The team paused to rest while the servants prepared water and food. Xueya didn’t need to prepare any meals. Noticing a nearby stream, he decided to wash his hands and face. He lifted his robe slightly, walked to the stream, squatted down, and gently splashed water on his face. Then, he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, dampened it, and wiped his face again.
After washing his hands and face, Xueya thought about how they’d still be riding in the carriage for the rest of the afternoon, probably reaching the inn late at night. He figured he might as well wash his feet, too.
He straightened up a bit, removed his shoes and socks, and stepped into the stream. The water was cold, and the pebbles underfoot felt smooth. Xueya found it amusing and played in the water a little longer. But when he turned around, he suddenly locked eyes with someone.
Startled, Xueya took a moment to realize who it was — Yi Yefeng.
Yi Yefeng was the general in charge of the safety of the nobles during this journey. The famous General Lei, who had just returned victorious, was left behind to guard the capital.
Yi Yefeng was also squatting by the stream. There were bushes beside him that had hidden most of his body, so Xueya hadn’t noticed him earlier. Yi Yefeng was positioned slightly downstream from Xueya. At that moment, he was looking at Xueya, holding a fruit he’d just taken a bite from.
Xueya glanced at the fruit in Yi Yefeng’s hand and then back at his own feet in the water. In a panic, he quickly ran to the shore and saw Yi Yefeng approaching. Hastily putting on his shoes and socks, Xueya stammered, “I didn’t know you were washing fruit downstream, I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Yi Yefeng walked over to him. When Xueya had last seen Yi Yefeng at the palace banquet, the general had been sitting, and when Xueya had chased after him, they were at a distance. Now that Yi Yefeng was standing next to him, Xueya realized how tall the man was, with Xueya barely reaching his chest.
The height difference intimidated Xueya, who immediately crouched down, hugging his head. If Yi Yefeng were to punch him, he figured he’d be done for. “I really didn’t do it on purpose! Please… please don’t hit me!” Xueya curled up, trembling like a frightened quail.
But after waiting for what seemed like forever, the expected punch never came. Cautiously, he looked up, only to find that Yi Yefeng had already walked away. Hearing the sound of water, Xueya turned his head and saw Yi Yefeng washing his fruit again upstream.
After washing the fruit, Yi Yefeng simply stood up and left, without even glancing at Xueya. Stunned for a moment, Xueya washed his handkerchief again and wiped his feet, which had touched the ground, before putting his shoes and socks back on.
Leaving the dirty handkerchief behind, Xueya returned to He Xulan’s carriage and saw many people carrying ingredients toward the stream. Only then did he realize that the group had stopped here because of the water source. While the masters’ food would be washed with clean water brought from the palace, the ministers, guards, and servants would use the stream water to clean their ingredients.
No wonder Yi Yefeng was washing his fruit there.
Xueya pursed his lips, thinking that it wasn’t really his fault. How was he supposed to know?
Still feeling somewhat embarrassed, Xueya didn’t want to stand outside the carriage anymore, in case he ran into Yi Yefeng again. He approached the carriage window and asked, “Your Majesty, may I come in?”
From inside the carriage, He Xulan’s voice replied, “Come in.”
Xueya climbed into the carriage to find He Xulan washing his hands.
After placing the used cloth in the basin, He Xulan asked in a calm tone, “Where did you go to play?”
“This servant was just walking around,” Xueya answered respectfully, as there were other servants in the carriage.
He Xulan glanced at Xueya. “Don’t wander around during the meal later.”
Before long, the food was served. Xueya had assumed, as was the case in the palace, that he would dine with He Xulan. However, he quickly realized he was just there to watch He Xulan eat. Xueya was already hungry, and seeing someone else eat only made him hungrier. He clutched his stomach and stared longingly at the chopsticks in He Xulan’s hand. When the chopsticks picked up a slice of braised beef, Xueya couldn’t help but open his mouth.
But the beef still went into He Xulan’s mouth.
Xueya closed his mouth, licked his lips involuntarily, and watched as the plate of beef dwindled. Unable to hold back, he finally leaned in closer to He Xulan. “Brother, I want some too.”
Afraid the people outside the carriage might hear him, he spoke in a very soft voice.
He Xulan looked at Xueya and picked up a piece of braised beef with his chopsticks, bringing it to Xueya’s lips. Xueya immediately opened his mouth and devoured it in two bites. After finishing, he added, “Brother, I want more.”
Trying to win He Xulan over, he leaned his body against the man’s right arm, adopting a needy posture.
He Xulan switched the chopsticks to his left hand, picked up another slice of braised beef, but instead of feeding it to Xueya, he ate it himself.
Xueya’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, feeling immensely disappointed, he let go of He Xulan and returned to his seat, grumbling under his breath, “I don’t want to stay here anymore. I want to get off the carriage.”
“Servants eat last, so you’ll have to wait,” He Xulan said calmly.
Hearing this, Xueya frowned.
If the servants ate last, how long would he have to wait? The ministers hadn’t even started eating yet, and there were still their families and the whole group of guards.
