He Xulan’s gaze shifted from Xueya’s face to his neck. Suddenly, he reached out and touched it. Xueya was stunned, and by the time he reacted, the warm jade pendant he had been wearing around his neck was already in He Xulan’s hand.
“Don’t touch it!”
Xueya’s voice was even more fierce than when he had told He Xulan not to touch Cui Lingjing. He tried to snatch the jade back, but He Xulan was stronger. After struggling for a while, Xueya still couldn’t retrieve the pendant.
Watching He Xulan examining the jade and refusing to return it, Xueya’s anger surged to its peak. He stopped trying to grab the pendant, suddenly raised his hand, and aimed a slap at He Xulan’s face.
However, before his hand could make contact, He Xulan caught it.
He Xulan’s expression turned icy cold. Xueya, meeting his gaze, couldn’t help but curl his fingers.
He was scared.
Xueya bit his lip, his eyes slowly turning red. Feeling wronged, he said, “You’re the one bullying me. I’ve been washing clothes for half a year, and you still won’t leave me alone.”
Upon hearing this, He Xulan’s expression seemed to soften, at least his eyes weren’t as cold. Noticing the change, Xueya made his expression even more pitiful, showing his hand to He Xulan. “My hands aren’t as nice as they used to be.”
In truth, Xueya’s chilblains had been treated, and his hands looked the same as before. In fact, the imperial physician had given him several creams to soften his skin, and being someone who cared about his appearance, Xueya used them daily. His skin was now even softer than before.
“You’ve already taken back the gold ornaments you gave me before. This warm jade is all I have left, and it wasn’t even from you. Do you want to take this away too?” Xueya looked at He Xulan with a pitiful expression.
He had no choice but to play weak now.
He Xulan stared at Xueya’s hand for a moment, then slowly released his grip and placed the warm jade back in Xueya’s hands. “I’m not taking it. Keep wearing it.” With that, he turned and left.
After watching He Xulan leave, Xueya collapsed onto the floor as if he had narrowly escaped death. Despite it being the coldest part of winter, his back was soaked with cold sweat.
He couldn’t believe he had almost slapped He Xulan. If he had actually done it, He Xulan probably would have killed him.
Shaking with fear, Xueya hugged his knees and suddenly glanced at the clothes that had fallen on the floor.
He had brought them here, yet like him, they hadn’t received a single glance from Cui Lingjing. As long as He Xulan was around, Cui Lingjing would never see him.
Burying his face in his arms, Xueya silently wept.
He missed his mother.
***
The next day, Xueya was woken by someone tapping him. When he opened his eyes, he saw the face of the senior eunuch.
“Xueya, why are you sleeping on the floor? Get up, or you’ll catch a cold,” the senior eunuch said, calling a younger eunuch to help Xueya to his feet.
Xueya glanced around, slowly realizing that he had slept on the floor all night. As he stood, he felt dizzy, and his throat was sore. The younger eunuch noticed Xueya’s discomfort and poured him a cup of the hot water that had just been brought in.
From behind the screen, Cui Lingjing’s voice suddenly rang out. “What time is it?”
“Your Majesty, it is now exactly mid-morning,” the senior eunuch replied, a hint of surprise in his eyes when he saw that Cui Lingjing had slept fully clothed. But he quickly retrieved fresh clothes to help Cui Lingjing dress.
Cui Lingjing, suffering from a hangover, clutched his aching head. “Mid-morning already… Where is the Empress Dowager?”
“The Empress Dowager has already set off.”
Hearing this, Xueya glanced towards the screen.
He Xulan had left? Where to?
“I must see him off outside the palace! Quickly, prepare my washbasin!” Cui Lingjing sounded anxious as he took the clothes from the senior eunuch, intending to dress himself.
The senior eunuch hesitated and said, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has likely already left the city by now. Even if you hurry, you won’t make it in time to see him off.”
Cui Lingjing froze for a moment, then erupted in anger. “Why didn’t you wake me? Do you have a death wish?”
