Xueya didn’t understand why some people didn’t like seeing others smile. Perhaps Cui Lingjing was a weirdo. This realization added a bit more sympathy toward Cui Lingjing when he was scared.
Even if he had a noble birth, his mind wasn’t normal.
Cui Lingjing had no idea that Xueya, who was born into slavery, had developed sympathy for him. His gaze slowly swept across Xueya’s face, and as he subtly tightened his grip on Xueya’s chin, he noticed Xueya flinch in pain. Xueya’s brows furrowed slightly, and he looked at Cui with a pleading expression. Seeing this, the corners of Cui’s lips involuntarily lifted, and he eased his grip considerably.
He suddenly understood why his Godfather kept such a little plaything around.
“Are you hungry?” Cui Lingjing withdrew his hand and reclined lazily in his chair.
The shadow in his eyes dissipated like sunlight.
Xueya hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Cui Lingjing glanced at the desk beside him where a food box lay, much more exquisite than the one sent to Consort Shu. “It’s yours as a reward. Take it and eat.”
Xueya thanked him and got up to take the food box away but was stopped again.
“Eat it here.” Cui Lingjing changed his mind for some reason. He rested his head on one hand, his gaze penetrating Xueya.
Xueya hesitated briefly, then proceeded to open the food box. As he opened it, he realized there was more food inside than he had imagined, and it truly looked and smelled delicious.
His appetite, which wasn’t very hungry to begin with, was suddenly stimulated.
Xueya hadn’t expected to enjoy two good meals today. He couldn’t help but smile, but remembering that Cui Lingjing didn’t like to see people smile, he quickly suppressed his smile again. He picked up the chopsticks from the food box and started eating, enjoying the meal so much that he forgot who was sitting next to him.
After he finished eating, he glanced nervously at Cui Lingjing.
Cui Lingjing shifted position, and his index finger gestured. Seeing his movement, Xueya cautiously approached. Just as he leaned in, his cheek was suddenly gripped firmly by two fingers. He dared not frown or smile, just stared anxiously at Cui Lingjing.
“You, this broken bunny, eat quite a lot,” Cui Lingjing’s tone was mocking, and he didn’t hold back with his hand either, squeezing Xueya’s cheek until it felt like it was burning. He squeezed until Xueya no longer had the contentment of a full stomach, then finally released his grip satisfied.
Once his hand let go, Cui Lingjing looked at Xueya’s face, initially surprised, then burst into laughter.
Feeling the pain on his cheek, Xueya didn’t dare touch it. He followed Cui Lingjing’s instruction to leave in a hurry, covering his face all the way back to his room. When he saw the clearly reddened and bruised imprint on his face in the mirror, he almost cried out of anger.
Xueya was most proud of his face. He thought that apart from He Xulan, who was better looking than him, he was the best-looking person in the world. Now, with two fingers from Cui Lingjing ruining his appearance, he was angry and upset, but could only curse Cui Lingjing silently.
D*mn Cui Lingjing. If that guy weren’t the emperor, he wouldn’t bother with that dog.
Because of the imprint on his face, Xueya behaved for a few days, avoiding going near Cui Lingjing. However, Cui Lingjing began acting unusually. On the day when the imprint on his face was fading, Cui Lingjing suddenly called him over.
Not to serve him personally, but to get his face pinched again.
The imprint on Xueya’s face deepened again, and that night he was so angry that he used his pillow to vent his frustration as if beating Cui Lingjing. By the third time he was called to get his face pinched again in the same spot, Xueya finally couldn’t bear it and cried in grievance.
Cui Lingjing was pinching quite hard when suddenly tears dropped onto his hand, which startled him. He looked up and saw that the little rabbit was crying.
“Why are you crying?” Cui Lingjing sounded somewhat disgusted. He used the hand that wiped away the tears and wiped it on Xueya’s clothes. After doing so, he seemed to think it wasn’t right, so he withdrew his hand, picked up a handkerchief from the side, and carefully wiped his hand clean.
Xueya didn’t care that he was in front of Cui Lingjing. He covered his face and muttered, “It’s going… to ruin my face.”
At this point, sorrow overwhelmed him, and tears fell even more.
