

Zixuan's eyes shoot up "what ?"

Healer picks up the bowl and smells the remaining content.

Zixuan grits his teeth "guards ! Arrest Yaad right now..."

"No poison in it."

Xingchen looks up in confusion. "But the bowl had blue hue ...it ..

Xingchen's eyes falls on the bowl. "It's not the bowl. Someone changed it."

Yuzu who was making a medicine paste with Meimei stops. Why he feels like something bad is going to happen.

"Master .." Meimei calls in worry.

"No .. make the paste first." Yuzu shakes his head.

"Gather everyone who came in this room with us."  Zixuan orders with a stern expression.

"Your highness, you can't doubt us just like this." One of the general protests.

"Nobody is doubting ...." Xingchen stops as guards draggs Yaad in the room. Xingchen's blood boils.

He stands in front of Yaad in hurried steps and slaps his face with his full force.  "Why. Did. You. Poison. Zemin ?"

Yaad holds his face with teary eye "I didn't. Why are you framing me ?"

"Framing you ?" Xingchen was about to slap again but Zixuan holds him back.

"You go help Yuzu. I will take care of him." Zixuan pushes Xingchen away from Yaad.

Xingchen covers his face in distress. He is losing control. He needs to calm down.

Zixuan stands in front of Yaad this time "Did you make hutalang soup for Zemin ?"

"Yes I did."

"Why did you put poison in it ?"

"I didn't, he is my husband. Why would I do that ?" Yaad protests "Xingchen is framing me."

"Why would he frame you ?"

"Because he doesn't like me being close to my husband. He holds grudges against me and his highness. I guess, he is the one who poisoned his highness."

"HOw DARE YOU?" Xingchen shouts from other side of the room.

"Don't shout. What do you think ? I don't know ? You also made porridge for his highness today. And you didn't even let him eat my hutalang soup. He ate your porridge." Yaad shouts.

Zixuan frowns.

"What ? Emperor Zixuan , Empress Yuzu .. I saw both of you visiting his highness today and you two also saw him .. right ?"

Yuzu stops making the paste. He looks up with a frown.

"He ate your soup. I couldn't stop him. If I had then he wouldn't be like this." Xingchen glares at Yaad.

"How can you be so sure it was my soup and not your porridge ? Is the Zi kingdom's judgement biased towards his chief minister?"

Xingchen clenches his fist "Really ? Then my bowl is still in the study ? Why doesn't the healer check himself , if there is any poison or not ?"

Yuzu blinks. He looks at Meimei. Meimei understands her master's look too. Both of them has the same fear at this moment.

"Here is the bowl." Xingchen passes the bowl to the healer as soon as the guards brought it in.

The healer gives the bowl just a glance "It has poison in it. Look at the blue cast."

Xingchen freezes. He looks at the bowl in disbelief.

"Now, what do you have to say , Xingchen ? You still want to say that I poisoned him ? You are sure bold." Yaad shouts.

"Minister Xingchen never liked emperor Zemin in the first place. First he denied to marry him and then when he decided to marry him , emperor Zemin didn't return the vows. Minister Xingchen became a concubine because of emperor Zemin. Obviously, minister would want emperor Zemin dead." One of the generals explains.

"Minister Xingchen had enough motives." Another general nods.

"It's a clear game of revenge."

Yaad gives an approving glance at the generals "I hope the court officials and emperor Zixuana wouldn't be biased in their judgement."

Zixuan looks at Yuzu. Yuzu nods while handing over the medicine paste to the healer.

"We will not be biased towards anybody." Yuzu walks beside Zixuan "But right now, our first priority is Zemin's recovery. We request some time from the court officials until Zemin's condition stabilizes."

"There is no stabilizing from this. Emperor Zemin is going to die anyway. Boomslang snake kills within a day."

"SHUT UP !" Xingchen glares at the court official who said this.

"You are in no position of shouting , Xingchen." Yaad interrupts.

"Emperor Zixuan, if we can't order a investigation right now. Then we must put minister Xingchen in prison for the time being. Poisoning an emperor is a crime that usually accounts for death sentence.

And there is enough prove against minister Xingchen. So, after all these, if minister Xingchen stays out .. it can create an uproar within the commoners." The head of the generals  explains.

