Chapter 85 – Rebirth: The Poisonous Concubine (26)
The title of “secondary consort” might sound elegant, but in reality, it was still just a concubine. She wasn’t allowed to wear bright red and was mostly dressed in pink.
If she was favored, she might be permitted to wear rose red, which was close to the imperial red worn by main consorts.
There was no grand wedding ceremony—those with status were carried into the household through a sedan chair via the side gate, while most concubines entered discreetly through the back door.
Wei Yuyan, as the Prime Minister’s daughter, still carried that prestigious title. For the sake of the Prime Minister’s reputation, no matter how reluctant Lan Gaoyi was, he would never have her smuggled in quietly through the back door in a small sedan. Instead, he would at least hold a modest banquet to save face for the Prime Minister while conveniently strengthening his ties with court officials.
The wedding invitations were delivered to the Yu Residence. At that moment, Bai Mo was playfully fighting over food with Yu Chenyi.
What was interesting, however, was that the invitation was addressed to “Imperial Censor Yu and his wife,” while a separate invitation was sent to Yu Chenyi alone.
Meanwhile, Bai Mo’s personal invitation was delivered to the Bai Residence, just as it had been before their marriage—listed together with Minister Bai and his wife.
That was certainly intriguing.
Bai Mo quietly asked his AI assistant, Xiao Bobao, “Did the memory-erasing potion wear off? Why would the male lead separate my name from Brother Chenyi’s?”
Xiao Bobao puffed out its chest with confidence. “Impossible! Mo Mo, you have to trust my alchemical skills! I used only the finest ingredients, and the formula was left by the Supreme Deity. There’s no way it failed!”
Though Bai Mo and Yu Chenyi weren’t pleased about the separation of their names, they could only swallow their dissatisfaction, given that the male lead was the Third Prince. A minor slight like this wasn’t worth making a fuss over.
Through Minister Bai, they learned the details of the upcoming wedding.
Since Bai Mo and Yu Chenyi had been on their honeymoon and had no interest in dealing with Lan Gaoyi before, now that Lan Gaoyi was practically delivering himself to their doorstep, it was the perfect chance to settle both old and new grudges at once.
The Bai and Yu families prepared their wedding gifts, and on the day of the Third Prince’s marriage, Bai Mo and Yu Chenyi arrived together.
Due to the limitations of her status as a concubine, and Lan Gaoyi’s much higher rank, he only needed to wait inside for the wedding sedan to be carried in. As the celebratory music filled the air, Bai Mo and Yu Chenyi arrived at Lan Gaoyi’s private palace and handed their gift to the eunuch announcing the offerings.
“Minister of the Ministry of Justice and Imperial Censor Yu present their gifts—” the young eunuch called out.
Hearing the announcement, Lan Gaoyi turned his gaze toward the bustling crowd, yet in his eyes, he only saw Bai Mo.
Now married, Bai Mo possessed a newfound charm. He was no longer just pure and innocent—his beauty had become more alluring, a captivating blend of sensuality and innocence. Rather than clashing, the two qualities intertwined seamlessly, making him even more irresistible.
The young man had grown even more stunning than before.
Lan Gaoyi’s gaze was hazy, the corners of his lips curling into a mysterious smile—strange, yet tinged with a hint of malice.
Watching Yu Chenyi conversing cheerfully with the young man, an inexplicable fire ignited in his chest. That unsettling sense of discord from before returned.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to be. The young man wasn’t supposed to be standing beside Yu Chenyi. In this grand and joyous wedding hall, he and the young man should have been the ones dressed in red, bowing together to Heaven and Earth, to their parents.
Minister Bai, who was exchanging pleasantries with his colleagues, inadvertently caught sight of the Third Prince’s expression. His heart tightened, and he hurried forward to offer his congratulations.
“Your Highness, congratulations on your joyous occasion! Wishing you all the best.”
Lan Gaoyi, his gaze obstructed, was forced to pull his eyes away. With a half-smile, he replied, “To be honest, I wasn’t particularly thrilled at first, but after seeing your esteemed son, I find myself feeling much more at ease.”
His blatantly suggestive remark stoked Minister Bai’s anger. However, with so many officials present, he couldn’t afford to openly express his displeasure. Smiling stiffly, he exchanged a few more polite words before walking away.
Meanwhile, Bai Mo was sticking close to Yu Chenyi, uninterested in getting involved with the male lead. He had come to the wedding for the food, not to establish any connections with Lan Gaoyi. He had no intention of approaching him.
