I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 6

At Cui Lingjing’s command, palace attendants immediately got to work. Xueya was pressed onto the dressing table, half his face raised. Suddenly he understood what the other party wanted to do.

In the Red Moon House, there are strange guests with strange hobbies, such as those who like male attendants dressed in female clothes. However, Xueya does not. He even thought about using a big stick to drive such people out if he met them in the future.

But now, it was the current emperor who forced him into a female dress. He didn’t even dare to struggle, staring blankly as palace attendants brought over Consort Shu’s clothes.

Consort Shu, despite being young when he became a consort, still loved beauty. Her dresses were all bright colors, with red being the most prominent. The palace attendants brought over a deep red one.

Cui Lingjing glanced lightly at the brought over dress, then began to undress Xueya himself. The eunuch’s clothes were designed for ease of movement, making them easy to put on and take off. In just a few moves, Xueya was stripped down to his underclothes.

Yet even so, Cui Lingjing was not satisfied. Frowning, he stared at Xueya for a moment, then looked at the attendant beside him. “Go find a maid serving that foolish woman and ask if there’s a new dudou* here.”
*undergarment covering the chest and abdomen

Hearing the word “dudou,” Xueya’s already pale face turned even whiter. Although he was born a prostitute, he had never thought of himself as a woman. Cui Lingjing not only forced him into women’s clothing but now also wanted him to wear a dudou.

“I… I don’t…” Xueya muttered, seeing someone bring a water-red dudou over, he couldn’t help but start to struggle, “I don’t want to wear it! I’m not a woman!”

Cui Lingjing suddenly tightened his grip on Xueya’s wrist, his eyes mocking. “You have no right to refuse.” With that, he pulled off Xueya’s underclothes.

***

Xueya struggled all along, his temples damp with sweat, but his struggles were futile. Consort Shu’s dress was still worn on his body.

Not only that, Cui Lingjing had someone come over to do his hair and put on Consort Shu’s hairpins and jewelry. He looked at the person in the mirror, unable to recognize himself.

This was a Western mirror, reflecting everything extremely clearly. In the mirror, Xueya had fair skin, red lips, disheveled hair, teary eyes, and a red dress that made him look delicate and innocent, like a lively young girl. Xueya was ashamed in front of the mirror, wanting to immediately tear off the hairpins, but a hand grabbed his hand first.

Cui Lingjing stood beside him, one hand around his shoulder and the other gripping his wrist, looking into the mirror. “Doesn’t it look good?”

Compared to his previous tone, Cui Lingjing’s voice was much softer now.

Xueya trembled all over, shaking his head incessantly. “N-No, it doesn’t look good. I don’t want to dress like this!” He turned to Cui Lingjing, pleadingly looking at him, “Please, Your Majesty, don’t make me wear this.”

As he spoke, tears streamed uncontrollably down his cheeks.

Cui Lingjing’s expression gradually changed. He reached up and wiped away the tears with his fingertips. “No, you must wear it. If you don’t, I’ll sentence you to death. From now on, you will wear this. Do you understand?”

That night, Xueya developed a fever and later fell into a coma.

***

Ningfu Palace.

A young man dressed in ink-silk sat on the couch under the window, with a black and white chessboard in front of him. He played first with black, then with white, playing against himself. After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock at the door.

“Empress Dowager.” A cautious voice came from outside.

“Come in.” The young man said softly.

The palace attendant entered the hall cautiously, bowed first, then lowered his voice and said, “Consort Shu has been sent to Qingyan Convent. Just now, I inquired, and His Majesty punished fourteen slaves today, all of whom are dead. At this moment, His Majesty called for a royal physician because the one called Xueya is ill.”

He paused here, seeing the youth remained silent, then continued, “Today, His Majesty made Xueya wear Consort Shu’s clothes.”

As these words fell, there was a crisp sound of a piece hitting the chessboard.

He Xulan picked up the black piece that had fallen on the chessboard and asked calmly, “His Majesty only punished Consort Shu to Qingyan Convent?”

“Yes,” the palace attendant confirmed.

