"I think we are done with this conversation, Your Majesty."

"Done?" Huang Shu raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Then, your answer is…"

Bai Yunyu smiled thin and shook his head again, "I'd rather stay in this Cold Palace for a while, even for eternity, rather than kowtowing and kissing your Mother Empress, Concubine Xi, which I believe will be the new Empress after I have been dethroned, and also your first son, Crown Prince Huang Guowei."

"They are the guilty one, even if you don't believe me. Even if I am the only one who knows the truth, I will not yield to them and will not kiss the feet of people with rotten heart," Bai Yunyu exclaimed bravely.

"You!" Huang Shu got up from his chair, stomped the wooden floor and approached Yunyu. He stood straight in front of Yunyu with his menacing glare. Huang Shu had handsome facial features, and his posture was huge in this era. When he looked down at Bai Yunyu, it felt like Bai Yunyu was looked down on by a mighty god that would smite him at any time.

"Do you know what you just said? You just offended my Mother Empress, and my son! You've been offending me, Bai Yunyu!" Huang Shu finally raised his voice to his wife. He was angered because his wife didn't have any familial and filial love for his Mother Empress, and his son.

But Yunyu didn't seem to be scared. In fact, all he did was to look up, showed a thin smile to Huang Shu and replied, "Your Majesty, I've known you more than a decade. You cannot intimidate me with something like this. If you want to punish me, then you should do it fast. Truthfully I cannot bear living in this Cold Palace for so long. I think death is a befitting punishment for an offender like me, correct?"

…

Huang Shu was the one who got silenced now. He didn't expect Bai Yunyu to be so bold and unyielding.

But of course, Huang Shu didn't want to execute his wife. That was just simply out of the question. It was just… he didn't know Yunyu could be this stubborn. What's so hard about kowtowing to his mother, Mother Empress Dowager? She's also Yunyu's mother!

And what's wrong with apologizing to Crown Prince? He is also Yunyu's son!

They were bound by duty to work for this country! How could Bai Yunyu be so egoistic!

Huang Shu clenched his fist. He was someone who never forgave anyone who dared to offend his family. It was easy for him to land the death penalty on such an offender.

But when he imagined Bai Yunyu losing his head or drinking the poisoned wine… he couldn't do it. He just couldn't do it, simple.

Because he still loved Bai Yunyu.

Bai Yunyu chuckled at Huang Shu's furious face as he gnashed his teeth, trying to hold his rage, "Your Majesty, you don't need to return here anytime soon. I know you did this out of duty. The apple that we ate together has been rotten, and now you've found a new fresh apple for you to savour. So, I will… I will throw this rotten apple and leave."

"Bai Yunyu, I—"

"Your Majesty, don't use I (wo) to me. We are not that close. Please address yourself as Zhen instead. It is more proper for the Golden Emperor, is it not?" Yunyu said. By addressing himself as Zhen, it automatically made Bai Yunyu his subject instead of his wife.

Bai Yunyu wanted to be treated like a normal subject of his instead of his wife.

Huang Shu, who was already furious, finally kicked the small table in front of Bai Yunyu until it flew away and broke when it hit the wall.

Huang Shu almost kicked his wife instead, but he still had his rationality. He was furious with Bai Yunyu, who kept on distancing himself as if he wanted to erase all the fond memories they had in the past just because of this problem.

Bai Yunyu didn't blink even after Huang Shu kicked the table, but he kept staring at the man whom he loved once, "Your Majesty after you're done holding your rage, you can order my execution right away."

"Do you really hate Zhen so much?" Huang Shu asked.

"Hate?" Bai Yunyu was surprised by such an idea. He blinked few times and giggled lightly as if he just heard something funny.

"Why are you laughing? Zhen is asking you!"

"It's funny because you're asking if I will hate someone who banished his wife for two years, barely visiting him, giving him such bad place covered with rats and fleas, and not serving him real food to eat. I think Your Majesty already knows the answer."

"This is a punishment because you're committing a grave crime! As long as you repent, Zhen will take you back!"

"I'd rather rot here, Your Majesty. I'd rather rot here with fleas and rats rather than living with humans who are lesser than rats."

"YOU ARE CALLING ZHEN'S FAMILY AS RATS?!"

"Yes."

"YOU!"

Huang Shu grabbed Bai Yunyu's neck and raised him with the only hand. Bai Yunyu's feet soon hovered slightly above the ground. He struggled a bit at first, but then, he realized something and closed his eyes in peace.

Huang Shu could break Bai Yunyu's neck easily. In less than a second, this offender would die in his hand. He thought Yunyu would finally struggle and cursed at him, but no.

All Yunyu did was closing his eyes, accepting his fate.

'He dares to choose death rather than apologizing for his sin?! How malicious can you be?!'

Huang Shu gritted his teeth. He threw Bai Yunyu to the wall and yelled at him, "Fine then! You can rot in this place filled with fleas and rats! From now on, Zhen will ration your food! You will be served half of your daily food now!

Huang Shu stormed off the guest chamber full of rage. The servants were too scared to ask about what was happening inside. They silently followed their Emperor to leave this dirty and shabby Cold Palace.

They knew that the male Empress had a lavish palace when he was still favoured, but now since the Empress had committed a grave crime of scheming against the crown prince, he was thrown to a shabby and dirty palace served more like a prison.

***

Bai Yunyu was breathing heavily as he tried to get up from the cold floor. His body was already very frail, but Huang Shu spared him no pity and flung his body to the wall. He really thought that he'd die at this point.

"Master Bai!" Meilan went inside and helped her master. She cried as she was holding her trembling master. She heard the loud thump, and after she saw Master Bai's situation right now, she realized that His Majesty had flung him to the wall.

"Master Bai, why is everything like this? I… I feel pained with your suffering, Master Bai!"

"It's okay, Meilan. I know this will happen sooner or later. I just don't want to give myself any hope to His Majesty. We're not destined to be together."