Huang Gonggong, upon seeing Xueya in a disheveled state, immediately went to the wardrobe and brought out a robe to drape over him.
As Xueya felt the clothing settle on his body, he blinked and slowly looked up, only to realize it was Huang Gonggong. Seeing him felt like grabbing onto a lifeline, and he urgently asked a question:
“Will brother come back?”
Huang Gonggong noticed the unease in Xueya’s eyes and, without hesitation, nodded. “Yes, he will.”
Xueya seemed to let out a sigh of relief, wiping away the tear streaks on his face as he mumbled to himself, “I knew he was lying. Brother will definitely come back. Brother would never abandon me. When he returns, he’ll make sure they pay for bullying me…”
As he continued muttering, he suddenly heard Huang Gonggong softly say, “Xueya, let me fetch some water for a bath. Once you’ve cleaned up, everything will be alright.”
Xueya responded with a quiet sound of agreement. He indeed needed a bath, a thorough one. As he prepared to stand, Huang Gonggong reached out to help him up. Xueya paused, looking at the older man. When their eyes met, and he saw the deep concern in Huang Gonggong’s gaze, something clicked in his mind.
“Huang Gonggong, I didn’t let him succeed!” Xueya hurriedly explained. “He just… bit me a few times.”
He was afraid that Huang Gonggong might misunderstand, and that this misunderstanding could somehow reach He Xulan’s ears.
Huang Gonggong froze momentarily at Xueya’s words, then nodded. “I know, Xueya. Let’s take care of your wounds—your neck and ears need some attention.”
Xueya, feeling that Huang Gonggong didn’t believe him, anxiously repeated, “Really! I’m not lying!”
“I know you’re not lying, Xueya. But let’s bathe and apply some medicine first, alright?” Huang Gonggong’s tone, gentle like one coaxing a child, only made Xueya feel more certain that the eunuch didn’t fully believe him.
Xueya wanted to prove he was telling the truth, but he couldn’t exactly let Huang Gonggong check his body. So, he tried to demonstrate by walking normally. Yet after his ordeal with Yin Qingxuan, his legs were still weak, making it impossible to walk properly.
This only seemed to confirm to everyone that he had been thoroughly bullied.
Xueya was furious. He thought he understood why Yin Qingxuan had done this. It was because of his unrequited love for He Xulan. He was jealous, so jealous that he resorted to such despicable methods to create discord.
First, he tried to sow doubt by saying He Xulan had abandoned him. Then, he humiliated him, ensuring everyone would misunderstand what had transpired between them.
Despicable!
Xueya only regretted not slapping him harder or biting off a piece of flesh when he had the chance.
Because of Yin Qingxuan, Xueya, who usually slept in He Xulan’s palace, spent that night back in his own room, not even wanting to look at that bed anymore.
That night, as he touched his now bare neck, he thought of the warm jade pendant.
That piece of jade had clearly been given to him by Liang Mu—so why had Yin Qingxuan claimed it was from He Xulan?
Could it be that when Liang Mu delivered the pendant, it had been under He Xulan’s orders?
The thought made Xueya furious, and he gripped his blanket tightly. But soon, his anger dissipated.
“Brother secretly sent me the jade because he cares but didn’t want to say it. It’s not like what that despicable Yin said,” Xueya muttered, feeling the sting of tears. He pulled the blanket over his head, and soon, quiet sobs could be heard from beneath the covers.
When will brother come back? So many bad people are bullying me.
The next day, Xueya noticed something seemed off in Ningfu Palace. Yesterday, he had been too shaken to pay attention, but after breakfast, he realized something was wrong.
The palace staff had decreased. Most notably, the two disciples who usually followed Huang Gonggong were gone. Xueya wanted to ask where they had gone but noticed a patch of missing hair on Huang Gonggong’s temple.
Unable to resist, he reached out and touched it. “Huang Gonggong, what happened here?”
Huang Gonggong slightly dodged his hand, smiling as he said, “I’m getting old. My hair’s falling out more than usual.”
He was lying. Hair doesn’t just fall out in patches like that. Xueya knew as much. But he also realized how oblivious he had been. While he had been bullied in the palace, something bad had likely happened to Huang Gonggong and his people outside.
“It was Yin Qingxuan, wasn’t it?” Xueya, too angry to hold back, directly called out Yin Qingxuan’s name. “How can he, an outsider, interfere in palace affairs? I… I’ll tell His Majesty!”
Huang Gonggong quickly grabbed Xueya and urgently whispered, “Prime Minister Yin has been freely entering Ningfu Palace under the emperor’s orders.”
Xueya froze.
