Xueya didn’t quite catch what Cui Lingjing said. “What did Your Majesty say?”
Cui Lingjing snapped out of his thoughts, suddenly realizing he had spoken incorrectly in front of Xueya. His expression turned cold, he withdrew his hand, and said, “It’s nothing.”
Seeing Cui Lingjing’s mood shifting again, Xueya hesitated to speak. But Cui Lingjing soon spoke again, “Why weren’t you staying under the viewing tower last night? How did you end up falling into Pingzhou Lake?”
This was exactly what Xueya wanted to discuss with Cui Lingjing. He bit his lip and cautiously said, “I was indeed under the viewing tower, but I felt cold later and wanted to have a cup of tea. When passing by the arched bridge over Pingzhou Lake, I…” He paused.
“Don’t stammer,” Cui Lingjing furrowed his brows.
“I was bumped from behind and fell into the lake,” Xueya finished his sentence.
Cui Lingjing’s brow furrowed even tighter. “Bumped into? Did you see who it was?”
“No, it happened too quickly. I didn’t see,” Xueya said anxiously, looking at Cui Lingjing, speaking softly, “Your Majesty, why would someone want to kill me?”
Cui Lingjing seemed to be pondering something and didn’t answer Xueya’s question. After a while, he spoke again, “I already know about this. I’ll have people investigate. But don’t tell anyone else about this, understand?”
Xueya nodded, then grabbed Cui Lingjing’s sleeve as if clinging to a life-saving straw. “Your Majesty will protect me, right?”
Looking up at him, his eyes full of hope.
Cui Lingjing glanced at the hand gripping his sleeve, pulled it back, “Focus on recovering. Don’t think too much.”
After Cui Lingjing left, Xueya bit his lip until it hurt, then suddenly let go.
It’s okay, Cui Lingjing doesn’t like him now, but he will like him in the future.
Right now, he hasn’t gained nothing. At least he knows that He Xulan and Yi Yefeng are deeply connected, likely in an illicit relationship.
The cold came violently but receded slowly. Xueya gradually recovered after drinking medicine for seven days. As for Cui Lingjing, he only visited once on the first day and never returned.
It was said that Cui Lingjing went to Ningfu Palace every day. Xueya couldn’t help but wonder why no one knew that Cui Lingjing admired He Xulan.
Did those people not think about it? Or were they afraid to?
Because Cui Lingjing visited He Xulan daily, Xueya became even more jealous. He turned jealousy into appetite, and when he recovered, his face became round.
After the New Year, Cui Lingjing only took a three-day leave. When the holiday ended, the memorials piled up like mountains, and the news from Dongdan Mansion was also bad. This made Cui Lingjing’s mood very bad, and only when he went to Ningfu Palace did he find a moment of peace.
But the person in Ningfu Palace wouldn’t let him stay too long.
Thinking of this, a shadow passed over Cui Lingjing’s eyes. If his father hadn’t used the pretext of the Astronomical Bureau to force He Xulan to be chosen as Empress, perhaps He Xulan wouldn’t be so distant from him now.
Four years ago, He Xulan had smiled at him and called him gently the Crown Prince.
Cui Lingjing rubbed his forehead with his hand, the feeling of irritability growing inside him. Suddenly, he heard voices outside the window, accompanied by laughter, which made him even more annoyed. “Who’s out there?”
The voices outside abruptly stopped.
After a while, someone came in.
It was Xueya.
Today, Xueya was wearing a lotus-colored jacket, with two white tassels hanging from the front, swaying as he walked, even catching Cui Lingjing’s attention. Xueya held a branch of plum blossoms in his hand, with a gentle smile on his face. “I just saw this plum blossom blooming beautifully outside, and I wanted to put it in Your Majesty’s vase.”
Cui Lingjing didn’t say anything. Xueya walked to the side of the table, put the plum branch he had picked into the vase without permission, and smiled sweetly at Cui Lingjing, “Your Majesty, today is the Lantern Festival.”
“Already the Lantern Festival?” Cui Lingjing was momentarily dazed, realizing that time had passed too quickly, and it had been over a month since Yin Qingxuan and his group went to Dongdan Mansion.
Thinking of this, Cui Lingjing stood up. “Someone come.”
