The sound of fabric tearing was jarring. When Xueya saw Yi Yefeng ripping his ruqun, he couldn’t help but recall Liang Mu’s words about Yi Yefeng being capable of tearing a person in half. Terrified, his mind went blank, and he turned to flee.
However, as soon as he got up, a sharp pain shot through his ankle, causing him to fall hard to the ground. As he landed, he caught sight of the pile of bodies behind a rock and nearly fainted.
Just as he realized Yi Yefeng was still tearing his robe, Xueya, panicking, turned his head. His voice failed him, his face turned pale, and the hairpins and ornaments in his hair had long since disappeared, leaving his dark hair cascading down his back.
Yi Yefeng grabbed the torn fabric and ripped it further, tearing off a piece. He then used it to bind his injured arm, tying it tightly with both his hands and teeth.
Xueya, still trembling, was momentarily stunned by Yi Yefeng’s actions and hoarsely managed to say, “You!”
Yi Yefeng glanced at Xueya but said nothing. Yet, Xueya felt he understood the look in Yi Yefeng’s eyes.
His eyes seemed to say, “What’s the matter?”
“You tore my robe just to bandage your wound? You weren’t trying to kill me?” Xueya asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.
“Do you want to kill me?” Yi Yefeng’s gaze suddenly turned cold, filled with killing intent.
Xueya flinched, his body shrinking back in fear. His voice lowered to a whisper, “I… I have no reason to kill you. I don’t kill people.”
His body trembled uncontrollably.
Upon hearing this, Yi Yefeng retracted his killing intent. “Since you don’t want to kill me, I won’t kill you.”
He stood up, picked up the blade he had set down, and walked over to the pile of corpses. Wiping the bloodstained blade on the bodies, he cleaned it thoroughly.
Xueya remained on the ground, dazed. After a while, he finally looked down at his robe, which was now nothing but tattered scraps.
Today, he couldn’t wear his hunting attire, so he had chosen his favorite spring outfit. The fabric was a soft, delicate silk embroidered with white peonies.
Remembering this, Xueya felt a wave of grievance. When Yi Yefeng returned, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you tear my ruqun for your bandage? Don’t you have your own clothes?”
Yi Yefeng replied emotionlessly, “Expensive.”
Xueya was momentarily confused, but after a while, he understood.
Yi Yefeng meant his clothes were too expensive!
That realization nearly made Xueya burst with anger. He momentarily forgot the pile of corpses beside him and snapped, “So just because your clothes are expensive, mine are worthless? This outfit is also—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
He realized that his current clothes didn’t cost him anything—they were provided by the palace.
Ignoring Xueya’s words, Yi Yefeng looked him up and down, his gaze stopping at Xueya’s left ankle. One of Xueya’s embroidered shoes had fallen off along the way, leaving only the right shoe still on his foot.
Yi Yefeng examined the ankle briefly before abruptly reaching down and pulling off Xueya’s sock. The movement was so quick that Xueya didn’t have time to react before his foot was in Yi Yefeng’s hand, with his trouser leg rolled up slightly.
A sudden “crack” sounded, and Xueya let out a scream of agony, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. Yi Yefeng frowned, holding the ankle as he adjusted the bone. Another scream echoed as Xueya instinctively kicked at him.
Yi Yefeng grabbed Xueya’s other foot to stop him, but now that both feet were restrained, he couldn’t continue the treatment. He glanced up, noticing for the first time that Xueya was crying.
Tears streamed down Xueya’s pale face, his hair disheveled, and his lips red from the biting cold.
“Let go of me!” Xueya sobbed.
Yi Yefeng hesitated briefly, then released him.
He always treated his own injuries this way—what was wrong with it?
Now free, Xueya looked down at his left ankle, swollen beyond recognition, and felt a surge of resentment toward Yi Yefeng.
Today had been nothing short of disastrous. He had the misfortune of encountering this tyrant. Though Yi Yefeng said he wouldn’t kill him, he had humiliated him, first by tearing his robe and then by inflicting pain on his ankle. It was clear Yi Yefeng had no intention of letting him off easily.
