Because He Xulan was about to lead troops into battle, Cui Lingjing arranged a banquet, where Yin Qingxuan was also present. Upon seeing Yin Qingxuan at the banquet, He Xulan’s expression subtly changed. After three rounds of drinks, He noticed the two skilled bodyguards and instantly understood Yin Qingxuan’s intentions.
Setting down his cup, Yin Qingxuan respectfully said, “The Empress Dowager will face many hardships on the journey, not to mention the dangers of the battlefield. The palace servants who usually attend to the Empress Dowager have no martial skills, and bringing them to the battlefield would only be a burden. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of assigning two skilled bodyguards from my household to accompany the Empress Dowager. They are dependable, and the Empress Dowager may command them as needed. If they fail in their duties, the Empress Dowager may punish them as he sees fit.”
Cui Lingjing chimed in from the side, “Yes, Godfather, you should take these two men. I watched them spar earlier today, and their martial skills are indeed impressive.”
He Xulan shifted his gaze from Yin Qingxuan to Cui Lingjing and said, “Huang Gonggong and the others are used to attending to me and know my preferences well. If I suddenly change attendants, I might find it difficult to adjust, which could affect the war effort.”
Hearing this, Cui Lingjing hesitated. But then, Yin Qingxuan suddenly rose, lifted his robe, and knelt on the ground. “Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, I am incompetent and cannot personally go to the front lines to fight. It is my fault that the Empress Dowager must go to war himself. The only thing I can do now is ensure the Empress Dowager’s safety. Otherwise, even if I were to die a thousand times, I could not allow the Empress Dowager to face Lei Qiurong and the rebels!”
At these words, He Xulan’s gaze turned cold, and he said softly, “What a grand statement. With someone like you, Yin Qingxuan, the Li Dynasty is truly fortunate.”
Yin Qingxuan calmly replied, “You flatter me, Empress Dowager.”
Even Cui Lingjing sensed the tension between them. He knew that He Xulan and Yin Qingxuan had been close friends before He Xulan entered the palace. Both were prominent figures in the capital—one known as “He Lang” and the other as “Yin Lang.”
There were once rumors that the two of them shared drinks on a boat by the lakeside during spring. With willow leaves floating around them, one played the zither, and the other played the flute, attracting a crowd. As more people gathered to watch, some even fell into the lake. While their attendants rescued the onlookers, He Xulan and Yin Qingxuan exchanged a glance and sailed away together.
Because of his affection for He Xulan, Cui Lingjing had investigated He Xulan’s past before he entered the palace and had been wary of Yin Qingxuan. But over time, he realized that Yin Qingxuan showed no inappropriate behavior towards He Xulan, which gradually put his mind at ease.
Cui Lingjing had to admit that even though he often scolded Yin Qingxuan and threw cups and memorials at him, Yin Qingxuan was a highly capable minister, one his father had entrusted to him.
The Yin family had served in the court for three generations, all loyal and devoted, which explained why Yin Qingxuan, in his twenties, had already risen to the position of prime minister.
Sensing the subtle tension between He Xulan and Yin Qingxuan, and acknowledging that Yin’s plan seemed more reliable, Cui Lingjing spoke up, “Godfather, I think the Prime Minister has a point. Honestly, I’m still worried about your safety. Didn’t the imperial physician say your injury hasn’t fully healed? Maybe it would be better to let someone else lead the troops?”
He Xulan looked off into the distance. The sky was vast, but the palace was surrounded by high walls. These walls blocked out the view of the world outside, like a gilded cage that trapped those within.
***
In Ningfu Palace, Xueya knew that He Xulan had a banquet that evening and probably wouldn’t return until late. So, he didn’t wait for him and went to bed after bathing. He had fallen into a deep sleep when he was suddenly woken up.
In the dim night, Xueya groggily opened his eyes and saw that it was He Xulan who had woken him. He immediately closed his eyes again, too sleepy to care. But He Xulan didn’t seem to want to let him sleep.
Xueya caught a strong whiff of alcohol from He Xulan and, feeling annoyed, wrinkled his nose and rolled further into the bed. However, he was soon pulled back out.
He found himself in He Xulan’s lap and wanted to sleep, but the strong smell of alcohol made it impossible. Opening his eyes, he complained, “Brother, go take a bath.”
Though it was meant as a complaint, his voice was soft and gentle from just waking up, making it sound more like he was being affectionate.
He Xulan didn’t respond. He cupped Xueya’s face with one hand and kissed his brow. Xueya frowned slightly but endured the kiss, thinking that after a couple of kisses, He Xulan would go bathe. However, the kissing continued, and soon, Xueya felt like his mouth was filled with the taste of alcohol.
“Brother!” Xueya finally managed to pull away. He didn’t dare push He Xulan due to his injuries, so he pleaded, “Brother, I’m so sleepy. Let’s save this for tomorrow.”
But He Xulan seemed oblivious to his words, turning Xueya’s face back and continuing to kiss him. Xueya was on the verge of tears. He was exhausted and overwhelmed by the smell of alcohol. He didn’t know how long it went on, but eventually, He Xulan put him back on the bed.
Hearing the sound of He Xulan getting up, Xueya breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the moisture from his lips with his sleeve and closed his eyes to sleep again. Just as sleep began to take over, he felt a hand on his waist.
Xueya had dressed lightly for bed due to the heat, wearing the thinnest material. The hand on his waist felt as though it wasn’t even separated by fabric, and he could sense the dampness of He Xulan’s palm against his skin.