Immediately, a palace attendant came in.
“Prepare casual clothes for me. I’m leaving the palace.”
Cui Lingjing’s words delighted Xueya, who quickly said, “Your Majesty, if you’re leaving the palace, can I accompany you?”
Cui Lingjing glanced at Xueya. “What would you do going with me?”
“I can serve Your Majesty. I grew up with the common folk, so I’m familiar with them,” Xueya’s words were quickly rejected, and Cui Lingjing sneered, “You came from a small place. Do you understand the capital?”
Xueya closed his mouth, unable to help but think that Cui Lingjing was difficult to serve. No wonder He Xulan preferred to associate with a general rather than pay attention to Cui Lingjing.
This guy, who cares about him.
Cui Lingjing was served by people who changed into casual clothes and walked out of the hall, looking back, “Not going out?”
Xueya’s eyes lit up again. He ran to Cui Lingjing’s side in a few steps. “Your Majesty, are you really taking me out?”
“You talk too much, so I won’t take you,” Cui Lingjing said, then turned to the chief eunuch. “Send someone to Ningfu Palace and ask if the Empress Dowager plans to accompany me today when I go out in disguise.”
The chief eunuch hesitated. “Your Majesty, His late Majesty…”
Before he could finish, Cui Lingjing interrupted, “That was many years ago. What year is it now? If I say we can go out, then we can go. Just send more people to follow.”
The chief eunuch dared not say more, nodding repeatedly. “I will send someone to inquire.”
“No, you go yourself,” Cui Lingjing changed his mind.
“Yes,” the chief eunuch quickly left.
Xueya didn’t understand what they were talking about, but he knew He Xulan was likely to accompany them out of the palace. He became alert and silently prayed that He Xulan wouldn’t come. However, he was disappointed as He Xulan agreed.
Because they were disguising as commoners, Cui Lingjing only prepared a carriage. However, due to the importance of the Emperor and Empress Dowager’s safety, there were over a hundred Imperial Guards secretly following, and openly, a dozen attendants.
Xueya thought that he would change out of his jacket when leaving the palace. To his surprise, Cui Lingjing asked him to wear the same outfit. He was given a red cape.
The cape had a furry collar that neatly wrapped around his neck, making his face look even rounder, resembling a New Year’s painting doll from afar.
Cui Lingjing was in a better mood, perhaps because He Xulan would be joining them. When he saw Xueya, he couldn’t help but smile. He gestured to their heights and joked, “How come you haven’t grown taller over the years?”
“I have!” Xueya measured his height against a wall every day with charcoal. Although he had grown a bit taller, he was nowhere near as fast as Cui Lingjing.
Cui Lingjing grew up like bamboo shoots after a rain, very quickly. Xueya also noticed that Cui Lingjing seemed to be changing his tone.
Thinking of the change in voice, Xueya’s eyes dimmed. Small servants like them had been fed medicine since childhood that prevented them from ever changing their voices. The madam said that without a change in voice, the sung songs would be clear and melodious.
Cui Lingjing had wanted to say Xueya was short, but He Xulan arrived.
He Xulan changed into casual clothes, with a jade crown and a fur cloak, looking elegant and handsome. Even Xueya couldn’t help but be in a daze, let alone Cui Lingjing.
“Only one carriage?” He Xulan glanced faintly at the carriage.
Cui Lingjing said, “Yes, thinking of sneaking out of the palace, it’s better to keep a low profile. Godfather, please get on the carriage.”
He Xulan nodded and turned to get into the carriage. Cui Lingjing was about to follow, but a fair white hand pushed open the carved carriage window. “Your Majesty.”
“Godfather, please speak.” Cui Lingjing stopped and climbed into the carriage.
He Xulan’s gaze swept around Xueya, then he said, “Is he coming with us?”
Hearing this, Cui Lingjing almost immediately said without hesitation, “If Godfather doesn’t want him to come, let him stay in the palace.”
“No, I mean, he’s dressed like this, so he can’t walk with the eunuchs and soldiers.” He Xulan’s fingers knocked on the carriage window a few times, urging Cui Lingjing to give an answer.
Cui Lingjing hesitated, “Then let him ride with us.”
