Holding On to My Man

Translated by Elestrea

Edited by Evan

On the surface, the banquet that Xue Yunfeng was going to today was just a normal drinking gathering for high officials and nobles. But behind it, the banquet was used by him to cover up a secret meeting with court officials and military officers.

As soon as he arrived at the tea garden of the party, Xue Yunfeng looked for an excuse to leave, leaving Gu Bai alone in the hall, regardless of how people were staring and drooling at this delicious fresh meat.

Xue Yunfeng’s spying eyes were naturally as clear as glass, and he clearly knew what these people were scheming in their hearts. If it were the him from before, he would’ve been unhappy and wished he could build a golden cage to hide Rong Yi in so he was the only one who could look at him.

But now he didn’t pay any attention to him. As long as Rong Yi didn’t die before fulfilling his great purpose, other things that happened to Rong Yi had nothing to do with him!

“Master, what’s going on with His Highness today? Why are you left here alone? Those people looked as if they were ready to jump and eat you right away…"

Yanu was a straightforward person who complained about what he thought out loud.

“It doesn’t matter. His Highness’s business is more important, and those people dare not touch me…"

Gu Bai didn’t care and spoke with a smile. He leisurely picked up the teacup and tasted its contents. There was naturally a reason for Xue Yunfeng’s urgent attitude.

Others might not know, but as a reborn man, Xue Yunfeng knew very well that even though the emperor of Qi looked healthy now, his actual health was already in very bad shape, and he would die in a few months.

At that time, he would ascend the imperial throne with a thunderous momentum. In that case, the original host would soon become useless, and he naturally didn’t need to put in a lot of effort for him.

Yanu stopped talking, and Gu Bai also didn’t say anything else. He conveniently took some light pastries and went to the teahouse, eating on one side and enjoying debate poetry and some paintings on the other side. Actually, he was secretly looking at a man in the private room on the second floor.

He found this man the moment he entered the door.

He saw that the man was dressed very luxuriously. He was also extremely handsome and distinguished-looking. A pair of slender sword eyebrows flew obliquely into his sideburns, and his narrow eyes shone brightly. When looking at people, he gave people a sense of coldness and nobility.

Moreover, he acted very arrogantly. Others were sitting properly in their seats, drinking tea and chatting, yet he was sitting leisurely, and even one of his feet was rudely placed on the table.

He had the wine pot in one hand and the wine glass in the other, then drank it without any restraint. He drank until he was happy and couldn’t act soberly. He laughed so loudly that others couldn’t chat in peace.

But no one dared to talk about him or even show a little dissatisfaction and disdain regarding him. Everyone who looked at him was very respectful with a hint of fear. It was obvious that this person’s status was honorable!

Gu Bai would naturally pay attention to this kind of person.

Looking at the hint in the plot, this man was called Xue Han, Great Qi’s Prince Yu of the First Rank. He was the previous emperor’s youngest son and was only two years older than Xue Yunfeng.

According to Qi Country’s rules of succession to the throne, if the emperor died, in addition to the princes such as Xue Yunfeng who could inherit the throne, he was also qualified to inherit the throne.

Besides, Xue Han wasn’t only smart and had the talent to be an emperor; he also held Qi Country’s military power. It would be very easy for him to ascend the throne.

However, it was a pity that Xue Han had been poisoned when he was a child. The poison had no cure and could only be suppressed. The imperial physician asserted that he wouldn’t live beyond the age of 30, otherwise, the throne would’ve already been his.

Despite this, Xue Han was still the target of the princes at the moment, because the military power in his hands was so powerful that, to put it bluntly, whomever he wanted to be the emperor would be the emperor!

But Xue Han’s background wasn’t the focus of Gu Bai’s attention. It was because from Xue Han, he could feel that familiar aura, which showed that this short-lived Prince Yu of the First Rank was his man, ah….

Thinking this way, Gu Bai excitedly told Yanu to go to the private room and ask Prince Yu to see him. Every time he met his man in his missions, he couldn’t wait.

“What? Master, are you going to see Prince Yu? No, no, you can’t!"

As soon as Yanu heard Gu Bai’s words, his face changed. He shook his head in panic and then moved beside Gu Bai, whispering into his ear.

“Master, it wasn’t long before you came to our Great Qi, so naturally, you don’t know. I heard that Prince Yu of the First Rank is very fond of beauties, especially men. Even His Majesty’s male pets aren’t allowed to run. There are so many beautiful men in the backyard of his palace. That’s not all. The most important thing is that Prince Yu is very cruel. No matter how beautiful the beauties are, he has no pity for them. He once got angry and brutally killed them all… And last time, he had asked His Highness for you, but His Highness protected you. If you go to see him now, won’t it be the same as sending a lamb into a tiger’s den, ma…"

Yanu looked very worried. As soon as he entered the palace, he was lucky to be assigned to serve the original host. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience

He had never entered the court eunuchs’ circle, so his heart was sincere and he was very loyal to the original host. The original host also treated him as a brother, and so Gu Bai patiently explained to him.

