Just as Xueya was about to reach the hall door, it closed first, locking shut. Seeing the door wouldn’t budge, he panicked and began to cry, “Open the door! Open the door!”
He frantically pounded on the door, but the outside was silent.
“Stop shouting. I’ve given orders; they won’t open the door,” Cui Lingjing’s voice came from behind him. Hearing the voice, Xueya turned around in a panic and took several steps back when he saw Cui Lingjing was not far away.
“What are you hiding from?” Cui Lingjing, shrouded in dim light, looked alarmingly gaunt. Just three days had passed, and he had lost a significant amount of weight, making him appear like a skeleton draped in luxurious robes. In stark contrast, Xueya, now a favored consort, had been well taken care of; his meals were far better than those on the run, and his face almost glowed with health.
“Your Majesty… I…” Xueya glanced at the coffin in the center of the hall, and as he recognized the dragon and phoenix patterns on it, his fear intensified. Cui Lingjing stepped closer, and Xueya continued to retreat until he realized he had backed into a corner, leaving him no choice but to look for another escape route, but it was already too late.
His arm was suddenly gripped tightly, and Cui Lingjing’s voice rang in his ears.
“Broken rabbit, I’m going to die, and my kingdom will perish. I could let everything else go, but there’s one thing I can’t stop worrying about.” He smiled softly, “Guess what that is?”
As he spoke, he turned Xueya around. The moment Xueya met Cui Lingjing’s gaze, his body trembled uncontrollably. He wanted to push Cui Lingjing away, but even in his weakened state, Cui Lingjing was still much stronger.
“Your Majesty, I don’t want to die. Please spare me,” Xueya pleaded through tears, but the more he cried, the more amused Cui Lingjing seemed, even reaching out to wipe away Xueya’s tears.
“Don’t cry. I’ve made all the necessary preparations. The medicine won’t hurt. Be good, listen to me.” Cui Lingjing spoke gently, leaning closer to Xueya’s face. “Didn’t you want to stay with me? I remember you saying you really liked me, liked me a lot, and wanted me to take care of you. Before I leave, the only thing I can’t stop worrying about is you. If I’m not here and someone bullies you, what will you do? After thinking it over, I’ve decided to take you with me.”
With that, he pulled Xueya toward the coffin.
“I don’t want to… no! Your Majesty!” Xueya struggled desperately, but he couldn’t break free from Cui Lingjing, who dragged him to the side of the coffin. Cui Lingjing looked visibly exhausted, his face much paler than before. He stared at Xueya for a moment before pulling out a vial of medicine.
Seeing the vial made Xueya’s pupils widen in fear. In a moment of sheer panic, he pushed Cui Lingjing away with all his strength and bolted forward. Cui Lingjing fell to the ground, clutching his chest, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He watched as Xueya rushed toward the door, his gaze turning increasingly cold.
“Come! Grab him!”
Cui Lingjing commanded, and the head eunuch rushed in with others. Unlike Cui Lingjing, they quickly overpowered Xueya, pinning him to the ground, holding his chin as they poured the medicine from the vial into his mouth.
Once he took the medicine, Xueya felt his strength gradually fading. He could only watch helplessly as he was lifted into the coffin, Cui Lingjing climbing in beside him.
Cui Lingjing turned to the boy next to him, pulling him into an embrace, as if the unpleasant scent of the medicine had dissipated somewhat.
“It will all be over soon, everything will end,” he said, his voice growing softer. As he spoke, the head eunuch and the others began to close the coffin.
Realizing they were covering the coffin, Xueya tried to sit up but had no strength left. He couldn’t even push Cui Lingjing’s hand away, so he laid in the other’s arms.
Light gradually dimmed, and Xueya cried out, pounding on the walls of the coffin. After a while, he turned to plead with Cui Lingjing, “Your Majesty, let me out…”
Before he could finish, he stopped.
Cui Lingjing remained still.
Xueya suddenly remembered something. In the darkness, he reached out to touch Cui Lingjing’s face.
There was… no breath.
Xueya quickly withdrew his hand.
Cui Lingjing was dead.
Xueya was nearly driven mad with fear, struggling to crawl away from Cui Lingjing, but the coffin was too small. No matter how he tried to avoid it, his body would still brush against Cui Lingjing’s corpse.
“Help! Let me out! Brother, brother, save me!” Xueya cried helplessly, trying to push the coffin lid, but it wouldn’t budge. The lid remained unmoving, and his strength was waning. Eventually, he could only lie in the coffin next to Cui Lingjing.
The coffin was hot and lacked fresh air. Xueya breathed lightly, feeling his body grow heavy. He didn’t know how much time passed, but just as he was about to lose consciousness, light suddenly flooded into his vision.
The sudden brightness made Xueya instinctively shut his eyes. When he opened them again and saw who had come, tears immediately streamed down his face.
“Brother…” he whispered silently.
He Xulan was covered in blood, clearly having just come from a fierce battle. Upon seeing Xueya inside the coffin, he pushed the lid open with force and quickly pulled Xueya out. Having been trapped for some time and dressed in cumbersome clothing, Xueya was drenched in sweat, his hair matted, and his makeup ruined, looking utterly pitiful.
He Xulan first grasped Xueya’s wrist and checked his pulse. Only after confirming his condition did he relax, and upon seeing Xueya’s tear-filled eyes, he quickly pulled him into an embrace, gently stroking his back to comfort him.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Guan Guan,” he whispered, kissing Xueya’s forehead. His gaze shifted to Cui Lingjing in the coffin, filled only with coldness.
Xueya’s heart finally settled when he saw He Xulan, but the shock had taken its toll, and he soon fainted. When he awoke, a day had passed.
Slowly opening his eyes, Xueya felt a lingering confusion about where he was. He turned to look outside, but as soon as he made a sound, it drew attention from outside.
“Awake? Did you sleep well?” He Xulan sat down by the bed. Noticing Xueya staring blankly at him, he raised an eyebrow. “Still not fully awake?”
Xueya blinked, rubbed his eyes, and when he realized that it was indeed He Xulan in front of him, he immediately burst into tears. He cried so hard that He Xulan couldn’t calm him down even while holding him.
However, Xueya couldn’t cry for long, because every time he cried, He Xulan kissed him—on the lips and even catching his tears. What began as an expression of his grievances and fears gradually shifted in meaning.
“Brother,” Xueya’s voice softened.
He Xulan responded and withdrew his hand. “You’ve slept for a long time; you must be hungry. The kitchen has prepared meals, all your favorites. I’ll carry you there.”
Still a bit dazed, Xueya was reluctant to let He Xulan go. But hearing about the food made him hesitate. He bit his lip and gazed at He Xulan’s face.
Having not seen He Xulan for a long time, he felt that He Xulan had become even more handsome.
“I want to eat broher first, then the food later,” Xueya said after his internal struggle, reaching out to wrap his arms around He Xulan’s neck.
