I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 64

Zhu Qiu, already kneeling on the ground, quickly lowered his head, touching it to the floor. “This servant greets the Empress Dowager.”

He Xulan’s gaze swept over both of them in the hall, and when he saw the clothes on Xueya that were obviously not his own, his lips tightened slightly. Only after Xueya called out to him did he softly say, “Zhu Qiu, there is something of mine with Huang Gonggong. Go fetch it.”

“Yes.” Zhu Qiu kept his head down as he quickly left, not daring to delay.

From the moment Xueya saw He Xulan, he had been observing his expression. When He Xulan approached, Xueya immediately admitted, “Brother, I was wrong.”

He Xulan said nothing. He walked up to Xueya and reached out his hand, causing Xueya to tremble slightly but not resist. In a soft voice, he said, “It’s uncomfortable wearing wet clothes, so I borrowed Zhu Qiu’s.”

He Xulan withdrew his hand and glanced at Xueya’s wet hair. “Go take a bath. Your hair is still wet.”

Seeing that He Xulan seemed the same as usual, Xueya felt somewhat relieved. He was led out of the palace by He Xulan, but He Xulan walked faster than him, and he struggled to keep up.

“Brother, slow down,” Xueya couldn’t help but say.

He Xulan paused his steps slightly. “Alright.”

When they reached the bathhouse, Xueya eagerly undressed and slipped into the water. He let his hair down and was about to start washing it when a pair of hands reached over.

“I’ll do it,” He Xulan said calmly.

Xueya turned to look at He Xulan briefly, then turned back. He was already used to being cared for by him.

“I was playing a guessing game with Zhu Qiu,” Xueya mentioned the earlier incident.

He Xulan’s tone didn’t change. “What were you guessing?”

Xueya’s eyes darted around. “I can’t say. It was a riddle.”

He felt too embarrassed to tell He Xulan the riddle, knowing he would be teased for it.

He Xulan didn’t press further.

Xueya didn’t like the silence. After a while, he said, “I made a bet with Zhu Qiu. Whoever won could ride a horse. He used to play with his younger siblings, but I had never tried it, so I wanted to try.”

“Mm.” He Xulan released his grip. “It’s time to rinse.”

Seeing that He Xulan didn’t seem interested in his game with Zhu Qiu, Xueya didn’t mention it again.

After bathing, it was almost time for lunch. Xueya and He Xulan ate together.

Today, the one serving them wasn’t Huang Gonggong but his apprentice. Just as Xueya was about to ask if he had seen Zhu Qiu, He Xulan spoke first.

“The sun is quite strong today, Xueya. Let’s wait until later to go out and play.”

Xueya looked outside at the sun and agreed that He Xulan was right, though he still wondered about Zhu Qiu. “Wasn’t Zhu Qiu helping you fetch something? Why isn’t he back yet?”

“My things aren’t in Ningfu Palace; they’re outside the palace. Huang Gonggong took Zhu Qiu to retrieve them. It’ll take some time,” He Xulan explained.

Xueya grew a little frustrated. “Then I’ll be bored this afternoon.” His eyes shifted to He Xulan. “Brother, why don’t you finish the story you were telling me last night?”

“Alright, but after you listen, you have to take a nap,” He Xulan replied.

Xueya didn’t want to nap, but upon thinking about it, he realized that if he didn’t sleep, no one would play with him, so he nodded.

Strangely, the story that had captivated Xueya the night before now seemed utterly boring. He listened to He Xulan’s steady, even voice and couldn’t help but grab his arm. “Brother, you weren’t telling it like this last night.”

He Xulan looked at him. “Was I?”

“Yes, last night it was exciting, but today I feel like sleeping.” Xueya complained.

“That’s perfect. You should be sleeping,” He Xulan said, lowering the gauze bed curtains, which had been changed to summer gauze. He then grabbed a fan and began fanning Xueya.

Under the gentle breeze, Xueya soon drifted off. When he woke up, however, he wasn’t in the same bed as before. Groggy from sleep, he sat dazed on the bed for a while before getting up to look around.

It seemed like he was in the eastern warm pavilion. How did he end up here?

Frowning in confusion, Xueya walked to the door, intending to go outside. But when he grabbed the door handle, he found he couldn’t open it. Hesitating, he yanked the door hard and heard the clinking sound of a lock hitting the door.

He… had been locked inside? Or had someone accidentally locked him in?

Xueya froze, standing still for a long moment before knocking on the door. “Is anyone there? Can someone open the door for me?”

He called out all the names of the people he knew, especially “Brother,” which he shouted the most. But no matter how much he yelled, no one came to open the door.

His throat grew sore, but still, no one answered. As the sky darkened, he looked around the empty pavilion and thought of lighting a candle. There were candles in the room, but no fire starters. He searched the entire pavilion, opening every drawer, but found nothing to light the candles with.

Looking at the mess he had made, Xueya ran back to the door and banged on it again.

***

Outside, Huang Gonggong heard the sound of the night watchman and slightly raised his eyelids. He glanced at He Xulan, still sitting at his desk, and softly asked, “Empress Dowager, it’s very late. Shall I have food brought in?”

He Xulan didn’t respond, only shaking his head.

Silence returned to the hall.

After some time, Huang Gonggong spoke again. “Empress Dowager, you should eat something. Ever since you returned from disaster relief, your stomach hasn’t fully recovered. Skipping meals will harm your health.”