“Go take care of the families of those who died for Consort Shu today,” He Xulan placed the black piece back into the chess box, “Especially Xinglin, he was a loyal servant. he spoke up despite knowing her mistress had done wrong.”

“Understood.”

As the palace attendant exited the sleeping chamber, his clothes were already soaked through with sweat. He wiped the sweat from his hat and couldn’t help but sigh. Outsiders believed their Empress Dowager to be a living Buddha, but only those close to him knew the true face beneath the facade.

And only an outsider like Xinglin would think it better to inform the Empress Dowager of Consort Shu’s private affairs rather than tell His Majesty.

***

Unconscious, Xueya knew not how many people were restless and anxious through this night. He dreamt.

In the dream, just as in reality, he entered the palace and served by Cui Lingjing’s side. In his dreams, he served meticulously, yet Cui Lingjing was always dissatisfied, sometimes rebuking him lightly, other times scolding and hitting him.

In his dream, he also saw others: a general and a prime minister, both unkind to him yet strangely fixated on his face. He thought his appearance had impressed them and harbored thoughts of leaving the palace with either of them to live a better life.

He thought any would do, as long as it meant a better life for himself.

But when he hinted at the general and the prime minister, neither responded. Anxious, he had no recourse.

Soon, the dream took a turn. He overheard Cui Lingjing and the Empress Dowager He Xulan speaking. He heard Cui Lingjing confessing deep feelings to He Xulan, also saying He Xulan’s refusal to choose him might be because of the general or the prime minister.

Hearing what he shouldn’t have, Xueya panicked, knocking over a corner flowerpot, alerting Cui Lingjing.

That day, he met his end wrapped in a straw mat.

Only moments before his death did Xueya learn that he had always been a stand-in for He Xulan. Whether the late emperor, Cui Lingjing, or the general and prime minister, they all loved He Xulan.

In his final moments, Xueya begged for mercy, pleading for someone to release him from the palace. But those who executed him replied:

“Don’t daydream. With a face like yours, His Majesty will never let you leave the palace. Even if he did, the Empress Dowager would never tolerate someone who looks like him engaging in such filthy activities outside. In this life, your only path is death. Choose a better face in your next life.”

***

Xueya abruptly opened his eyes, awakening from the nightmare. Still disoriented, he stared fixedly at the dirty ceiling for a while before sitting up in bed.

He hadn’t even put on his outer clothes before rushing out, grabbing the first person he saw, “I ask you, is the prime minister in our dynasty named Yin Qingxuan? And is there a general named Yi Yefeng?”

The palace servant whose arm he had grabbed looked at him strangely, “Yes, why do you ask?”

Xueya’s grip suddenly slackened. He had never been to the capital and didn’t know the names of the court ministers, yet in his dream, he accurately knew the names of the current prime minister and general.

This wasn’t a dream; it was an omen. An omen that he would meet his end wrapped in a straw mat.

And all this stemmed from those men treating him as a substitute for He Xulan.

Lost and bewildered, Xueya returned to his room. Not long after, someone came to call him, “Xueya, are you feeling better? His Majesty wants you to come and attend to him.” The person added with an impolite smile, “Oh yes, His Majesty said to put on the specially prepared clothes from the room before going.”

Xueya felt a daze settling over him. After a while, his gaze fell on the table where a brand new deep purple ruqun lay.

In his dream, he had also worn a ruqun when he died. Xueya bit his lip until it bled before releasing it. He couldn’t just sit around waiting to die. Leaving the palace was impossible; Cui Lingjing would never let him go. He couldn’t escape this deep palace. There was only one path left.

Those men treated him like trash, like a substitute, while they cherished He Xulan like a jewel. How unjust!

He had to replace He Xulan.

Even if the worst outcome was death, he had no other choice now.

Since he wanted to replace him, he couldn’t stay in Fengrui Palace waiting for it to happen. He needed to find an opportunity to see He Xulan.

Author’s note:

He Xulan: Come.

Xueya: …Maybe not. I think ending wrapped in a straw mat isn’t too bad after all.

He Xulan (smiling): Are you sure?

Xueya (stammering): N-No, not sure.

Little Green Tea is finally heading towards a predictable path, congratulations.

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