Suddenly, his lips were covered, and Xueya looked at Cui Lingjing in confusion. However, Cui Lingjing wasn’t looking at him; his eyes were focused ahead. In that instant, Xueya also sensed something was wrong. He quietly reached out to grab Cui Lingjing’s sleeve, but before he could touch him, he was pushed away.
“Why is Godfather here?” After pushing Xueya aside, Cui Lingjing took two steps forward, his smile stiffening slightly.
The young man by the red plum tree in the distance heard Cui Lingjing’s words, but his beautiful, jade-like face remained expressionless. He spoke faintly, “I should be asking that question, Your Majesty. Instead of handling the affairs in the Fengrui Palace, you’re here admiring plum blossoms? You certainly have the leisure. If you’re in such a mood, you should visit the Empress’ palace. It would prevent gossip among the officials.”
These few short sentences left Cui Lingjing speechless. He was already embarrassed after being caught embracing Xueya by He Xulan. Even though He Xulan had spoken harshly, Cui Lingjing couldn’t refute him. He could only say, “Don’t be angry, Godfather. I’ll head back now.”
After speaking, Cui Lingjing left without looking back. Seeing this, Xueya instinctively took a step forward to chase after him, “Your Majesty…”
But Cui Lingjing didn’t seem to hear, walking swiftly as if being chased by ghosts. Xueya stopped, bit his lip, and bowed to He Xulan, who remained standing there, “Your Highness, I’ll go back to my duties.”
Footsteps echoed.
Xueya’s heart skipped a beat, fearing what He Xulan might do to him, but he soon realized the sound of footsteps was fading. He looked up in confusion, only to see He Xulan walking away.
Relieved, Xueya sighed. However, after that incident, it became even harder to see Cui Lingjing. In the Fengrui Palace, he could always find a way to see him, but now, it felt as if he was trapped in a cage, isolated from everyone. Not only Cui Lingjing, but even He Xulan became unreachable.
Huang Gonggong wouldn’t let him serve upfront, not even for night watch duty. Winter turned to spring, and after two whole months in Ningfu Palace, two major events occurred in the palace. First, the palace was filled with new concubines—Cui Lingjing now had over ten besides the Empress. Second, Prime Minister Yin Qingxuan and General Lei returned to the capital.
Their return brought good news, and Cui Lingjing was overjoyed, holding a grand banquet in their honor. When Xueya heard about the banquet, his mind raced. If he could serve at the banquet, he could see Cui Lingjing.
But how could he get to serve at the banquet?
The last time he attended a palace feast was when he was serving by Cui Lingjing’s side. Now that he wasn’t serving He Xulan, it was unlikely he’d be taken to the banquet.
Xueya tried talking to Huang Gonggong, but unlike Xu Pingnan, Huang was unmoved by anything Xueya said. He refused to budge, explaining that He Xulan’s servants for the palace banquets were always the same.
“I’ll help out in the imperial kitchen, serving food and drinks,” Xueya offered.
But Huang Gonggong remained firm. “The kitchen has enough people. They don’t need you. If you have nothing else to do, move all the books in the library outside to air them.”
Xueya sighed, “If I move all the books, can I serve at the banquet?”
“Still no,” Huang Gonggong replied, ending the conversation and sending Xueya off to work.
With no other options, on the night of the banquet, Xueya could only sit on a small stool at the door, resting his chin on his hands, gazing up at the starry sky. The sound of music and laughter from the Shuixi Hall drifted toward him, and his heart sank deeper into disappointment. The banquet must be lively, he thought. He heard they even invited an opera troupe to perform tonight.
The more he thought, the sadder he became. Xueya brought his stool back inside, collapsed on his bed, and decided to just sleep the night away. As he was drifting off, the sound of commotion outside reached his ears.
At first, he didn’t pay attention. But as the noise grew louder, he suddenly jumped up from bed.
There was a fire!
Xueya rushed out of his room and saw chaos outside. The small kitchen in Ningfu Palace had caught fire, and the flames were spreading. Even the guards at the gate had run in with water buckets to help put it out. Xueya quickly grabbed his washbasin, ready to join the effort, but before he could take a few steps, someone grabbed him.
“Don’t go! Get out of here!” The person who stopped him was Liang Mu, someone Xueya hadn’t seen in a long time. “Your clothes are too flammable. If they catch fire, you’ll be done for.”
Liang Mu snatched the basin from Xueya and threw it aside.
Speechless, Xueya watched as Liang Mu rushed forward with a large water bucket. Following Liang Mu’s advice, Xueya turned and ran outside, only to blush when he saw that the area was filled with palace maids.
But after blushing for a moment, Xueya suddenly realized that Ningfu Palace was unguarded now, and he could slip away unnoticed. All the palace maids were focused on the fire, and no one was paying attention to him.
After much hesitation, Xueya still decided to sneak away. He headed toward Shuixi Hall, and whenever he encountered any of the Imperial Guards along the way, he would immediately say, “There’s a fire at Ningfu Palace! Go quickly!”
The leader of the group immediately pulled out a telescope and, seeing the glow of flames near Ningfu Palace, believed Xueya and hurried off with his men in that direction.
