Hearing movement, Xueya hastily pulled down his skirt to cover his legs. When he glanced up, He Xulan was already approaching. He kicked a stool over and placed the basin of hot water on it, with a cloth soaking inside.
He glanced at Xueya’s skirt before looking at Xueya’s face. “Clean first, then apply the medicine.”
Xueya looked at He Xulan, then at the basin. He noticed that He Xulan didn’t seem to intend to leave; he stood there the whole time. Seeing that He Xulan didn’t avoid him, Xueya remembered that the wound on his leg was all because of He Xulan. Annoyed, he reached out and lifted his skirt again.
Xueya thought this action would make He Xulan, a nobleman’s son, turn away. Unexpectedly, He Xulan earnestly scrutinized him, even leaning in to say, “You’re scraped.”
His deep voice reached Xueya’s ears.
Those words shattered the courage Xueya had gathered. Feeling uncomfortable, he awkwardly crossed his legs. Seeing that He Xulan was still watching, he hurriedly pulled down his skirt again. After observing Xueya’s series of movements, He Xulan didn’t say anything, slowly turned around, and faced away from Xueya.
Xueya realized that when He Xulan turned away, he hesitated for a moment, then quickly tended to his wound. He used the cloth to gently wipe away the blood from his leg. It hurt, and he couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
Finally, after applying the medicine, he put his trousers back on, straightened his skirt, and glanced at He Xulan, who was still facing away. Just as he was about to speak, suddenly, there was a commotion outside.
There were hurried footsteps, and the flicker of candlelight outside the window.
Startled by the noise, Xueya had just stood up when Cui Lingjing’s voice sounded outside the door.
“Godfather, are you inside?”
Cui Lingjing had come looking for him!
Overjoyed, Xueya rushed to open the door. Seeing Cui Lingjing outside, he almost hugged him without hesitation. “I thought I wouldn’t see Your Majesty again.”
Cui Lingjing clearly hadn’t expected to see Xueya here. Surprise flashed in his eyes, but when he saw He Xulan in the room, surprise turned to panic, especially when he noticed He Xulan’s unfriendly gaze.
“Let go first,” Cui Lingjing tried to pull Xueya away, but Xueya held on to him tightly, refusing to let go. He resisted, and his hands came up again, calling him “Your Majesty” in a pitiful tone.
For a moment, Cui Lingjing couldn’t pull Xueya away. He turned to the chief eunuch beside him, lowering his voice. “Are you dead? Won’t someone pull him away!”
The chief eunuch understood and several palace attendants quickly stepped forward, pulling Xueya away.
Feeling wronged, Xueya was full of complaints. He thought that with Cui Lingjing here, he would definitely survive tonight. However, Cui Lingjing seemed completely uninterested in him and went straight to He Xulan.
He was dragged into a corner by someone, unable to hear what Cui Lingjing said to He Xulan inside the room. However, he could guess that it was just worrying about his Godfather’s safety.
Before long, He Xulan and Cui Lingjing left the room together. They were preparing to leave Thousand Buddha Temple. Naturally, Xueya couldn’t ride with He Xulan anymore. A royal guard took him down the mountain.
On the way back, when they returned to the palace, it was already late at night. Xueya was exhausted and just wanted to bathe and sleep in his room, but the chief eunuch stopped him.
“Xueya,” the chief eunuch looked somewhat strange.
Xueya rarely spoke to the chief eunuch. Seeing him, he felt nervous. “What’s the matter, Chief Eunuch?”
The chief eunuch said, “From today onwards, you won’t serve in Fengrui Palace. His Majesty wants you to go to Ningfu Palace.”
Xueya’s eyes widened suddenly.
The chief eunuch smiled, “It’s your good fortune to serve in Ningfu Palace. I hope you will serve the Empress Dowager well. Now, go pack your things and don’t delay.”
Upon hearing this news, Xueya felt like he had lost his loved ones. The chief eunuch seemed afraid that he would delay, so he called two young eunuchs to help him pack. These eunuchs were very quick, and despite Xueya’s attempt to delay, he was soon forced to appear outside Ningfu Palace.