Yet, despite his anger, Xueya couldn’t show it. He couldn’t even voice his frustration.
The more he thought about it, the more miserable he felt, and tears flowed even faster.
Nothing good ever happened around Yi Yefeng. Was this man cursed?
“You’re crying,” Yi Yefeng suddenly remarked.
Xueya ignored him, lost in his self-pity.
“Why are you crying?” Yi Yefeng asked again. When Xueya didn’t answer, he reached out and gave him a push.
Accustomed to the roughness of the battlefield, Yi Yefeng’s strength was something Xueya couldn’t withstand. The push sent Xueya tumbling to the ground, his head hitting the ground with a loud thud.
The accumulated pain caused Xueya’s resolve to completely shatter. He trembled with rage, momentarily forgetting his tears, and clenched his teeth as he struggled to get up and attack Yi Yefeng.
“I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you today!” Xueya shouted as he struck at Yi Yefeng. However, with one injured foot, it was difficult for him to fight back effectively, especially since Yi Yefeng was quick to react.
Xueya threw more than ten punches, all missing their mark. Even the most forceful kick he could muster hit nothing but air. It was more frustrating than hitting cotton, and despite his growing anger, he couldn’t so much as graze Yi Yefeng.
His body ached from the pain, and his anger had no outlet. Finally, Xueya couldn’t hold back and broke into sobs, crying like a child, forgetting all the crying techniques he had learned at the Red Moon House.
Yi Yefeng watched as Xueya cried uncontrollably, gasping for breath, hiccupping, and washing his face with tears. He was puzzled. “Why are you crying again?”
Xueya ignored him and continued to sob. Seeing that Xueya wasn’t answering, Yi Yefeng fell silent. He sat down beside him, and after nearly half an hour, when Xueya finally ran out of energy and stopped crying, Yi Yefeng asked again, “Are you going to cry more?”
Xueya, now exhausted, slowly shook his head in response.
Seeing the sky darken, Yi Yefeng prepared to lift Xueya off the ground. But the moment he touched him, Xueya backed away. “I don’t want to be carried.”
“Then will you walk on your own?” Yi Yefeng asked.
Xueya wiped the tear stains from his face with the back of his hand. “I can’t walk. My foot hurts.” He looked up at Yi Yefeng. “Either carry me on your back, or leave me here. You choose.”
Yi Yefeng frowned. His naturally dark complexion made his frown appear especially fierce, and his heavy gaze on Xueya made him look even more intimidating. But Xueya didn’t shy away from Yi Yefeng’s stare, allowing him to look as he pleased, his own expression weary.
After a while, Yi Yefeng gave in and crouched down in front of Xueya. But Xueya didn’t climb on right away. “The rabbit—don’t forget it.”
Throughout their escape, the rabbit had miraculously survived, much to Xueya’s own surprise.
Yi Yefeng glanced at the rabbit near the rock, stood up to retrieve it, then crouched down again in front of Xueya. Only then did Xueya slowly climb onto Yi Yefeng’s back.
Carrying Xueya, Yi Yefeng walked around the pile of corpses and headed toward the camp. As they neared the camp, Yi Yefeng felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Xueya was biting his shoulder fiercely, venting the anger he hadn’t fully expressed earlier. But after a while, Xueya realized that Yi Yefeng hadn’t even flinched. Instead, his own teeth were beginning to ache, which only made him angrier.
He released his bite and was considering biting another spot when he heard Cui Lingjing’s voice.
“General Yi?”
Cui Lingjing had just returned from hunting. Upon hearing that some palace servants, including Xueya, had encountered a bear, he sent out a search party. After waiting a long time with no news, he came out to search himself.
He hadn’t expected to encounter Yi Yefeng and Xueya not far from the camp.
Cui Lingjing immediately noticed Xueya’s disheveled appearance, his hair undone, while Yi Yefeng’s arm was wrapped in a piece of cloth that clearly didn’t belong to him. His expression turned cold as he ordered the palace servants behind him, “Why aren’t you helping him?”
