There was a pair of hands around his neck, and the person in his arms was as soft as a cloud, a hot cloud that seemed to be able to take any shape, making it difficult to let go on this cold winter night. He Xulan lowered his eyes and let Xueya cling to him for a while before saying, “What answer do you want? I’ll be that answer.”
This made Xueya pause. He loosened his grip on He Xulan’s neck a little and asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“If you think I like you, then I like you,” He Xulan said calmly.
Xueya blinked, then after a while, he hugged He Xulan’s neck again with determination. “Then you do like me.”
He Xulan curved his lips but didn’t say anything. Feeling satisfied that he had gotten the answer he wanted, Xueya was sure that He Xulan liked him. Since He Xulan liked him, he didn’t want to go outside to keep watch. It was so cold outside, and he wanted to sleep on the bed.
He had slept in He Xulan’s bed last time, and the bed was really soft, making him reluctant to wake up.
“Brother Lingduan, I want to sleep here, okay?” Xueya said to He Xulan.
He Xulan replied with a grunt.
Xueya smiled immediately. He quickly let go of He Xulan, took off his clothes, leaving only his inner garment after a few moments. Without waiting for He Xulan to speak, he crawled under He Xulan’s blanket on his own. After lying down, Xueya glanced at He Xulan, who was still sitting there. He reached out from under the blanket with one hand. “Brother, come sleep with me.”
He Xulan stared at Xueya’s hand for a long time before reaching out and taking it.
Xueya didn’t care what kind of expression Xiao Huazi would have if he found out he wasn’t there. After all, this was He Xulan’s palace. Even if the sky fell, He Xulan would be the first to bear it. So when He Xulan laid down, he found a comfortable position in his arms.
The madam in the building had taught them that most men like to rely on themselves. Therefore, in front of customers, they must show that they love customers very much.
As Xueya became drowsy, he suddenly woke up in a struggle and remembered something very important.
He lifted his face close to He Xulan, found his chin in a daze, kissed him, and after kissing him, he murmured, “Brother kiss me.”
He Xulan pressed down Xueya’s head. “Go to sleep, it’s late.”
“No, Brother hasn’t kissed me yet. I can only sleep after Brother kisses me.” Actually, Xueya could barely keep his eyes open, but he still tried to lift his face.
Finally, he felt a kiss on his cheek.
Satisfied, Xueya nestled back against He Xulan’s chest and fell asleep.
And in this sleep, Xueya had a dream.
He didn’t dream about himself but about He Xulan. In the dream, they were in Ningfu Palace. He Xulan stood in the corridor, with a blurry figure beside him. Xueya didn’t know what the person said to He Xulan, but after hearing it, He Xulan turned and left Ningfu Palace.
He Xulan went to Fengrui palace, Cui Lingjing’s sleeping palace.
When he arrived, Cui Lingjing seemed to be discussing state affairs with his courtiers. Upon hearing that He Xulan had come, Cui Lingjing furrowed his brow slightly and told the palace attendant who had announced He Xulan, “Please tell the Empress Dowager to leave.”
The attendant relayed this message to He Xulan, who shook his head lightly and said, “I will wait here for His Majesty.”
However, He Xulan did not get to see Cui Lingjing at all. Cui Lingjing simply ignored him, and that night, all the attendants around He Xulan were punished without exception.
***
Xueya suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring at the canopy above for a long while before closing his eyes and letting out a sigh.
He rarely dreamt, having only dreamt twice since entering the palace. One was the night he fell ill and was punished for wearing a skirt, when he learned in his dream that he was He Xulan’s substitute. The other was this time.
He dreamt of He Xulan and Cui Lingjing.
In his impression, Cui Lingjing always seemed subservient to He Xulan, but in the dream, it was the opposite—He Xulan went to seek an audience with Cui Lingjing, only to be ignored, and all the attendants around him were punished. The Emperor’s order to punish the people of the Empress Dowager’s palace was a complete disregard for He Xulan’s face.
He was really confused. He actually stuck to He Xulan just because He Xulan liked him. He Xulan, as the Empress Dowager, was already controversial, having entered the palace only to please the late Emperor. Being a man, it was quite inconvenient for He Xulan in the deep palace. In plain terms, He Xulan now relied only on Cui Lingjing’s favor. Once Cui Lingjing no longer liked him, what would He Xulan have left?
The Empress Dowager was just a titular position; real power laid with the Emperor.
Thinking of this, he opened his eyes again. Now he was alone in bed. He Xulan seemed to have been up for a long time already. He quickly turned over and got out of bed. Clean clothes were already placed on a stool by the bedside. Xueya paused for a moment before putting on his clothes.
As he was dressing, someone entered the inner chamber.
It was He Xulan.
Seeing Xueya dressing, He Xulan walked over and picked up the outer robe from the stool, intending to help Xueya put it on. However, Xueya snatched it away first. Not only did he snatch it away, but he also stepped back a few steps, awkwardly saying, “I can dress myself.”
There was a flicker in He Xulan’s eyes as he stared into Xueya’s eyes, which made Xueya uncomfortably look away.
Xueya bit his lip, lowered his head, and stammered, “Last night, I… was not in my right mind and said… some nonsense. Your Majesty, please don’t take it to heart.”