Someone was already waiting for Xueya outside Ningfu Palace. Upon seeing him, they approached. “The room has been prepared. It’s late tonight, so you should rest first. Tomorrow morning, wake up and go thank the Empress Dowager.”
Xueya managed a forced smile. “Yes.”
His new room was much better than the one in Fengrui Palace. Xueya thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, but unexpectedly, he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. He slept until the afternoon, waking up hungry. There was no one to wake him up.
Xueya sat up drowsily, thinking he was still in Fengrui Palace. He got out of bed and prepared to fetch water, but when he walked out the door, he froze.
The scenery before him was not that of Fengrui Palace.
Xueya stood at the door in a daze. Someone noticed him and walked over. “Are you awake?”
Xueya looked at the person and nodded slightly. Then he picked up the basin in his hand. “Where should I go to fetch water?”
***
Xueya spent about twenty minutes washing up. After eating something quickly, he was taken to see He Xulan. He was already quite familiar with He Xulan’s palace, but this time felt somewhat different from before.
He followed someone inside and obediently knelt down to bow. “I pay my respects to the Empress Dowager,” he said.
The person who brought him in left immediately, leaving only him and He Xulan in the hall.
He Xulan’s voice was calm. “Get up.”
Xueya complied and stood up, keeping his head down, his gaze gradually falling on a pair of brocade boots.
“Not happy?” He Xulan asked.
Xueya immediately shook his head. “This servant is very happy.”
“Then why aren’t you smiling?” He Xulan continued.
Xueya bit his lip and when he lifted his head again, a sweet smile was already on his face. He Xulan glanced over Xueya’s smile and looked at his neck where the marks from last night’s bite were completely gone. It was dark last night, and no one noticed the injury on Xueya’s neck.
Seeing He Xulan’s gaze on his neck, Xueya couldn’t help but raise his hand to cover it, afraid He Xulan might bite him again. He hurriedly said, “It still hurts.”
“Is that so? Does the wound on your leg still hurt?” He Xulan’s words made Xueya pause.
After hesitating for a moment, Xueya nodded.
As soon as he nodded, a jar of ointment appeared in front of him. “Then let’s apply medicine again today.”
***
This time, Xueya applied medicine in front of He Xulan. After cleaning his hands, he took the initiative to climb into He Xulan’s arms. As he approached, Xueya wondered if He Xulan would push him away, but He Xulan didn’t.
He guessed right.
While eating, Xueya kept thinking why He Xulan wanted him to serve by his side. It was cold and exhausting last night, and his mind had become dull. He always felt that He Xulan wanted to kill him. Now thinking back, he realized he was foolish last night.
If He Xulan wanted to kill him, there were many opportunities along the way. There was no need for Cui Lingjing to appear. Moreover, He Xulan bit his neck last night and even let him apply medicine.
Biting the neck…
Would someone who wants to kill another person think of biting their neck?
Xueya recalled a servant in the building telling him that a guest was very rough, always liking to bite him. The more it hurt, the more excited the guest became.
Thinking of this, a bold conjecture appeared in Xueya’s mind.
This conjecture was unbelievable to him, but he couldn’t think of any other reason to explain He Xulan’s behavior except this conjecture.
He Xulan had feelings for him.
Although he couldn’t believe it, after applying the medicine, Xueya boldly tested it. If He Xulan angrily pushed him away and even had someone drag him out, it would mean he guessed wrong. Now it seemed he guessed right.
He Xulan liked him.
After the initial disbelief, Xueya’s heart was filled with satisfaction. With so many people liking He Xulan, he actually liked him back. It was quite interesting. His resentment towards Cui Lingjing and the others instantly turned into satisfaction. Smiling proudly, Xueya lifted his head and kissed He Xulan on the chin softly, his voice gentle, “Brother.”
He Xulan stared at Xueya, his expression inscrutable. He allowed Xueya to twist and turn in his arms. The expression on Xueya’s face changed constantly, rich and varied, his bright little fox eyes clearly calculating something.
Suddenly, He Xulan pushed Xueya away, his gaze turning cold. “Go out.”