He didn’t dare open his eyes, hoping to feign sleep and get through it, but it soon became clear that he couldn’t.
Xueya couldn’t understand why He Xulan was so interested in tormenting him in the middle of the night. He reminded He Xulan of his injuries, but He Xulan ignored him. At one point, Xueya even wondered if it wasn’t He Xulan, but after looking closely at the face in front of him, he confirmed it was indeed him.
It felt like the night when he had drugged He Xulan all over again. By the time dawn broke, Xueya was sobbing and cursing, “B*stard!”
He didn’t understand why He Xulan was so rough with him when he never objected to being touched. Moreover, He Xulan had promised to stop if Xueya asked, but this night, despite his countless pleas, He Xulan didn’t listen.
When he was finally brought water to drink, Xueya felt like he couldn’t even lift his hands. His whole body ached. He tried to prop himself up to drink from the cup He Xulan offered, listening to He Xulan’s voice.
“Xueya, I’m leaving Huang Gonggong in Ningfu Palace to take care of you.”
After finishing the cup of water, Xueya, still exhausted and foggy-headed from lack of sleep, looked at He Xulan.
“Huang Gonggong will take care of me?”
He Xulan set down the porcelain cup and gently stroked the corner of Xueya’s eye with his fingers. Gazing at the delicate face in front of him, more beautiful than a summer lotus, his lips tightened.
Xueya blinked a few times, then rested his chin on He Xulan’s shoulder, too tired to move. “Brother, you’re not taking me out of the palace?”
He had been looking forward to leaving the palace, hoping to buy some sweet sugar figures along the way. If possible, he even wanted to visit his hometown and see his mother.
“Mm.”
Xueya frowned at the single-word reply, feeling dissatisfied. He Xulan had tormented him for most of the night, and now he was being so cold. It was too much!
In frustration, Xueya bit He Xulan’s shoulder—not hard, just enough to make a point. “Fine, don’t take me. It’s too hot to go out anyway. If you get sunburned, I’ll laugh at you.”
As soon as those words were said, Xueya felt the hand around his waist tighten suddenly. His whole body was already aching, and being held tighter made him immediately gasp in pain.
Frustrated, he cursed at He Xulan again:
“B*stard!”
***
He Xulan left. When he left, Xueya was still sleeping.
When Xueya woke up, Ningfu Palace was the same as always. None of the servants were missing, but the master was gone.
Xueya stared at the seemingly unchanged palace for a while before sluggishly getting up and walking outside. His body was still sore, so his steps were slow. When he finally made it out the door, he saw Huang Gonggong.
“Huang Gonggong, I’m hungry,” Xueya said.
Huang Gonggong paused in his steps when he saw Xueya. He stood at a distance, his expression seeming slightly different from usual. Xueya found it odd and called out again, “Huang Gonggong?”
“The kitchen has prepared porridge, just waiting for you to wake up,” Huang Gonggong finally smiled, returning to his usual kind demeanor.
Xueya nodded and went back inside to freshen up.
He still didn’t fully grasp what He Xulan’s departure meant, only that he felt a bit bored. So bored, in fact, that the days seemed to stretch endlessly, though the nights were slightly better because he could force himself to sleep.
Maybe five days passed, maybe ten. Xueya lost track of how many days had gone by. Every day he sat on the chaise lounge by the window in He Xulan’s room, reading the storybooks He Xulan used to read or playing with an old puzzle box. He was so bored that Huang Gonggong actually suggested he write a letter.
“A letter? Will Brother even receive it?” Xueya didn’t even know where He Xulan had gone to fight.
Huang Gonggong nodded. “He will. Every three days, the palace sends letters to the Empress Dowager and General Yi. If Xueya writes a letter, I can slip it in with some silver to make sure it gets to the Empress Dowager.”
Xueya had never written a letter before, so he hesitated. He procrastinated until the evening before finally picking up the pen to clumsily write, “I hope this letter finds you well. This is Xueya…”
Just those eight words cost him three sheets of paper. After struggling through the first sentence, he was stumped again on what to write next.
Should he tell He Xulan what he ate today? Or ask how He Xulan’s injury was healing?
As the candlelight grew dimmer and the pile of discarded paper grew larger, Xueya finally finished his letter:
“I hope this letter finds you well. This is Xueya. I miss Brother very much.”
Xueya admired his letter in the candlelight, but then thought it looked too short. After thinking hard for a moment, he added a drawing of two pig heads, snuggling close as if they were a couple.
After sending the letter, Xueya asked Huang Gonggong, “Huang Gonggong, will Brother reply to me after getting the letter?”
“He probably will,” Huang Gonggong replied in a low voice. “I gave them a lot of silver.”
Hearing the words “a lot of silver,” Xueya immediately felt heartache. If he’d known that, he wouldn’t have sent it. He could’ve asked Huang Gonggong to give him the silver instead.
Even though he thought that, after the letter was sent, Xueya couldn’t help but eagerly wait for a reply. But before a reply arrived, Cui Lingjing came to visit.
Without He Xulan around in Ningfu Palace, Cui Lingjing no longer had any reservations. He called Xueya in front of him and forced a smile.
“Xueya, do you remember when I mentioned a chance to earn merit?” the emperor asked.
Xueya nodded.
“There’s been a severe drought throughout the land. If you can help me pray for rain and succeed, you’ll have earned a great merit. I’ll remove both your and your mother’s slave status, and you’ll never have to be a servant again. There’s a palace beside Fengrui Palace called the Beauty Pavilion. You can live there.”
