I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 65

When the imperial physician arrived, Xueya’s condition had not improved. Every time He Xulan touched him, Xueya trembled violently and continued to cry. Fearing that he might faint from crying, He Xulan had no choice but to let go.

He Xulan couldn’t directly tell the physician that Xueya was sick, so he said that he had been startled awake earlier, that the palace attendants called for him but he couldn’t hear, and that unpleasant images filled his mind.

The imperial physician, Li, pondered for a moment and said, “Empress Dowager was most likely affected by a nightmare. I will check your pulse before prescribing some medicine.”

“No need, just prescribe the medicine directly,” He Xulan insisted. “It must be harmless and mainly calming and soothing.”

By the time the medicine was brewed, it was nearly dawn. Xueya remained huddled in the corner of the bed, hugging his knees and refusing to let He Xulan approach. Whenever He Xulan tried to get closer, Xueya would beg for mercy. As the stalemate continued, Huang Gonggong, seeing the situation, hesitated before saying, “Why don’t I try?”

He Xulan glanced at Huang Gonggong, not holding out much hope, and handed him the medicine.

Huang Gonggong approached the bed with the bowl, speaking in a gentle, coaxing tone as if talking to a child, “Xueya, how about drinking this medicine? Once you drink it, we can go back to sleep. The sky is already starting to lighten.”

Xueya remained silent.

Huang Gonggong sighed, “If this medicine gets cold, we’ll have to brew it again, and reheated medicine is always more bitter. So bitter, it could make your tongue feel like it’s gone numb.”

He Xulan watched Huang Gonggong closely.

Huang Gonggong continued, “When I first entered the palace, I had a friend who hated drinking medicine. But when you’re sick, you have to drink it. He refused, and later, he got so ill that he had to take medicine three times a day, every day. Even though he loved sweets, his tongue was ruined by the bitterness, and everything tasted awful to him after that.”

Finally, Xueya stirred. Sensing the change, Huang Gonggong quickly scooped a spoonful of medicine and held it out. “We won’t drink too much, just a few sips.”

He said “a few sips,” but one sip led to another, and Xueya ended up drinking half the bowl before refusing any more. Huang Gonggong looked to He Xulan for guidance.

After a brief pause, He Xulan said, “That’s enough.”

“I’ll take the medicine away, then. Oh, and Your Majesty, I’d like to request a day off today. After staying up all night, this old body of mine can’t handle much more,” Huang Gonggong said, quickly making his exit after feeding the medicine.

The doors of the hall opened and closed again.

Through the veil, He Xulan gazed at Xueya, still curled up in the corner of the bed. He lowered his eyes, saying nothing. Only when dawn broke did he speak again, “This time, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have locked you up. Xueya, can you forgive me?”

There was no response from within the bed curtains. He Xulan looked up and saw that Xueya had fallen asleep while sitting. He should have been exhausted. After being locked in the eastern warm pavilion for several hours, he probably hadn’t slept at all.

He Xulan gently moved Xueya to the center of the bed and laid him down properly. Then, he removed his outer robe and laid on the edge of the bed. Although tired, he didn’t dare sleep deeply, waking multiple times throughout the night to check on Xueya, who remained asleep.

It wasn’t until the afternoon that Xueya finally opened his eyes.

At first, his long lashes trembled slightly, like a butterfly struggling to break free from its cocoon. After a while, his eyes fully opened. But as soon as he saw He Xulan watching over him from the bedside, he scrambled up and shrank into the corner.

He Xulan paused, then spoke gently, “Let’s get up and eat. The small kitchen has prepared many sweets today, all your favorites.”

Xueya didn’t move, looking at He Xulan with fear and rejection.

He Xulan tentatively reached out a hand, but as soon as he touched the veil, Xueya pulled the blanket over himself. He Xulan had no choice but to stop, his voice hoarse as he said, “I won’t lock you up again. Don’t be afraid.”

No matter what he said, Xueya remained curled up under the blanket. Worried that Xueya’s stomach might be hurting from hunger, He Xulan called for the resting Huang Gonggong and stepped aside.