Because of this morning’s turmoil, Cui Lingjing returned to the palace in a foul mood and even docked the senior eunuch’s salary for a month. Xueya, sensing the tension and still feeling ill, dared not approach. He ended up bedridden for six or seven days before fully recovering.
Once he was better, Xueya quietly asked Little Pingzi about He Xulan’s whereabouts. But Little Pingzi said he didn’t know and added nervously, “You shouldn’t ask about that. Last time someone did, they were beaten.”
Left with no choice, Xueya stopped inquiring, until he unexpectedly ran into Liang Mu.
He saw Liang Mu first, but he didn’t dare approach and greet him, so he stood in the shadows and watched. However, Liang Mu noticed him.
“Why are you standing here?” Liang Mu smiled at him, just as he always did.
Xueya, feeling a bit embarrassed, stepped out from behind a pillar. “I… I was just out for a walk after eating too much.”
Liang Mu nodded. “Oh, I see. I thought you were looking for me.”
“No, no, I’m not looking for you.” Xueya quickly waved his hand, but after doing so, he suddenly remembered that Liang Mu seemed to have a decent relationship with He Xulan. Liang Mu’s older brother was reportedly a friend of He Xulan. Could Liang Mu know He Xulan’s whereabouts?
After some hesitation, Xueya decided to ask, “Liang Mu, do you know where the Empress Dowager went?”
Liang Mu’s expression changed slightly. He glanced around cautiously, then pulled Xueya back behind the pillar and whispered, “There have been many snow disasters in several places, leaving countless refugees. The Empress Dowager went to provide disaster relief. But you can’t tell anyone about this.”
“Why?” Xueya didn’t understand.
Liang Mu didn’t explain further, only telling Xueya to keep it quiet.
Back in his room, Xueya thought about it for a long time but still couldn’t figure out why He Xulan’s involvement in disaster relief had to be kept a secret. However, for Xueya, He Xulan not being in the palace was good news. With He Xulan gone, perhaps Cui Lingjing wouldn’t ignore him anymore.
But unexpectedly, even with He Xulan out of the palace, Cui Lingjing still didn’t want to see him during these days. Several times, Xueya tried to bring things into the imperial study, but the senior eunuch stopped him each time.
“Xueya, His Majesty is in low spirits lately. You should go back and rest,” the senior eunuch said with a meaningful tone.
Xueya glanced at the tightly closed palace doors and whispered, “Is His Majesty troubled by affairs of the state?”
The senior eunuch maintained his kind smile but didn’t answer Xueya’s question. “Don’t worry. When His Majesty’s mood improves, he’ll summon you to serve.”
Xueya had no choice but to leave awkwardly. This waiting lasted until the spring.
A vassal state gifted a Ferghana horse to the emperor, which greatly delighted Cui Lingjing. He went to the palace stables several times to ride it, and Xueya was also brought along. When Xueya saw the fierce-looking horse, he didn’t even dare to get close, let alone ride it, and only watched from a distance.
Cui Lingjing thought Xueya was too timid and forcibly pulled him closer. “What’s there to be afraid of? Touch it.”
“No, I don’t want to!” Xueya struggled desperately to pull his hand back.
Cui Lingjing had no choice but to let go, frowning as he said, “You’re too much of a coward.” After that, he resumed riding the horse, ignoring Xueya.
Left with no other options, Xueya had to force himself to get closer to the Ferghana horse. He went to the stables every day, trying to use food to win the horse over, but the horse didn’t show him much respect. Whenever Xueya approached, it would snort at him, which made Xueya so angry he wanted to throw the grass in his hand at it.
The stable attendants, seeing this, laughed and said, “Ferghana horses have big tempers. They like strong people, and lately, it’s been on medication to breed, so its temper’s even worse.”
Xueya was startled. “Breeding?”
“Yes, this horse is extremely rare, a precious breed. His Majesty has ordered us to have it breed as soon as possible. But it doesn’t fancy any of the mares in the stables, so we’ve had to feed it some medicine.” The stable attendant showed Xueya some black bean-like objects in the trough. “Look, this is the medication to stimulate its breeding instincts. It’s very potent. If a person were to consume it, there could be serious consequences.”
Xueya followed the attendant’s gesture and looked. “Would they die?”