Huang Gonggong gave a bitter smile. “The prime minister brought the imperial guards with him. Without the emperor’s decree, how could he command them?”
“The emperor may not know what he’s doing. If I just…” Xueya trailed off, realizing the futility of his words. They were mere servants, and Yin Qingxuan was the prime minister. Whatever he did to them, it was unlikely Cui Lingjing would care.
At that moment, Xueya became painfully aware that if He Xulan didn’t return, none of the palace staff at Ningfu would survive.
Five days later, Yin Qingxuan appeared again.
This time, Xueya was in his own room. Ever since the previous incident, he had confined himself there, never expecting Yin Qingxuan to come directly to his quarters.
The moment he saw him, Xueya jumped up from his chair in fear. As Yin Qingxuan approached, Xueya instinctively grabbed a cup from the table. “You… you…”
Yin Qingxuan, ignoring the makeshift weapon, casually sat on the other side of the table and even poured himself some tea. Xueya watched, hesitating for a moment before preparing to bolt for the door. But he had only taken two steps when Yin Qingxuan’s cold voice stopped him.
“Huang Dexing said he didn’t know anything. What about you?”
Huang Dexing was Huang Gonggong’s full name. Xueya stopped in his tracks, turning back to glare at Yin Qingxuan, his eyes full of anger. “What did you do to Huang Gonggong? He’s old, and soon, he’ll be able to leave the palace.”
Yin Qingxuan slowly set down his cup, ignoring the question. Instead, he asked, “Have you seen anyone in Ningfu Palace recently who doesn’t belong here?”
“You,” Xueya shot back without hesitation.
Yin Qingxuan, after a moment of silence as if lost in thought, continued speaking: “Other than me?”
Xueya naturally thought of Yi Yefeng, but instinctively felt that he couldn’t mention that name, so he shook his head.
At that moment, Yin Qingxuan suddenly stood up, startling Xueya. Unable to control himself, Xueya immediately dashed towards the door, fleeing as fast as he could.
Although Xueya managed to escape the room, he didn’t know where to go. After running for a while, he noticed that Ningfu Palace was eerily quiet.
It seemed like no one was around.
His pace slowed down, and his eyes scanned the surroundings helplessly. All he could see were flowers and the majestic palace halls, but not a single person in sight.
“Huang Gonggong?” Xueya called out, and then he called the names of a few palace attendants he was familiar with, but there was no response. Even at night, Ningfu Palace shouldn’t be this silent, let alone in broad daylight.
Xueya’s lips trembled as he turned around and started running back.
Yin Qingxuan was still in Xueya’s room when he returned. He didn’t seem surprised at all by Xueya’s reappearance, continuing to rummage through Xueya’s drawers. Xueya rushed over when he saw what Yin Qingxuan was doing. “Why are you going through my things without my permission?”
“Would you have agreed if I asked?” Yin Qingxuan replied, looking at Xueya standing in front of the table.
Xueya shook his head decisively.
Yin Qingxuan’s lips curled slightly as he pushed Xueya aside. “Then why should I ask?”
Xueya stumbled from the push and watched in horror as Yin Qingxuan approached the drawer containing his letters. Desperate, he threw himself forward to block it, hitting his waist hard in the process. The pain turned his face pale.
But Xueya’s frantic reaction only confirmed that there was something important inside. Yin Qingxuan lowered his eyes slightly, ready to push Xueya away again, but Xueya grabbed his sleeve and pleaded, “No! Please, don’t go through my things.”
Tears were already welling up in the little fox’s eyes.
His warm jade had already been taken; the letters couldn’t be taken too. If the letters were confiscated, they’d be a d*mning piece of evidence. If they were sent to Cui Lingjing…
Xueya didn’t dare think of the consequences. He could only beg Yin Qingxuan, “What’s inside… is something my late mother gave me. Please, don’t go through it. I’m begging you, really, please don’t.”
Yin Qingxuan glanced at his sleeve, still held by Xueya, then at Xueya’s tear-filled eyes, and resolutely pushed him aside. When Xueya saw Yin Qingxuan pull out the letters, he froze completely. After a long pause, he gathered the courage to approach, his voice trembling, “These letters… they’re from before I entered the palace…”
He couldn’t think of a convincing excuse. Gritting his teeth, he tried to snatch the letters back, but Yin Qingxuan was quick to react, raising his hand to avoid him.
Yin Qingxuan held the letter in one hand and blocked Xueya with the other. As Xueya grew more desperate, almost like a ferocious little beast, Yin Qingxuan frowned and tossed the letter behind him, then grabbed both of Xueya’s hands and pinned him against the table. “Enough.”
Seeing the letter scattered on the ground, Xueya struggled to break free, trying to pick it up, until he was suddenly lifted onto the table.
