Holding On to My Man

TCLed and edited by Calli and Juurensha

The imperial edict from the Imperial Palace was to let the Fu family enter the palace to attend his Majesty, the Emperor’s, birthday feast.

In fact, even though the Imperial Concubine Xian came from the Fu Family, the Fu family was a family of merchants. Although they might be rich, in the ancient times of scholars, people of agriculture and industry still did not hold a high enough status, and it would be difficult for them to qualify to participate in this kind of palace feast for the Emperor.

So, when he received the news, Lord Fu was so happy that his smile was almost broke his face while Fu Junli frowned and stared at the imperial edict that was specifically marked with the name “Du Yunxi” with an ugly complexion.

Obviously, he immediately remembered that day when Ji Zhangyin had invited Gu Bai to drink tea in the pavilion. Could it be that the arrogant prince was interested in Yunxi?

Thinking of this possibility, Fu Junli for some inexplicable reason, felt an odd feeling in his heart.

When Gu Bai heard the news, he became extremely happy. He had been thinking about whether he should sneak into the palace in the middle of the night to meet his man. Unexpectedly, his man took the initiative to attack so soon. Their hearts really were linked!

He took a half a day trying on clothes to decide on which ones to wear, before choosing one with red borders and embroidered with dark flowers to put on before leaving, very excited.

The appearance of the original owner was already exquisitely attractive. Usually, Gu Bai wore white and seemed to resemble an elf. But at this moment, this young man with red lips and white teeth, his clothes red like blood, was standing in the wind, his sleeves fluttering. Obviously, he still had the same appearance as before, but the way he made people feel was completely different.

With a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes glowing with a strange light, he was like a blood lotus in purgatory, beautiful and enchanting, yet extremely dangerous. Fu Junli’s eyes flashed with a trace of astonishment, and his heart leapt violently; it took a long time for him to react. He walked over, talking ahold of Gu Bai’s shoulder and helped him into the carriage. His movements had never been as gentle as they were now.

Although today was the Emperor’s birthday, the star of the banquet was not the Emperor. The aged Emperor accepted the congratulations of all the courtiers at the beginning of the banquet before saying that his body was not feeling well, and went back to the palace to rest. The banquet host then became Prince Ji Zhangyin.

He sat on the seat of honor with a straight back, one hand on his knee, and the other hand holding a glass of wine, looking at the people assembled there with an indifferent gaze. His cold and violent air made people tremble and shudder in fear.

It was known that in the past few years, this Royal Highness’s temper had become even more irascible and vicious. Not to even mention provoking him, if you were unlucky and encountered him when he was in a bad mood, suffering a bloody disaster was very likely.

In particular, it seems that the crown prince was in a bad mood recently. Therefore, after the Emperor left, all the people sat in their seats, not daring to talk or even breathe loudly. They were all afraid that the crown prince would notice them and their life would end that day.There was only one person present who was not afraid. Gu Bai sat down, curious and excited to see his man. Although his man looked different every time, he had one characteristic that remained constant: handsome and domineering, carrying with him the air of an Emperor.

Although he had never been to hell, it was rumored that hell did not have six paths. He didn't know whether his man was just lucky to have the karma to reincarnate with riches and honor, but every time he was reborn, his identity was always extremely respected. Meanwhile, whenever he looked at his man, his man was also looking back at him. The young man’s skin was like jade, his lips red as blood, and his eyebrows elegant. The red outfit he was wearing contrasted with his delicate appearance, making him look very bewitching.

However, no matter how he looked, he felt that this delicate appearance and those eyes seemed to be a little mismatched, as if it were from two different people. He ignored the appearance and looked at those beautiful eyes. At this moment, those eyes were staring at him, full of joy. Ji Zhangyin liked this very much, feeling very delighted.

“Go and call that young master over…”

He raised his hand and pointed in the direction of Gu Bai.

Because at this time, the hall was very quiet, his movements and voice were very sudden and were heard by everyone very quickly.

Almost instantaneously, all the people immediately looked over at the direction his finger was pointing at with white faces. They were relieved when they confirmed that it was not themselves. Then following the direction his finger was pointing, they saw Gu Bai and sympathized. Although they all knew that the Crown Prince was not at all fond of beauties, he was still a man. It was impossible for him to have no interest at all, even if the Young Master Du who the Fu family had brought was a man, but seeing as how he was even more beautiful than a woman, it wasn't surprising that he was chosen. No one dared to stop him.

Nevermind this unremarkable young man, even if it were one of the concubines from the Emperor's harem, if the Crown Prince desired them, no one dared to stop him!

“Young Master Du, the Crown Princes invites…”

The eunuch came up to the Fu family's table, his slick voice making people's hair stand on end.

Gu Bai however was unaware and was in a good mood. Fu Junli's body suddenly became stiff. Seeing way Ji Zhangyin was staring at Gu Bai, the hand holding the wine cup tightened, his fingers becoming white. Did the Crown Prince really take a fancy to Yunxi?….. During his worrying and fretting, Gu Bai had already got up and followed the eunuch. He walked happily with a smile on his face. Not a bit of fear was visible. The night wind lifted his red robes, making him look like a bewitching exotic poppy from afar.

“Yunxi offers your highness a cup…” Gu Bai walked over, laughing as he picked up the wine jug and filled the empty glass on the table with good wine, slowly setting it by Ji Zhangyin's hand. Ji Zhangyin took the drink with a smile, and after finishing the drink, he personally filled the empty glass again and handed it to Gu Bai, his eyes burning. His burning gaze didn't reveal his brightened mood. All the courtiers under the seat showed a 'sure enough it’s like that' expression, before consciously burying their heads back down.

