It was nearly two hours later when Cui Lingjing returned.
Upon his return to the palace, a wave of fatigue washed over him. He drank a bowl of sobering soup and was just about to lie down when he suddenly felt like something was missing.
He looked around the hall and finally realized what was wrong.
Xueya wasn’t there.
“Where’s Xueya?” he asked the chief eunuch beside him.
The chief eunuch carefully lowered the bed curtains. “He returned to his room half an hour ago. By now, he’s probably asleep.”
Cui Lingjing made a sound of acknowledgment and laid back, but after a short while, he sat up again. “I’ll go check on him.” With that, he got up, put on his shoes, and walked outside. The chief eunuch quickly fetched a cloak for him and called for a servant to bring an umbrella.
When Cui Lingjing reached Xueya’s quarters, he noticed a faint light shining through the window. He paused for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside. The eunuchs remained outside, guarding the entrance.
Inside, a small, delicate green lamp hung above the bed, casting enough light to illuminate the room. It was the source of the light seen from outside. Cui Lingjing approached the bed, pulled back the curtains, and saw Xueya curled up in a corner, hugging his legs.
Xueya had removed his makeup, his face bare and hair loose. His small, pale face was expressionless.
Cui Lingjing had never seen Xueya with such a look, and having broken his promise, he felt a bit guilty. He sat down at the edge of the bed and, in an unprecedented move, offered an explanation. “The medicine took longer to prepare, so I came back late. It wasn’t on purpose.”
Xueya glanced at him, then turned his face away, biting his lip in a way that made him look pitifully aggrieved. Seeing him like this stirred feelings of tenderness in Cui Lingjing. His drunkenness from earlier had faded, and the things he had done a few hours ago were mostly driven by alcohol. Now, with his head clearer and his body tired, he wasn’t inclined to continue.
After a moment’s thought, he added, “Alright, this was my fault. Tomorrow, I’ll have the Tailoring Bureau make you a few new outfits, and they’ll craft some new hairpins too.”
There was no response.
Cui Lingjing cleared his throat and said, “If you’re still ignoring me, I’ll leave.”
Just as he finished speaking, Xueya threw his arms around him.
The person in his embrace was soft, carrying a faint peach scent.
Xueya was holding Cui Lingjing despite feeling uncomfortable. In truth, the smell of Cui Lingjing’s clothes, a mix of incense and lingering alcohol, was unbearable—both fragrant and foul, enough to make him feel nauseous. But no matter how sick it made him, he refused to return to the laundry quarters. He didn’t want to end up with the same fate as in his nightmares.
He had come to realize that He Xulan, with his privileged background, had always looked down on him. Now it was clear—so long as He Xulan was around, there was no place for him. If He Xulan were to cause any trouble, Cui Lingjing would discard him immediately. Tonight’s events seemed too coincidental; just when things were getting intimate, He Xulan had conveniently fallen into the water. It was obvious that He Xulan was vying for Cui Lingjing’s attention.
Even though He Xulan didn’t seem particularly close to Cui Lingjing on a regular basis, whenever Xueya tried to get closer, He Xulan always found a way to intervene.
He Xulan had done it deliberately. His affection might even be a facade, but one thing was certain—He Xulan hated anyone who resembled him and would go out of his way to make their lives difficult. Anything Xueya wanted, He Xulan would try to take.
Fine, then. He was determined to pull He Xulan down from his high pedestal.
“Your Majesty, I just had a nightmare,” Xueya whispered, suppressing his nausea.
With Xueya, soft and warm in his arms, Cui Lingjing couldn’t help but feel a bit at ease. He gently patted Xueya’s back. “What kind of nightmare frightened you?”
Xueya loosened his grip slightly, his eyes instantly welling up with tears. “I dreamt that Your Majesty sent me back to the laundry quarters and said I’d never be allowed out again.”
Cui Lingjing looked at Xueya with a meaningful gaze. “Whether you’re punished or not depends on you.”
Xueya shook his head and clung to Cui Lingjing even tighter. “I don’t want to go. Please, Your Majesty, don’t send me there.”