Memories of being the last to eat in Fengrui Palace flashed through his mind, and Xueya immediately decided he’d rather continue begging for food from He Xulan. Shamelessly, he sidled back up to him, flashing a sweet smile. “Brother, aren’t you full?”
“I can finish,” He Xulan replied. “We’re outside the palace, where food is scarce. We can’t waste it.”
Xueya quickly shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I just thought that if you couldn’t finish, I could help relieve you of the burden.” His eyes darted toward the few remaining slices of braised beef.
He Xulan didn’t respond and simply continued eating the beef. Xueya bit his lip, his eyes full of silent pleading and disappointment.
Unexpectedly, the next piece of braised beef ended up in front of Xueya’s lips. Without thinking, he quickly opened his mouth and chewed more slowly this time, savoring it.
“What did you do earlier?” He Xulan asked as Xueya was eating.
Xueya looked up at He Xulan and, seeing the man’s gaze on him, hesitated. Only after finishing the beef did he reply, “I went to the stream to wash my hands and face, and…”
He Xulan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Xueya had no choice but to confess his mistake. “I washed my feet in the stream too. I didn’t know they were going to use that water to wash the food.”
He Xulan’s expression didn’t change. He simply picked up a clean cloth, wiped the chopsticks, and handed them to Xueya.
Xueya looked at the chopsticks, then at He Xulan, and a smile slowly returned to his face. “Thank you, brother.”
He took the chopsticks and began eating.
Xueya ate quickly, a habit formed from his childhood. As a courtesan, when he made mistakes, he was seldom punished physically; instead, he was usually denied food.
After going hungry so often, Xueya learned to eat fast, fearing that if he didn’t, his food might be snatched away — something that happened all too often during his youth when bigger children would steal his meager portions.
However, because he was a courtesan, Xueya had also been specifically taught how to eat gracefully without being crude. After being starved numerous times, he learned how to eat both quickly and elegantly.
Xueya devoured the rest of the meal in no time. The servant who came to collect the dishes was visibly surprised by the empty plates, but the servant who brought water for He Xulan to rinse his mouth and wash his hands was more astute — he prepared water not just for He Xulan but for Xueya as well.
Xueya recognized the servant as an apprentice of Huang Gonggong.
Huang Gonggong hadn’t joined the trip this time, staying behind at Ningfu Palace to oversee things.
Later in the afternoon, Xueya noticed that another one of Huang Gonggong’s apprentices had brought the food. By the time the group reached the inn around the hour of Hai (9-11 p.m.), everyone was exhausted from the journey. After sitting in the carriage all day, Xueya’s back ached. All he wanted was to rest, but the inn had limited rooms, and the servants had to squeeze ten people into one room.
Some servants didn’t even get a room and had to sleep outside by the cargo carts.
Xueya realized he might not even get a bench to sleep on, so he left the room he had been assigned. The servants were staying on the second floor, the ministers had rooms on the third floor, the guards rested on the first floor, and the nobles, like Cui Lingjing, were staying on the fourth floor.
Without hesitation, Xueya headed for the fourth floor, but unexpectedly, at the foot of the staircase, he saw Yi Yefeng again.
Yi Yefeng was leaning against a pillar, arms crossed. Even though he heard Xueya’s approach, he didn’t react. But as Xueya was about to pass, a sword suddenly blocked his path.
Xueya nearly collapsed in fear, not even seeing where Yi Yefeng had drawn the sword from.
“You… you…” Xueya stammered, unable to complete a sentence.
“What are you doing here?” Yi Yefeng asked in a low, raspy voice.
Xueya steadied himself and replied, “I came to keep watch for the Empress Dowager. She gets up at night to drink water.”
Yi Yefeng stared at Xueya for a moment before slowly withdrawing his sword. Xueya hurried past, though his real intention was to see if he could slip into Cui Lingjing’s room. He hadn’t expected to run into Yi Yefeng, so he had no choice but to stop at He Xulan’s door.
A young eunuch was guarding the door and looked surprised to see Xueya. “It’s not your turn to keep watch tonight. Why are you here?”
“You’ve been walking all day and now you have to stay up all night? That’s too tiring. Go downstairs and rest. I’ll take your place,” Xueya said with a smile.
The eunuch glanced at the door, then at Xueya, and smiled back. “Thank you very much.”
Once the eunuch left, Xueya glanced in Yi Yefeng’s direction and saw that he was still watching him, as if supervising his every move. Remembering how Yi Yefeng had scared him twice that day, Xueya’s mind started scheming. Deliberately, he made a show of pushing open He Xulan’s door right in front of Yi Yefeng, slowly walking in, and then closing the door just as slowly.
Let Yi Yefeng like He Xulan all he wants, Xueya thought smugly, It doesn’t matter because He Xulan likes me.
Just as Xueya shut the door, he heard a voice behind him.
“Who’s there?” It was He Xulan’s voice.
The room was already dark, with the candles extinguished.
Xueya turned around. After purposely provoking Yi Yefeng, he was suddenly afraid the general might burst in and cut him down. Quickly, he locked the door behind him and, in a soft voice, said, “It’s me, your servant. The spring night is cold, so I came to warm the Empress Dowager’s bed.”
