I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 72

Xueya was so startled that he immediately pulled his hand back and sat up, his face still streaked with tears. Nervously, he glanced at He Xulan’s wound.

“Did I make it worse? Did it start bleeding again? I’ll call the imperial physician!” As he spoke, he was about to dash off the bed when a hand reached out from behind and stopped him.

“There’s no bleeding, just a bit of pain earlier.” He Xulan first grasped Xueya’s arm, then slowly took hold of his hand.

The warmth of their palms pressed together gave Xueya a strange feeling, as if He Xulan was peeling away his defenses. It was absurd, given how many times they’d already shared the most intimate moments in the world.

Xueya lowered his head to look at their intertwined fingers, and noticed that He Xulan had entwined their fingers completely.

He Xulan’s hands were beautiful—long, slender, pale, with distinct knuckles. Xueya stared at them for a while, then quietly tightened his grip.

After that, he laid back down beside He Xulan, but this time he didn’t dare to cling to his neck. Instead, he cautiously placed his hand on He Xulan’s arm.

That night, Xueya slept more peacefully than he had in days, so much so that when someone woke him in the morning, he was filled with embarrassment. Huang Gonggong had appeared at some point, standing beside the bed. The moment Xueya caught his gaze, he awkwardly sat up. He had come to watch over He Xulan, but ended up sleeping in his bed instead.

He opened his mouth, ready to use the good news as a way to brush off his embarrassment. “Huang Gonggong, my brother has woken up.”

“I see that,” Huang Gonggong replied with a smile.

Xueya paused, then turned to look at the inner side of the bed, where he found He Xulan watching them with open eyes.

Had He Xulan been awake for a while? How could Xueya have slept longer than the patient?

His face instantly turned bright red, and feeling too embarrassed to remain in bed any longer, he quickly got up and slipped into his shoes. Once he was dressed, he glanced back and saw that both men were still watching him. This only made him feel even more self-conscious, and he stammered, “I… I’m going to… freshen up.”

“Go ahead,” He Xulan said.

Hearing this, Xueya hurried out. He went back to his own room and immediately found a mirror, inspecting his face carefully. The peeling skin had mostly healed, but his complexion was uneven, and the areas where the skin had peeled were particularly pale. As he studied himself, he suddenly noticed something in the corner of his eye.

Upon closer inspection, Xueya realized it was eye gunk, and in a flash of mortification, he covered his face with his hands.

Did He Xulan see that?

Please, let him not have seen it!

But then again, since his face had been turned towards He Xulan the entire time he was sleeping, it would’ve been hard for He Xulan not to notice, right?

To think He Xulan had seen him looking so unkempt—how embarrassing!

While Xueya was sighing over the eye gunk, news of He Xulan’s recovery had reached the other side of the palace, and Cui Lingjing rushed over right after the morning court session.

“Godfather!” Cui Lingjing hurried to He Xulan’s bedside and visibly relaxed when he saw him sitting up. Huang Gonggong quickly brought over a chair, and Cui Lingjing sat down, turning to the imperial physician standing nearby. “Now that the Empress Dowager has woken up, there should be no further danger, right?”

The head physician answered, “The Empress Dowager was blessed by the heavens. The dagger wound was just shy of hitting the heart, so there’s no risk to his life.”

“When will he fully recover?” Cui Lingjing asked, this time more urgently.

The head physician hesitated before answering cautiously, “Recovery will not be quick. He’ll need at least three to five months of rest.”

“Three to five months? That’s too long.” Cui Lingjing muttered under his breath, then quickly asked, “Is there any way to shorten it?”

“If rare medicinal ingredients like hundred-year-old ginseng are added to the daily decoctions, the recovery may be faster. But haste must still be avoided,” replied the head physician.

Cui Lingjing fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand to dismiss everyone else from the room, leaving only him and He Xulan.

“Godfather, the Lei family has fled,” he said, exhaustion filling his eyes.

The general of the Lei family was one of the most powerful in the dynasty, commanding countless soldiers. The fact that he had managed to escape the capital within hours suggested this had been long premeditated. However, the question of how long the plot had been in motion wasn’t the most pressing issue anymore. What worried Cui Lingjing was that General Lei might rebel.

Though no official word of rebellion had come yet, he felt it was only a matter of time.

For the past few days, he had hardly slept, constantly summoning ministers from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to assess how many troops remained after General Lei’s departure and how much money was left in the treasury.

Due to the snow disaster earlier in the year, tax revenues had already been reduced, and now a drought had struck, making it unlikely that the next round of taxes would be collected anytime soon. In fact, it might even be necessary to open the national treasury for disaster relief. If war broke out now, the treasury would struggle to sustain the expenses.

“Has the emperor summoned the generals yet?” He Xulan asked calmly.

