I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 89 Buying and Selling Official Positions

"Eat this, and once you channel your qi into your cervix to neutralize the medicinal properties, you'll be perfectly fine."

Losing a fight to his opponent, and losing in front of his beloved, Gu Mingfeng had never been so humiliated.

He should have simply left and sought revenge later.

But when he heard Fei Xi call out to him, he inexplicably followed her inside.

"Are you afraid I'll hold a grudge about what happened today and target your junior brother in the future?" The arrogant person took the pill, his eyes flickered a few times, and just as the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, he suddenly realized something and sneered unhappily.

"It's not shameful to lose a fight; you can win back the fight fair and square in the future. What's shameful is to try to find someone to back you up after losing and resort to underhanded tactics. I think Prince Gu is definitely not the latter."

Seemingly certain of what she had said, Fei Xi nodded firmly.

Seeing how much the other party trusted him, Gu Mingfeng choked and stared at Fei Xi for a long time.

Not noticing anything unusual, he snorted, swallowed the pill, and circulated his energy as instructed to dissolve its medicinal properties.

After a cup of tea, Gu Mingfeng opened his eyes. Apart from the woman opposite him, everyone else in the flower hall was gone.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw that the plate of apricot blossom pastries in front of the woman was half empty.

When she saw him open his eyes, she smiled at him, still with half a pastry in her mouth.

"Where is Miss Mu?" Gu Mingfeng's heart was pounding wildly. One moment he felt that the person in front of him was not feminine at all, and the next he thought she was really cute.

In his panic, he blurted out the question, then regretted it as soon as it left his mouth. Yet, amidst his regret, he felt that this was exactly what he should be focusing on.

"Tsk, he got angry and went back to his room. Young Master Gu, these days, stories about domineering princes forcing women into marriage aren't popular. No girl would like something like that.

"I'm not joking. A beauty is like jade. If I cannot possess her, I would rather be a broken piece of jade than a whole piece of tile."

The look in their eyes wasn't one of obsessive madness, but rather one of earnest, arrogant arrogance.

Fei Xi remained silent for a moment with a solemn expression, then replied earnestly:

"...Young Master Gu, if we ever become enemies, I will not show any mercy."

The response she received was a contemptuous sneer, as if mocking her for overestimating herself.

Fei Xi didn't argue with him, but changed the subject and got straight to the point:

"Is the one who accompanied you to Zuixianglou today Princess Yongle?"

“That’s right, she’s my mother’s youngest sister. My aunt is not someone to be trifled with. If you have anything you want to ask her, you’d be better off asking me.”

Somewhat surprised Gu Mingfeng would say that, his beautiful face showing an eager expression, as if he would definitely help her achieve her wish as long as she asked.

Fei Xi felt a warmth in her heart, then, recalling her past life, she subtly reminded him:

"An old lion has a natural aversion to any young male that approaches his territory."

"How could you be so sinister!" Gu Mingfeng, who was at the very center of power, immediately understood the meaning behind Fei Xi's words.

I got scolded...

She pouted and looked at this spoiled "naive and innocent" girl, and snorted inwardly.

She wanted to enter the palace, but she didn't seek out powerful ministers, princes, or engage in any shady dealings. Instead, she used mahjong to curry favor with the Empress, all to avoid getting involved in the current struggle for the throne and to prevent causing trouble for her master.

In his previous life, before his rebirth, Prince Gu was sacrificed to Emperor Hua by his own father, Prince Rui.

Hua Di didn't let him off the hook just because he was his grandson.

The kinship in the heavenly family is the most ridiculous thing in the world; it is also extremely precious and can be cherished as a treasure when one is willing.

But when the choice comes, it will be the first one to be abandoned.

Throwing something carelessly on the ground and letting it be trampled into mud is something that people who are blinded by power will not even glance at.

"Young Master Gu, you did not go to Ninghai City with your father, or stay at the Prince Rui's residence in Yanshui Pavilion. Instead, you came to the capital alone. I'm sure you know the reason for this very well. Thank you for your kindness. I know you consider me a friend, which is why you asked me this. However, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. I appreciate your kindness."

Fei Xi patiently explained that she hadn't fallen asleep in the carriage and had actually overheard their conversation. She was just about to follow up by asking about her master's recent situation.