Xingchen closes his eyes. He already knows that. "I am ready to go to the prison but I have one condition."

"You are in no position ....."

"I need updates on Zemin's health condition. I am not guilty until it's proven. So, I have enough rights to know the condition of my dying husband." Xingchen cuts Yaad's words.

"What else is there to prove ? Your bowl has the poison." Yaad shouts the words clearly so that everybody can hear. "You fed emperor Zemin the porridge yourself and emperor Zixuan and empress Yuzu saw that with their own eyes."

"We have proof and eye witnesses."

"But I didn't notice whether he was feeding the hutalang soup or the porridge. Also if Xingchen really poisoned the porridge, why would he fed Zemin , himself ? So that we can arrest him first ?" Yuzu interrupts.

"Also about the poison traces in the bowl, the bowl was left unattended in the study for hours. Someone could've easily tampered with it , given the circumstances." Zixuan adds.

"Both Zixuan and I have seen these kinds of tricks a lot." Yuzu smiles at Yaad with a knowing look.

"So there will be a investigation after Zemin's condition improves a little. Till then we will put Xingchen in prison under his conditions." Zixuan orders and the guards come forward to take Xingchen away.

Xingchen looks at Zemin's blue face one last life before he leaves the room. He feels like deja vu. Has he felt this kind of pain before ?

"Wait !" Yuzu stops Yaad as he was walking towards Zemin. "You are not allowed to be near Zemin."

Yaad frowns "what nonsense..  he is .".

"He drank your soup too. Even when your bowl is clear, bowls could be changed. So you are one of the suspects too." Yuzu points at the exit "all of you .. leave this room right now."

The generals who had no problem, proceeds to leave. Some even with a hope to becomeZi kingdom's new chief minister.

Yaad was about to argue but seeing Yuzu's clam face , he decides against it and proceeds to leave too.

Now expect the healer only Yuzu , Meimei and Zixuan remains in the room.

Zixuan's face becomes more serious if possible "what do you think ?" He asks the healer.

The healer looks up with a frown "If emperor Zemin has consumed this entire bowl of porridge, then there is no way of survival."

Yuzu closes his eyes. "A..and what if the same amount of poison was mixed in another soup but the soup was not consumed completely, then ... ?"

"Then the less he drank, the more is the change of survival." The healer informs.

"I need to know how much hutalang soup , he has eaten. I need to talk with Xingchen." Yuzu informs.

"Zixuan nods. "Wait a little. Let the crowd disperse. Then we will visit him. But .. I don't think he drank much, Zemin can't tolerate spice."

Yuzu nods "I know. But still , I need to talk with Xingchen. I have a feeling he has some information which he couldn't reveal in front of everyone."

Zixuan frowns "How do you know that ?"

"He looked at me like he wanted to tell me some riddles. I know his riddle face from past. I need to meet Xingchen as fast as I can."

***

Le gui smiles while placing the iron handcuffs on Xingchen's arms "How was Yang Xi's threat ?"

Xingchen grits his teeth "It was all your plan to frame me ?"

Le gui chuckles "I never planned to frame you but you framed yourself. Making porridge, feeding your loving husband .. oh my god ! The drama."

Xingchen glares at le gui "what's your motive ? What will you get by doing all this ?"

Le gui smiles " First Southern Zi , then Northern Zi. You all are pawns of my chess board. Here to sacrifice your life according to my wish."

"You can never achieve Zi..."

"Says the man who trapped himself in jail ?" Le gui laughs out loud. "my god ! You are so stupid. If you haven't poked your nose in my business .. you would have been a free man now. But this is also good. One poison , two deaths."

"Zemin will be fine. He will not die."

"He will. Then you will get the death sentence for murdering your husband and emperor of southern Zi." le gui pushes Xingchen in a dark cell.

Xingchen stumbles two or three steps before standing straight.

Le gui grins "Say hi to your friend whom you saved by poking your nose today.."

Xingchen frowns before turning around. His eyes falls on the figure tied on the ground. He gasps. "W... What ...."

"What ? Shocked ?" Le gui laughs enjoying the drama.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ?" Xingchen shouts in disbelief this time.