Cui Lingjing rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. “There are only a few generals in the court who can actually fight, and most of them were trained by Lei Qiurong. I can’t trust them with this, so I’ve stationed the Imperial Guards to keep an eye on their residences to prevent any further treachery. The remaining two generals haven’t won a battle in years—they’re useless. The only capable ones are Yi Yefeng and Ning Can. But Ning Can is too young and impulsive. Against General Lei, he doesn’t stand a chance.”

He Xulan thought for a moment before suggesting, “The emperor should host a palace banquet under the guise of a prayer for rain, inviting the ministers and their families to dine on simple, humble fare, in sympathy with the suffering of the people.”

Cui Lingjing, preoccupied with the issue of General Lei, had no interest in hosting a banquet, but just as he was about to refuse, he caught onto two words in He Xulan’s suggestion—”family members.”

“Godfather, are you suggesting…” He swallowed nervously. “We should… temporarily invite their families to stay in the palace?”

Unlike Cui Lingjing, He Xulan remained disturbingly calm, not even bothering to soften his words. “While their families are in the palace, those generals, even if they go to war, may not win against General Lei. After all, they were all trained by him, and he’s likely familiar with their tactics. Therefore, the emperor should seize control of their troops and reassign them to General Yi and General Ning.”

Cui Lingjing pondered this for a while before asking another question, “What about the funding for the war?”

“What did Prime Minister Yin propose?” He Xulan replied with a question of his own.

“He suggested seeking donations from wealthy merchants who have previously collaborated with the court, as well as from prominent noble families in the capital. They’re all quite rich. Do you think this plan will work?”

He Xulan, seeing the young emperor’s anxious desire for a solution, slowly nodded. Cui Lingjing, sensing some relief, couldn’t afford to stay any longer. He needed to return and convene with his ministers to plan the banquet.

The sooner they could secure the troops, the better.

As soon as Cui Lingjing left, Huang Gonggong hurried in, noticing how pale He Xulan had grown. He immediately asked, “Is the Empress Dowager’s wound causing severe pain? The head physicians are in the side hall; I can fetch them.”

“No rush,” He Xulan said softly, his face drained of color, even his lips a pale white. His entire face looked as if only his eyes held any life, like ink splattered on a blank sheet of paper. “Send word to Yi Yefeng. He must win this battle.”

Huang Gonggong lowered his voice, concerned. “Master, how can we win this?”

“He must win, because Ning Can will lose.” After saying this, He Xulan’s face paled even further. Huang Gonggong didn’t dare to ask why Ning Can would lose, instead rushing to call for the imperial physicians.

When the doctors arrived and examined He Xulan, they discovered his wound had reopened. They hurriedly applied fresh medicine and changed the bandages. While they worked, He Xulan weakly asked, “Physician, when do you think I’ll be able to get out of bed?”

Originally, the head physician had thought He Xulan could be up and about in a day or two, but seeing the reopened wound, he hesitated and said, “It would be best to rest for another few days.”

“Is that so? Thank you for the trouble,” He Xulan said softly. After the imperial physicians turned around to discuss the prescription again, his gaze darkened.

***

Xueya wasn’t allowed to visit He Xulan’s bedchamber during the day and had to wait until late at night. When Huang Gonggong finally came to fetch him, Xueya carefully checked his clothes and face before opening the door.

Huang Gonggong usually called him “Xueya,” but upon seeing him, he dropped the last part of the name, looking surprised. Noticing Xueya’s evasive gaze, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Huang Gonggong’s lips. “The empress dowager has been resting for several hours and is now awake but hasn’t eaten. The small kitchen has prepared millet porridge. I was supposed to serve her, but I’ve been so busy lately that even my hands shake when I hold a bowl. Why don’t you go and feed the empress dowager?”

Hearing that he would be feeding porridge to He Xulan, Xueya’s fox-like eyes instantly lit up, and he eagerly agreed, “Sure!”

Since He Xulan had woken up, the imperial physicians no longer had to sleep on the couch in the outer hall but could rest in a side chamber. This meant Xueya didn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing their interaction. As soon as Huang Gonggong pushed open the hall door, Xueya rushed inside like a gust of wind.

Watching Xueya’s hurried movements, Huang Gonggong was worried he might trip. But when he heard Xueya’s voice calling for He Xulan inside, he hesitated and withdrew his foot from the threshold, closing the door.

“Brother,” Xueya stood by the bed, his eyes fixated on He Xulan.

He Xulan had been reading a book but turned his head at the sound of Xueya’s voice.

That’s when he noticed Xueya’s attire.

Even though it was the middle of the night, Xueya was dressed as if attending a palace banquet. He wore a crimson wide-sleeved ruqun, with a broad belt cinching his waist so tightly it looked like two hands could wrap around it. A layer of delicate gauze was draped over the bandages on his neck.