But as the saying goes, “If the mountain won’t come to me, then I will go to the mountain.” Sure enough, Lan Gaoyi left the wedding hall and strode toward the outer courtyard.
As the groom, every move he made naturally drew the attention of the guests. Before long, the entire crowd’s focus shifted to where Lan Gaoyi, Bai Mo, and Yu Chenyi stood.
A married couple and the groom—no matter how one looked at it, the combination felt bizarre. Some young noblemen, who understood the undercurrents at play, couldn’t help but tense up. This was turning into a battlefield of jealousy.
“Mo Mo, I’m really happy that you came,” Lan Gaoyi said, his gaze greedily sweeping over Bai Mo from head to toe, lingering on every detail—from his hair, to his delicate face, to his slender neck, unwilling to miss a single inch.
Bai Mo found his stare utterly repulsive. Frowning, he said, “Congratulations, Your Highness, on your wedding. My husband and I have already delivered our gift.” He then quickly stepped behind Yu Chenyi and mentally complained to his System, Xiao Bobao.
…
Yu Chenyi, ever the picture of a refined gentleman, acted as if he hadn’t noticed Lan Gaoyi’s lecherous thoughts. However, he made sure to subtly emphasize his and Bai Mo’s status as a married couple, warmly congratulating Lan Gaoyi on gaining a beautiful bride.
Just then, the wedding music shifted tempo—signaling that Wei Yuyan’s bridal sedan had arrived at the entrance. The wedding matron approached Lan Gaoyi, inviting him to step forward and kick the sedan door open, officially welcoming his bride inside.
This step could have been skipped, but among the officials attending the celebration, some were affiliated with the Prime Minister. No matter what, Lan Gaoyi had to maintain appearances. He cast a deep glance at Bai Mo before following the wedding matron toward the entrance.
Bai Mo tugged on Yu Chenyi’s sleeve and whispered, “Brother Chenyi, what’s your plan?” He was truly disgusted—how could the male lead be this nauseating?
“You’ll find out soon,” Yu Chenyi replied with a mischievous smirk. “It’s not the right time just yet.”
Good things are most effective when used at the perfect moment.
Marrying Lan Gaoyi again, Wei Yuyan felt nothing like she did the first time—no nervousness, no excitement, no shyness. Underneath the red wedding veil, her face was filled with scorn and hatred.
When Lan Gaoyi kicked open the sedan door and reached out to take her hand, her body stiffened for a brief moment before slowly relaxing. Stepping over the ceremonial fire basin, she was led toward the wedding hall.
Since she was merely a concubine, the Emperor did not personally preside over the ceremony. As the officiant announced the rites, the couple bowed to Heaven and Earth, then turned toward the palace where the Emperor resided and paid their respects. With the final husband-and-wife bow, the ceremony was complete. The bride was then escorted to the bridal chamber.
As per custom, the Prime Minister and his wife could not attend the wedding in person, but their disciples and subordinates were present. To maintain appearances, Lan Gaoyi acted as if he valued Wei Yuyan greatly, chatting and laughing with the officials as if he were deeply invested in this marriage.
Meanwhile, Bai Mo, true to his words, was there purely for the food. Opportunities to indulge in the imperial kitchen’s delicacies were rare, so he was determined to eat his fill while he could.
His pet snow ferret was busy eating, while Yu Chenyi focused on feeding him. At their table, the two of them were dazzling enough to blind onlookers.
The Third Prince, holding a wine cup, made his way around the room, drinking with the young talents in attendance. Before long, he reached Bai Mo’s table, and the first person he called out to was Bai Mo himself.
“Mo Mo, have a drink with me,” Lan Gaoyi said.
Everyone knew that Bai Mo and Yu Chenyi were highly regarded by the Emperor. Once their honeymoon period ended, they would likely be assigned important duties. It made sense that the Third Prince would want to build a connection with them.
Bai Mo, holding the carbonated water he had secretly swapped in place of wine, was about to down it in one go when Lan Gaoyi, seemingly drunk, swayed and bumped into the table. The impact knocked over a wine jug, spilling its contents all over Bai Mo’s clothes.
“My apologies, I’ve had too much to drink,” Lan Gaoyi said with feigned regret. “Let the palace attendants take you to change into fresh clothes.” A flash of triumph flickered under his lowered eyelids, but Yu Chenyi caught it instantly.
“No trouble at all,” Yu Chenyi said smoothly, raising his cup. “A humble subject like me offers a toast to Your Highness.”
As Lan Gaoyi’s eyes practically glued themselves to Bai Mo, Yu Chenyi, resting his hand on the edge of the table, discreetly channeled his inner energy. The liquid inside his wine cup swayed slightly, allowing an unknown white powder to dissolve seamlessly into the wine.
