Outside the tent, everything became eerily silent. Empress Lei walked quietly to the bedside, the sheer curtains revealing a faint silhouette inside. A slight smile tugged at her lips as she used her feather fan to lift the curtains.
As the curtains were drawn back, Xueya immediately spotted Empress Lei by the bed. Clad only in his undergarments, he was flustered and uneasy, shrinking further under the blanket until only his eyes were visible. His voice stammered, “Your servant… is improperly dressed and cannot greet the Empress. Please… forgive me, Your Majesty.”
The hand holding up the curtain didn’t lower. Empress Lei’s gaze lingered on Xueya, bold and unrestrained. After a moment, she leaned into the curtains, approaching him. “Improperly dressed? Are you not wearing anything?”
Xueya had never been asked such a question by a woman, especially not by the Empress. And here he was, lying on the Emperor’s bed—effectively her husband’s bed.
“Your servant…” Xueya instinctively pressed down on the blanket with his hand, but when he saw his hand—its nails painted crimson—he panicked. “Your Majesty, your servant is unworthy to be seen by your esteemed eyes.”
The blanket was pulled down slightly, exposing his neck.
Hearing this, Empress Lei chuckled softly. “In truth, I came because I was curious.” Her voice lowered. “I really wanted to know whether you are male or female.”
Xueya’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Gritting his teeth, he replied stiffly, “I am a man.”
“Are you? I find that hard to believe. Just look at you—every part of you resembles a woman.” She gently used her feather fan to lift his chin. “Is this what His Majesty prefers?”
Xueya froze, unsure of what the Empress intended. Was she here to humiliate him or to punish him?
It would be better if she just gave him a swift end—this uncertainty was unbearable.
“Your Majesty, you jest. I am merely a palace servant,” Xueya finally forced himself to say after a long pause.
Empress Lei let out a soft laugh. “A servant? What kind of servant shares His Majesty’s bed? Not a single concubine in the palace has done so, yet here you are, sleeping beside him. Many envy you. To be honest, even I am a bit envious.”
Suddenly, she leaned even closer, startling Xueya into a sharp retreat. But this was a tent, and the bed was not like the ones in the palace. It was placed in the center of the tent, so when Xueya abruptly moved back, he began to fall.
Before he hit the ground, a hand caught him around the waist.
Dangling in midair, with his body entangled in the curtains, Xueya looked up and realized that the person holding him steady was none other than Empress Lei. His shock deepened, and his face turned pale.
“I’m not very strong, so I can’t pull you up. You’ll have to help yourself.” Empress Lei glanced behind him. “This place isn’t like the palace; the ground is covered in sharp stones. A fall could seriously hurt you.”
Xueya hated pain, and he hesitated between risking a fall and offending the Empress. At that moment, Empress Lei’s hand shifted slightly, as if she could no longer support him. “I’m losing strength. Wrap your arms around my neck and try to pull yourself up.”
Xueya didn’t dare to do such a thing, but after shutting his eyes tightly, he eventually chose to risk offending her. With a sudden effort from his waist, he sat up. However, the motion brought him face-to-face with Empress Lei, their faces almost touching.
He could even smell the faint fragrance of her makeup.
Empress Lei looked up at him, her tone surprised. “Your waist is quite flexible, isn’t it?”
Xueya quickly turned his face away, looking elsewhere. “Thank you, Empress, for saving me. You can let go now.”
Empress Lei noticed Xueya’s reddened earlobes, released him, and turned to sit on the bed. She kicked off her embroidered shoes and scooted over to sit next to him.
Xueya was startled by her actions. Just as he was about to move away, his arm was grabbed.
“If you move back again, you’ll fall off the bed. This time, I might not be able to catch you. If you hurt your pretty little face, His Majesty will surely blame me,” Empress Lei said in a teasing tone.
When Xueya heard her mention Cui Lingjing, he thought carefully and figured she was likely here to cause him trouble because he had slept on Cui Lingjing’s bed.
He had overheard what Consort Rong had said earlier.
Consort Rong probably couldn’t see him, so she had asked the Empress to come instead.
The little eunuchs outside might have dared to stop Consort Rong, but they couldn’t stop Empress Lei. Xueya remembered that Empress Lei was the daughter of a general, and on the night of her wedding, she had even kicked Cui Lingjing off the bed. He couldn’t help but fear she might kick him in the chest as well.
“Your Majesty, nothing happened between me and His Majesty. He only… pitied me for a moment,” Xueya quickly explained, afraid of being beaten.
Empress Lei blinked. “Pity you? Enough to let you sleep on the imperial bed? Why doesn’t His Majesty pity me? I sleep alone, while you have His Majesty by your side. Did you sleep well last night? How exactly did His Majesty ‘pity’ you?”
As she spoke, she leaned closer to Xueya, her brows knitting slightly, and the pearl on her forehead glimmered in the light.
Xueya couldn’t help but back away, shaking his head. “I passed out last night. I don’t know anything.”
“Passed out? Was His Majesty so vigorous that you fainted?”
Empress Lei’s words made Xueya’s face flush bright red. Being a courtesan, he understood such innuendos all too well. It was already embarrassing enough to hear such things from a man, let alone from a woman.
“Your Majesty, please don’t tease me. Nothing happened between His Majesty and me,” Xueya stammered, his face burning with embarrassment.