“Yanu, I know you’re worried about me, but in order for His Highness to ascend the throne, it’ll be advantageous to him if we can get Prince Yu’s help. If Prince Yu is willing to help, His Highness will have no hindrances in the future. Besides, since I want to see him, I surely have a way…"

What kind of temperament his man might have now, he didn’t know. But no matter how different he was… He would be overbearing! Arrogant! Unruly! These points would absolutely never change.

Only, was it said this time that his man was very fond of beauties? And that there were countless beautiful men in his rear court?

Just before leaving the Starry Space, his man had specifically said to him that no matter whether he had his memories or not, he would only have feelings for him. Good, they haven’t seen each other for a while and he already became so bold!

As he thought about this, a hint of scorn could be seen on Gu Bai’s face.

“But…"

Yanu was still worried, but seeing that Gu Bai seemed to show an ugly face, he could only be obedient.

He thought in his heart that he had to find His Highness quickly, otherwise, what would he do if something happened to Master? Prince Yu of the First Rank was a terrible person!

Yanu left, albeit worried, and after a few minutes, he came back with a worried face. He informed Gu Bai that Prince Yu agreed to his request. Gu Bai nodded and arranged his clothes before cheerfully stepping in.

When Gu Bai saw Yanu leaving quietly after he had entered the room, he guessed that Yanu was worried about him and was going to ask Xue Yunfeng for help. He thought about stopping him for a while, before leaving him be. He then saluted Xue Han.

“Rong Yi greets Prince Yu…"

The original host didn’t only have a beautiful appearance, but also a very gentle voice. It gave out a relaxing feeling, just like a breeze blowing across the prairie. Xue Han, who was inside the private room, felt the tips of his ears tremble a few times.

“I hear you want to see this prince? What, you’re not afraid of this prince now?"

Xue Han held the wine glass and stared at Gu Bai, wearing a fake smile.

Of course, there was a reason Xue Han said this. The original host had met him before, but he was afraid of his rumored flirtatious and cruel reputation, and thus, he ran away like a rabbit as soon as he saw him.

“Before, it was Rong Yi who didn’t understand the rules. I have offended Your Highness. I beg Your Highness for forgiveness…"

Gu Bai cupped his hand. His face was serene, neither humble nor arrogant, and his entire body showed a proper posture, when in fact, his heart had already excitedly started a small dance.

Although he had just snorted at the fact that his man was so flirtatious this time, only heaven knew how much he wanted to rush up right now, hold his man’s head, and give him a deep kiss!

But no matter how excited he was, he still knew how to behave. Now that they were in a new world, his man had no memory, and they needed to get to know each other again.

This time, Prince Yu of the First Rank was a flirtatious and unruly person. With this kind of character, beauties who sent themselves to his door would not be cherished at all. If he wanted to win over his man, he might have to work hard this time.

“…"

From his side, Xue Han silently listened to Gu Bai’s words, watching him while wearing a smile that was not a smile. Briefly looking at Gu Bai face-to-face, he soon found the difference between today’s Gu Bai and the original host he had seen in the past.

The young man in front of him was still as gorgeous as before, but the strange thing was that he felt that the youth from today and yesterday were like two different people. But what’s the difference, ne… Eyes… Yes, his eyes… Today, the young man’s eyes seemed to be more beautiful!

“Your Highness, Rong Yi is here today because he wants to propose a deal with Your Highness…"

Gu Bai didn’t know what was going on in his heart. Seeing that Xue Han had been silent, he had no choice but to take the initiative to pick up the conversation and continue.

“Oh? What kind of deal do you want to propose to this prince? In this world, there are only a few things that this prince wants but can’t get…"

Xue Han put down the jug. His eyebrows were slightly raised and he was very interested. Either this man didn’t know Prince Yu’s temper or was just too courageous; he surprisingly dared to propose a deal to him.

Gu Bai looked calm and composed, but in fact, his eyes had been secretly looking at his man. At the moment Xue Han raised his eyebrows, Gu Bai’s heart leapt violently like a volcanic eruption.

Under his pure face, Gu Bai’s soul stirred up excitedly: Ah, ah, ah, so sexy, so sexy! My man raising his eyebrows looks so sexy and powerful! I really want to throw myself at him right now. Ah, what do I do?!

In actuality, of course he couldn’t do this. If he did, he might be immediately kicked out by Xue Han. This love-struck look absolutely had to be hidden from him!