Lan Gaoyi, thrilled by the thought that he would soon have the boy in his grasp, was completely oblivious to Yu Chenyi’s smiling face, beneath which lay an icy coldness.
When people are too happy, they tend to let their guard down.
Lan Gaoyi was no exception. Watching Bai Mo leave with a young eunuch, accompanied by Yu Chenyi, to change his clothes in the side chamber, Lan Gaoyi felt utterly at ease.
In his eyes, Yu Chenyi, despite receiving praise from the Emperor, was nothing special—just a lucky fool who happened to solve a kidnapping case thanks to the help of Prefect Bai and Minister Bai. As long as Bai Mo entered the carefully prepared room, getting rid of Yu Chenyi would be a mere afterthought.
The wedding banquet continued, and everyone enjoyed themselves—except for Minister Bai and Censor-in-Chief Yu. However, the rest of the guests seemed to have completely forgotten about the two missing newlyweds, who had been gone for quite some time.
As the banquet neared its end, Censor Yu could no longer suppress his worry and was about to go search for them when Minister Bai held him back.
“Don’t panic. Trust the children.”
Minister Bai was actually more anxious than Censor Yu, especially since the one the Third Prince coveted was his own son. But Bai Mo had assured him multiple times that everything was under control, so all he could do was endure and wait for the outcome.
Surrounded by his attendants, the Third Prince made his way back to the rear hall, while the guests gradually dispersed. Meanwhile, Censor Yu and Minister Bai were personally escorted back to their residences by the eunuchs whom Lan Gaoyi had specially instructed to ensure they wouldn’t interfere.
However, the ones who were supposed to be subdued—Yu Chenyi and Bai Mo—were instead watching a drugged eunuch put on an impromptu performance.
The door creaked open with a soft “squeak,” followed by the sound of the Third Prince dismissing his attendants.
Not long after, the main character made his grand entrance. Completely convinced that the silhouette behind the curtain belonged to Bai Mo, he hastily stripped off his robes and lunged forward in excitement.
Wisps of white smoke curled upward from the incense burner—it contained a secret imperial aphrodisiac, designed to enhance pleasure and induce hallucinations.
The Third Prince, overwhelmed with desire, pounced toward the figure in the bed. However, the drug hidden in his wine had fully taken effect. No matter how hard he tried, his body refused to respond like a man’s should.
Instead, in his moment of desperation, the eager young eunuch—using the very tools Lan Gaoyi had prepared—turned the tables on him…
Yu Chenyi and Bai Mo hid on the ceiling beams, watching the events unfold below. The curious little snow ferret stretched its neck, trying to peek down.
Shadows flickered on the curtain, casting vague silhouettes. Just as Bai Mo was about to get a clear look at what was happening inside, a silk ribbon suddenly covered his eyes, and his ears were firmly cupped by Yu Chenyi. With a push of his inner force, Yu Chenyi flung open the window and carried Bai Mo away from the scene.
“Brother Chenyi, but… he’s a eunuch! Can a eunuch even do that? How do those tools even work?” The boy pulled down the silk ribbon, his eyes shining with curiosity, persistently pressing for answers.
This was a complete knowledge gap for him. The system, Xiao Bobao, never allowed Bai Mo to read excessively inappropriate books, and in previous worlds, Yu Chenyi had never subjected Bai Mo to such crude matters. As a result, Bai Mo was utterly clueless when it came to certain deeper aspects.
Faced with the boy’s bright, eager gaze, Yu Chenyi felt his scalp tingle. This filth was not something Mo Mo should be learning about.
“I… don’t know either.” Yu Chenyi feigned ignorance as his only escape from Bai Mo’s relentless questioning.
“Alright then.” Bai Mo shut his mouth, realizing he had asked the wrong person. Brother Chenyi was even more innocent than he was—how could he possibly know the answer?
But someone had to know. Like, for example… the system!
“Xiao Bobao~ Quick, scan the room! What exactly is the protagonist doing in there?” Bai Mo chuckled, brimming with curiosity.
Xiao Bobao: “! Ah… the scanning function is currently being upgraded. I can’t see anything.”
In reality, Xiao Bobao could see it. However, the scene inside was far too graphic—entirely unsuitable for small animals to witness. It was intense enough to cause psychological discomfort.
The system, now resembling a tiny red panda, shook its head desperately.
Don’t ask me. I don’t know anything. I’d pay a fortune for a pair of eyes that had never seen that.