"I want .... Umm... To give you another shock ..." Le gui whistles.

A green snakes slowly slithers out of the dark towards Le gui. Xingchen stumbles back in horror.

Le gui laughs again. He points at the tied figure on the ground. "That your friend." Then he points at the snake "This , my friend....

"If you open your mouth in front of anyone, my friend will give a love bite to your friend. You don't want that, right ?"

Cold sweat forms on Xingchen's forehead. He hears le gui's maniac  laugh over lapping another Maniac laugh from his nightmare.

His eyes turn blurry. No, not again. He drops on the ground out of breath. He looks blood all over... Blood ...  But he isn't bleeding anywhere. But he feels the pain.. the unbearable pain is too real to be a nightmare.

***

Side story 4

"I .. am .. Zemin. Twin brother ... I am not ... Your.. his highness.. he is dead."

Xingchen looks at the injured figure in his arms. Not His highness, Zemin. Xingchen knows the existence of Zemin but how ..

"I was .... so jealous of ... my brother. I tried to be him .. I kind of succeeded."

Xingchen gives out a chocked breath "you need treatment."

"No .... I .. need to pay.. the price ... Of my game.." zemin smiles tiredly " remember ... our chess ... I never own ...from you. You always said ... "Pay the price.."

"I never meant your death !" Xingchen's eyes turn blurry. "Hang on. I will call the healer."

"No .. listen to me .. Stay with me ... nobody has ever.. stayed with ... me .. after knowing .. I am Zemin ... the abandoned prince. You ... Stayed ... Now ... don't leave .."

"I am not leaving. Just healer .."

"No ... need ..  just stay." Zemin gives out a painful groan.. "at least I can ... brag about .. one person .. whom I snatched... From my brother."

Xingchen cries like a baby this time "Then don't leave me. How can you leave me after asking me to stay with you. If I am staying , then you have to stay with me."

"I am the reason .. my brother ... Yuzu .. died. I didn't mean ... to .. but I am the reason.."

"I don't care. They are dead already. I can't bring them back. I ..I can't lose you... Please."

Zemin smiles thinly "You ...  Love .. Yang Xi .. why can't.. you lose me .."

"I don't know. I don't care. You can't leave me." Xingchen whispers in between his tears. "You can't escape like this. Coward, face me.

Zemin smiles "Do you ...believe in ..  next ..life , Xingchen? I do.

I .. promise you ... Xingchen, I will ..meet you again. I will answer ... Your questions ....; I will ..  face you ..; I will play .. our game again."

"Noooooooo !" Xingchen shouts in agony hugging Zemin's motionless body in his arms.

"GUARDS ! ARREST HIM."

Xingchen looks up. Le gui stands in front of him with ten guards beside him. Xingchen gives out a snaky breath "le... Gu..."

"You killed his highness. Don't utter my name with your filthy mouth." Le gui shouts. "Guards .. drag Xingchen to the prison right now."

Xingchen frowns "w.. wait..I didn't .. Yang Xi .. stabbed him.. I .."

"You and your lover Yang Xi , both of you planned to kill our emperor. How dare you ? What was your plan ? To capture the Zi throne like this ? In your dreams." Le gui shouts.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ..."

"Don't shout. Or I will cut your tongue right here.. " Le gui puts the iron cuffs on Xingchen's hand and let the guards drag him all the way to the prison.

Xingchen was bleeding profusely by the time he reached the prison cell. He looks at least.gui tiredly. "I didn't kill .. his highness."

Le gui laughs like a maniac for the first time "I know. But how can I take over the Zi throne if you stay in the picture ?"

Xingchen couches blood in disbelief "y.. you .."

"Don't waste your energy in shouting. You are a prisoner with the crime of murdering the emperor. You need a lot of energy to take the torture before you die." Le gui grins.

Xingchen couches again.

Le gui's laugh becomes louder as the guards start lashing on Xingchen with a whip.

Xingchen closes his eyes. He grits his teeth controlling the pain. He shoots a glare at Le gui "You can't get away with this le gui. I will not let you."

Le gui smiles "You need to take another birth to do that ,Xingchen. Because in this life .. you are going to die there."

ㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁㅁ

(I am not describing any tortures for the sake of our sanity.)