Thanks to this, Xueya managed to make his way to the vicinity of Shuixi Hall without any problems.
However, once he arrived near Shuixi Hall, Xueya hesitated.
Even if he managed to sneak into the banquet and see Cui Lingjing, so what? As long as He Xulan was there, Cui Lingjing wouldn’t even notice him. Coming here would only bring him humiliation. Moreover, leaving Ningfu Palace without permission could result in punishment if Huang Gonggong caught him.
Huang Gonggong was stricter with him than the head eunuch at Cui Lingjing’s side, hardly ever letting him leave Ningfu Palace. This was his first time outside Ningfu Palace in two months.
Xueya stood there for a while, listening to the sounds of the opera drifting across the lake. The impulsive urge he had earlier was now completely extinguished. Just as he was about to turn and leave, someone appeared in front of him.
Hearing the footsteps, Xueya instinctively raised his head. The moment he saw the person, he immediately turned around, pretending he hadn’t noticed them, but it was already too late.
“Stop,” the person behind him commanded.
Xueya had no choice but to stop. He stiffly turned around and bowed, “This servant greets the Prime Minister.”
Yin Qingxuan took in Xueya’s appearance, especially noticing the pearl hairpin in his hair. “You’re working at Ningfu Palace now?”
“Yes,” Xueya replied.
“If you’re working at Ningfu Palace, why aren’t you there now? Why are you here?” Yin Qingxuan asked coldly.
Xueya explained, “There was a fire at Ningfu Palace, so I came to call for help.”
Yin Qingxuan glanced in the direction of Ningfu Palace but quickly turned his gaze back. “Even if there’s a fire at Ningfu Palace, you shouldn’t be here calling for help. If you disturb His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, or the Empress, you may escape the death penalty, but you won’t avoid severe punishment.”
When he mentioned the word “Empress,” he emphasized it heavily, making it impossible for Xueya to pretend he didn’t understand.
Yin Qingxuan was warning him again, but Xueya hadn’t seen Cui Lingjing in a long time. How Cui Lingjing and the Empress got along was beyond his control. Instead of troubling him, Yin Qingxuan should be asking Cui Lingjing when he planned to let go of He Xulan.
Seeing Xueya standing there with his head bowed in silence, Yin Qingxuan frowned slightly, then seemed to lose interest in continuing the conversation. “Go back.”
Xueya obediently turned to leave but walked slowly out of frustration. Halfway back, he found a pavilion and sat down.
He rested his head on the stone table in the pavilion, idly tracing circles with his finger, not wanting to return to Ningfu Palace immediately. He figured he’d wait until the opera was over before heading back.
As he laid there, he suddenly heard a strange noise. Sitting up, he noticed a rustling sound not far away.
Was it a stray cat? Or something else?
Nervous, Xueya stood up and looked in the direction of the sound. Without hesitation, he quietly left the pavilion, moving in the opposite direction. Afraid of alarming whatever it was, he didn’t dare run, but the rustling behind him grew closer. Fear took over, and he started running.
After only a few steps, a force grabbed him from behind. Terrified, Xueya was about to scream, but a hand quickly covered his mouth.
It was a person.
Xueya remembered the night of New Year’s Eve when someone had pushed him into the water. At the time, he thought He Xulan had sent someone to kill him, but later, he realized that wasn’t the case. Was the person who had caught him now the same as that night?
Xueya struggled with all his might, but the person behind him was too strong, dragging him backward toward an abandoned palace. This palace, once used for officials to rest after late-night summons, had been abandoned after Cui Lingjing ascended the throne and abolished the practice of allowing officials to stay overnight in the palace. Though it was no longer in use, palace servants still cleaned it weekly.
As Xueya was dragged into the small palace, he desperately tried to grab onto anything to stop them, but his efforts failed. Once inside, his fear that he would be killed only intensified, and he struggled even more.
Finally, he managed to break free and ran for the door. Just as his hand touched it, he was caught again.
The person behind him grabbed him with one hand and closed the door with the other. Xueya, now pressed against the door, was trembling all over. He could feel warm breath on the back of his neck.
The entire way here, Xueya hadn’t seen a single person. Partly his own doing—he had told the Imperial Guards that Ningfu Palace was on fire, which diverted them from their usual patrol route.
Now, in this deserted palace, it was just him and the person behind him. Xueya thought he was surely going to die this time. But why? Who had he offended so badly that they wanted him dead again and again?
He had been following the instructions from his dreams. By right, he wasn’t supposed to die so soon.
Xueya trembled violently. “Help!” he cried.
But when he spoke, he realized his voice was so faint it was barely audible.
He tried to scream again, but his lips were covered once more.
The hand covering his mouth pressed down hard, and something heavy was now weighing on his back.
As the person behind him pinned him down, they suddenly bent down and bit his ear. Xueya shuddered violently and resumed struggling. In the midst of the struggle, his pearl hairpin scratched the face of the person behind him several times, causing them to pause.
The person yanked the hairpin from Xueya’s hair and threw it to the ground. At that moment, Xueya seized the chance and turned his head abruptly.
He had already made up his mind. Even if he died, he wanted to see the face of his attacker, so he could come back as a ghost and seek revenge.