Gu Bai pretended to put his fist against his mouth and coughed for a while.

“In this world, there’s perhaps one thing that Your Highness can’t get and is unable to control, and that is Your Highness’s own life…"

As his words fell, the silence filled the private room, and several guards looked over, staring at Gu Bai as if they were looking at a dead man.

Even all the princes had to be respectful to His Highness. This man was merely the Crown Prince’s male pet, yet he dared to talk to His Highness in such a way. He was truly ungrateful with his life and wanted to die!

The guards clenched the hilts of their sabres. Their eyes were cold as they waited for their master’s order to chop the beauty in front of him to pieces.

But Xue Han didn’t plan to chop Gu Bai into pieces. He fixed his eyes on Gu Bai, before fixing them on his red lips, and then said with interest.

“What do you mean by that?"

“Your Highness is already Prince Yu of the First Rank. You have Qi’s military power in your hands and can be said to be a man above ten thousand people. Naturally, there are only a few things in the world that Your Highness can’t get, but… Rong Yi heard that Your Highness was poisoned when he was a child, and even the world’s most famous doctors had their hands bound and were unable to do anything. The imperial physician even asserted that Your Highness wouldn’t live longer than 30 years. If Rong Yi remembers correctly, Your Highness is already 28 this year…"

In other words, Xue Han had at most two more years to live, and in the original plot, the feared Prince Yu of the First Rank did die of illness two years later. This was the reason why no one was afraid of him even though he held the most power.

“How dare you!"

As soon as Gu Bai finished speaking, the guards next to him shouted and coldly reprimanded him. The whole Qi Dynasty knew that Xue Han’s poison was a taboo subject. Gu Bai touching this matter clearly meant to be a provocation.

But Xue Han waved his hand and signaled the guards to retire.

Then, like a panther on the hunt, he stared at Gu Bai with dark eyes before walking expressionlessly towards him. He reached out to touch the young man’s slender neck. His actions were dangerous and ambiguous as he said, “Go on."

His sensitive neck was suddenly stroked by his man, so Gu Bai couldn’t help but take the initiative to rub against it for a while. At the same time, he felt so happy and proud of himself. Xue Han flirted with him at their first meeting. Apparently, this time, his man already had some feelings for him. En, he was worthy to be called his Lao Gong!

His heart was practically vibrating with passion, yet Gu Bai’s face grew colder and colder.

“It seems that according to the imperial physician, Your Highness will only be able to live for two more years at most. But Rong Yi has a way to cure your poison. I wonder if Your Highness can promise Rong Yi one thing at that time?"

With his words, Xue Han’s hand, which was caressing his neck, moved to squeeze his chin, and his malicious eyes looked straight at Gu Bai, as he smiled with hidden meaning.

“The world’s famous doctors can’t cure this poison, yet you say you can? If you can’t cure it, how should this prince deal with you?"

“If Rong Yi can’t cure this poison, Rong Yi will apologize using his death!"

Gu Bai was very confident and was only playing a joke. After doing so many missions, what he did best was precisely playing with poisons. Xue Han’s poison was incurable to others, but it was not a big problem for Gu Bai. Not to mention that this time, the original host was the prince of Miaojiang.

Xue Han pinched his chin, and his dark eyes flashed with light. It seemed as if he could kill Gu Bai at any time. But the glimpse of Gu Bai’s confident face and bright eyes made his heart tremble slightly.

A long time later, he let go of Gu Bai’s jaw, and his lips rose in a cold arc. The chill from his eyes disappeared, and he put his hand in his sleeve and clenched his fist. He didn’t know why his hand, which had touched Gu Bai’s skin, was somehow burning.

“Alright, this prince will give you a chance. Why don’t you tell me what you want from this prince?"

He stroked the ring on his left thumb and spoke lightly.

But the people who knew him realized that this action meant that he was in a very good mood. The young man’s self-confident appearance was very dazzling; it made people’s hearts warm up.

As the one who knew him very well, Gu Bai didn’t need to know the meaning behind this action. Just by hearing his man’s voice, which was full of suppressed and hidden emotions, Gu Bai could tell his current mood.

He proudly raised the corners of his lips and snorted again in his heart. His man dared to be so daring and unrestrained before he came; there were many beautiful men in his rear court. This matter needed to be fixed!

Gu Bai took a look at the surrounding environment before cupping his hands.

“Your Highness, I’m wondering whether Your Highness has some time to talk…"

“Good."

With these words, Xue Han raised his eyebrows, as his eyes stared at him intently. When his eyes fell below Gu Bai’s head, he saw his fair neck. His eyes instantly turned dark, and he licked his lips.