So Xueya took the opportunity to climb into the carriage. Naturally, he was happy not to walk and hinder He Xulan and Cui Lingjing.
In the carriage, Xueya poured tea, first handing it to Cui Lingjing. “Your Majesty, have some tea.”
Cui Lingjing didn’t take it. “Give it to the Empress Dowager first.”
Xueya secretly felt unhappy, but on the surface, he could only respectfully hand it to He Xulan. “Empress Dowager, please have some tea.”
He Xulan also didn’t take it, indifferently saying, “Leave it.”
Seeing that He Xulan didn’t take it, Xueya’s fox eyes turned to Cui Lingjing again. “If the Empress Dowager doesn’t want it, would Your Majesty like some?”
He Xulan noticed Xueya trying to please Cui Lingjing, as if he could see a tail growing behind Xueya, wagging back and forth to coax Cui Lingjing. He lowered his eyes, lightly tapping his legs with his fingers. Meanwhile, Cui Lingjing’s mind was on He Xulan. Seeing that He Xulan wasn’t in the mood, he didn’t want to talk to Xueya, turning his head to talk to He Xulan.
Xueya was refused tea again and could only put down the teacup.
At this point, the carriage had already left the palace and was heading towards the Lantern Street. Xueya heard the voices outside gradually rise, and his mood instantly improved. He secretly opened a small crack in the window and glanced outside.
Although it was only a narrow slit, Xueya felt the vitality outside rushing towards him. He was raised in the building when he was a child, and at the age of 15, he was raised in the house. Although he could go out when he was raised in the house, it wasn’t long before he went to the palace.
Although the palace is luxurious, those gorgeous things are far away from him, and he hasn’t taken advantage of the palace. He only felt that the palace was dead.
While staring at the outside, Xueya was suddenly knocked on the head.
Xueya turned his head after taking a breath, meeting Cui Lingjing’s gaze.
“After we get off the carriage, you can’t speak. Pretend you’re mute, understand?”
Xueya was taken aback for a moment, then quickly understood Cui Lingjing’s meaning. Inside the palace, everyone knew he was a man wearing a woman’s robe, so no one would say anything. But outside the palace, if others knew he was a man, they would certainly give him strange looks. It’s one thing for him to be judged, but it would also implicate Cui Lingjing and He Xulan, who were with him.
“I understand.” Xueya nodded gloomily, his fingers unconsciously touching the hanging white pom-pom. He wanted to wear men’s clothes.
***
The carriage stopped.
Xueya followed He Xulan and Cui Lingjing out of the carriage. Lantern Street was indeed bustling, with long rows of lanterns stretching endlessly, resembling shimmering ribbons between the arms of celestial maidens, or majestic dragons.
Pedestrians crowded the streets, and Cui Lingjing clearly wasn’t accustomed to such scenes. From the moment he stepped out of the carriage, he furrowed his brow tightly and occasionally covered his nose and mouth with a handkerchief, clearly disliking the smells around him.
Meanwhile, Xueya was drawn to the lanterns and the night market, especially the food stalls. When he passed a Tangyuan shop, he couldn’t help but stop.
“Wang Jing, do you want to try this?” He Xulan suddenly spoke. They had discussed how to address each other before getting off the carriage—Cui Lingjing split his name “Jing” into “Wang Jing,” while He Xulan used his own courtesy name—
“Lingduan.”
Cui Lingjing didn’t look too pleased at what He Xulan pointed out, but he still nodded reluctantly, “If Older Brother Lingduan wants to eat, then let’s try it.”
He selfishly added “Older Brother” to “Lingduan” to make the other person treat him as he did four years ago.
Xueya hadn’t expected He Xulan to want to eat Tangyuan as well. He secretly thought He Xulan was cunning, but when He and Cui sat down at the shop, he hurried to stand next to them, trying to share the food, when the boss lady approached. The shop was run by a young couple. The boss lady dressed neatly and elegantly, she smiled and approached, first noticing He Xulan sitting there.
He Xulan stood out, and everyone always noticed him first.
The boss lady then glanced at Cui Lingjing before finally turning her gaze to Xueya. “You must be this young gentleman’s little sister, you look so alike.”
Xueya was about to shake his head, but He Xulan spoke up, “Little sister, sit over here.”
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