After Xue Han returned to his palace, none of his anger had dissipated. Instead, it intensified.
He had initially regarded the throne as dispensable and had thought it to be very troublesome. Yet after seeing Gu Bai's appearance of defending Xue Yunfeng today, it truly made him furious.
After returning to the palace and throwing a big temper tantrum, he thought about it and immediately summoned his advisors and confidants to discuss the matter of the throne. Lao San, that loathsome youngster, what worth did he have to be favoured by a beauty? If he wanted the throne, hmph, he'd still have to see whether this prince was willing!
"Your Highness, be rest assured. We'll take action at once…"
A crowd of advisors and confidants were pleasantly surprised by his order. Everyone wanted this contribution of helping the future emperor ascend the throne, but the prince had never been interested in power before. On top of that, due to his unmentionable illness, everyone's hearts were filled with regret. Now the prince actually wanted to rise and seize the throne; this was simply great news.
After everyone responded excitedly, they left one after the other to prepare their operations without delay.
Once everyone left, the house steward serving the palace entered from outside.
"Your Highness, the second prince has just sent a beauty over. This slave has already arranged them to enter the courtyard. Your Highness may visit them now…"
Xue Yunfeng's action of sending Gu Bai to Prince Yu of the First Rank's palace wasn't concealed at all. Besides wanting to gain Xue Han's support, such an open action was also used to borrow the name of Prince Yu of the First Rank to temporarily suppress those who wished to take action against him.
Xue Han's recent behaviour of constantly speaking up for Xue Yunfeng in the imperial court had started to frighten and worry the other princes who wished to compete for the throne. They couldn't help follow suit, searching for beauties and sending them to the first prince's palace.
If it was the past Xue Han, even if he wouldn't touch them, he also wouldn't slap their faces and would accept them, displaying a neutral attitude. But now, he suddenly recalled Gu Bai's words and his anger immediately spiked.
"Who told you to accept them?! Return them! And those in the rear court, send all of them off, send them off! Spread the news; in the future, if anyone dares give this prince someone, this prince shall dice them into pieces and feed them to dogs!"
Xue Han felt stifled in his heart. If he had known earlier that using these people to cover up his illness would give him an amorous reputation and cause the beauty to misunderstand his conduct, he would've been better off announcing to the world that "Prince Yu of the First Rank was impotent".
Now it was great. He was less than Lao San, that damned youngster, in his own beauty's heart!
"Yes, Your Highness…"
The palace steward didn't know what kind of temper tantrum he was throwing, but seeing the ugly look on Xue Han's face, the steward didn't dare speak and hurriedly withdrew to handle his work.
When Gu Bai got up the next day, he heard the news that "Prince Yu of the First Rank abstained from sex". The speed at which this information was spread was comparable to the speed in the modern era.
There wasn't anything to be done with this. Prince Yu of the First Rank was the focus of every prince at present, and his reputation as "amorous" was exceptionally resounding. Now, Prince Yu actually wanted to abstain from sex. This was simply more unbelievable than the sun rising from the west!
After Gui Bai felt sweet and secretly happy for a moment, Xue Yunfeng, who had rarely stepped into his palace since his rebirth, came to look for him after attending court.
According to the degree of hatred Xue Yunfeng had toward the original host, he naturally wouldn't look for him without a reason.
Due to Gu Bai angering him yesterday, Xue Han stared at him from the beginning of today's court, his eyes conveying all sorts of dislike and discomfort. As a result, the unruly prince began to make all sorts of petty criticisms and targeted others.
Now that the emperor was about to die, the flow of the court was entirely controlled by Xue Han. Despite being reborn, Xue Yunfeng had no choice but to fear Xue Han's existence.
Everything had clearly been fine, so why did Xue Han suddenly turn hostile? Xue Yunfeng thought about it for a while and soon figured out that it was due to this key figure, Gu Bai.
Facing the inscrutable Xue Yunfeng, Gu Bai had long thought of an excuse.
In front of Yanu's "my master has finally been enlightened" eyes, he fell towards Xue Yunfeng's body with a terrified and scared expression, lowering his head and choking with sobs.
"Your Highness, I… My apologies, it's all Rong Yi's fault. Yesterday, Prince Yu, he-he wanted Rong Yi… Rong Yi didn't obey and impulsively brushed away his intentions. I believe that this has provoked Prince Yu's anger. Your Highness, forgive me, for Rong Yi has ruined your great plan…"
"You mean imperial uncle hasn't touched you before?!"
Xue Yunfeng then captured the main point. It was unbelievable. If imperial uncle had not touched Rong Yi before, then why did he help him?
"Your Highness, what do you mean…" Gu Bai abruptly said suspiciously.
Xue Yunfeng had also returned to his senses and saw that his reaction was strange. Shaking his head, he reached out and pressed Gu Bai's head against his chest to cover his eyes and conceal his own emotions as he consoled Gu Bai.
"It's nothing. I was just confused. Imperial uncle knows perfectly well that you're mine and still wants you. Tomorrow, you don't have to go to the palace anymore. I won't let anyone hurt you…"
As Xue Yunfeng puzzled over this in bewilderment, he comforted him half-heartedly.
But Gu Bai didn't expose him and nodded as if he was ignorantly touched. "En, Rong Yi is only Your Highness's person in this life. If someone else wants to touch Rong Yi, I would rather kill myself…"
"What did you say?"
When the confused Xue Yunfeng heard this sentence, he subconsciously spoke aloud and looked at Gu Bai.
"Rong Yi is only Your Highness's person."
Gu Bai repeated himself again. Looking at Xue Yunfeng's eyes which contained the feeling of deep friendship, he reached out and grabbed Xue Yunfeng's hand, placing it on his chest.
