I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 78

The young boy lying on the tiles had strange red flushes on his cheeks from the long exposure to the sun, creating a stark contrast with the pure white of his clothes. His black hair was soaked with sweat, and the corners of his tear-streaked eyes were tinged with red. At this moment, in Yin Qingxuan’s eyes, Xueya looked like a flower on the brink of withering, radiating an extreme yet tragic beauty in its final moments of life.

Yin Qingxuan stared at Xueya for a moment before hearing footsteps behind him. He pulled his sleeve out of Xueya’s grasp and turned to look at the imperial physician approaching with medicine. “What medicine is this?”

The physician responded while motioning for the palace servants behind him to help Xueya up, “It’s for heatstroke relief, mixed with the Life-Prolonging Pill and brewed together.”

“Life-Prolonging Pill? The Imperial Medical Bureau doesn’t have many of those,” Yin Qingxuan remarked, his expression changing slightly at the mention of the pill.

“Because the ingredients are rare and precious. There were only eight pills. The Empress Dowager used three after his injury, and this is the fourth,” the physician sighed, then added, “I’m not sure if it will be enough. The child’s constitution is rather weak.”

Yin Qingxuan glanced at Xueya again, who now seemed barely conscious. He had been murmuring a while ago but could no longer speak.

“Whether he survives or not is his fate,” Yin Qingxuan said, standing up and walking off the altar.

Though Xueya had been given the medicine, he soon fell completely unconscious. No one moved him, leaving him lying on the altar, and palace servants came to check every half hour if he was still alive.

Yin Qingxuan sat under the canopy. Even in the oppressive heat, with sweat dampening his temples, he did not wipe it away, instead keeping his eyes fixed on the boy atop the altar.

Time passed slowly, and by nightfall, two servants went up to check Xueya’s condition again. When they confirmed he was still alive, they signaled to the other servants below.

Soon, Xueya was carried down.

They bathed him and dressed him in clean clothes, so that he could continue praying for rain in a purified state. The physician administered another dose of heat-relief medicine, and after all this, Xueya was placed back on the altar.

Throughout the entire process, Xueya did not wake. It was as if he had truly become a sacrificial offering, no longer belonging to the world of the living, moved about like livestock at the will of others.

By nightfall, the heat finally relented, and close to midnight, Xueya finally woke. He tried to rise, but his strength was gone, and halfway up, he collapsed back onto the ground, his palms scraping harshly against the tiles, sending a sharp pain through him.

This pain shattered the last of Xueya’s composure, and he laid on the altar, sobbing helplessly, though he could no longer shed any tears.

“Mother… Brother…” he called out the names of two people over and over, but his voice was so faint that no one heard him.

A quarter of an hour later, Xueya lost consciousness again. The blood left behind on the red-tinted tiles from his scraped palms, like Xueya himself, was swallowed by the darkness of the night.

The next day, the sun rose once more.

After the morning court session, Cui Lingjing sat in the imperial study, staring at an unfolded memorial for nearly half an hour, unable to concentrate. Outside, the sun blazed high in the sky, and despite the ice blocks placed nearby, he could still feel the heat.

The ice melted quickly, and every half hour, the chief eunuch would bring in more.

By the fifth refill, Cui Lingjing could no longer hold back and asked, “How… is he?”

The chief eunuch replied, “They say he’s still alive but hasn’t woken up. The physician gave him heat-relief medicine twice today.”

Upon hearing this, Cui Lingjing pressed his hand to his forehead, a sigh slipping from his lips. The chief eunuch quietly withdrew, about to close the door to leave the emperor in peace, when a sudden rumble of thunder sounded outside.

The chief eunuch, startled, looked outside, his expression quickly shifting to joy. “Your Majesty, it’s thundering!”

Sounds of hurried footsteps echoed from within the hall, and in just an instant, Cui Lingjing had rushed to the doorway. Gripping the doorframe, he peered intently at the sky, and upon hearing another rumble of thunder, he couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across his face, laughing heartily.

“Good, good, good! Finally, the rain is coming!”

“Report! A message from the front lines!” Amid the thunder, a soldier arrived with urgent news.

Cui Lingjing swiftly opened the letter upon learning it was from He Xulan’s camp. After reading its contents, his mood brightened even further. “The letter says they’ve won their first victory.”

The chief eunuch knelt immediately. “Congratulations, Your Majesty! A double blessing!”