Still, He Xulan remained silent.

Huang Gonggong sighed lightly. “If you’re truly punishing someone, Empress Dowager, there’s no need to suffer along with them.”

At these words, He Xulan shot him a cold, sharp glance.

Huang Gonggong immediately fell silent, but after a while, he spoke again. “Xueya is still young and playful. Sometimes, he doesn’t pay attention when he’s having fun. Today, I carefully questioned Zhu Qiu. They were guessing riddles, and the bet was to ride a horse, but they didn’t play for long. It’s just that the riddle was a bit crude. Xueya grew up in a rough place, so it’s not surprising he’s heard some inappropriate talk.”

He Xulan finally spoke after hearing this, “I know he came from that kind of place, which is why I locked him up. I was afraid that if I didn’t, I would say something very unpleasant. Huang Dexing, tell me, if I fail in raising an army in the future, would he go find someone else without hesitation?”

Hearing this, Huang Gonggong immediately looked towards the door of the hall. Though it was closed, he still felt uneasy. He walked over, opened the door, carefully checked the surroundings, and, seeing no one around, closed it again.

“You mustn’t speak like that, young master,” Huang Gonggong said urgently, changing the way he addressed him.

He Xulan leaned back slightly, half of his body hidden in the shadows. His gaze was unfocused as he said, “If I fail, find a chance to escape.”

Upon hearing this, Huang Gonggong immediately knelt down, his expression serious. “Years ago, it was Madam He’s kindness that saved my life. If it weren’t for her speaking a fair word for me during a palace banquet, I would have been wrongfully killed, accused of stealing from my master. And even in death, I would have borne that disgrace. Now, I have the fortune of serving you, young master. If… if anything should happen to you, I will never live dishonorably. I will not let my wretched life fall into the hands of others, nor allow them to extract any secrets from me.”

After hearing these words, He Xulan closed his eyes, but his rest was far from peaceful. As soon as he closed them, the bloody scene from five years ago at the He residence replayed before him.

Huang Gonggong noticed He Xulan’s state and grew anxious, not knowing what to do. Every year around this time, He Xulan’s emotions would change drastically, especially today.

Five years ago on this very day, the entire He family was slaughtered, leaving only He Xulan alive to become the Lord Empress.

Since He Xulan had entered the palace, Huang Gonggong had been serving him, and he vividly remembered how He Xulan looked on that fateful day—

He Xulan sat in a daze amidst the blood-stained ground, surrounded by seventy-eight bodies neatly laid out. There had been no survivors at the He residence, not even the kitchen boy’s little grandson, who had been brutally killed that night.

The massacre of the He family had barely caused a ripple in the capital. To the public, it appeared that the He family had moved away. Even if some found it strange, no one dared to comment on it.

***

Seeing He Xulan in such a state, Huang Gonggong said no more. After hearing the sound of the night watchman, he quietly withdrew but soon returned in a hurry.

“Your Majesty, Xiao Huazi said there’s been no movement in the eastern warm pavilion for half an hour. Do you want to go check?”

He Xulan raised a hand to rub his forehead. “What time is it now?”

“The end of the second watch.”

He Xulan lowered his hand and stood up, heading outside.

As Huang Dexing had said, the eastern warm pavilion was eerily quiet. The silence felt wrong to He Xulan, and he frowned, signaling for the door to be opened.

As soon as the door was opened, he saw Xueya sitting on the floor, hugging his knees.

Xueya turned his head at the sound. His face was pale, drained of all color, and his eyes were red and swollen from crying. Upon seeing He Xulan, he immediately tried to stand but fell back down, his knee hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

He Xulan’s expression changed as he quickly scooped Xueya up from the ground.

Once in his arms, He Xulan realized that Xueya was trembling uncontrollably.

Clutching He Xulan’s clothes tightly, Xueya said nothing. Even though he had just taken a hard fall, he didn’t cry, only trembled. This was completely unlike his usual behavior.

Huang Gonggong also sensed something was wrong. “Shall I call for the imperial physician?”

“Go,” He Xulan said, carrying Xueya swiftly toward the bedchamber.

Upon returning to the chamber, He Xulan gently placed Xueya on the couch, calling his name several times before Xueya finally looked at him. His eyes were blank, as though he didn’t recognize him. When He Xulan reached out to take his hand, Xueya recoiled into the corner.

He Xulan froze. After a moment, he called out again, “Xueya?”

But just as the word left his lips, Xueya clasped his hands together in a gesture of pleading and whimpered, “I’m sorry… Mother, please don’t lock me up again. I won’t dare anymore…”

He Xulan realized that in the brothels, the madams were often called “Mother” by those under their care. Watching Xueya, who was curled up in the corner, begging for mercy, He Xulan finally understood that he had made a grave mistake.

He Xulan pressed his lips together and climbed onto the bed. He forcefully pulled Xueya into his arms and began gently stroking his back. “Xueya, I won’t lock you up again. I promise, I won’t lock you up again.”

But Xueya could no longer hear him. He still felt like he was trapped in that dark room. No matter how loudly he called out, no one responded. It was pitch black and eerily quiet, without even the sound of rats.

If there had been rats, he wouldn’t have been so afraid.

He had no idea when he would be let out or when the person who locked him up would finally forgive him.