I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 39

Xueya had made up his mind, ready to show He Xulan the skills he had learned in the house, so that he wouldn’t look down on him. “That was just a small accident earlier, besides, serving tea and pouring water is rough work that anyone can do. What I know is something others don’t.”

He lifted his small face, looking quite proud.

He Xulan let out an “oh” and said nothing more. Seeing this, Xueya thought he didn’t believe him, and feeling a little annoyed, he boldly grabbed He Xulan and pressed him into a chair.

“If you don’t believe me older brother, I’ll show you.”

With that, he sat down on He Xulan’s lap.

This sitting had its subtleties—Xueya sat, but he didn’t let his full weight rest on He Xulan. In other words, Xueya was using his strength to control himself, his bottom barely touching He Xulan’s legs.

Because the strength of guests varied, and after all, Xueya was still a man—even the lightest would not be as light as a woman. If he were to sit fully, some guests might not be able to bear it.

Moreover, with the guest only feeling part of the weight, they would think the beauty in their lap was delicate and frail, stirring their protective instincts.

Xueya sat sideways on He Xulan’s lap, his fox-like eyes shimmering with charm. Leaning closer, he said softly, “You’ve been painting for so long, your eyes must be tired. Let me massage them for older brother.”

He Xulan raised an eyebrow at Xueya’s actions but said nothing, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Xueya took this as approval and reached out to cover He Xulan’s eyes. “Close your eyes.”

He felt a tickling sensation from He Xulan’s long eyelashes brushing against his palm.

After waiting a moment, Xueya removed his hand, seeing that He Xulan had closed his eyes. He then placed both hands on He Xulan’s temples, gently massaging from the temples to the inner corners of the eyes, repeating the motion slowly, then moving downwards.

When his fingers touched He Xulan’s Adam’s apple, Xueya used the pads of his fingers to softly caress it. After a while, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against it. But he didn’t stay there long before a hand grabbed the back of his neck.

Xueya froze, his expression confused. He hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did He Xulan stop him?

“Are you uncomfortable?” Xueya asked, puzzled.

He Xulan released him, moving his hand to Xueya’s waist and pulling him fully onto his lap. “Do you remember telling me the other day that we were even? But now you’re being improper with me. How can we be even after this?”

Xueya’s eyes widened. “Improper? I wasn’t! I was just serving you.”

“Other servants are also serving, but none of them are sitting on my lap or daring to kiss me,” He Xulan said calmly. “Now, tell me, how should we settle this?”

“How is that a kiss? I didn’t kiss you; I just touched your Adam’s apple.” Xueya thought of the box of gold jewelry he had just received.

He Xulan bullied him, and he had to pay him a box of gold jewelry. If he agrees that he had wronged He Xulan, wouldn’t he have to return the gold jewelry he just received? That would be a huge loss for him

He Xulan’s lips curled slightly. “That doesn’t count as a kiss?”

Xueya stubbornly insisted, “It doesn’t!”

At that moment, his neck was grabbed again. Since he was sitting on He Xulan’s lap, it was easy for He Xulan to kiss his Adam’s apple without even needing to bend down.

No one had ever kissed Xueya’s Adam’s apple before, and the sensation immediately made half of his body go numb, making him feel more dizzy than a kiss on the lips. Instinctively, Xueya tried to pull away, but He Xulan held him, kissing him while asking, “Does this count as a kiss?”

“It counts…” Xueya quickly gave in, his face now flushed, and his eyes misty.

“Since it counts, tell me, how should we settle this? Will you return what you took from the storeroom?” He Xulan’s hand tightened slightly around Xueya’s waist.

Xueya panicked. “No, that’s mine now.”

He Xulan said, “If you won’t return it, then I’ll have to punish you.”

Xueya bit his lip, uneasily asking, “Will it be a heavy punishment? Will I die?”

“You won’t die, but it will hurt a bit.” He Xulan gave Xueya a choice. “You decide—either return the goods or take the punishment. Once you choose, you can’t go back.”

Xueya frowned as he pondered which to pick. He feared pain, but he didn’t want to return the jewelry either. It had been hard to get those gold pieces; how could he give them back unless he was beaten to death?

Since he wouldn’t die, he chose to take the punishment. Worst case, he’d be stuck in bed for a few days.

“I choose the punishment.” Xueya made up his mind.

He Xulan frowned, seemingly unhappy with the choice. “Are you sure you don’t want to return the goods instead?”

Seeing He Xulan’s reaction made Xueya even more determined. “No, I’ll take the punishment.”

At the same time, Xueya grumbled inwardly about how stingy He Xulan was, asking for the goods back the same day they were given. Even Cui Lingjing was more generous.

He Xulan’s frown deepened. “Since you’re insisting, I’ll punish you.” He released Xueya and ordered, “Stand up, then lie down.”

When Xueya heard “lie down,” his face went pale. This meant a beating!

But to protect the jewelry, and since he couldn’t back out now, he obediently stood up. Before lying down, he glanced around. “Am I going to be beaten here?”

Shouldn’t he be taken outside for punishment? Could it be that He Xulan liked watching people suffer?

He Xulan lightly patted his own leg. “Lie down.”

Xueya noticed the gesture and hesitated before asking, “You mean… lie down on your lap?”

“Mm.”

Xueya sensed something was off, and just as he hesitated, He Xulan spoke softly, “What’s the matter? Regretting your decision? I’ll give you one more chance: return the items or take the punishment. It’s your choice, but remember, this will be your last chance.”

