The hall was silent. Xueya noticed that no one was in the outer chamber, so he stood still for a moment before heading towards the inner hall.
He saw He Xulan standing by the window, the very same one Xueya had climbed out of. As soon as Xueya saw him standing there, he stopped in his tracks. When He Xulan looked his way, Xueya instinctively took a step back.
He Xulan naturally noticed Xueya’s actions. He closed the window and walked towards Xueya in a relaxed manner, saying, “Freshen up before breakfast.” When he got closer and saw Xueya stepping back again, he didn’t stop him but simply said, “After breakfast, if you’re still tired, you can sleep a bit more.”
Xueya stared at He Xulan without speaking, his expression timid, like a frightened rabbit, as if He Xulan took another step, Xueya would turn and run away.
He Xulan smiled gently, transforming back into the approachable older brother Xueya had once known. “I’ll call someone in to help you wash up. No rush, take your time.”
With that, He Xulan walked past Xueya and left the room.
Xueya hesitated for a moment. When he started washing up, he couldn’t help glancing towards the outer chamber. He held a towel in his hand, glanced outside a few times, then brought it to his face. When he touched his eyes, he hissed in pain.
He had cried so much over the past few days that his eyes were aching.
After he finished freshening up, a servant led Xueya to a side hall for breakfast. He Xulan wasn’t there, but the meal had already been set out. Xueya looked at the spread of Jiangnan-style dishes and couldn’t resist asking the servant next to him, “Where’s the Empress Dowager?”
“The Empress Dowager has something to attend to and said you should eat first,” the servant replied.
Hearing this, the tension in Xueya’s mind eased a little. He was indeed hungry.
He sat at the table, washed his hands, and began to eat. Huang Gonggong was right; the meal was indeed Jiangnan-style, and even better than anything Xueya had ever tasted. There was a basket of buns on the table that Xueya had his eyes on from the start. But as soon as he bit into one, the soup inside sprayed out, though fortunately, it didn’t spill on him, only on the table.
The servants quickly cleaned it up. Xueya had thought it was just a regular bun, but after that messy experience, he didn’t dare touch another one, though his eyes kept drifting towards them.
After trying all the other dishes, the buns were the only thing left. He hesitated, chopsticks in hand, wanting to pick one up but afraid of making a fool of himself again.
The servants standing nearby were probably already laughing at him in their hearts.
Just as Xueya was debating whether to give in to his cravings, someone entered.
He quickly turned his head at the sound and saw that it was He Xulan. Hastily, he withdrew his chopsticks.
Today, He Xulan wore a snow-colored satin robe, looking as elegant as an immortal. If Xueya were only to look at his face, he would never have believed this was the same man who had behaved so shamelessly towards him just nights ago.
He Xulan sat down next to Xueya, glanced at the table, washed his hands, and picked up one of the buns Xueya had been eyeing. He placed it on Xueya’s plate and then picked up a thin straw that Xueya hadn’t noticed before, gently puncturing the bun’s skin. Looking at Xueya, he said softly, “Try sucking out the soup first.”
Xueya was surprised by He Xulan’s actions but still fearful of him. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly bent down and followed He Xulan’s instructions, sipping the soup from the bun.
Then, He Xulan moved the vinegar dish closer to him. “Now dip it in this before you eat.”
Xueya did as he was told and finally managed to eat the bun he’d been craving.
“This is a crab roe bun,” He Xulan explained. “It has a lot of soup inside, and if you eat it directly, the soup will splash out easily.” He continued, “There aren’t many chefs who can make these buns. I only had the chance to try them once, and even then, I got my collar dirty.”
Hearing that He Xulan had gotten his clothes dirty while eating these buns made Xueya feel a little relieved. At least he hadn’t gotten his clothes dirty—he wasn’t as clumsy as He Xulan had been.
“Would you like another?” He Xulan asked gently.
Xueya, unable to resist the temptation of the food, nodded.
From then on, Xueya was the one eating most of the food. He Xulan occasionally took a bite but didn’t eat much, as if he didn’t have much of an appetite. When Xueya was about 80% full, He Xulan ordered the servants to clear the table.
Xueya still wanted to eat more, and he gazed longingly in the direction the servants were carrying the food away. But He Xulan had already started rinsing his mouth and washing his hands. After he was done, he looked at Xueya. Though he didn’t say anything, Xueya understood his meaning and reluctantly followed suit, rinsing his mouth and washing his hands. Only after all the servants had left did He Xulan speak again: “If you eat too much, you’ll get bloated and uncomfortable. If you like it, you can have more in a few days.”
“Why in a few days?” Xueya couldn’t help but ask.
He Xulan looked at him and said, “If you get something you like too easily, you’ll grow tired of it quickly.”
Xueya was taken aback. He thought what He Xulan said didn’t make much sense. If you liked something, wouldn’t you want to eat it as soon as possible? If you waited too long, you’d probably forget what it even tasted like.
But Xueya didn’t argue. He glanced at the table in front of him and then stole a look at He Xulan out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he noticed He Xulan’s hand move, and his body reflexively jerked away. He moved so quickly and with such force that he fell to the ground.
Tears welled up immediately, but what was even more embarrassing was that He Xulan had only been adjusting the position of his hand and hadn’t intended to approach him at all.
Xueya felt too humiliated to cry. Covering his eyes with one hand, he used the other to grab the chair and tried to stand up, but He Xulan got up first and lifted him from the floor.
