I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 50

Cui Lingjing sat in the warm pavilion of the eastern room, waiting for someone to arrive. It had been more than half a year since he last saw that troublesome rabbit; he wondered what he looked like now.

As he was thinking, the soft curtains were lifted, and someone entered.

Cui Lingjing only lazily lifted his head when he heard the young boy greet him. As soon as he looked up, he froze for a moment.

The boy kneeling on the ground was wearing a thin eunuch’s robe, his exposed skin pale and bluish, small and frail as he knelt without moving.

Cui Lingjing couldn’t help but recall how Xueya used to perform his greetings—always improper, touching his clothes while kneeling, bothered by the wrinkles. He would wobble after just a short while.

That annoying habit used to frustrate Cui Lingjing. Even after scolding him and pinching his cheek, Xueya would still smooth his clothes and sway the next time.

Cui Lingjing stared at the boy for a while, then placed his tea cup down. “Get up and speak.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the boy’s voice was soft and weak.

For some reason, Cui Lingjing felt uncomfortable. Frowning, he brought up the belt. “Did you ruin that belt?”

Xueya recalled what Xiao Fanzi had said to him before he came in:

“His Majesty is kind-hearted and won’t punish you too harshly. If you take the blame this time, I’ll talk to Liu Gonggong and tell him you saved the laundry department. You’re so good-looking; it’d be a waste to spend every day washing clothes. Liu Gonggong might even move you to a lighter job in another palace.”

“Why aren’t you speaking? Was it you or not?” Cui Lingjing’s voice interrupted Xueya’s thoughts.

Xueya’s swollen hands started itching again. He pressed his lips together and said softly, “It wasn’t me, Your Majesty. I didn’t touch your belt.”

“It wasn’t you? Then why does everyone say you ruined it?” Cui Lingjing’s voice grew sharper. “Do you know the penalty for lying to your emperor?”

Cui Lingjing expected to see Xueya trembling in fear at these words, but instead, the boy raised his head and glared at him. “They’re framing me! I didn’t wash it.”

His face had grown thinner, but he was starting to look more mature.

Xueya used to resemble He Xulan by about fifty percent, but now it was more like thirty. His fox-like eyes had become more seductive, paired with his palm-sized delicate face, looking almost unreal. But his face was pale, showing clearly that he hadn’t been living well.

Cui Lingjing’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed. He rubbed his finger along the rim of the cup. “Quite bold, aren’t you? Complaining to me now—haven’t you washed enough clothes?”

“I won’t wash anymore. Just kill me already!” Xueya turned his face away, glaring at a distant vase as if it represented someone he despised.

Cui Lingjing was genuinely surprised by Xueya’s attitude. He had thought that Xueya’s earlier pitiful appearance meant he had finally shed his stubborn pride, but instead, he was even more defiant.

“There are many ways to die. Do you think defying me will leave you with an intact body?” Cui Lingjing’s cold words had barely left his lips when he saw Xueya suddenly rush toward a pillar. His heart skipped a beat as he shouted, “Stop! How dare you! If you hit that pillar today and survive, I’ll have you torn apart by five horses! If you die, I’ll throw your body in a mass grave to be eaten by wild dogs.”

This outburst stopped Xueya in his tracks.

Being torn apart by five horses—how painful would that be?

Seeing Xueya stop, Cui Lingjing’s face remained grim. He let out a slow breath and commanded, “Come here.” When Xueya didn’t move, his tone became heavier. “Do I need to personally invite you over?”

After hearing this, Xueya finally began to slowly shuffle over.

Cui Lingjing felt a surge of anger. He hadn’t even punished the boy for his disrespect, yet here he was already acting like he wanted to die.

He’s been spoiled!

His face lacked any flesh—time for a different punishment.

Cui Lingjing noticed that Xueya was hiding his hands in his sleeves. He picked up the book on the table and rolled it into a tube. “Show me your hands.”

Upon hearing Cui Lingjing’s command, Xueya hid his hands even further behind him.

“Do you want me to call someone in to drag you away and beat you with a board?” Cui Lingjing’s irritation grew.

After finishing his sentence, he realized Xueya still hadn’t moved. Now fully angry, Cui Lingjing grabbed Xueya’s hand and heard a yelp as he pulled it forward.

Cui Lingjing was momentarily stunned. He looked at Xueya’s hand, still hidden in the sleeve, and suddenly rolled it up.

With the sleeve rolled up, there was nowhere for the hand to hide. Each finger was red and swollen, resembling radishes, devoid of any beauty.

Xueya’s face flushed with embarrassment as Cui Lingjing looked at his hands. He tried to pull the sleeve back down, but Cui Lingjing stopped him.

Cui Lingjing rolled up both of Xueya’s sleeves. Both hands were the same—red, swollen, and unsightly, completely unfitting for their owner.

“H… how did your hands end up like this?” Cui Lingjing asked quietly.

Xueya, with nowhere left to hide his hands, now spoke more calmly, letting Cui Lingjing inspect them. “From washing clothes. I have to wash at least five tubs a day. If I don’t finish, I can’t eat or sleep.”

Cui Lingjing looked up into Xueya’s eyes. “Where did all your cleverness go? Why didn’t you come to me?”

Xueya blinked softly. “It was Your Majesty who sent me there. You even slapped me.”

Cui Lingjing’s expression grew complicated. He released Xueya’s hand and turned his face slightly away. “I didn’t kill you. That alone is an extraordinary mercy.”