But Empress Lei didn’t seem ready to let him off. “Don’t be afraid, I don’t intend to punish you. I’m just curious about what His Majesty does with you. I’ve been Empress for several months, but I haven’t even touched His Majesty. You, on the other hand, sleep beside him. Tell me, does His Majesty have any… particular preferences?”
“Preferences?” Xueya was stunned for a moment.
“I mean, what does he like in bed? I’d like to learn,” Empress Lei said softly.
Xueya shook his head furiously. “Nothing really…”
Before he could finish, a finger pressed against his lips.
“I told you, I’m not going to punish you. Why won’t you just tell me the truth? Fine, let me ask you another way. When you’re alone with His Majesty, what does he like to do with you the most?” Empress Lei asked.
Xueya edged backward again and reluctantly gave an answer. “His Majesty… likes to pinch my cheeks.”
Empress Lei nodded. “And?”
“That’s all, really,” Xueya quickly said.
Empress Lei squinted slightly, about to say more, but at that moment, a nervous voice came from outside the tent. “Your Majesty, His Majesty has returned from hunting. Please, come out quickly.”
Hearing this, Xueya let out a quiet sigh of relief and urged softly, “Your Majesty, you should go. I promise I won’t say anything about your visit today.”
Empress Lei’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly reached out to pinch Xueya’s cheek gently. The fragrance of her perfume lingered at his nose as she said, “You’re such a good boy.”
With that, she left the tent.
Xueya remained dazed even after she left, until Cui Lingjing entered.
Cui Lingjing lifted the curtains and saw Xueya sitting there blankly. He raised an eyebrow. “What are you sitting there for? Does your foot still hurt?”
Xueya snapped back to reality, and Cui Lingjing’s words reminded him of his severely injured left foot from the previous day. He tried moving it and winced in pain.
He had been too nervous earlier in front of Empress Lei to notice that his foot was still injured.
“The physician said it takes a hundred days for bone injuries to heal. You’ll need to rest for a while. I promised before to have you serve me again, and today I’ll fulfill that promise. From now on, you’ll stay by my side and won’t need to go back to Ningfu Palace,” Cui Lingjing said, then paused and sniffed the air. “What’s that smell?”
Xueya, still taken aback by his earlier words, was startled again. “What?”
“I smell something like perfume,” Cui Lingjing said, looking around before his gaze landed on Xueya. Xueya hesitated but decided not to mention Empress Lei. It wasn’t wise to offend her at the moment.
He forced a smile. “Did Your Majesty smell wrong? I don’t smell anything.”
Cui Lingjing frowned. “Really?”
Sensing the mood, Xueya quickly changed the subject. “How is General Yi?”
“Him? He’s fine. Even though his arm was nearly cut to the bone, today he still managed to shoot down ten birds, a deer, and several pheasants. Good thing he didn’t run into a bear, or he’d probably skin it,” Cui Lingjing said as he sat on the bed. “How did you run into him yesterday?”
Xueya recounted what had happened the day before. When he mentioned General Yi’s fight with the black-clad men, he noticed that Cui Lingjing remained expressionless, suggesting that General Yi had already told him everything. Still, it didn’t stop Xueya from complaining.
“Your Majesty, is General Yi’s salary very low?” Xueya asked.
Cui Lingjing looked puzzled. “Why do you ask?”
Xueya bit his lip, looking aggrieved. “Why else would General Yi tear my skirt to use as a bandage? I didn’t want him to, but he still… he still…”
“Still what?” Cui Lingjing looked at him.
Xueya touched the back of his head and found a small lump. “He pushed me, and now my head’s swollen. My foot too…”
At this point, his eyes were already red. “I know if it weren’t for General Yi, I’d probably still be lost. But he was so rough.”
Cui Lingjing felt the lump on Xueya’s head and, hearing him yelp, lightened his touch. “He’s a rough man. Don’t hold it against him.”
Hearing this, Xueya understood that Cui Lingjing had no intention of punishing General Yi. He felt a pang of disappointment.
Would He Xulan punish General Yi for him?
As he thought about it, Xueya leaned against Cui Lingjing, speaking softly. “Your Majesty is always so kind to me. You’re the most gentle.”
***
Because Xueya had difficulty moving, palace servants soon helped him to another tent to rest.
After all, as the emperor, Cui Lingjing couldn’t personally attend to his needs. However, the two palace servants who were tasked with taking care of Xueya had received specific instructions from Cui Lingjing and treated him with utmost care.
That evening, there was a bonfire celebration outside. Since Xueya couldn’t walk easily, he couldn’t join. He noticed the two eunuchs looking longingly outside, clearly interested in the festivities. Since he didn’t have much to do, he thought he might as well give them a break.
Besides, he didn’t have much to talk about with the two eunuchs and preferred the quiet.
“Go on, enjoy yourselves outside. I’ll be fine on my own,” Xueya said.
The two eunuchs hesitated. “But His Majesty told us to—”
“My left foot is just a little injured, I’m not crippled. I’m planning to sleep soon anyway, and it’s harder to rest with you here watching over me. Go enjoy yourselves,” Xueya waved them off.
The two eunuchs couldn’t resist the allure of the bonfire. After thanking him repeatedly, they left.
Once Xueya was alone, he laid down and tried to drift off. Just as he was feeling sleepy, he felt something touch his face.
Half-asleep, he opened his eyes and was startled to see someone standing by his bed—someone he didn’t want to see at all.
He Xulan.
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