I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 16

In the bathing room, there were only Cui Lingjing and Xueya. Cui Lingjing listened to the young man’s crying in his arms, finding it both amusing and irresistible to hear more. Everyone around him was astute, whether former ministers from the previous dynasty or the palace attendants who served him closely; they all buried their intentions deep. None were like Xueya, who wore his desire for advancement so openly on his face.

Did he like him?

Not necessarily.

He liked his power and status almost as much.

Cui Lingjing believed he hadn’t particularly favored Xueya, so why was the other so devoted to him now?

“Treat you? How should I treat you?” Cui Lingjing’s tone carried a hint of mockery.

Xueya still lingered in Cui Lingjing’s embrace. Upon hearing this, he raised his head slightly. Having cried twice today, his eyelids were already tinged with red, making him look pitiful. “This servant… wants to serve Your Majesty by your side.”

“Aren’t you by my side now?” Cui Lingjing looked at Xueya, saw the tears on his cheeks, and couldn’t help but flick them away with his fingers, wiping them off Xueya’s clothes. After wiping them away, he lifted his hand to pinch Xueya’s face.

Soft and doughy, easy to pinch.

Xueya didn’t like his face being pinched, especially since it hurt a bit now. So he tried to hide by tightening his hold around Cui Lingjing’s neck, saying as he did so, “But this servant rarely gets to see Your Majesty.”

“Why do you need to see me?” Cui Lingjing noticed Xueya’s little scheme, chuckled coldly, and persisted in pinching his face, causing Xueya to frown but not dare to protest.

“I like Your Majesty.” Xueya had just spoken when the hand on his face suddenly exerted more force, causing him to inhale sharply.

“Tell the truth.”

Cui Lingjing seemed to be losing patience with Xueya’s games. His tone grew colder. Sensing this, Xueya quickly said, “They bully this servant. Every day I eat leftovers, and they say this servant… isn’t man enough or woman enough.”

Cui Lingjing sneered, “Aren’t you neither man enough nor woman enough?”

He released Xueya’s face and instead patted his chest. With the weather being cold, Xueya was dressed more heavily, making it even harder to tell he was a young man. To others who didn’t know the situation, they might think this slight girl was slightly shriveled in stature.

Xueya bit his lip and fell silent.

Seeing Xueya sulking, Cui Lingjing couldn’t help but laugh. Today, he was indeed in a good mood, and part of it was due to Xueya. If it weren’t for Xueya having hooked the stupid Consort Shu into doing something foolish, he wouldn’t have been able to drive Imperial Tutor Xu out of the capital.

Because of this, he was a bit more patient with Xueya today. He even inquired about the “leftovers” issue, “Why are you eating leftovers?”

“Those people always make this servant eat last. I eat whatever is left. It wasn’t too bad before, but these days the food is getting colder faster, and it’s hard to swallow.” Xueya complained, though in reality, he had been pouring out the cold food and going to He Xulan’s for good food lately.

Cui Lingjing drew out his words, “Just because of this, did you lie to me?”

Xueya hurriedly shook his head, “This servant did not lie. This servant likes Your Majesty and wants to serve Your Majesty by your side.” He paused, lowering his voice, “And I want to eat hot meals.”

Cui Lingjing narrowed his eyes at Xueya. After a while, he smirked, “I see. From now on, I’ll make sure you get hot meals. Now go.”

Xueya was stunned for a moment. He looked at the door, then back at Cui Lingjing, still wanting to continue to linger in his embrace. But then he heard Cui Lingjing say, “If you sit on my lap again, I’ll have someone drag you out and give you a beating.”

This threat made Xueya quickly stand up. He could only bow to Cui Lingjing and exit the bathing room.

Left alone in the bathing room, Cui Lingjing sighed softly and adjusted his loosened collar that Xueya had disturbed.

This little broken rabbit actually smells quite nice.

***

The next day, Xueya found someone delivering food directly to his room, and the meals were much better than what he had previously received in the Fengrui Palace. However, eating hot meals was not Xueya’s true goal; he desired wealth and glory.

So Xueya began to stalk Cui Lingjing again. Finally, on the fifth day, he caught up with him. He hurriedly knelt down to pay his respects, but Cui Lingjing walked away without even looking at him. Xueya didn’t give up. He got up and followed, but was stopped before the study room.

“What are you doing?” The person stopping him was Xu Pingnan.

Since it was Xu Pingnan, Xueya wasn’t too flustered. He smiled at Xu Pingnan, “I’m going to serve His Majesty.”

“His Majesty didn’t summon you.” Xu Pingnan said.

“His Majesty did summon me, just didn’t say so. He communicated it with his eyes.” Xueya boldly lied.

Xu Pingnan frowned. Before he could say anything, Xueya interrupted, “Xu Gonggong, about… ‘Jade’.”

He only mentioned the word “Jade,” but it was enough to make Xu Pingnan understand. Xu Pingnan glanced around, lowered his voice, “Alright, you dare threaten me.”

“I dare not. It’s just that if I have a chance to rise, Xu Gonggong will naturally benefit greatly too. Last time I went to serve in the bathing room and spent a long time alone with His Majesty. Xu Gonggong should know about this? Later, His Majesty also sent someone to deliver food to me every day. Xu Gonggong, if you give me a chance, it’s also giving yourself a chance.” Xueya smirked, “Doesn’t Xu Gonggong want to rise to the position of Chief Eunuch?”

