“No.”
With just one word, He Xulan completely cut off Xueya’s retreat.
When He Xulan saw the despair in Xueya’s eyes, he said nothing and walked over to a cabinet. When he returned, he was holding a seven-piece puzzle lock.
Xueya was stunned when he saw the lock in He Xulan’s hand. Before he could understand why He Xulan had suddenly taken it out, the toy was already in his hands. He Xulan adjusted Xueya’s posture from kneeling to sitting, then embraced him from behind.
Reaching over Xueya’s shoulder, He Xulan held the puzzle lock together with him.
“This is how you solve it.” He Xulan guided Xueya’s hands to unlock the puzzle.
After it was unlocked, He Xulan reset the puzzle and looked at the still-dazed Xueya. “Try it yourself.”
Hearing this, Xueya glanced up at He Xulan. “I…”
“Start with this,” He Xulan cut him off.
Xueya bit his lip and focused on trying to solve the puzzle. However, he hadn’t paid close attention to how He Xulan had solved it the first time, and after two steps, he got stuck.
“I can’t do it,” Xueya whispered.
He Xulan took the puzzle back and, this time, solved it even more slowly. After resetting it, he handed it to Xueya again.
Xueya tried again. Although he did better this time, he only managed to solve half of it. He Xulan took the puzzle once more, demonstrating the solution four times before Xueya finally learned how to solve the puzzle on his own.
Xueya spent a long time fiddling with the puzzle by himself. Now that he knew how to solve it, a sudden sense of excitement washed over him, and for a moment, he forgot all about his earlier plea to be sent to the laundry house.
He lowered his head, attempting to reset the puzzle and solve it again. When he realized he had truly memorized the solution, he couldn’t help but glance at He Xulan. “I did it!” But as soon as he met He Xulan’s gaze, his excitement vanished.
He Xulan noticed the change in Xueya’s expression but didn’t say anything. Instead, he placed four or five different puzzle locks in front of Xueya.
As he set down the puzzles, He Xulan said, “You don’t need to think about where to go anymore. From now on, you’ll stay by my side.”
He Xulan didn’t say he would stay in Ningfu Palace—he said by his side.
Hearing this, Xueya felt doomed and began to cry again. He sat there, sobbing quietly, while He Xulan watched him. When Xueya had cried himself out, He Xulan called for water to be brought in and gently washed the tear stains from Xueya’s face.
In the end, Xueya fell asleep on the soft couch, holding the puzzle lock in his hands.
He had another dream. In this dream, it was raining—light, steady raindrops falling from the eaves. A palace servant in a dark green robe was running through the red corridor.
The servant rushed into the hall, the sound of his knees hitting the floor echoing loudly. “Your Majesty, the Empress Dow—no, He Xulan and the rebel army have reached the palace gates!”
The scene abruptly changed to chaos in the palace. Servants were fleeing in all directions, shouting, “The palace gates have fallen! It’s over! It’s all over!”
***
Xueya suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for air, still shaken by the dream.
This was the third dream he’d had since entering the palace, and in it, he had dreamed that He Xulan had rebelled, and the palace gates had been breached.
Xueya closed his eyes again, replaying the scenes from the dream over and over in his mind. He was certain he hadn’t misheard—the servant had said, “He Xulan and the rebel army have reached the palace gates.”
Back when he was sold to the late emperor, Xueya had occasionally visited teahouses where storytellers would recount tales of the previous dynasty. Among them were stories of how the founding emperor of the Li Dynasty had seized power. In his mind, for rebels to reach the palace gates meant that Emperor Cui Lingjing’s reign was finished.
If He Xulan rebelled, it meant he would become the most powerful person in the future.
Xueya opened his eyes again, his gaze sharp and calculating.
If he stayed by He Xulan’s side, wouldn’t wealth and power be within his grasp?
Since Cui Lingjing would be overthrown, there was no longer any need to fear that the emperor would kill him. He Xulan would surely protect him—as long as Xueya could win his favor.
Just as he was deep in thought, someone entered from the outer hall.
“Did you have a nightmare?” He Xulan’s voice came from beside him.
Xueya turned his head and saw He Xulan. He didn’t move, just stared at He Xulan. Only when He Xulan reached out to touch his forehead did Xueya gently grab his sleeve.
He Xulan’s expression shifted slightly as he looked at the hand gripping his sleeve, then at Xueya. “What’s wrong?”
Xueya reached out with his other hand to touch He Xulan’s shoulder. He Xulan seemed to understand Xueya’s intention and bent down. As soon as he bent down, he was embraced by a soft pair of arms.
He Xulan’s body stiffened noticeably. He lifted his head slightly to look at the young man beneath him. Xueya had just woken up, his cheeks flushed with a peachy glow, his long hair sticking to his neck—a picture of someone waking from a spring nap.
It had to be said that Xueya was extraordinarily good-looking. His appearance masked his foolishness and greed, leaving only his sweet, innocent demeanor.
He Xulan thought he should have killed this boy a long time ago.
“Brother, I’m sorry. I’ll stay by your side from now on and won’t go anywhere else,” Xueya said, his voice still a bit nasal from sleep, sounding even more tender.
After a long silence, He Xulan said softly, “Alright.”
With those words, he kissed Xueya.
At first, Xueya responded to the kiss, but soon he was out of breath and could only push He Xulan away slightly. After struggling free and taking a few breaths of fresh air, he was kissed again. The sunlight outside gradually dimmed, but Xueya’s eyes grew brighter.
He clung tightly to the young man, imagining a future of luxury and wealth.
