I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 36

After Cui Lingjing asked his question, he noticed the person in front of him still had their head lowered, almost burying their face in their own chest. Feeling puzzled, he took a closer look and realized this figure seemed familiar.

His expression changed slightly, and he forcefully lifted the person’s face.

It was the troublesome broken rabbit he had been looking for.

Xueya never imagined he would be so unlucky as to run into Cui Lingjing. Because he was only wearing an inner garment, he had been walking along the most remote paths, but coincidentally, Cui Lingjing, in his search for Xueya and wanting to avoid the palace servants’ attention, was also taking the same secluded routes.

Thus, they collided directly.

Xueya hadn’t yet recovered from the earlier events, and now he had run into the very person he least wanted to see. His face immediately turned pale. His long eyelashes quivered, and his eyes betrayed undeniable fear. This fear left him too terrified to even speak, not even to call out “Your Majesty.”

Cui Lingjing hadn’t expected to bump into Xueya, especially not dressed in this state.

He took in Xueya’s frightened expression and looked him up and down. Though it was already spring, wearing only an inner garment outside could easily lead to catching a cold, especially since Xueya wasn’t even wearing shoes.

His originally white feet were now dirtied with dust.

“What happened to…” Cui Lingjing stopped mid-sentence, remembering something from two months ago.

At that time, Xueya had been tasked with sweeping snow and had complained to him. He had sent some ointment to Xueya, but since He Xulan had caught them in the plum blossom grove, Cui Lingjing had avoided Xueya for two months, not even mentioning his name in front of He Xulan to avoid suspicion.

Now, two months later, Xueya seemed to be in an even worse state—he didn’t even have proper clothes to wear.

Lost in thought, Cui Lingjing remained silent. Xueya, however, was frightened by Cui Lingjing’s reaction. He believed that Cui Lingjing had figured it out and was likely contemplating how best to kill him. Immediately, he knelt down.

With an injury to his knee, Xueya couldn’t help but gasp in pain as he knelt.

“Your… Your Majesty…” His voice trembled, tinged with sobs. He wanted to beg for mercy, but it seemed impossible. He was sure he was doomed. Cui Lingjing, being so fond of He Xulan, would surely kill him.

Cui Lingjing heard Xueya’s gasp when he knelt and looked at his legs, abruptly asking, “What’s wrong with your leg?”

Xueya shook his head quickly upon hearing the word “leg.” “N-nothing.”

“Let me see.”

Wanting to confirm his suspicion, Cui Lingjing forcefully pulled him up. Xueya didn’t cooperate, especially when Cui Lingjing ordered him to roll up his pant leg. Cui Lingjing initially wanted to use his authority to pressure him, but after reconsidering, he let that idea go. He pushed Xueya onto the stone bench along the corridor and started rolling up the pant leg himself.

Even as Cui Lingjing personally rolled up the leg, Xueya kept struggling, trying to pull his leg away. His face grew paler, and tears welled up again. Cui Lingjing had already noticed that Xueya had been crying earlier—probably more than once—since his eyelids were slightly swollen and the corners of his eyes were still red.

“Your Majesty, my leg is fine.” Xueya feared Cui Lingjing would notice the finger marks on his leg—there were more than one set of them. “Please, don’t look.”

He pleaded with Cui Lingjing.

Seeing Xueya’s reaction only made Cui Lingjing more suspicious. He recalled a time when, in a foul mood, he had pinned Xueya down. Back then, Xueya had shown boldness, even daring to lean in for a kiss and offer himself. Now, just showing his leg had him crying out of fear.

This didn’t seem like an act; it was real fear.

Xueya’s thoughts were usually easy to read, like two months ago when he was sweeping snow. Cui Lingjing had clearly noticed Xueya’s scheming, which was why he didn’t let him serve by his side. But this time, he saw no hidden agenda on Xueya’s face—only fear.

This fear was even greater than when Cui Lingjing had whipped him before.

Ignoring Xueya’s protests, Cui Lingjing continued to roll up the pant leg. When it was rolled up past the knee, he saw that both of Xueya’s knees were bruised.

Judging by the marks, they were recent injuries.

Seeing the wounds, Cui Lingjing paused and stopped rolling further.

He stared at the bruises on Xueya’s knees for a long while before asking, “When did you get these?”

Xueya dared not tell the truth, only shaking his head. Fearing that Cui Lingjing would roll the pant leg up further, he struggled to pull his leg free. Once he managed to pull it away, he quickly let the pant leg fall back down and hugged his legs, shrinking against the stone bench.

Xueya couldn’t bear to look at Cui Lingjing. He kept his head down, his body still trembling, and tears of fright streamed down his face, soaking his clothes.

Seeing Xueya’s extreme reaction, Cui Lingjing became even more convinced of his suspicion. He surmised that Xueya had been punished so harshly that he was too scared to speak, even though it was just the two of them here. In the past, though foolish, Xueya had always been shameless and unembarrassed, sometimes even hovering around Cui Lingjing for attention, finding small ways to complain as if Cui Lingjing was supposed to be his protector.

But now, the troublesome rabbit didn’t even dare to complain.

Cui Lingjing turned Xueya’s face towards him and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears. “You’re in front of me now. You can say anything you want.”

Xueya remained stiff, lips pressed together, allowing Cui Lingjing to wipe away his tears.

Why was Cui Lingjing wiping his tears? He had never been this gentle with him before. Was this because he was going to die?

But to Cui Lingjing, Xueya’s dazed expression held another meaning.

After a moment’s pause, Cui Lingjing said, “If you really don’t want to talk, then fine. I already know about your situation in Ningfu Palace. I can’t bring you out of here just yet, but after a while, you’ll be able to come back and serve by my side.”

