I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 104

Shocked by Cui Lingjing’s words, Xueya was momentarily speechless. It wasn’t until Cui Lingjing impatiently squeezed his hand hard that he managed to squeeze out a few words, “I… don’t know.”

Cui Lingjing’s cold expression remained as he stared at Xueya. “You don’t know?”

“We parted ways a long time ago,” Xueya said, reciting the lie he had thought up on the way back to the capital. “Not long after I left the palace, I regretted it. Life outside was too harsh; I was cold and hungry. Then I had a falling out with the Empress Dowager. When your people came after me, the Empress Dowager and I separated. I don’t know where he went.”

Xueya tried hard to keep his gaze steady so that Cui Lingjing would believe him, but the emperor’s next words sent chills down his spine.

“A lying tongue is useless. Bring the flower shears,” Cui Lingjing ordered the chief eunuch.

Seeing that the chief eunuch was actually fetching the shears, Xueya’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground in terror. He frantically watched the eunuch return with the shears, realizing that his life was now in Cui Lingjing’s hands.

Xueya feared pain and death. Although he had considered that returning to the palace might lead to his demise, he still couldn’t face pain and death calmly.

“Your Majesty, spare me! I’m not lying, I really don’t know where the Empress Dowager went. We were separated, Your Majesty…” Xueya begged as Cui Lingjing took the shears.

His pupils dilated in fear as Cui Lingjing’s gaze shifted to his lips. Overwhelmed by terror, Xueya screamed and tried to back away.

Cui Lingjing narrowed his eyes, and the chief eunuch immediately dragged Xueya forward. The shears drew closer, and as Xueya’s chin was forcefully pulled down, he blacked out and fainted.

When Xueya regained consciousness, he was no longer in the imperial study but in a lavish and unfamiliar palace.

Startled and uncertain, he looked around the grand hall. Then he remembered Cui Lingjing’s threat to cut out his tongue and immediately reached for his neck, opening his mouth. Only after confirming that his tongue was still intact did he breathe a sigh of relief.

However, the relief was short-lived—he was still in the palace. Although Cui Lingjing had always been unpredictable, he had never acted this extreme before. Just thinking about Cui Lingjing filled Xueya with dread.

Not knowing where he was, Xueya got out of bed. The hall was warm, likely heated by an underfloor system. He wandered around the inner chambers and, seeing no one, made his way to the outer rooms.

As he parted the beaded curtain between the inner and outer chambers, the sound alerted someone outside. The palace door swung open.

“Is Niang Niang awake? Do you have any orders?” Two eunuchs stood outside the door.

Xueya noticed their address—they called him “Niang Niang.” Could it be that Cui Lingjing truly intended to make him a noble consort?

But why?

Not only had Cui Lingjing spared him, but he was elevating him to such a high status. Xueya couldn’t help but feel that something was off—something ominous.

It was still dark outside. Hesitating for a moment, Xueya shook his head. “Nothing. Where is this?”

“This is the Beauty Pavilion, a residence His Majesty specially bestowed upon Niang Niang. If Niang Niang has no orders, it’s best to return to bed and rest. Tomorrow is an important day, and it wouldn’t do to be tired.” Although the eunuchs addressed him respectfully, their tone lacked reverence.

Xueya had no choice but to return to bed, though he couldn’t sleep. He stayed awake until dawn before finally drifting off.

The entire day, he remained in the palace. He tried to leave at one point, but the eunuchs outside blocked his way. It wasn’t until the afternoon that palace attendants entered to prepare him for a bath and to change his clothes.

This time, the preparation was even more elaborate than the day before. The headpiece was so heavy that Xueya could barely lift his head. He wore a wide-sleeved red brocade robe embroidered with golden crabapple flowers, paired with a pale pink dress that reached his chest. The fur collar covered his exposed skin, making this outfit even grander than the previous day.

The matron applying his makeup handed him a round fan to cover his face.

Once he was fully dressed, Xueya was seated in a soft palanquin and carried to the palace hall where the banquet was being held. By the time he arrived, the feast had already begun, and the sound of music drifted out from inside. Xueya clutched the fan tightly, his palms sweating with anxiety.

He had no idea what Cui Lingjing intended. Was he really going to make him a noble consort? But… Xueya had no desire to be Cui Lingjing’s consort.