Xueya imagined himself sitting on a pile of gold, a seemingly endless heap of treasure.
***
After being cared for for three days, Xueya finally regained his energy. On the day he fully recovered, He Xulan carefully examined him. During the examination, Xueya couldn’t help but feel a bit scared. Although he had decided to cling to He Xulan, the pain from the previous incident was still frightening to recall.
But the feared events did not occur. After helping Xueya dress, He Xulan left. Xueya was still in a daze when He Xulan reappeared, but this time, he took him to the study.
“Write some characters you know for me to see,” He Xulan said calmly.
Xueya was startled, glancing at the brush in front of him.
So soon, was he already going to do it in the study? Was He Xulan going to use the brush on him?
Xueya took a deep breath, torn between refusing and agreeing. In the end, fearing to anger He Xulan, he picked up the brush. Since he thought He Xulan intended to play games here, Xueya didn’t sit on the chair but half-leaned on the table, raising his buttocks, pretending to write.
He wrote for a while, almost finishing all the characters he knew, but didn’t notice an extra hand on his rear. When he turned around, he saw He Xulan staring seriously at his crooked, worm-like writing.
Noting Xueya’s gaze, He Xulan asked, “Finished?”
Xueya blinked, feeling a bit uneasy, but still forced a coy smile. “Brother, I’m done.”
He Xulan frowned slightly, took the brush from Xueya’s hand, and Xueya shuddered.
The brush was going to land on him soon, wasn’t it?
As he thought this, Xueya saw He Xulan laid out a new piece of paper and take out the “Children’s Writing Book,” flipping to the first page.
“Today, let’s start with one page of characters,” He Xulan said.
Xueya was surprised. “Huh?”
When He Xulan looked over, Xueya quickly shut his mouth and nodded.
He understood.
He had heard in the building that some guests enjoyed playing roles, such as a young man pretending to be a servant and a courtesan acting as the lady of the house. He had also heard of similar games involving a teacher and students.
He guessed that He Xulan would criticize and punish him for writing a few characters, then remove his clothes and use the brush on him…
After He Xulan wrote the characters for Xueya to copy, he noticed Xueya’s face growing redder and tapped the table. “Xueya.”
Xueya snapped back to attention, stammering, “Okay… okay, I’ll write now.”
“First recognize the characters, then write,” He Xulan said, reading the characters out loud and explaining their meanings. Xueya wasn’t focused on this; his heart was already far away. He was both scared and excited, and his blush didn’t fade.
When it was time for him to write, he was prepared to make mistakes and give He Xulan a chance to punish him. However, as soon as he picked up the brush, He Xulan said, “You write first; I’ll check later.”
With that, He Xulan left.
Xueya stared at He Xulan’s departing figure, somewhat disbelieving. After waiting for a while and seeing no one return, he couldn’t help but doubt if he had misunderstood.
No, he couldn’t have misunderstood.
Who would teach a courtesan to write?
He Xulan must be looking for an opportunity to have his way with him. He hadn’t misunderstood.
He Xulan had left, probably to bathe.
Yes, it must be that.
Once Xueya was sure he hadn’t misunderstood, he began to write slowly. But after writing only a couple of characters, he started doodling on the paper. Soon, there were a dozen pig heads drawn on it. After finishing the drawings and seeing that He Xulan still hadn’t returned, Xueya’s legs grew numb, so he got off the chair and laid down on the soft couch in the study.
After lying there for a while, he heard movement outside the door and quickly got up, returning to the table.
Xueya continued doodling on the paper with the brush, while listening for the approaching footsteps. Once he was sure He Xulan could see him, he pretended to frantically try to hide the paper.
When the paper he tried to hide was taken by He Xulan, Xueya immediately lowered his head and admitted his mistake. “Brother, I’m sorry. Please punish me.”
He Xulan looked at the paper covered in pig heads and the two characters that were missing limbs. He sighed genuinely for the first time. He put down the paper and placed a new sheet in front of Xueya. “It’s okay. It’s my fault. I should have watched you write. Come, write again.”
Xueya: “Huh?”
He Xulan looked at Xueya, “Hmm?”
Xueya’s eyes darted around. “Aren’t you going to punish me, Brother?”
“Why would I punish you? Learning to write is very tedious at first,” He Xulan said gently, as if he wasn’t upset at all.
Xueya studied He Xulan and realized he hadn’t gone to bathe or change clothes. This made him even more puzzled. It wasn’t until Xueya had diligently practiced writing for three whole days that he finally realized He Xulan was genuinely making him learn to write and wasn’t just playing some game.
It would have been better if it were a game.
Xueya, frustrated by the endless writing practice, thought to himself.
Sitting at the desk, Xueya wrote while sneaking glances at He Xulan, who was watching him. After a while, he finally saw He Xulan make a move. Before he could get excited, he saw He Xulan’s long, fair fingers touch the characters he had just written.
“This character is wrong. Rewrite it,” He Xulan said.
Xueya frowned, enduring as he continued writing. When He Xulan said he made another mistake, Xueya, not wanting to write any more, threw down the brush and climbed onto He Xulan’s lap, cooing, “Brother, I don’t want to write anymore. My hand hurts.”
He Xulan held Xueya’s writing hand and rubbed it. “Then let’s eat first and write afterward.”
The mention of writing after a meal made Xueya’s face turn pale. Writing during the day was bearable, but writing at night?
Was he going to be writing in his dreams too?
“I don’t want to write anymore, Brother. Play with me,” Xueya hugged He Xulan’s neck and whispered into his ear, “Let’s go to bed.”
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