“Indeed, a double blessing. The entire palace will be rewarded—one month’s extra stipend for everyone.” As Cui Lingjing finished speaking, another clap of thunder echoed across the sky.

With the thunder came raindrops, large as pearls, falling rapidly.

***

Yin Qingxuan was walking along the outskirts of the capital, near the farmlands, listening to a report from an official behind him. When raindrops hit his face, he raised a hand to touch them, realizing it was indeed water. Looking up at the sky, he soon heard the distant sounds of farmers cheering and crying in relief.

Months had passed without rain, and food supplies had nearly run out. The common people, who lived off their labor, had not eaten a proper meal in a long time. This long-awaited rain gave them hope for survival. Knowing that the court had been praying for rain, and now seeing their prayers answered, the farmers knelt in gratitude, shouting,

“Heaven bless the Li Dynasty! Long live the Emperor!”

“Minister Yin, the rain is getting heavier. Shall we find shelter?” an official asked, using his sleeve to shield Yin Qingxuan from the downpour.

Yin Qingxuan sidestepped, avoiding the gesture. He looked at the kneeling farmers and calmly said, “Today, we must finish inspecting this area. The grain supplies in each household must be tallied so that they can survive until the next harvest. Continue.”

***

When Xueya was brought into Fengrui Palace, he was ice-cold, his clothes soaked through. During the rain, everyone around the altar had been so overjoyed that no one remembered the boy still lying on the platform until Cui Lingjing arrived.

Furious at finding Xueya left in the rain, Cui Lingjing immediately ordered all the palace servants present to be dragged out and given twenty lashes. He also summoned every available physician from the Imperial Medical Bureau to Fengrui Palace.

Xueya’s condition was dire, not only physically but in appearance as well. He had been exposed to the scorching sun for nearly two days without shade or water, only receiving medicine. His lips were cracked, and his face was raw and peeling in places. His hands, constantly sweating, showed signs of infection.

At this moment, Xueya bore no resemblance to the beautiful boy he once was.

“I don’t care what methods you use, just make sure he fully recovers,” Cui Lingjing commanded.

He did not say to simply “save” Xueya but to “fully recover,” a subtle but clear difference. The physicians understood and immediately began sending a stream of rare medicinal ingredients to Fengrui Palace. The beauty ointments, usually rationed monthly to the concubines, were sent in bulk, and the physicians even added beauty-enhancing herbs to Xueya’s medicinal baths.

It wasn’t until the third day after being taken off the altar that Xueya finally woke, but both his mental and physical state were equally fragile. Cui Lingjing, who had been visiting daily, decided to personally feed him medicine upon learning he had regained consciousness. However, Xueya was crying uncontrollably.

Any touch would send him into tears, and when the emperor tried to feed him, Xueya weakly pushed the bowl away, though he had no strength to do so effectively, spilling some of the medicine.

The spilled medicine splashed onto Cui Lingjing’s robe. The chief eunuch rushed forward, asking, “Your Majesty, were you scalded? Perhaps I should feed him instead.”

Cui Lingjing frowned at his stained robe, handed the medicine to the chief eunuch, and looked down at the boy struggling to escape his arms. Xueya’s face had improved somewhat, though still pale, and his voice was hoarse from crying.

Cui Lingjing glanced at the physician beside him. “Has he been this agitated since waking?”

The physician nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty. Since waking, his emotions have been highly unstable. We’ve added calming herbs to his medicine.”

Cui Lingjing was silent for a moment before instructing the eunuch to place the medicine on a nearby table. “Leave it. You may all go. I’ll feed him myself.”

The room emptied, leaving only Cui Lingjing and Xueya.

Cui Lingjing held Xueya firmly in his arms, gently picking up the bowl of medicine again. Softening his voice, he coaxed, “It’s alright now. You’ve succeeded in bringing the rain.”

Not one to usually comfort others, Cui Lingjing felt awkward as he spoke, which is why he had sent everyone else away.

“Be good, stop crying, and drink the medicine. Be obedient.” He brought the bowl to Xueya’s lips again, but Xueya turned his face away, refusing to drink. After trying for a while, most of the medicine ended up on Xueya’s and the emperor’s clothes. As Cui Lingjing’s frustration began to rise, he saw how pitiful and fragile Xueya looked, and his heart softened.

Unable to get him to drink the medicine, Cui Lingjing gave up for the moment and began unbuttoning Xueya’s dirty clothes. “I’m not bullying you, so why cry so much? Look at you, you’ve made such a mess of yourself.”

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