“Shut up!” Xu Pingnan’s face turned extremely panicked, but Xueya could see a faint excitement in his eyes. Xu Pingnan looked around again and lowered his voice even more, “Later, when you bring in the tea, this is my last time helping you. Don’t think about finding me next time.”

“Rest assured, Gonggong, I will certainly repay you in the future,” Xueya said with a smile.

About fifteen minutes later, Xu Pingnan called Xueya in to serve tea. Cui Lingjing was busy reviewing memorials and didn’t look up. Xueya placed the tea cup on Cui Lingjing’s left side, sneaking a glance at the memorials.

He couldn’t understand them.

Pressing his lips together, Xueya softly said, “Your Majesty, please have some tea to warm yourself.”

Cui Lingjing didn’t respond and continued reading the memorials. After a pause, Xueya added, “Allow me to massage Your Majesty’s shoulders.”

Without waiting for a response, Xueya moved behind Cui Lingjing. Since Cui Lingjing didn’t object, Xueya began massaging his shoulders.

After a long while without any acknowledgment from Cui Lingjing, Xueya felt a bit disappointed. His eyes darted around, and he had a mischievous idea. His hands began to slide down from Cui Lingjing’s shoulders, but he was quickly interrupted by a warning tone.

“Do you want to lose your hands?”

Xueya quickly pulled his hands back.

Cui Lingjing, feeling somewhat tired, closed his eyes and tossed the memorial aside. “How did you sneak in here?”

“I didn’t sneak in, Your Majesty. I came to serve tea,” Xueya explained as he began massaging Cui Lingjing’s temples. Cui Lingjing seemed to enjoy it, his expression relaxing.

As Xueya continued, he noticed that Cui Lingjing had fallen asleep. Curiously, he peeked at Cui Lingjing’s face. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, indicating poor sleep.

Being an emperor was indeed hard work, but being favored by the emperor would make life easier.

Xueya’s goal was to become someone favored by the emperor, needing only to serve him well.

Cui Lingjing woke up fifteen minutes later, surprised to find Xueya still massaging him. “Why are you still here?”

Despite his aching hands, Xueya continued, “Your Majesty works so hard; I want to help ease your burden.”

Cui Lingjing, accustomed to being served, barely registered Xueya’s effort. He glanced at the teacup on the table. “Bring me a fresh cup of tea.”

Xueya quickly complied. As Cui Lingjing sipped his tea, he noticed Xueya’s trembling hands. “With your hands shaking like that, what kind of massage can you give?”

Embarrassed, Xueya hid his hands in his sleeves. Cui Lingjing then asked, “Have you been eating hot meals lately?”

His tone carried a mocking edge, as to someone of Cui Lingjing’s stature, a hot meal was trivial. It was only someone like Xueya who would make a big deal out of it. To come before him just for a hot meal seemed absurd.

Not catching the underlying mockery, Xueya thought Cui Lingjing was showing concern and smiled brightly, “Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

“If you’re eating well, why are you still lingering around me?” Cui Lingjing rested his head on one hand and looked at Xueya. “What do you want this time?”

Meeting Cui Lingjing’s gaze, Xueya became serious. “I want to serve Your Majesty closely.”

Cui Lingjing smirked but didn’t give a clear response. He just stared at Xueya, making him uneasy.

Suddenly, Cui Lingjing asked, “Do you know any songs? What was my father’s favorite?”

“‘Yearning,’” Xueya replied.

“Sing it for me.”

After singing the song, Xueya finally earned the opportunity to serve Cui Lingjing closely. However, there were many others also vying for this role, and even simple tasks like serving tea were competitive.

One day, Xueya managed to get the task of serving tea and found Cui Lingjing practicing calligraphy. After placing the tea cup down, Xueya flattered him, “Your calligraphy is beautiful, Your Majesty.”

Cui Lingjing glanced at him. “Do you know how to read?”

“A little,” Xueya replied sheepishly. He had been learning how to grind ink, so he moved to grind ink for Cui Lingjing. When the ink was ready, he said, “I wish I could write as beautifully as Your Majesty.”

In truth, Xueya thought He Xulan’s handwriting was even more beautiful than Cui Lingjing’s, though he couldn’t explain why. Remembering He Xulan, Xueya was even more determined to win Cui Lingjing’s favor.

“Your Majesty, could you teach me to write?”

For some reason, perhaps flattery or a good mood, Cui Lingjing agreed. “Alright, do you know how to write your name?”

Xueya’s eyes gleamed. “I do, but not well.”

Cui Lingjing wrote “Xueya” on paper and instructed, “Practice this…”

Before he could finish, Xueya boldly slid under Cui Lingjing’s arm into his embrace.

Xueya not only daringly slid under Cui Lingjing’s arm but also forced his hand between Cui Lingjing’s hand and the brush, making Cui Lingjing hold his hand instead.

After doing this, Xueya looked back at Cui Lingjing, eyes filled with allure. “Your Majesty, I can’t practice by myself. Can you teach me like this?”

Cui Lingjing looked at Xueya’s face, which bore a striking resemblance to He Xulan, and his Adam’s apple moved slightly. He slowly tightened his grip on Xueya’s hand, but just then, a voice announced from outside—

“Your Majesty, the Prime Minister has arrived.”

Panic flashed in Cui Lingjing’s eyes. He exchanged a glance with Xueya before shoving him under the desk.

Author’s note:

Xueya: ??? Why is it always under the desk?