Having lived for sixteen years, Cui Lingjing had never seen a man so concerned about his appearance. He chuckled lightly, thinking this broken bunny was really something. He picked up the handkerchief that had just wiped his hand and slapped Xueya’s face with it, instructing, “No crying.”
At Cui Lingjing’s words, Xueya could only force himself to stop crying. He clumsily wiped away the tears from his face, gradually regaining his composure.
Cui Lingjing stared at Xueya for a moment, then suddenly called the chief eunuch outside, “Bring him some Jade Condensing Ointment.”
The chief eunuch looked slightly surprised but quickly fetched the ointment for Xueya.
Looking at the Jade Condensing Ointment in his hand, Xueya hadn’t yet thanked him when Cui Lingjing impatiently said, “Use this to wipe your face. It won’t ruin your appearance. Now scram.”
Xueya obediently left, applying the ointment that night while continuing to curse Cui Lingjing silently. He wasn’t grateful; after all, the injury on his face was caused by that d*mn Cui Lingjing.
The Jade Condensing Ointment was a good thing. The next day, the imprint on his face had faded considerably. Today, he was again ordered to deliver something. When he arrived at Consort Shu’s palace, the palace maids informed him that Consort Shu was still resting and suggested they wait in the side chamber with tea.
One of the eunuchs who had come with Xueya said, “No need to trouble yourselves. We’ll just leave the items here.”
“The consort says it’s hard for you gong gongs to come all this way to deliver things, especially in this hot autumn weather. Have some tea and rest a bit before leaving,” the palace maid said, and the accompanying eunuchs were tempted.
It was more comfortable to stay here and rest than to return to work.
Xueya was happy to take a break. Not long after, a palace maid came to inform them that Consort Shu had awakened, but feeling a bit stuffy, she only wanted one person to come in and deliver the items.
This task fell to Xueya, while the eunuchs who stayed in the side chamber received some snacks and a piece of silver.
Xueya, holding the embroidered box in his hands, walked steadily towards the side hall. He had become more familiar with the proper etiquette these days. As soon as he knelt down to pay his respects, a pair of hands supported his arms. “Get up quickly.”
Xueya hesitated for a moment, then rose with the help of the other person’s strength.
Consort Shu’s clothes today carried a strong fragrance, a bit overwhelming up close. After introducing what was inside the embroidered box, Xueya suddenly heard Consort Shu say to the palace maid outside, “Is the food ready? Bring it in.”
Consort Shu’s beautiful eyes then turned to Xueya’s face. “Stay here today and have your meal with me before you leave,” she suddenly exclaimed, “What’s wrong with your face?”
As she spoke, she reached out to touch it.
Xueya flinched and felt a bit panicked. “It’s nothing.”
Consort Shu’s expression darkened slightly, but she quickly smiled again. “Why are you afraid? I just feel that we’re destined to meet. You remind me of my younger brother from my natal family.”
Consort Shu had been selected in the last round of the emperor’s concubine selection and entered the palace at the age of sixteen. Now as a consort, she was only twenty years old, at the peak of her beauty.
However, being confined in the deep palace day after day, seeing the same scenery and people repeatedly, had become monotonous for her.
After saying this, Consort Shu saw that Xueya remained silent and smiled gently, “If you don’t give me face, do you want me to personally go find the emperor? The emperor respects us, the former concubines, every once in a while he sends someone to deliver things.”
Xueya hesitated for a moment before murmuring, “This servant thanks Consort Shu.”
Just then, the freshly prepared meal was brought in.
That night, Xueya couldn’t sleep. Growing up in the Eunuch Academy, he understood some things. Besides male clients, there were also female clients. The Red Moon House had specially designated attendants for female clients, but Xueya was not one of them.
The next day, Xueya couldn’t muster any energy, feeling exhausted and weary. As a result, he was caught napping and punished, forbidden from having meals at noon and evening.
Hungry again, Xueya stood by the wall, eventually thinking of Consort Shu.
***
“Is it really that delicious? Look, your mouth is covered in it,” Consort Shu chuckled lightly, holding a heavily scented handkerchief as she leaned in to help Xueya wipe his lips.
After she finished, she continued to watch Xueya eat, waiting until he had finished before eagerly pulling him up, “Come over and see the painting I made.”