His voice was nasal, and his tone was so coy that even Cui Lingjing couldn’t help but smile. He patted Xueya’s back again. “It was just a dream. Now go to sleep.”
“I’m afraid that if you leave, I’ll have the same nightmare again. Only Your Majesty, the true Son of Heaven, can protect me,” Xueya murmured as he released Cui Lingjing, looking at him with cautious hope. “Your Majesty, could you stay and sleep with me?”
Cui Lingjing stared at Xueya for a long moment before finally nodding. Seeing Xueya’s joyful expression, he added, “Just this once.”
“Mm!” Xueya shifted further into the bed, and when Cui Lingjing removed his outer robe and laid down, Xueya softly hugged his arm. He muttered quietly, “When I used to have nightmares, my mother would sleep with me.”
A flick of the finger landed on his forehead.
“Is that so? Are you mistaking me for your mother now?” Cui Lingjing teased.
Xueya covered his forehead, pouting. “My mother never hit me, and she smelled nice. But Your Majesty, you…”
Before he could finish, he let go of Cui Lingjing and seemed to want to flee. Cui Lingjing’s eyes narrowed, and he immediately pulled Xueya back into his arms, tightening his grip. “If you think I smell bad, then tonight I’ll make sure to stink you to death.”
Cui Lingjing didn’t avoid bathing because he didn’t want to, but rather because it was so late, and he was too exhausted. He thought he would sleep for a little while before getting up to bathe and change, but unexpectedly, Xueya complained about him being smelly, which annoyed him a bit. The two of them playfully wrestled on the bed for a while, and soon, drowsiness overtook them both, and they fell asleep without realizing it.
It wasn’t until the chief eunuch came in quietly to wake Cui Lingjing that he suddenly opened his eyes. He let out a hiss and, upon seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, was momentarily confused before his awareness slowly returned.
He had slept in Xueya’s bed last night.
Remembering Xueya, he turned his head and saw that the young man who had slept clinging to him was now pressed up against the wall, sound asleep, completely oblivious to the world.
Cui Lingjing couldn’t help but recall Xueya’s comment about him smelling bad the night before. With a cold snort, he immediately grabbed the boy and pulled him over. Xueya woke up, his long eyelashes trembling slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were misty with sleep, and his cheeks were flushed as red as a ripe peach in April from his restful slumber. He rubbed his eyes, seemingly confused as to why Cui Lingjing had grabbed him. “Your Majesty?”
Cui Lingjing paused for a moment, then lifted his sleeve to sniff himself, wrinkling his nose at the smell. He let go of Xueya, who was once again drifting off to sleep, but before he closed his eyes completely, Cui Lingjing leaned down and took a sniff at Xueya’s neck.
He might have smelled bad, but this little rascal smelled fresh and sweet.
Cui Lingjing’s movements tickled Xueya, making him feel slightly uncomfortable. Yet, despite his instinct to push him away, Xueya resisted, allowing Cui Lingjing to nuzzle against his neck.
Finally, when the chief eunuch, realizing the hour was getting late, softly reminded him twice, Cui Lingjing reluctantly got up to bathe and change.
***
Before attending court, Cui Lingjing specifically instructed the chief eunuch, “Have someone tidy up Xueya’s room, and replace everything on the bed.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The chief eunuch, who had previously served the former emperor, had been assigned to serve Cui Lingjing later. After spending decades in the palace, he had become quite shrewd, and immediately arranged for someone to handle the task.
“Rearrange the furnishings in Xueya’s room according to the specifications of a consort, and make the bed to suit His Majesty’s preferences.”
The eunuchs were taken aback, exchanging glances. One of them cautiously asked, “Does this mean…?”
“As servants, it’s not your place to ask so many questions. Just follow the orders,” the chief eunuch said with a stern face. “From now on, whatever Xueya needs or instructs, you are to carry out without any neglect.”