As he spoke, he gently touched Xueya’s face, noticing that it was cold despite the warm spring air. He frowned slightly.

What kind of life was Xueya living in Ningfu Palace?

Cui Lingjing’s expression darkened. He thought about summoning Huang Gonggong for questioning. People in the palace were always quick to flatter the powerful and trample the weak, so Xueya’s suffering likely wasn’t due to He Xulan but rather the servants acting on their own.

But after some thought, Cui Lingjing realized he couldn’t summon anyone. If he did, it would surely alert He Xulan, and then He Xulan would know he was standing up for Xueya.

Unable to call anyone for questioning or remove Xueya from Ningfu Palace, Cui Lingjing’s heart softened as he looked at Xueya’s pitiful state. The restless heat he had felt around He Xulan gradually dissipated.

“Alright, stop crying. I promise I’ll bring you back to serve by my side. In the meantime, behave yourself. If anyone scolds or punishes you unfairly, don’t talk back, understand?” Cui Lingjing soothed him.

Seeing little reaction from Xueya, Cui Lingjing thought for a moment, then took off the jade pendant from his waist and pressed it into Xueya’s hand. “This is my personal jade pendant. With this, you should know I’m not just playing with you.”

The jade pendant worn by the emperor was naturally an invaluable treasure, completely unlike the accessories that Xueya was used to. Despite having been in the palace for so long, the jewelry he wore was only silver or low-grade pearls—he had never even touched jade or gold.

As someone with a courtesan’s background, Xueya knew quality when he saw it. He immediately recognized that this jade pendant was no ordinary item. There wasn’t a single flaw on it, and its craftsmanship was so exquisite that “a masterpiece of art” would be the only way to describe it.

Captivated by the pendant, Xueya stopped crying. First, he stared at it for a while, then began inspecting it from every angle. He even held it up to the sunlight to examine it and, finally, prepared to bite it—until Cui Lingjing, unable to watch any longer, stopped him.

Normally, Cui Lingjing would have ridiculed Xueya for his naivety, but considering Xueya’s current state, he swallowed the words. Instead, he forced himself to speak gently, “It’s not gold. What are you biting it for? If you like biting so much, I’ll have someone send you a box of gold next time, and you can bite all you want.”

Aside from He Xulan, Cui Lingjing had rarely spoken to anyone with such tenderness, so his words came out awkwardly. But Xueya was entirely focused on the word “gold.”

Even though he knew the jade pendant was a valuable item, to him, nothing was more precious than gold. That was what the madam had always taught them: nothing was better than receiving gold.

“Really? The emperor’s going to give me a box of gold?” Xueya’s joy was so great that he forgot to address himself properly. In fact, he forgot entirely, breaking into a wide smile and exclaiming, “I’m going to have gold!”

Cui Lingjing found Xueya’s excitement amusing. Just moments ago, he had been crying uncontrollably, yet now, just the mention of a jade pendant and a box of gold had him smiling. He really was easy to please.

If only He Xulan could be this easy to cheer up.

“Yes, you’re going to have gold,” Cui Lingjing said, pinching Xueya’s cheek. “So, for now, behave yourself. In a few days, I’ll have the gold sent to you, and if you continue to behave well, there will be more rewards to come.”

As he spoke, he suddenly felt the jade pendant being placed back in his hand.

Xueya, his eyes still red from crying, said, “Your Majesty, can this jade pendant be exchanged for gold?”

Cui Lingjing’s expression darkened. “No.” He shoved the pendant back into Xueya’s hand. “You must take good care of this jade pendant. If it gets lost, chipped, or damaged in any way, I’ll hold you accountable.”

Hearing this, Xueya’s smile faded. This wasn’t a gift—it felt more like being burdened with a responsibility.

After pacifying Xueya, Cui Lingjing realized it was getting late and said, “I have to go now. If I stay any longer, someone might come looking for me. Be good and behave while I’m gone, understood?”

In just a short conversation, he had reminded Xueya to “behave” several times.

Xueya, somewhat understanding, nodded. After one last pinch of his cheek, Cui Lingjing rose and left. Xueya watched him go, then looked down at the jade pendant in his hand, finally realizing that not only had Cui Lingjing spared his life, but he had even rewarded him with a jade pendant and promised him gold.

But why?

Just as Xueya was puzzling over this, the sound of footsteps approached.

Startled, he looked up and saw that the visitor was Huang Gonggong.

Behind Huang Gonggong stood two junior eunuchs, one holding an outer robe and the other carrying a pair of shoes.

Seeing Xueya, Huang Gonggong seemed relieved and hurried over.

Xueya quickly hid the jade pendant in his hand and stood up to greet him.

“What are you doing here? You scared me to death. I thought something had happened to you. Come on now, the Empress Dowager is waiting for you to join him for breakfast.” Huang Gonggong gestured to the junior eunuchs, who promptly stepped forward, dressing Xueya in the outer robe and helping him put on his shoes.

“Huang Gonggong, may I return to my room?” Xueya felt a sense of dread at just hearing He Xulan’s name.

Huang Gonggong smiled slightly. “Silly child, today’s breakfast is all Jiangnan delicacies. Didn’t you come from Jiangnan? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a taste of food from your hometown?”

Xueya had no interest, but Huang Gonggong wouldn’t take no for an answer, and he soon found himself being escorted back to He Xulan’s residence. With the emperor’s jade pendant still on him, Xueya took a moment when Huang Gonggong wasn’t looking to tuck it carefully into his robe.

At the residence, Huang Gonggong and the others didn’t accompany him inside, leaving Xueya to enter alone.

Rubbing his eyes, Xueya slowly made his way inside.

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