Yet Fu Junli’s hand shook, not even noticing the wine that had been splashed onto his clothes. His eyes were fixed on Ji Zhangyin’s expression. It was as if his possession had been stolen by someone while he stood by powerlessly.

Gu Bai was slightly stunned, and then he laughed. He thought to himself that the man was still the same as before. He took the wine and drank it. He guessed that his man's behavior today must be because he found out about his matter in the Fu mansion and was jealous.

“Good, good, good! Come here, sit and drink with Zhen… ” Seeing Gu Bai drinking down the wine, and the two bright blushes that appeared on his cheeks, Ji Zhangyin's heart suddenly started beating wildly, and he couldn’t help laughing. He reached out and pulled him to his side.

There is a rule in the great state of Chu that the higher the status, the wider the chair. As a crown prince, Ji Zhangyin’s chair was naturally more spacious than that of ordinary people, and it wasn't crowded even with Gu Bai sitting beside him. When the people present saw this, they were surprised. Ji Zhangyin, regardless of the people’s stares, poured wine for Gu Bai and had more dishes brought over. He was acting this way to indicate that the young man belonged to him, to let others know that they should not have any ideas about this young man.

“Why aren't you wearing white clothes or an orchid fragrance today?” Ji Zhangyin set the wine glass in front of Gu Bai and asked in a low voice.

This question his man asked was very out of the ordinary, but Gu Bai understood the meaning. Obviously, his man not only checked his identity, but also the Fu family’s affairs.

His desire for control was so strong! Gu Bai thought to himself and smiled at him.

“Today, I came to see that you, so I naturally needed to wear something you like. A woman dresses up for the one they like, and this also applies to men. Do you prefer red or white?”

Ji Zhangyin was delighted by the phrase 'for the one they like', but he still cared about the information he had gathered these past few days. He continued to speak in a low voice.

“Fu Junli has an old, close friend. You usually wear white clothes and an orchid fragrance, are you copying that person to ingratiate yourself to Fu Junli? You wanted to please him.” As he said this last sentence. Ji Zhangyin's voice became deeper and took on an unhappy tone.

“No! Yunxi wants to please him, but Gu Bai doesn’t…… ” Anyway, he was far enough away that Gu Bai wasn't afraid that Fu Junli would hear his words.

As soon as these words fell, Ji Zhangyin frowned. He didn’t know the truth and couldn’t understand Gu Bai’s words. No matter if it was Gu Bai or Yunxi, he had found out that they were the same person, yet every time the young man would refer to them as two seperate people. Ji Zhangyin was somewhat helpless. The young man really made it hard for people to understand him, but if he couldn't figure it out, then he couldn't figure it out. No matter who the youth was and who he wanted to be, he was the one he had taken a fancy to.

“No matter if you are Yunxi or Gu Bai, from now on you are Zhen's person. Zhen will not allow you to think about other men, not even one look is allowed…”

“You're so domineering…” Gu Bai stared at him with wide eyes and complained before smiling with crinkled eyes, “But I like it!”

Ji Zhangyin paused for a good while before reacting, and then couldn’t help but happily laugh with joy in his heart, which attracted the nearby people's frequent glances. Fu Junli, who was sitting on the other side, saw the pair talking and laughing and couldn't stop himself anymore. He got up and wanted to walk over, but was stopped by Ji Zhangyin's attendant the next moment, staring at him a sinister gaze as he spoke.

“Yesterday, Zhen obtained a unique beauty, whose guqin skills are the best in the world. Today, Zhen will let the beauty play a song and let us all enjoy it together..” As the words were spoken, the people looked up, giving a lot of face. The Crown Prince himself was speaking, being disrespectful was just asking for death. In the span of a few breaths, a young man in white slowly appeared, his long hair trailing behind him, untied and spread out, smooth and shiny like high grade silk. Under a pair of delicate feminine eyebrows were two captivating, gorgeous blue eyes, which added a bit of beauty to his pure and graceful appearance.

“Lianzhi…..” Fu Junli was shocked and stared stupidly at the arriving person. Rong Lianzhi also saw him. Suddenly, a kind of 'I pour out my pain to the flowers through sad tears, but they cannot respond; the red petals flutter like a swing and fly away with the breeze' ambiguous and sad atmosphere appeared.

Gu Bai stared blankly at the two people in the middle of the scene. In the plot, the elegant white lotus didn’t come back at this time, and the way he appeared wasn't right either. Turning his head to look at Ji Zhangyin’s unfathomable eyes that were staring back at him, he laughed and didn't even need to think about it. It must have been done by this vinegar jar. Although the white lotus unexpectedly came out ahead of time, it was okay. It would be no big deal to change the strategy for this task.

I, your grandpa, was not afraid of you coming back, but that you wouldn’t come back. As the saying went, imagination is great, but reality is harsh. Without good memories, Lianzhi was just Lianzhi. Thinking like this, Gu Bai took a piece of cake off the table and fed it to Ji Zhangyin’s mouth with a bewitching smile.

“Your Royal Highness, is your East Palace still short of people to warm your bed?”

Ji Zhangyin didn’t speak. His dark eyes stirred up in raging flames. He stared at Gu Bai, then opened his mouth, taking the pastry into his mouth and sucked at the fingers holding the pastry, his teasing tongue expressing his intentions very well.