That action sobered Xueya a little. The scowling Yin Qingxuan in front of him was the same person who had almost killed him twice. He looked at Yin Qingxuan’s displeased expression, nervously biting his lip.
Yin Qingxuan, with his naturally handsome features, rarely smiled. His usual expressionlessness made him seem stern, and now, with his frown, he looked even more severe. He didn’t say anything, and Xueya didn’t dare to speak either. It wasn’t until Yin Qingxuan took out a familiar candy box that Xueya’s eyes widened in shock.
Seeing the candy box, Xueya instinctively tried to get off the table, but Yin Qingxuan held him down firmly by his legs. All Xueya could do was watch as Yin Qingxuan took out the poisoned candy and brought it to his lips.
Although Xueya struggled with all his might, he still couldn’t avoid being force-fed the candy. Not just one piece—Yin Qingxuan forced three pieces into his mouth. Afterward, Yin Qingxuan covered Xueya’s lips, preventing him from spitting them out.
As Xueya felt the poison dissolve in his mouth, he finally lost control of his emotions, and tears streamed down his face.
He was going to die, and he didn’t know if this poison would cause much pain.
He felt guilty towards his late mother. He hadn’t fulfilled the vow he made at her grave.
Yin Qingxuan watched Xueya, his body trembling, his pale face flushed red from crying, and listened to his soft sobbing. Only then did Yin Qingxuan slowly release his hand. “Does it taste sweet?”
The moment Xueya was freed, he tried to spit out the poison, but nothing came out. He simply stuck out his tongue, still furious, and choked out between sobs, “Not… not sweet at all!”
Yin Qingxuan lowered his gaze and smiled faintly, letting Xueya go before bending down to pick up the scattered letters. As soon as he did, Xueya jumped off the table and rushed over, trying once again to snatch them back. Seeing how relentless Xueya was, Yin Qingxuan deliberately allowed him to grab the edge of the letter.
As soon as Xueya grabbed it, Yin Qingxuan jerked it up.
The letter tore into uneven halves.
Xueya paused only for a moment before quickly ripping the piece in his hand into tiny shreds. Just as he finished, Yin Qingxuan held out the other half of the letter to him. Xueya reached out to grab it, but then hesitated. He looked up, confused, at Yin Qingxuan, who was handing him the letter. Before he could ask what it meant, Yin Qingxuan spoke first.
“This letter must have been hard to get into your hands. How does it feel to tear it up yourself?”
With that, Yin Qingxuan casually tossed the remaining half of the letter onto the ground.
Xueya glanced at the shredded letter in his hands, then at the half on the floor. His eyes immediately fell on the pig drawing, now missing half its face. He stared at it blankly for a while before bending down to pick up the remaining pieces. Halfway through, his arm was grabbed.
Yin Qingxuan pulled him up and bluntly asked, “Do you want the antidote?”
Tears still stained Xueya’s face, and he held the shredded letter in his hand, but he said nothing, only looking at Yin Qingxuan.
“Then endure it.”
With that, Yin Qingxuan bent down and bit Xueya on his collarbone. The pain was so intense that Xueya’s nails nearly dug into his own flesh, as if this kind of physical pain could mask another.
Only after tasting blood did Yin Qingxuan release him. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his lips and turned to leave.
As he walked away, Xueya couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you say you’d give me the antidote?”
“Candy doesn’t have an antidote,” Yin Qingxuan replied coldly.
Xueya froze. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to feel anger or relief. He looked down at the ruined letter in his hands, and all he felt was sadness.
Half an hour later, Xueya finally saw Huang Gonggong.
Huang Gonggong looked pale and walked unsteadily, as if he had been punished. The number of attendants in Ningfu Palace seemed to have decreased again, and Xueya felt a deep sorrow. But there was nothing he could do—not even protect himself. He didn’t even dare ask what Huang Gonggong and the others had been through.
Since Huang Gonggong wasn’t feeling well, Xueya didn’t let him continue to take care of him. He ate alone, bathed alone, and laid down in bed alone, but he couldn’t sleep.
Xueya thought it was because the pain from his collarbone was too much, keeping him awake. It wasn’t until dawn that he finally managed to fall asleep.
In his sleep, he had his fourth dream.
In the dream, he was in a place he couldn’t see clearly, calling for his brother. Someone responded, but it wasn’t He Xulan’s voice.
Xueya woke up suddenly, still disoriented from the dream. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone sitting by his bed, and he immediately recoiled in fear. But when he looked closely at the person, he stopped.
He stared in disbelief for a long time, and once he was sure he wasn’t seeing things, he immediately threw himself into the other person’s arms.