After coaxing Xueya for a while, Huang Gonggong looked at He Xulan with a helpless expression.

He Xulan anxiously asked, “What is it? He still doesn’t want to get out of bed? Then bring the food over.”

“No, Your Majesty, could you leave for a moment?” Huang Gonggong cautiously suggested.

He Xulan glanced at the boy hiding behind the bed curtains and finally murmured an agreement.

Once He Xulan was no longer nearby, Xueya was finally willing to get out of bed, but his condition hadn’t improved. He seemed like a withered cabbage, spacing out even while eating and especially during his bath. If not for the palace attendants reminding him, he might have stayed soaking in the bath for far too long. He soon fell asleep again not long after bathing.

***

When He Xulan heard that Xueya had fallen asleep again, he said nothing and merely nodded.

Huang Gonggong hesitated before adding, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. Heart ailments take time to heal.”

He Xulan didn’t respond to the remark. After Huang Gonggong left, He Xulan put aside his work and went to the sleeping quarters.

Xueya was still asleep, unaware of He Xulan’s presence. When he woke up and saw He Xulan, his first instinct was to shrink back into the corner of the bed. Not only that, but he also pulled the blanket over himself, as if hiding would make others unaware of his presence.

He Xulan pressed his lips together and softly said, “Xueya, I’m here to apologize. Yesterday, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have punished you without saying anything or locked you up alone in that room. Can you forgive me this time?”

The figure behind the curtains didn’t move, only a pair of eyes peeked out at him, like a frightened rabbit, ready to run away if He Xulan encroached on its space even a little.

After a long silence, He Xulan brought out something he had prepared earlier.

He reached into the bed curtains and slowly moved closer to Xueya. When he saw the boy trembling more and more, he placed two gold ingots on the bed and withdrew his hand.

After what seemed like the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two gold ingots were “coincidentally” covered by a corner of the blanket.

Seeing this, He Xulan placed two more gold ingots on the bed, this time closer to himself than before.

Once again, the gold ingots were “swallowed” by the blanket.

Like a patient hunter, He Xulan used the gold to slowly lure the rabbit out of its den. On the second-to-last try, he placed the gold right at the edge of the bed. If Xueya wanted them, he would have to reach out without the blanket to hide behind.

After waiting for a moment, He Xulan saw a pale hand sneak out from behind the curtain and quickly snatch the gold. He said nothing, merely holding out his hand to show Xueya three more pieces of gold.

Perhaps emboldened by his previous success, Xueya didn’t hesitate long this time. He reached out and took the last three pieces of gold as well. As he did, He Xulan casually remarked, “Don’t you have a box? Better store them away, or you might lose them.”

Not long after, Xueya finally got out of bed in front of He Xulan.

As he climbed out of bed, he glanced at He Xulan before hurriedly running over to retrieve his box. He brought it back to the bed and pulled out his little pouch from under the pillow.

Xueya counted the gold pieces again and began placing them one by one inside. He Xulan watched in silence. When Xueya was about to lie down again with the box in his arms, He Xulan stopped him.

“No, it’s too dirty.”

He Xulan took the box from Xueya’s arms and casually placed it on the floor beside the bed.

Seeing his box taken away, Xueya immediately tried to get it back, but He Xulan pulled him into his embrace instead. Xueya struggled to free himself, but he couldn’t reach the gold on the floor, growing more and more frustrated. In his anger, he bit down hard on He Xulan’s shoulder.

Even though Xueya was the one biting, he was the one who ended up crying. He bit while sobbing, his face turning red with tears.

Both of He Xulan’s shoulders were covered in bite marks, but he paid no attention to the pain. He simply kept gently patting Xueya’s back, slowly and softly. When he sensed that the boy’s body was no longer as tense and had begun to soften in his arms, he whispered, “Will you forgive me, please?”

After what seemed like a long time, he finally heard Xueya sniffle and say, “If I don’t forgive you, will you take the gold back?”