Lost in thought for a moment, he was urged forward by the palace attendants behind him. Left with no choice, he steeled himself and entered the hall. As soon as he stepped inside, the music stopped abruptly.

Cui Lingjing sat at the head of the hall, leaning slightly as he watched Xueya enter. His face was expressionless until Xueya knelt to pay his respects.

“Come here,” Cui Lingjing ordered in front of all the civil and military officials.

Xueya gritted his teeth and got up, walking toward Cui Lingjing. As he moved, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye, and he couldn’t help but turn his head slightly.

The golden hairpin on his head swayed with his movement, producing a crisp sound.

It was Yin Qingxuan.

Yin Qingxuan was looking at him, but when Xueya met his gaze, Yin Qingxuan quickly looked away.

Seeing this, Xueya withdrew his gaze as well. Yin Qingxuan would not save him—he should not have any illusions.

Even though Xueya tried to delay by walking as slowly as possible, the palace hall was only so large. Eventually, he reached Cui Lingjing’s side. Before he could even call out “Your Majesty,” he was yanked forward and fell onto Cui Lingjing’s dragon throne.

The ministers below visibly stirred, murmurs rising. Xueya faintly heard a few of them saying that this violated the ancestral rules and disrespected the dignity of the royal family by allowing someone else to sit on the dragon throne.

“Your Majesty… Your Majesty, I should get up. I cannot sit here,” Xueya said in panic, attempting to rise, but Cui Lingjing held him by the shoulder.

“Why can’t you sit? If I say you can, you can.” Cui Lingjing scoffed and turned to summon the Chief Imperial Astronomer.

The Chief Imperial Astronomer immediately stood from his seat, came to the center of the hall, and began to speak at length. Xueya didn’t understand much of what he was saying, but he heard his name mentioned, so he knew the speech was about him.

As the Chief Imperial Astronomer spoke, the murmuring of the ministers grew louder. Once he finished, one of the ministers stood up.

“Your Majesty, making a man a consort requires careful consideration. This matter must be deliberated over a long period. While it’s true that there are those in the common folk who favor such relations, the principles of ethics are clear. Men represent yang, and women represent yin. The union of yin and yang is the true order. With no heir under your name, Your Majesty should prioritize the continuity of the dynasty.”

When the minister finished, several others rose to echo his sentiments.

Cui Lingjing listened to all the ministers’ arguments with an unchanged expression. After they finished, he coldly replied, “Are you done? If you’re done, let me speak. I want to make him a noble consort, so he will be a noble consort. If anyone objects, then I’ll make him the empress. Not only will I confer this title upon him, but I will also announce it to the entire empire. Starting tomorrow, there will be three days of nationwide celebration. The marketplaces will remain open through the night, and every household must hang lanterns and red decorations. Those who disobey—beheaded. Any who oppose—beheaded.”

The two mentions of “beheaded” were spoken so lightly, yet they sent chills down the spines of everyone present. Cui Lingjing, clearly enjoying the reactions of his ministers, suddenly pulled Xueya closer and yanked away the fan Xueya had been using to cover his face.

“Look, esteemed ministers, isn’t my Noble Consort Xue beautiful? It would be a shame if I were the only one to see such beauty. Therefore, I plan to have a golden statue made of Noble Consort Xue, build a temple for it, and command the people to worship it.”

The hall, which had been quiet, erupted once again, but Cui Lingjing paid no attention to the uproar. Even as the ministers tried to reason with him in earnest, he simply continued to drink his wine.

It wasn’t until an elderly minister shouted, “I will sacrifice my life to admonish Your Majesty!” and rammed his head into one of the great pillars, killing himself on the spot, that Cui Lingjing finally set down his cup.

With a dark expression, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and spat out two words—

“Bad omen.”

Xueya felt that Cui Lingjing had gone mad.

***

The palace banquet on little New Year Eve dragged on late into the night. None of the ministers were in any mood to enjoy themselves, and none could even muster a smile, especially after witnessing the death of one of their own. Yet Cui Lingjing seemed unaffected, while Xueya, seated beside him, was in utter torment.

When the banquet finally ended, Xueya returned to the Beauty Pavilion, bathed, and changed into sleepwear, hoping to end this nightmarish day. Just as he was about to sleep, an eunuch’s announcement came from outside.

Cui Lingjing had arrived.

The eunuch urged Xueya to quickly prepare himself, saying that the emperor had come to bestow his favor upon him.