Not only did He Xulan lift him up, but Xueya also found himself seated on He Xulan’s lap.
“Don’t cover your face. Let me see your eyes,” He Xulan said softly, his tone and actions as gentle as if he were soothing a child.
Xueya tried to pull away. “I look awful.”
He didn’t want He Xulan to see.
“I can’t tell if you’re awful or not unless I look. Let me see,” He Xulan said, gently pulling away the hand Xueya had used to cover his eyes.
Xueya’s eyes, swollen and misty from all the crying, looked even more puffy than they had that morning. He Xulan examined them for a while before calling Huang Gonggong into the room.
After receiving He Xulan’s instructions, Huang Gonggong left and quickly returned with a tray. On it were two clean towels and a small plate of ice.
Ice, except in winter, was a rare commodity. The only time Xueya had ever seen ice was in Red Moon House, where it had been used to keep the top courtesans cool.
He Xulan first used one towel to clean his hands, then picked up a small piece of ice, wrapped it in the other towel, and placed it gently on Xueya’s eyes.
“Close your eyes,” he instructed Xueya.
Xueya, wanting to protect his eyes, obediently closed them and allowed He Xulan to apply the ice. After some time, He Xulan put the towel down, and Huang Gonggong entered the room again. This time, he carried a tray with a silk ribbon on it.
He Xulan took the ribbon and used it to cover Xueya’s eyes. “This is made from silkworm silk. It should help ease the pain. Wear it for at least half a day.”
When his vision was blocked, Xueya felt a surge of panic. The thought of wearing the ribbon for half a day made him even more anxious, and he unconsciously gripped He Xulan’s clothes.
“Do I really have to wear it?” he asked in a small voice.
“Yes, it will be good for your eyes,” He Xulan replied, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind Xueya’s ear. “Did you meet with the Emperor earlier?”
The sudden mention of Cui Lingjing made Xueya tense up.
He pursed his lips and spoke even more softly than before. “No, I didn’t.”
“Really?” He Xulan pressed.
Xueya stiffly shook his head, insisting, “No.”
Since he couldn’t see, Xueya had no idea what kind of expression He Xulan was wearing. He could only sense that after a brief silence, He Xulan said, “I see. Well, as long as you didn’t.”
With that, He Xulan fell silent again. Xueya didn’t know what to say either. He sat awkwardly on He Xulan’s lap, growing more and more restless as the silence dragged on. Eventually, he couldn’t stand it any longer and thought of getting up.
“Can I… can I sit by myself?” Xueya asked nervously. After a moment, he added, “Brother.”
At this moment, He Xulan was quite agreeable and immediately let go of Xueya.
Xueya quietly sighed in relief, preparing to stand up. However, since he couldn’t see, he bumped into the table while trying to sit on the nearby stool. When he tried to adjust, he bumped into He Xulan, and while doing so, he seemed to step on something that caused him to lose his balance and fall again.
Seeing this, He Xulan reached out to catch Xueya. He didn’t hold him by the waist but rather by the chest.
In the process, He Xulan discovered a hard object in Xueya’s embrace.
It was a jade pendant.
Xueya also realized that He Xulan had found the jade pendant in his arms. In an attempt to cover it up, he only made it more obvious to He Xulan. He Xulan’s eyes turned icy, and he pulled Xueya back onto his lap, grabbing Xueya’s hand and unceremoniously retrieving the item.
He Xulan had seen the jade pendant that Cui Lingjing wore personally. On the night of the Lantern Festival, Cui Lingjing had even intended to give it to him. He had just seen the pendant on Cui Lingjing, and now it was in Xueya’s possession.
The lie was quickly exposed.
Once the jade pendant was taken out, Xueya was too frightened to move, sitting stiffly on He Xulan’s lap, wondering what punishment he would face next—would his clothes be taken off again, or perhaps his trousers?
Amidst his anxiety, he felt something being placed in his palm.
“This item is valuable, and it’s not appropriate to keep it in your arms. I’ll have someone prepare a box for you to store it in later,” He Xulan said calmly.
Xueya was surprised by this reaction. He Xulan wasn’t punishing him and even offered to provide a box for the jade pendant?
He Xulan continued, “Since the Emperor gave you the jade pendant, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me not to give you something in return. How about we go to the storeroom later?”
Xueya, unable to believe it, asked, “Really… really?”
“Of course, really,” He Xulan confirmed.
Xueya thought for a moment and said, “But my eyes are still not well.”
He Xulan replied, “Then you can choose once your eyes are better.”
Xueya silently calculated in his mind. He had received a jade pendant today, and in a few days, Cui Lingjing would send him gold. Now He Xulan was saying he could pick something from the storeroom. Was he finally going to have some good fortune?
Thinking this, Xueya immediately forgave He Xulan for his previous rudeness. However, he still admonished, “Don’t think that because you’re giving me something, I’ll forgive you. You mustn’t do this again.”
He heard a soft laugh and then He Xulan’s voice.
“I can’t promise that.”
Xueya became nervous again. “Why?”
He Xulan explained, “Because I can’t guarantee it. If I go back on my word, that would be unfair to you. I’d have to coax you and open the storeroom again.”
Open the storeroom again?
Xueya caught on to the key words and licked his lips, mumbling, “I won’t take too much.” He paused and then added, “I’m very easy to please.”