A light laugh escaped from He Xulan’s lips, and he looked at Xueya with a hint of mockery. “Are you in such a hurry to distance yourself from me?”
Xueya felt even more awkward when he heard that and didn’t know what to say. He Xulan spoke again, “As expected, you’re of low birth.”
This remark suddenly ignited a fire in Xueya’s heart. He quickly raised his eyes, and his fox-like eyes were burning with anger. He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he closed it again. He was indeed of low birth, so He Xulan wasn’t really insulting him, just stating the truth.
Yes, he was of low birth, which was why he had to climb up. He had endured the days when others looked down on him, and now, he had to find someone who could protect him for the rest of his life, someone who could lift him high.
He wanted to trample those who had despised him beneath his feet.
He Xulan couldn’t give him what he wanted, so why should he waste time and energy on him?
After all, if he had to be with someone, it might as well be the one with the most power.
“If the Empress Dowager has nothing else, I’ll take my leave. I still have many tasks to attend to,” Xueya suppressed all the anger in his eyes and acted as if nothing had happened.
He Xulan coldly looked at him and spat out one word, “Get out.”
Xueya obediently left.
In the following days, Xueya did not serve by He Xulan’s side, nor did he see him. It snowed again in the capital, and the snow piled up thickly on the ground. Xueya was assigned to sweep the snow, and each day he had to sweep for hours. For the first two days, it was bearable, but by the third day, his hands began to itch, showing signs of developing frostbite. This terrified Xueya, and on the fourth day, he went to the head eunuch in charge of assignments and asked if he could switch to another task. The head eunuch regretfully told him, “There’s really no way to change it right now. You’ll have to hold on a little longer. In half a month, I’ll have someone else replace you.”
Who knew if it would even snow in half a month? Besides, if he continued sweeping for half a month, not only would his hands develop frostbite, but his feet would too.
Xueya couldn’t bear it any longer, but he didn’t want to go to He Xulan for help either, so he started thinking of other ideas.
***
Cui Lingjing had just finished meeting with He Xulan. The day was no different from usual, with only a few words exchanged before he was dismissed. Standing under the corridor, his expression was not very pleasant. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a figure peeking out from behind a tree.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Xueya.
Xueya was hiding behind the tree, occasionally sneaking a glance in this direction. His clumsy behavior was almost unbearable to watch.
Did this silly broken rabbit really think he was blind? Hiding behind a tree to spy on the emperor? Only this foolish rabbit could do something so ridiculous.
“Stay here and don’t move,” Cui Lingjing ordered the palace servants who were about to step forward to catch the spy. He walked over to the tree himself, deliberately circling around to approach from behind. He successfully stood right behind Xueya, who, oblivious to Cui Lingjing’s presence, was still peeking out.
“Hmm?” Xueya muttered quietly, “Where did the emperor go… Ah!”
Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind and pinched Xueya’s cheek, causing him to yelp in pain. He turned around, only to see Cui Lingjing looking down at him with disdain.
Cui Lingjing’s tone was filled with mockery. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? If the Imperial Guards saw you hiding here, they’d think you were an assassin and turn you into a pincushion in an instant.”
He expected the foolish rabbit in front of him to show some fear, but instead, Xueya’s eyes reddened, and he looked at him with tearful eyes full of grievance.
Cui Lingjing was taken aback. “What’s this?”
“Your Majesty,” Xueya pulled his hand out of his sleeve, revealing what was once a soft, white hand, now red and swollen. “Can’t I return to serve Your Majesty?” Tears began to fall like pearls as he spoke.
Cui Lingjing frowned as he looked at Xueya’s hand. “Has someone been punishing you?”
“No one’s punishing me, it’s just… it’s just that I’ve been sweeping snow every day. I don’t mind sweeping snow, but I wish I could take turns resting with someone else. But Huang Gonggong said there’s no one to relieve me.” Xueya bit his lip, his nose turning red, making him look even more pitiful. He gazed at Cui Lingjing with tear-filled eyes. “Your Majesty, may I return to serve you? I promise I’ll always be obedient from now on.”
Cui Lingjing didn’t agree to Xueya’s request but said, “You won’t have to sweep snow anymore. With so many palace servants in Ningfu Palace, is it really necessary for you to be sweeping every day? Which Huang Gonggong are you talking about?”
Xueya quickly shook his head, looking terrified. “Please, Your Majesty, don’t call for Huang Gonggong.”
“What? I can’t summon a mere eunuch?” Cui Lingjing’s expression grew displeased.
“It’s not that, it’s just…” Xueya stammered.
This made Cui Lingjing even more impatient. He frowned and looked at Xueya. “Just what?”
Xueya closed his eyes for a moment, as if gathering all his courage. “Huang Gonggong is just like me, we’re both powerless. Even if Your Majesty calls for him, it won’t solve anything. Even if I receive your temporary protection and don’t have to sweep snow, there will still be other dirty, tiring tasks.”
At this point, he wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand and quietly added, “Your Majesty, it’s better to pretend you never saw me. I’m already happy just to have served you.”
Xueya lifted his tear-streaked face and gave Cui Lingjing a smile, though his eyes were still filled with unshed tears.
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