His face had clearly been carefully made up. His hair was pinned with golden hairpins, and he even wore makeup.

Xueya’s lips were naturally pink, but today he had darkened them to a rich red. Combined with his fox-like eyes, the seductive air he exuded was so intense that even a child could sense something unusual.

He Xulan pretended not to notice Xueya’s obvious intentions and nodded as usual.

Xueya smiled sweetly and pulled up a chair. He took the porridge from the food box and said, “Brother, let me feed you.”

Upon hearing this, He Xulan couldn’t help but think of a folk tale. He raised his hand to cover his mouth, stifling a cough.

The sound alarmed Xueya, who immediately looked at He Xulan’s chest with concern. “Brother, does your wound hurt again?”

“No, didn’t you say you were going to feed me porridge?” He Xulan certainly wasn’t going to tell Xueya what he had been thinking about.

Reminded of his task, Xueya quickly scooped a spoonful of porridge and brought it to He Xulan’s lips. He Xulan hesitated for a moment, glancing at the steaming porridge and then at Xueya, who was watching him expectantly, before finally taking a sip.

Seeing He Xulan drink the porridge, Xueya eagerly scooped up another spoonful. Having never fed anyone before, Xueya felt a sense of accomplishment watching He Xulan obediently drink the porridge he fed. After the porridge was finished, Xueya looked He Xulan over and suddenly asked, “Brother, should I help you bathe?”

He Xulan declined without hesitation, “No need, I’ve already bathed.”

Xueya’s disappointment was evident, and his expression fell like a wilting cabbage. Seeing this, He Xulan pressed his lips together before relenting, “I did sweat a bit earlier. Perhaps a quick wipe-down wouldn’t hurt.”

At those words, Xueya immediately perked up and rushed out to ask Huang Gonggong to prepare water. Huang Gonggong was puzzled when he heard He Xulan needed a wash—he had just bathed before the porridge, so why again?

But without asking questions, he had the water brought in.

Xueya rolled up his sleeves and wet a cloth. As he approached the bed, he frowned, unsure where to start.

The face, maybe?

He began by gently wiping He Xulan’s cheeks. He Xulan had braced himself, expecting the cloth to be rubbed harshly against his skin, but was surprised to find Xueya’s touch was delicate. He quietly sighed in relief, but that relief was short-lived.

When Xueya moved to wipe further down, He Xulan couldn’t help but grab his hand, his brow twitching. “Are you planning to use the same cloth to wipe my entire body?”

“Huh? Do I need to change it?” Xueya asked, surprised.

He Xulan didn’t explain much, simply replied, “Change it. And the water too.”

What a hassle.

Xueya silently grumbled to himself. He suddenly remembered He Xulan’s private bath—it had flowing water.

Is He Xulan always this particular?

Because He Xulan insisted, Xueya had no choice but to call for more water. After several rounds of water changes, the task was finally done, leaving Xueya exhausted. He sat on the edge of the bed, catching his breath, and looked at He Xulan, who was now in nothing but a thin inner garment.

The porridge had been fed, the bath given—what else could he do?

Ah, sleep.

Yes, he could help He Xulan sleep.

With that thought, Xueya carefully climbed onto the bed. Sitting beside He Xulan, he slowly extended his arms to awkwardly hug his shoulders and patted him clumsily. “Time to sleep.”

He Xulan silently watched him.

Xueya frowned, realizing the position might be wrong, so he had He Xulan lie down and then lay down next to him. Worried about pressing on He Xulan’s wounds, he gently patted the shoulder closest to him. “Be good, sleep.”

He patted softly for a while, then began to hum a southern lullaby, trying to lull He Xulan to sleep. But before he knew it, his own eyelids drooped, and he started to doze off.

Suddenly, he was jolted awake by a sharp bite on his lips.

Startled, he looked up to see He Xulan still wide awake. Unable to control his emotions, Xueya sighed loudly, the sound impossible for He Xulan to ignore.

He Xulan slowly turned his face away, his voice weaker than before, “Forget it. It’s bad enough that I can’t fall asleep alone.”

His long lashes fluttered occasionally, and his pale face appeared so fragile that Xueya felt the urge to protect him. Not to mention, the injury was caused by Xueya himself.

Feeling even more guilty, Xueya quickly sat up, “Brother, I won’t sleep. I’ll keep singing for you.”

“But I still can’t sleep with the singing,” He Xulan said, frowning slightly, his eyes filled with worry.

Xueya only knew that mothers sang lullabies to put children to sleep. What else could help someone sleep? He racked his brain, and suddenly, his face flushed.

No, even though he was wearing a ruqun, he wasn’t really a woman.

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