When the servants rushed over to help, Yi Yefeng set Xueya down. Facing the servant who came to support him, Yi Yefeng took a step back. “No need, just help him.”
The servants then hurriedly helped Xueya over to Cui Lingjing. Xueya’s left foot was still in pain, and as he limped toward Cui Lingjing, he could no longer bear it. With a sob, he threw himself into Cui Lingjing’s arms. “Your Majesty, it hurts so much… General Yi… General Yi, he…”
Before he could finish, Xueya fainted. Cui Lingjing quickly caught him, noticing how pale his face had become. Without hesitation, he lifted Xueya into his arms. “Fetch the imperial physician.”
At the same time, Cui Lingjing prepared to return to the camp, but he paused just before turning away.
He had spotted He Xulan standing not far away, watching him cradle Xueya, saying nothing.
Cui Lingjing and He Xulan locked eyes for a moment before Cui Lingjing spoke first. “Godfather, Xueya is mischievous. I fear keeping him at your side any longer will disturb your peace. I intend to have him return to Fengrui Palace.”
With that, he turned and left.
***
When Xueya woke, he found himself lying in a bed inside a tent, but it wasn’t the same tent he had been staying in. This one was far more luxurious. A thought crossed Xueya’s mind, and he clutched the blanket and sniffed it. The scent of dragon’s blood incense was unmistakable.
Had he… slept in Cui Lingjing’s bed?
Before he could fully grasp the situation, voices came from outside.
“Is His Majesty here?” A woman’s soft, coquettish voice asked.
“Your Grace, His Majesty is not here,” came the response from a servant.
“Not here? Are you sure? I can hear someone inside. Don’t try to deceive me,” the woman, addressed as Consort Rong, insisted.
“Your Grace, His Majesty truly isn’t here. He went hunting.”
“If His Majesty isn’t here, then who is inside? Bring that little demon out here!” Consort Rong’s fury was palpable. She had entered the palace as a noblewoman only to be left widowed, but she accepted that, since Cui Lingjing rarely visited any of the other palaces either. But yesterday, everyone had seen Cui Lingjing personally carry someone back to his tent and keep them there all night, with the imperial physician visiting multiple times.
Consort Rong hadn’t come to see Cui Lingjing. She came to confront this so-called little demon.
But despite her shouting, no one appeared. She didn’t dare barge in uninvited, so after a while, she decided to go find Empress Lei. When she arrived before the Empress, she cried out, “Your Majesty, please save your sisters! Some lowborn little demon is walking all over us concubines.”
The Empress lazily waved her feather fan and smiled. “Sister, you’ve cried so much that my heart is breaking. What kind of little demon could make you this upset?”
“That Xueya! I heard he’s just a eunuch, yet he parades around in women’s clothes, no doubt trying to seduce His Majesty. He used to serve the Empress Dowager, but yesterday he finally climbed his way into His Majesty’s bed.” Consort Rong clutched her handkerchief tightly. “If he could bear His Majesty’s children, I wouldn’t mind, but he’s a man. Your Majesty, only you can advise His Majesty now.”
Upon hearing this, Empress Lei covered half her face with her fan and chuckled softly. “So this is the matter. Very well, since you’re so heartbroken, I’ll go see for myself this little demon you speak of.”
***
The eunuchs outside Cui Lingjing’s tent were startled to see Empress Lei approaching. She rarely sought out the Emperor on her own. They hurriedly knelt and greeted her, “Your servants greet the Empress! Long live Her Majesty!”
The Empress glanced at the two kneeling eunuchs and, without a word, lifted the tent flap and walked inside. The eunuchs panicked and were about to rush in to stop her when she spoke.
“I’m already inside. If you try to make me leave, you’ll be punished twice today. But if you act as if nothing happened, I won’t say a word to His Majesty.”
As she spoke, the Empress leisurely waved her fan and approached the bed.