"Rong Yi's heart is only given to Your Highness. If Your Highness doesn't abandon Rong Yi, then Rong Yi won't leave. If Your Highness leaves, Rong Yi will… In short, Rong Yi is only Your Highness's Rong Yi."
Speaking until there, Gu Bai hadn't finished his words. Rather, his eyes were sorrowful, showing that he was evidently unable to accept the latter.
The sparkling eyes Xue Yunfeng was looking at made him abruptly feel guilty for some reason. For a moment, he didn't quite dare to look at Gu Bai. Nodding absentmindedly, he didn't continue this topic and left.
These sorts of words were something Rong Yi had never said before, even when Xue Yunfeng was intimate with Rong Yi during his last life. Yet Rong Yi suddenly said these words now, and added with the news that "Rong Yi actually hadn't been touched by Prince Yu of the First Rank", it momentarily sent his mind into disorder.
How could that be? How could Rong Yi be such a sincere person? He was clearly a ruthless person…
Xue Yunfeng left Liuli Palace with a chaotic mind, absentmindedly walking to the west palace courtyard where they entertained guests. He saw Qi Moli currently painting in the courtyard, and Qi Moli's youthful temperament which resembled a bamboo orchid calmed his heart that had been filled with waves.
He walked over and unhesitatingly carried Qi Moli sideways. Amidst the palace maid's cries of alarm, he carried him into the room, tore apart the other's irksome clothes, and bullied his body.
"Your Highness, you…"
Qi Moli caught Xue Yunfeng's hands, stopping him while feeling happy and alarmed.
He had already liked the crown prince for a very long time, but the prince had never looked at him. In his eyes, there was only the peerless Rong Yi, and he had even done many absurd things for the other.
He originally thought he would never have a chance, but now the crown prince… What was the meaning of this?
"Your Highness, I'm Moli, not Rong Yi…"
Qi Moli nervously reminded him.
"I know, I know you're Moli, not Rong Yi. Right now, I just want you. The person I like is you. I was only using Rong Yi as a shield, and I've never liked him. I was only using him…"
Xue Yunfeng kissed the neck of the person before him as he softly murmured. He didn't know if he was explaining to the person before him or comforting and brainwashing himself.
When Xue Yunfeng saw the pleasantly surprised expression from Qi Moli under him as he gave up resistance, Xue Yunfeng's mind heated up as he did not hesitate to take action. The room was then filled with gasps and moans…
…
From that day onwards, Xue Yunfeng didn't visit Gu Bai anymore. Even if Gu Bai took the initiative to look for him, he also found excuses to avoid him. Besides staying in Qi Moli's courtyard at night, he was almost always busy with politics during the day.
Since Xue Han didn't support him, he could only think of other ways. Besides, Xue Han seemed to have the intention of fighting for the throne. Not only Xue Yunfeng, but all the factions became nervous. Following the emperor's declining health, the undercurrent of Great Qi's imperial court began to fluctuate.
Since Xue Yunfeng deliberately hid himself, Gu Bai's mood was very clear. After looking for him for two days yet being unable to meet him, he didn't continue wasting his effort, spending the entire day in Liuli Palace. During the day, if he wasn't reading, writing, or painting, then he was cultivating.
At night, he would have to deal with a vinegar jar that snuck in.
In the beginning, Xue Han would eat his tofu while incessantly slandering Xue Yunfeng in an attempt to brainwash Gu Bai, but seeing that there wasn't the slightest bit of result after a few days, he had no choice but to give up.
He stopped straightforwardly mentioning Xue Yunfeng and single-mindedly lost himself in the pleasure of eating Gu Bai's tofu. No matter how much Gu Bai drove him away, he still wouldn't leave, and provoking his anger would result in a fierce threat.
"This prince has said that he wouldn't give up! If you continue chasing this prince away again, this prince will immediately punish you! And as for that brat Lao San, with one word from this prince, don't even mention the throne, he might not even see tomorrow's sun!"
God knew how much Gu Bai wanted to say "Come on!" But his face still revealed some weakness as he bit his lip and put on a pitiful and enduring expression, then obediently allowed the other to take advantage of him.
Xue Han's beloved was close at hand and was even held in his embrace. Xue Yan's heart was beating incredibly fast.
He had wanted to press this youth down countless times, clutch the other's waist and implement the words he had said at that time, making the other cry passionately because of him and giving him pleasure beyond belief.
But in the end, he still broke his limit time and time again, as he restrained himself. He hated, hated making this person the slightest bit sad, hated forcing this person even a little, hated…
"This prince will definitely obtain your heart!"
Restraining himself to the end, Xue Han would always say this sentence and then hold the person by his side tightly. In his mind, he sketched out a picture of the youth's flushed cheeks and teary eyes misted with arousal to console his own heart with unfulfilled desires and ended up sleeping until daybreak before leaving.
Although he himself wasn't satisfied, Gu Bai's heart was filled with happiness, and he slept very comfortably every night.
Time passed by in a flash, and the struggle for the throne was growing more and more intense.
Xue Yunfeng wasn't very dumb in the first place. In his previous incarnation, he just hadn't put his mind on the correct path. On top of that, he now had the advantage of foresight with his rebirth, and none of the princes was his opponents.
The only one hard to deal with was Xue Han, but even if he was a more difficult opponent, Xue Yunfeng still wanted to fight. After being reborn, he definitely wouldn't become a good-for-nothing like in his past incarnation!
Not only was he energetically progressing in the imperial court, but he also began to think of ways to gather public support among the people. As the proverb said, obtaining the public's support meant obtaining the world. It was obvious how important the common people's support was.
Even though a reborn person had the advantage of being reborn, that didn't mean their road was smooth. With him working hard now and his enemies' deliberate schemes, Xue Yunfeng soon fell into a trap and was carelessly poisoned. He was near death's door and fell into a coma…