Xueya struggled for a long while, but ultimately decided not to return the items, so he laid down across He Xulan’s lap. The position was uncomfortable, his abdomen pressing against He Xulan’s legs, leaving his upper body suspended.

After settling, Xueya sneaked a glance at He Xulan.

He wanted to ask what kind of punishment he would receive, but before he could speak, his bottom was struck. Xueya immediately tried to get up, but as if He Xulan had anticipated his move, one hand held him down while the other delivered more strikes.

The two most delicate parts of a courtesan’s body were the face and the bottom. Until now, these were the only two places Xueya had never been punished. This was his first time being spanked.

Even his mother had never spanked him.

He Xulan wasn’t hitting hard, but the gentle force only deepened Xueya’s shame. He squirmed on He Xulan’s lap, trying to rise, but the hand holding him down was strong, and he couldn’t break free.

In a short time, his bottom had taken seven or eight hits. Xueya’s pale face turned bright red, his fingers clenching anxiously, and he kept his mouth tightly shut, not daring to make a sound.

After a while, Xueya heard a voice coming from outside the hall.

It was Little Pingzi.

“Empress Dowager, this servant has brought the soup,” Little Pingzi called out.

Xueya remembered that He Xulan always had soup in the afternoon. It was already embarrassing enough to be spanked, but if someone saw, he wouldn’t be able to live it down.

Panicked, Xueya turned to He Xulan, his voice a low whisper, fearful that the person outside might hear, “Someone’s coming!”

“They’re only delivering the soup.” He Xulan looked at Xueya’s now peach-pink cheeks, his eyes glistening as if he were about to cry.

“No! They can’t see this!” Xueya was truly on the verge of tears. He knew he couldn’t escape, so he could only plead with He Xulan. “Brother Lingduan, please stop. I was wrong. I’ll return the items. I don’t want the punishment.”

For Xueya, this was like cutting off a piece of his flesh.

Though he thought, once this piece of flesh was gone, Cui Lingjing would give him another.

But He Xulan refused him. “No, I gave you two chances, and you chose the punishment both times. There’s no going back now.”

Little Pingzi called out again, and Xueya, afraid that He Xulan might invite him inside, blurted out, “Then let’s stop the punishment for today and finish it another day. You can hit me as much as you want then, as long as no one is around.”

He Xulan’s hand paused, resting on the spot he had been hitting. His tone became gentle again, like the celestial being he had been at breakfast the day before. “But the punishment is almost finished. Are you sure you want to postpone it?”

“Yes! Postpone it!” Xueya didn’t care about the future. He just wanted to avoid being seen.

He Xulan sighed, as if compromising. “Alright, we’ll postpone it.”

He helped Xueya up and called Little Pingzi inside.

As soon as Xueya stood up, he quickly retreated behind He Xulan, hurriedly adjusting his clothes and hair. When he heard footsteps approaching, he stood still, pretending to be a statue.

Fortunately, Little Pingzi set the soup down and left without lingering in the hall.

He Xulan stirred the soup with a spoon and turned slightly to look at Xueya, who was still standing behind him. “Do you want to try it?”

Xueya, having just suffered, didn’t dare touch He Xulan’s soup, and quickly shook his head.

“It’s alright. If you drink it, I won’t punish you, and I won’t ask for the items back,” He Xulan said.

Xueya shook his head again. Seeing this, He Xulan withdrew his gaze and said casually, “Aren’t you planning to attend the spring hunt, Xueya?”

The spring hunt?

He had nearly forgotten about it.

Xueya looked at He Xulan and asked in a low voice, “You’re letting me go?”

“Yes, but first, you need to drink this soup,” He Xulan replied.

***

Seven days later, Xueya was seated in a carriage headed for the spring hunt.

As the Empress Dowager’s attendant, he was allowed to ride in He Xulan’s carriage instead of walking. They traveled along official roads, heavily guarded by the Imperial Guards. Especially near Cui Lingjing’s carriage, there were at least fifty guards, surrounding it on all sides to protect him. Xueya couldn’t even get close to Cui Lingjing’s carriage, let alone see him.

He Xulan spoke little along the way. Occasionally, he would read or play chess by himself. When he wasn’t occupied, he would close his eyes and rest. Xueya, feeling bored, eagerly got out of the carriage when they stopped for a break.

Just as he stepped out, someone descended from the carriage behind him.

Xueya looked over and saw that it was Empress Lei.

Empress Lei was dressed in luxurious attire, holding a feathered fan, with a pearl stuck to the center of her brow, looking incredibly alluring. She gently waved the fan, sighing, “We still have a day and a half to ride in this carriage. It’s so boring. Why can’t we ride horses?”

A maid beside her immediately knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, riding a horse is too dangerous. If anything happens to you, we would all be held responsible.”

Xueya had only intended to glance at her and then look away, but hearing her mention riding a horse, he couldn’t help but take another look.

Could the Empress ride a horse? But with her current outfit, it would definitely be inconvenient.

As he was thinking this, he suddenly felt someone’s gaze.

Looking up, Xueya realized it was Empress Lei staring at him, and he quickly averted his gaze, moving aside. He had seen Empress Lei kick Cui Lingjing off a bed with his own eyes, and watching her maid kneel just for speaking, he could guess she was not an easy person to serve.

Empress Lei continued to watch the “young girl” in front of her. She half-covered her face with the feathered fan and asked in a soft, leisurely voice, “Who is that?”

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