He Xulan glanced at the foot resting on his lap. “Then just sit,” he said, as he gently held Xueya’s ankle. Xueya tried to pull away, but when he couldn’t, he let He Xulan hold it.
“I don’t want to sit either,” Xueya said petulantly, throwing a childish tantrum. “I want to lie down.”
“No,” He Xulan replied calmly.
Xueya made a show of wanting to cry again, but his eyes already hurt too much. When he tried to squeeze out tears, the pain made him gasp instead, so he whined softly, pretending to cry with his mouth. The grievances from earlier were real, but now he was just acting spoiled.
After fake-crying for a bit and realizing He Xulan was ignoring him, Xueya felt embarrassed and turned to lie down. But as soon as he did, He Xulan scooped him up again.
“You can lie down later,” He Xulan said, holding Xueya in his arms. He gently moved Xueya’s hand away from his face and inspected his eyes. They would definitely swell up tomorrow, probably very badly.
Seeing He Xulan staring at his eyes, Xueya couldn’t help but wonder if they were already hideously swollen. He had always cared about his appearance, and even more so in front of He Xulan, so he turned his head away. But as he turned, He Xulan’s gaze followed, and no matter how he tried to dodge, it was no use. He wasn’t even allowed to cover his face with his hands.
He Xulan caught hold of Xueya’s hands.
Left with no choice, Xueya buried his face into He Xulan’s chest. As he did, a wave of drowsiness began to wash over him.
He caught a faint scent of sandalwood coming from He Xulan.
Did He Xulan burn incense and pray to Buddha today?
With that thought in mind, Xueya unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
Half-asleep, Xueya felt someone touching his eyes and grew furious. He flailed his arms and legs, trying to hit the person, but soon realized his eyes felt cool and soothing. He stopped his struggling.
Then, his lips were touched too. He felt something slipping into his mouth.
Xueya tried to bite down on it, but couldn’t. His breathing became rapid, and in frustration, he hit the person a few more times.
So annoying.
***
Xueya slept until broad daylight.
When he opened his eyes, he immediately cried out in pain. He touched his eyes—they were swollen, as he had feared. Irritated, the memories of last night came flooding back. He remembered how Yin Qingxuan had humiliated him, and also recalled the excessive things He Xulan had done. Now, he was still lying in He Xulan’s bed.
He was alone in the bed now; He Xulan was nowhere to be found.
Xueya moved to the edge of the bed and used his head to push aside the bed curtains, peeking outside.
There was no one in the inner chamber; He Xulan wasn’t there. Xueya wanted to sneak back to his room, but he had no clothes, only a thin robe covering his body.
Thinking of this, Xueya’s face alternated between red and white. Last night, he had been wearing a dudou (a traditional undergarment), but it had been removed in the bath. He Xulan’s hands were beautiful—slender, pale, with clearly defined knuckles—and there had been an inexplicable sensuality when he held the pink dudou.
The dudou had been soaked in water and used to wipe Xueya’s thighs, then discarded by the side of the bath. As Xueya was being carried out, he heard He Xulan instruct a servant, “Burn everything except the dudou.”
***
Xueya glanced at the thin robe he was wearing. Seeing no shoes by the bed either, he started to feel worried. As he sat hugging his legs, he suddenly heard voices from the outer room.
“Godfather, who do you think left that anonymous note last night? Prime Minister Yin is arrogant, but who hates him enough to accuse him of such scandalous behavior with the harem?”
It was Cui Lingjing’s voice!
Xueya was startled, and when he heard Cui Lingjing mention Yin Qingxuan, his surprise quickly turned into nervousness and fear.
Did Cui Lingjing know what had happened last night? Could he… still serve Cui Lingjing after this?
He Xulan’s voice rang out. “Did Prime Minister Yin attend court this morning?”
“He did, but he didn’t seem in good spirits,” Cui Lingjing said, laughing. “To be honest, I found it quite amusing. His expression last night, when the imperial guards surrounded Enji Hall, was priceless.”
Cui Lingjing chuckled to himself for a while, but when he noticed that He Xulan wasn’t smiling at all, he stopped laughing and sat up straight.
“Was Prime Minister Yin alone in Enji Hall last night?” He Xulan asked coolly.
“Yes, the Imperial Guards didn’t see anyone else,” Cui Lingjing said.
He Xulan looked at Cui Lingjing. “So, what does His Majesty plan to do about it?”
Cui Lingjing was surprised by the question. “Do about it? Isn’t it just a misunderstanding? Prime Minister Yin didn’t actually commit such disgraceful acts with the harem. In my view, someone in court must be trying to frame him out of jealousy for his achievements.”
“Does His Majesty not want to find out who framed Prime Minister Yin? There’s an easy way. Have Yin Qingxuan temporarily confined for half a month. The one who framed him will likely reveal themselves during that time,” He Xulan suggested.
Cui Lingjing hesitated. “But Prime Minister Yin did nothing wrong. Punishing him with confinement would be like…” He trailed off, but the implication was clear—it would be publicly humiliating to a high-ranking official.
He Xulan poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward Cui Lingjing. “Whether he’s at fault or not, isn’t that for His Majesty to decide? Prime Minister Yin is young and arrogant, showing too much sharpness, unlike his father. Punishing him with confinement isn’t just taking away his dignity; it’s also a reminder. If Prime Minister Yin can understand the imperial intent behind it, he’ll know how to act in the future and won’t be accused of such ridiculous charges again. A Prime Minister who doesn’t form factions is good, but making too many enemies in court isn’t necessarily wise either.”
