It took a whole month until Bai Yunyu regained his strength after eating so many flowers that actually tasted like real food, which made everything wasn't really as bad as he expected.
Gardenia tasted like fried chicken, jasmine tasted like matcha cake, rose tasted like stir-fried pork, and chrysanthemum tasted like… something tasty, and it was Yunyu's most favourite to binge on chrysanthemum, especially eating it in with other long stalk flowers.
He was eating another rose while he strolled around the garden. He couldn't leave this garden and around Jiansheng since Jiansheng told him that he was still a ghost in the end, and any worshipped statue would burn him. Which was true since Yunyu experienced the burning sensation when he passed a temple as a ghost once.
Yunyu searched for Pupa, calling for him for three days. He also visited the pavilion in case Pupa was still there. But Pupa just suddenly disappeared. There was no once a day automated message like in the eleventh world too.
[Ah, it's so empty without that floating orange thing…]
[Is it okay? Pupa won't be harmed, right? That thing is almost indestructible...]
[Aish, how can I find Pupa?]
Yunyu sighed as he sat in the pavilion again. He saw the map and letters stacked in this private pavilion that was guarded by many secret guards around. Xu Jiansheng was the Young Master of Xu house, apparently.
Yunyu read some letters while trying to understand the progress that Jiansheng had made for the rebellion and revolution. Since he couldn't leave, this was the only way for him to understand what happened in the outside world.
Yunyu started reading some letters, "It seems that the rebellions are commencing here and there, especially in the newly conquered regions who still couldn't accept their defeat. I don't think Huang Shu has the power to exert dominance to the military since he must've been staying in Palace of Serene Harmony for a while now."
"Besides, he never actually has power over the military generals. They mostly prefer me as their commander instead," Yunyu said while he kept reading more letters.
"Hm… the soldiers have been demoralized and dispersed? What is this? I thought the generals should be able to give their soldiers morality as long as they are alive," Yunyu commented as he read the letter saying many rebellions in smaller regions was in favour of the rebels' side. Because the military didn't seem to be fighting at their greatest.
All of them had been demoralized for some reason.
"That's because you've died a horrible death, Yunyu," Yunyu was stunned when Jiansheng suddenly came to the pavilion and hugged him from behind. Jiansheng kissed Yunyu's cheek and then pointed at one letter on the table.
"You see, when those soldiers are chasing me down in the palace, and they stumbled upon you in the Cold Palace. They seemed to be very obedient and sound sad to see your condition. So I guessed that you have a big influence in the military instead of that bastard Emperor."
"So all I do is to spread the news that had been hidden by that bastard Emperor. About your death, and how heartbreaking your death is, with you starved to death after you got banished. It's proven to be efficient enough to demoralize the army of this nation," Xu Jiansheng explained. "With that Emperor not taking any active measure over the rebellion and leaving everything to the minister who isn't strong enough to maintain the country without the presence of their Emperor or Empress, it's not hard for me to start whittling down that bastard Emperor's power and influence."
Xu Jiansheng explained everything to Bai Yunyu. He sat down with a smile on his face and pulled Yunyu in, so Yunyu could sit in his lap. He wrapped his arm around Yunyu's body and asked, "Why are you checking the progress? Are you curious?"
Bai Yunyu gulped when Jiansheng asked him. Because he felt like Jiansheng was actually watching him the whole time as if he watched whether Yunyu would do something suspicious.
[Why am I so nervous about it? Jiansheng won't hurt me, right?]
Yunyu took a deep breath and answered, "Well, I just want to know how far have you progressed. It seems that you have a lot more control than what I imagined."
Yunyu turned his head, so their eyes met, "You never told me about yourself, Jiansheng. Mind telling me why are you so fixed to destroy the Emperor?"
Jiansheng smiled and nodded, "I will tell anything you want to know, Yunyu."
"As you know, my family, Xu family, is a marquis family from this region. That's why you've met me once when I was only twelve, right? When there was a banquet in the forbidden city for the nobles."
"Yes…" Yunyu said.
"Well, my father has a branch family including my grandfather and many of his siblings alongside their children. They were all living as a barony in Shi Lan region, a region quite far from the forbidden city."
"The region is a region under the neighbouring Zhu country, a small nation that was sooner or later would be conquered anyway."
"Ah yes, Zhu country, I've ought to think about using diplomacy rather than a hard measure like a war in there. Since it's not a big country and doesn't seem to be an aggressive one as well," Yunyu added. He still remembered reading about the Zhu country in the world background, but he had no idea what happened with the country after he got banished to the Cold Palace.
Xu Jiansheng scoffed mirthlessly and continued, "That bastard Emperor conquered Zhu country by fear, but he did it by massacring the bordering region with this Empire, which is Shi Lan region, where my grandparents and relatives lived. My father tried to bring my family to his household, but they refused, saying that they have been a barony house for so long, they cannot leave their home."
"In the end, my father opposed Emperor Xianglian, begging him to stop the plan. But he was so fixed upon conquering, so he just killed my dad by beheading him with his sword."
Xu Jiansheng's wrapped Yunyu tighter as his emotion starting to fluctuate, "In the end, he killed really massacred everyone in Shi Lan region, including my entire family one and a half year ago. My mother was too heartbroken that she died due to grieving just a few weeks after she knew about my dad's death and the entire family massacre."
"I am left alone in this world. My dad had two concubines, and they were fighting to get control in this household, to get control over my dad's wealth. So I just poisoned the one vicious enough to plot for my murder and send the other one with her child to another region."
Xu Jiansheng rested his chin on Yunyu's shoulder, "I am all alone in this world. And I thought I will be alone forever. I don't even plan on taking a wife since my heart never beats for someone else in my life. But when I met you…"
"Bai Yunyu, you're the one whom I love. My star crossed lover."
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