“No, but they might lose control of their senses,” the attendant replied.
Xueya stared at the medicine in the trough. Later, when the stable attendant wasn’t paying attention, he secretly took two of the pills. He didn’t even know why he took them, but something compelled him to do it, and he slipped them into his pouch.
***
As the weather warmed, He Xulan returned to the palace. By then, Xueya still hadn’t managed to get close to the Ferghana horse. The horse seemed to bear a grudge against him and would snort at him whenever he approached. What angered Xueya even more was that, as soon as Cui Lingjing heard about He Xulan’s return, he immediately announced that he would gift the Ferghana horse to He Xulan.
No longer willing to curry favor with the horse, Xueya stopped going to the stables. Even when Cui Lingjing went riding and called for him, Xueya refused, choosing instead to sit in the corridor playing with a puzzle lock.
The puzzle lock had been a gift from Cui Lingjing, who had said it was something he used to play with as a child. He had found it in a cabinet recently and gave it to Xueya.
Xueya had never played with a puzzle lock before and didn’t know how to solve it. When he asked Cui Lingjing for help, he was ruthlessly mocked, told that he was as stupid as a pig for not knowing how to solve it. Humiliated, Xueya refused to ask for help again, choosing instead to stubbornly work on it alone.
One day, while he was sitting in the corridor fiddling with the puzzle lock, He Xulan returned to the palace and came straight to Fengrui Palace.
The palace attendants hurriedly ran ahead to inform the others. Upon hearing the news, the head maid immediately sent someone to the stables to fetch Cui Lingjing and had tea and refreshments prepared for the side hall.
The stables were in the far northwest of the palace, and even if one ran, it would take at least the time it takes to burn a stick of incense to return to Fengrui Palace. With the back-and-forth involved, it would be at least half an hour before Cui Lingjing arrived. Xueya sat for a while, then suddenly ran into the side hall. While he wasn’t allowed to freely enter Cui Lingjing’s bedchamber or the imperial study, he could move about elsewhere as he pleased, and no one stopped him.
In the side hall, Xueya sat down on the beauty couch, loosened his robes, and quickly pinched some marks onto his skin. When he heard movement outside, he laid down, reclining on his side.
“Empress Dowager, please wait a moment. I’ve already sent someone to fetch His Majesty,” the head maid said at the entrance, addressing He Xulan.
He Xulan’s expression remained indifferent. “Mmm.”
Seeing that He Xulan didn’t want to talk, the head maid respectfully withdrew. Only after she left did she realize that Xueya was inside.
“Xueya is in there,” a maid whispered.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” The head maid was startled.
The maid replied with a bitter expression, “His Majesty allows Xueya to come and go as he pleases. The Empress Dowager arrived so quickly that we didn’t have time to get Xueya out.”
The head maid sighed in frustration. “You… never mind. Are the tea and refreshments ready? I’ll take them in myself.”
When she entered with the tea and refreshments, she saw only He Xulan and no sign of Xueya. She glanced toward the inner hall, and He Xulan immediately caught her gaze.
“Please, Empress Dowager, enjoy the tea and snacks,” the head maid said as she placed the items down. Wanting to stay and make sure Xueya didn’t offend He Xulan, she intended to remain in the room, but He Xulan nodded and dismissed her.
“Leave.”
The head maid could only smile and leave. As she exited, she instructed the maids at the door, “Pay attention and listen carefully to any sounds inside.”
Inside the side hall, He Xulan, noticing the head maid’s glance, turned his attention to the inner room. After a moment, he walked inside and naturally saw Xueya reclining on the beauty couch.
Pretending to be asleep, Xueya had his hair slightly disheveled and his robe half-open. When he heard the footsteps approaching, he slowly opened his eyes and, upon seeing He Xulan, feigned surprise. “Ah, how did Godfather arrive?”
He Xulan’s gaze swept over Xueya’s exposed skin, noticing the fresh red marks.
Xueya resisted the urge to pull his clothes together and gently caressed the marks he had made, speaking softly, “Please forgive me, Godfather, I truly couldn’t get up today.”
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