He glanced at Cui Lingjing. “The imperial exams are coming up soon. Perhaps His Majesty could appoint Prime Minister Yin as the chief examiner?”
Cui Lingjing, feeling flattered by He Xulan pouring him tea, nodded without thinking. It wasn’t until after he agreed that he realized what he had just consented to.
Setting aside the issue of confinement, the appointment of a Prime Minister as the chief examiner for the imperial exams was unprecedented. First, as the head of the civil officials, the Prime Minister had numerous responsibilities. Taking on the role of chief examiner would force him to delegate many of his tasks to subordinates, effectively sharing power. Second, the chief examiner must avoid conflicts of interest. If Yin Qingxuan were the chief examiner, anyone related to him would be barred from taking the exam. Since the exams were held only once every three years, those who missed this opportunity would have to wait for another three years—a delay few scholars could afford.
As Cui Lingjing knew, Yin Qingxuan’s younger brother was preparing to take the exam this year.
Cui Lingjing wanted to take back his words, but it was too late. He had agreed to He Xulan’s suggestion, and now he felt trapped. Seeing his discomfort, He Xulan stood up and said, “Your Majesty, please relax here. I’ll go to the inner chamber to change clothes.”
Without waiting for a reply, He Xulan turned and walked into the inner chamber. As soon as he entered, he saw the bed curtains being hastily dropped.
Xueya had been eavesdropping on He Xulan and Cui Lingjing’s conversation. When he heard He Xulan was coming, he quickly let down the curtains and laid on his side, pretending to be asleep. Hearing the sound of the curtains being lifted, he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, praying that He Xulan wouldn’t notice anything.
He held his breath, waiting for He Xulan to leave without realizing anything was wrong. But He Xulan didn’t move. Even Cui Lingjing, waiting outside, began to grow impatient. “Godfather?”
There was no reply from He Xulan, so Cui Lingjing spoke again, “Godfather, are you unwell? Do you need my assistance?”
Xueya panicked. If Cui Lingjing came in and found him lying in He Xulan’s bed, he would be doomed. Unable to maintain the act any longer, he opened his eyes and turned to face He Xulan.
When he did, he saw that He Xulan had been looking at him all along—who knows for how long.
Before Xueya could think too much, he heard footsteps outside. Panicking, he sat up and grabbed He Xulan’s sleeve, on the verge of tears as he shook his head repeatedly, too afraid to make a sound.
“I’m fine,” He Xulan finally replied. “It’s just that my clothes are a bit difficult to choose.”
“I see. Then take your time,” Cui Lingjing said, sitting back down.
Xueya breathed a sigh of relief. As he was about to release He Xulan’s sleeve, his wrist was caught. He Xulan tilted Xueya’s chin upward, his gaze sweeping over Xueya’s face and lingering on his swollen fox eyes.
After staring for a moment, He Xulan suddenly kissed Xueya on the lips.
Shocked, Xueya immediately tried to push him away, but just as his hand reached out, he remembered Cui Lingjing was outside. If he made too much noise, it would be heard in the outer chamber.
Xueya had no choice but to stop struggling. He tried to move away quietly, but the rustling of his clothes made him freeze. In the end, his resistance was so subtle it was barely noticeable. He felt He Xulan trying to part his lips, so he clenched his mouth shut tightly.
It was all he could do.
He Xulan’s eyes darkened as he let go of Xueya and suddenly called out, “Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Godfather?” Cui Lingjing answered quickly.
He Xulan didn’t reply immediately. He calmly looked at Xueya, completely unafraid of Cui Lingjing entering the room, but Xueya was terrified. He couldn’t afford to take the risk.
Xueya thought he understood what He Xulan wanted. He didn’t want to give in, but he couldn’t let Cui Lingjing discover him in He Xulan’s bed. Gritting his teeth, he reluctantly kissed He Xulan.
It was a brief, fleeting kiss, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
But it was enough for He Xulan to speak again.
“Nothing, Your Majesty. I was just asking you to wait a little longer.”
After that, He Xulan kissed Xueya once more. This time, Xueya didn’t dare keep his mouth closed. He let He Xulan do as he pleased, thinking that once He Xulan had had his fill, he would stop. But then, He Xulan climbed into the bed, something Xueya hadn’t anticipated.
With only a thin robe on, Xueya felt incredibly vulnerable. The robe was easy to remove and easy for hands to slip under. His earlobes turned red, and his cheeks burned, but he still didn’t dare make a sound or move too much for fear of making any noise that might draw Cui Lingjing’s attention.
He Xulan noticed Xueya’s silent compliance, a mocking expression flickering in his eyes. He gently stroked the marks on Xueya’s body from the previous night and quietly asked, “Do you think Yin Qingxuan deserves to be punished?”
Xueya couldn’t believe He Xulan was still chatting with him. He wanted nothing more than to kick He Xulan off the bed. In response to the question, he gave a very slight nod and whispered, almost inaudibly, “The emperor is outside, please… don’t go too far.”
“Your Majesty,” He Xulan suddenly called out loudly.
“Yes, Godfather?” Cui Lingjing answered promptly.
He Xulan smiled faintly. “I can’t seem to get this robe right. Could Your Majesty come in and help me?”
Both Xueya and Cui Lingjing were stunned by these words.
Cui Lingjing’s face flushed bright red as he sat awkwardly for a moment. He hastily grabbed the teacup from the table, took a large gulp, and then stood up. “I… I’ll come in now.”