Gu Mingfeng suddenly stood up, looking as if he had just realized something, and said:

"Serve the emperor? You want to go to the palace to find your master?...Wait for my good news."

Huh? That's not what she meant.

Knowing no martial arts skills, she had only chased after him to the door when Prince Gu had already reached the gate a hundred meters away.

Seeing that the person had left without looking back, Fei Xi found it somewhat amusing.

She gave up on chasing after him. She could let the others go, but if Prince Gu offered to help, she wouldn't stand on ceremony with him.

"What's up with him?"

A gentle voice sounded beside her, and Fei Xi turned her head and smiled slightly at the person who came:

"He said he would help me get into the palace and then left. Brother Yi, haven't you gone back yet?"

"Yes, I went to Prince Chengen's residence today and found out some things. I wanted to tell you in the carriage, but I saw you were feeling unwell, so I didn't disturb you. How are you feeling now?" Tang Huaiyi asked with concern.

"It's much better now, let's go inside and talk."

The two looked at each other and smiled, then returned to the flower hall together.

"Buying and selling official positions? Who dares to be so bold!" After Yan Xiaotian was dismissed from his post, there were still people who dared to buy and sell official positions. Fei Xi had a feeling that this matter was not simple.

"In early February, after the Minister of Personnel, Yan Xiaotian, was impeached by the censor, Emperor Hua dismissed him from his post and kept him at home, saying that he would be dealt with after the truth was found. During the time that Minister Yan was idle at home, someone reported that the newly appointed magistrate of Wei'e County was illiterate and that someone must have impersonated him. However, the Ministry of Justice investigated and found that the magistrate's procedures were complete and there were no problems."

"The paperwork is fine, so the problem lies with the Ministry of Personnel, which doesn't have Yan Xiaotian. Is someone trying to use a diversionary tactic?... But how would Prince Cheng'en know about this?"

Seeing that the person immediately grasped the key point, Tang Huaiyi didn't hide anything and said directly:

"This magistrate of Wei'e County is none other than the elder brother of the concubine recently taken by Prince Cheng'en."

"Did Prince Shen tell you this so that you would help him save people?"

Not wanting to speak ill of his elders behind their backs, Tang Huaiyi remained silent.

Today, inside the Prince's residence, Prince Chengen only cared about being poor and didn't ask a single question about his elder brother.

Only after he delivered the "gift" that his elder brother had entrusted to him to the prince did the prince finally release his sleeve with satisfaction.

Before the two could exchange more than a few words, the concubine suddenly ran in from outside and knelt in front of him, crying with tears streaming down her face. She sobbed that her brother was innocent and had been deceived by bad people, and insisted that he take action to save him.

After scolding him a few times, Prince Chengen shamelessly came up to him and asked him to come up with a solution.

My elder brother's maternal grandfather is really confused. His Majesty hasn't even convicted Princess Ruiyun yet, and now he's involved in buying and selling official positions. Does he think his life is too comfortable?

"Does Prince Shen have a death wish? He thinks he has no descendants, Princess Ruiyun is dead, and since there's no heir to the throne, he can do whatever he wants. But what about your elder brother? He hasn't considered that if he dies, everything will be fine, but if His Majesty really blames him, your elder brother will definitely be implicated." Fei Xi was so angry that she started cursing.

“I will not let anything happen to my elder brother, and the other party’s target is probably not Prince Chengen, but my Tang Family Fort.”

There are no coincidences in this world. How could a family whose daughter needs to be sold into servitude as a concubine possibly know how to buy an official position? And it just so happens that they managed to do so at this crucial moment, only to have it exposed afterward.

The person who orchestrated this was merely playing a trick, with their true intentions being to harm Liu Bang.

“No, the buying and selling of official positions is an internal problem within the Ministry of Personnel. No matter how angry Emperor Hua is, the first thing he will investigate is the Ministry of Personnel. He wouldn’t risk the turmoil in the southwest to take action against Tangjiabao for someone who bought an official position. Unless… the other party has other tricks up their sleeve.”

Fei Xi and Tang Huaiyi both thought that the other party's purpose was definitely not aimed at Prince Chengen, but their methods were certainly not as simple as they appeared.

Is the other party planning to expose this on the Emperor's birthday?

No, she had to go to the palace immediately and find out exactly what the Emperor wanted her master to do!