“That’s why I dare not approach Your Majesty. If I do, Your Majesty might get angry and kill me, just like you said earlier—being torn apart by five horses, and even having my body eaten by wild dogs,” Xueya muttered, hiding his hands behind his back.

Cui Lingjing frowned and turned to look at Xueya again. He wanted to say something, but upon seeing Xueya’s thin chin, he swallowed the words back.

Forget it.

He told himself in his heart.

“Come back and serve,” Cui Lingjing said, standing up and walking away, leaving Xueya alone in the warm pavilion. At first, Xueya wondered if he had misheard. But soon after, someone came to invite him for a bath and change of clothes, confirming that he had not heard wrong.

Cui Lingjing had decided to keep him in Fengrui Palace.

Just after Xueya had changed into thicker clothes, the imperial physician arrived to check on him. While examining his hand, the physician asked, “Have you been applying any ointment privately?”

Xueya handed over the ointment he always carried with him. “This, I’ve been using it recently.”

The physician opened it, sniffed, and applied some to his own hand. After a moment, he nodded. “It’s good medicine, but your hands have been exposed to cold water too often, so it’s not enough to protect them. Don’t let your hands touch cold water before this winter is over. I’ll prescribe some medicine for soaking your hands and feet; just add it to boiling water twice a day.”

He handed the prescription to Xueya. “You can continue using this ointment.”

After the physician left, Xueya was still somewhat in a daze. Before long, he heard a sudden scream outside. He quickly got up and peeked through the window. To his surprise, the screaming person was none other than Xiu Gugu, whom he had recently met.

She was being dragged forward by two people, her hair disheveled, and her backside bloodied, likely from a beating. She kept crying out, “Your Majesty, I was momentarily possessed! Please, spare me this time.”

Before long, her mouth was gagged.

Seeing who was being dragged out behind her, Xueya quickly closed the window.

It was Xiao Fanzi and his group, seemingly dead, being dragged lifelessly forward.

Xueya sat down in the chair, trembling slightly. After a long while, he muttered softly, “They tried to harm me; I didn’t harm them. This is how the palace works, isn’t it? It’s either them or me.”

***

Xueya stayed at Fengrui Palace, returning to his previous quarters, and swapped his eunuch robes for a ruqun. He had no duties and spent his days soaking his hands and feet as instructed, waiting to be summoned by Cui Lingjing.

Cui Lingjing was busy with year-end affairs and didn’t summon him daily. One afternoon, Xueya was called to have lunch.

He wasn’t allowed to dine with Cui Lingjing and had to wait until the emperor finished before eating. Fortunately, the emperor’s meals were lavish, and Cui Lingjing had little appetite these days, leaving much untouched.

As Xueya quietly ate, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the inner chamber. Before he could look up, something hit his head.

“Not done eating yet?” Cui Lingjing asked, holding a memorial in his hand, his expression grim.

Xueya glanced at him and shook his head.

Seeing Xueya’s still-gaunt face, Cui Lingjing swallowed his harsh words and turned back to the inner hall.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his voice came from within.

“Still not finished?”

Xueya put down his chopsticks and replied, “I’m done, Your Majesty.”

He rinsed his mouth, washed his hands, and entered the inner hall.

Cui Lingjing sat on the couch, his legs covered with thick blankets. He held a warming stone in his hands, and a small table nearby was piled with memorials.

When Xueya entered, Cui Lingjing beckoned to him with a gesture, like one might call a cat or dog. Xueya approached, expression unchanged, and when Cui Lingjing gestured for him to sit, he removed his boots and climbed into the blankets.

After settling in, Xueya reached out to touch the warming stone in Cui Lingjing’s hand. Sensing this, Cui Lingjing simply handed it over to him. After watching Xueya for a moment, he suddenly asked, “When is your birthday?”

Xueya, holding the warming stone, replied quietly, “In two days.”

“In two days? That’s little New Year’s Eve?” Cui Lingjing looked surprised. “You were born on little New Year’s Eve?”

Xueya nodded.

Because it was little New Year’s Eve, his mother couldn’t find a midwife and had to give birth to him on her own.

“After little New Year’s Eve, you’ll be eighteen, right? Is there anything you want?” Cui Lingjing asked.

Xueya nestled his feet against the warming stone, and after thinking for a moment, he remembered someone.

He once had this same conversation with He Xulan at an inn.

Back then, exhausted but quietly excited, he had immediately told He Xulan that he wanted gold when asked what he desired for his birthday.

“Your Majesty, I would like to hear you play a tune for me,” Xueya said, raising his face to look at Cui Lingjing. “After the palace banquet, in the warm pavilion of Shuixi Hall. Is that possible?”

Cui Lingjing raised an eyebrow and placed the memorial over Xueya’s face. “No. What do you think I am?”

Xueya took the memorial off and quickly changed his request. “Then may I sing a song for Your Majesty at the palace banquet? Just a short one. I haven’t sung in a long time.”

“Why not sing in private?” Cui Lingjing asked.

Xueya frowned slightly and shoved the warming stone back into Cui Lingjing’s hands. “Singing privately doesn’t mean anything. Only at the banquet, with everyone present, will I feel like they’re celebrating my birthday.” His voice softened. “No one’s ever celebrated my birthday. Everyone’s busy on little New Year’s Eve, even my mother. She always had guests, and by the time she got around to celebrating, the day had already passed.”

Not long after, the warming stone was handed back to him. Then he heard Cui Lingjing’s gritted voice in his ear.

“Fine, play the victim. Once you’re healthy, I’ll punish you properly.”

Despite his words, Cui Lingjing summoned the palace musicians that afternoon to accompany Xueya.