Consort Shu had deliberately not applied heavy makeup today, appearing almost without embellishment. She was naturally beautiful, and without the glamorous attire, she looked like an unmarried girl.
She held onto Xueya’s hand, leading him to a window seat where a small table with a painting awaited. “How do you like my painting?”
Consort Shu had painted a butterfly fluttering over flowers. The butterfly in the painting looked lifelike. Although Xueya didn’t understand much about art, he genuinely praised, “It looks like a real butterfly.”
Hearing those words, her dimples appeared as she smiled, “Then today, I’ll paint one for you. I’ll paint you.” She gently pressed him back onto the couch and started preparing a clean sheet of paper.
As she was painting a portrait, Consort Shu needed to look up at Xueya frequently. After staring at him for a while, Xueya suddenly realized that Consort Shu had sat down next to him.
Before he could react, Consort Shu leaned against him, her tone filled with sadness, “Xueya, if only I weren’t a consort. If I were just an ordinary widow, I could openly keep you in my private residence. By then, I could play the zither while you listen, and I could paint while you watch. Wouldn’t that be delightful?”
When Xueya was young, he had also fantasized about marriage. However, as he grew older, he knew that it was wishful thinking. But now, hearing Consort Shu’s words, he inexplicably felt angry.
Why is it that when he encounter women, even they wanted to keep him in their private quarters?
But he couldn’t argue against it. He was indeed being kept by her now. He couldn’t eat in Fengrui palace, but here he could enjoy delicacies. In addition, Consort Shu privately gave him money, saying that if anyone treated him badly, he could use the money to bribe them.
Consort Shu sighed, looking deeply into Xueya’s face, this was the first time she had leaned against Xueya, and the second time she had leaned against a man’s chest. When she entered the palace, the late emperor was already seriously ill, with the scent of medicine lingering on him year-round, which made her nauseous, but Xueya was different, clean and refreshing, making people unable to help but approach.
She stared fixedly and couldn’t help reaching out to touch the man’s face in front of her. His face was really handsome. Her fingertips just touched it, and suddenly, the palace door was kicked open heavily.
Consort Shu turned in surprise, just about to stand up, but it was too late. Cui Lingjing strode into the inner hall, seeing Consort Shu who had just panickedly stood up and Xueya still sitting on the couch, his face suddenly darkened.
“Your Majesty, I, I just…” Consort Shu stuttered, unable to speak further, but the men behind Cui Lingjing swiftly moved forward, binding both her and Xueya, quickly gagging them.
Cui Lingjing’s face darkened. “Consort Shu, in recognition of the late emperor’s grace, has voluntarily chosen to reside in Qingyan Convent for purification, often accompanying the Buddha for blessings to the Li Dynasty.”
Consort Shu’s pupils contracted tightly. She tried to say something, but all that came out were muffled sounds. Disgust filled Cui Lingjing’s eyes. Seeing that he wouldn’t even glance more, palace attendants swiftly dragged Consort Shu away, while all her trusted aides were immediately executed.
Xueya knelt on the ground, hearing the successive screams outside, his face drained of color, not daring to move. When he caught sight of the black boots embroidered with cloud patterns and golden dragons, his body uncontrollably trembled.
A hand forcefully gripped his cheek, forcing him to lift his head.
Cui Lingjing looked at Xueya, trembling in fear, and sneered, “That foolish woman is indiscriminate, even taking a liking to someone like you.” He raised his gaze momentarily, then suddenly noticed something on Consort Shu’s dressing table.
With a scoff, Cui Lingjing grabbed Xueya’s collar and dragged him to the dressing table. Xueya’s hat had long fallen off, leaving his hair disheveled and his clothes in disarray.
“Are you even worthy of liking women?” Cui Lingjing sneered into the mirror at Xueya, who was sweating and pale, “Let’s see after today if any woman will still like you. Come! Bring that foolish woman’s clothes over and dress him in them.”
Author’s note:
Consort Shu: I guess I’m just the perfect tool, huh? I’ve sacrificed so much just to dress Xueya in women’s clothes.
Trash Author: Hard work, hard work. Here are two chicken legs for your boxed lunch.
The next chapter: Xueya in women’s clothes is coming up. It’s almost time to provoke our Lord Empress.
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