Xueya didn’t need to wake up early like Cui Lingjing to attend court, so he slept until nearly noon. By the time he got up to bathe, the furnishings in his room had already been replaced, especially the bed. The last time Xueya had slept in such a luxurious bed was back in He Xulan’s palace.
All he had done was ask Cui Lingjing to sleep beside him—he hadn’t even done anything more.
As he touched the silk quilt under his fingers, Xueya became more determined to win Cui Lingjing’s favor.
However, Cui Lingjing soon became very busy. Towns near the capital had been experiencing continuous snowfall, leading to snow disasters. Because these towns were close to the capital, many refugees were flocking to the city, and within just two or three days, there had already been several incidents of food-related clashes among the refugees in the capital.
To make matters worse, the capital itself had started to experience constant snowfall. From his window, Xueya watched the large, goose-feather-like snowflakes fall and couldn’t help but glance toward Cui Lingjing’s imperial study.
The doors of the study were tightly shut, and Cui Lingjing hadn’t come out in hours.
After some thought, Xueya decided to bring some soup to him. Once the soup was prepared, he carefully changed into fresh clothes and replaced his hairpin with a new one. He then carried the tray of soup toward the study. But halfway there, he ran into Yin Qingxuan.
Yin Qingxuan had likely just come out of the study, his face stern. Seeing him, Xueya stepped to the side and bowed, silently praying that Yin Qingxuan wouldn’t stop.
But his hopes were dashed. Not only did Yin Qingxuan stop, but he also asked, “Where are you going?”
Yin Qingxuan’s tone was not pleasant.
Xueya pursed his lips and softly replied, “I’m bringing soup to His Majesty.”
Yin Qingxuan was silent for a moment before saying, “Put the soup down.”
Xueya didn’t want to, but since the man before him was the Prime Minister, he had no choice but to set the tray down on the corridor bench. As soon as he did, his wrist was grabbed. Yin Qingxuan dragged Xueya to a secluded corner where even if someone passed by, they wouldn’t notice.
“Prime Minister, why are you grabbing me?” Xueya struggled with all his strength, trying to free himself, but Yin Qingxuan’s grip was like iron, impossible to shake off. Why are all these men so strong? It’s so frustrating!
Yin Qingxuan frowned. “Weren’t you sent out of the palace? Why are you back here?”
“I was never sent out of the palace. I’ve always been here,” Xueya said, giving up the struggle.
“I haven’t seen you for the past half year,” Yin Qingxuan said.
At the mention of that half-year, Xueya’s face grew cold. “I was doing laundry in the Laundry Bureau. Of course, someone as important as the Prime Minister wouldn’t notice me.” After saying that, he became angry again and resumed struggling. “Let go of me, or I’ll… I’ll tell everyone about what happened that night!”
Xueya expected someone like Yin Qingxuan, who cared about his reputation, to release him at once, but to his surprise, although the Prime Minister’s frown deepened, he calmly said, “Go ahead and tell. Once you do, I’ll request an imperial decree from His Majesty to take you out of the palace.”
Xueya was stunned, momentarily speechless. “You…”
But Yin Qingxuan’s next words infuriated Xueya.
“That way, you’ll stop causing trouble for His Majesty.”
Xueya was so angry he wanted to bite someone. Ever since he had been sent to the Laundry Bureau for over half a year, his courage had grown with his age. Boldly, he kicked Yin Qingxuan in the leg. “You’re the troublemaker! You always call me a nuisance to His Majesty. What gives you the right to say that?”
Yin Qingxuan frowned at the kick but said nothing, only staring at Xueya.
Xueya glared back at him. Suddenly, he leaned closer to Yin Qingxuan’s face. “The Prime Minister keeps saying I’m a nuisance. Is it because you think I look good?” His fox-like eyes gleamed with mischief. “That night, you pinched me so hard it left marks for days. You’re so rough—how do your wives and concubines stand it?”
For a brief moment, Yin Qingxuan’s expression shifted, and he stared at Xueya’s face, so close to his. After a long pause, he shook his head and said, “I don’t have any wives or concubines, which is why I intend to ask His Majesty to give you to me.”
