Although Xueya blamed everything on Cui Lingjing, he was still uncertain and trembling, his fear transmitting to He Xulan through his grip on his leg.
He Xulan looked down at the youth clutching his leg. From his angle, he could see Xueya’s bare white shoulder. In his haste, Xueya’s robe had slipped to his elbow, and a strand of hair had fallen loose over his rounded shoulder.
Focused on hiding his attempt to seduce the emperor, Xueya didn’t notice his disarray. Seeing He Xulan remain silent, he became anxious and looked up. Noticing He Xulan’s inscrutable expression, he clutched his clothes tighter, “Empress Dowager Brother, can you get me out of the palace? I don’t want to stay here anymore.”
Retreating to advance, he showed he had no intention of seducing the emperor.
He Xulan finally reacted, helping Xueya to his feet, “Don’t be afraid. I heard His Majesty was in a bad mood after leaving Ningfu Palace, so I came to check. Where is His Majesty?”
“He drank too much. I managed to push him away without letting him get hurt,” Xueya said, still nervous.
He Xulan let go of Xueya and headed to the inner hall. Xueya watched He Xulan’s back, wanting to follow but fearing that saying or doing too much might arouse suspicion. Standing for a moment, he realized his robe had slipped to his elbow. He hastily pulled it up, adjusted his clothes, and fixed his hair.
He had just finished tidying himself when He Xulan came out, saying, “His Majesty is indeed drunk. I will have the imperial physician come to take care of him shortly.”
Xueya could only nod in response.
After a moment’s pause, He Xulan said, “You must have been frightened tonight. Go back and rest.”
Xueya first nodded, then shook his head, cautiously asking, “Will His Majesty punish me when he wakes up?”
“His Majesty has always had a poor tolerance for alcohol. Whenever he gets drunk, he never remembers what happened before. Don’t worry, no one will speak of tonight’s events,” He Xulan reassured him again. “Go back and rest.”
Sensing that He Xulan was not in a good mood, Xueya dared not say anything more. He obediently left, but before going, he made sure to say, “Thank you, Empress Dowager Brother.”
Back in his room, Xueya was still fearful. He was grateful for his quick thinking that deceived He Xulan and relieved that Cui Lingjing wouldn’t remember anything from his drunken state.
After bathing, Xueya laid on his bed, the effects of the alcohol he had been forced to drink slowly setting in. He yawned, rubbing his face against the pillow, and suddenly thought of He Xulan.
“Truly foolish,” he concluded.
The next morning, Xueya was anxious, but he noticed that Cui Lingjing didn’t trouble him all day. In the following days, Cui Lingjing did not summon Xueya until the sixth day when he was called to the pavilion.
When Xueya arrived at the pavilion, Cui Lingjing was sitting there, surrounded by several eunuchs. Some of the younger eunuchs were holding paintings taller than themselves, while two senior eunuchs were displaying the paintings to Cui Lingjing. The paintings depicted young women in elegant attire.
Xueya guessed what was happening. He stepped forward lightly and bowed to Cui Lingjing, “This servant greets Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty.”
“Rise,” Cui Lingjing said perfunctorily, waving his hand. The two senior eunuchs rolled up the paintings and tossed them aside, where a pile of other paintings already lay.
The senior eunuchs then took new paintings from the younger eunuchs and unfurled them. Cui Lingjing glanced at Xueya and motioned for him to come closer. Confused, Xueya approached, and Cui Lingjing handed him a brush, “Write ‘ugly’ on all the paintings on the ground.”
Xueya stared at the brush in his hand, unsure if he had heard correctly. “Write ‘ugly’?”
“Mm,” Cui Lingjing confirmed.
“Why?” Xueya thought the girls in the paintings looked quite pretty.
Cui Lingjing raised an eyebrow, a fierce look in his eyes, “Do you dare to ask why?”
“Your servant does not dare,” Xueya quickly shook his head and set about doing as he was told. There were so many paintings that he didn’t have time to look at the girls’ faces, focusing only on writing the word “ugly” on each one. He continued until dusk, long after Cui Lingjing had left.
Rubbing his sore arm, Xueya watched the young eunuchs collecting the paintings and couldn’t help asking, “Are these the candidates for consorts?”
One young eunuch glanced at him, “Yes, but you’re in trouble.”
“What?” Xueya was startled. “Why am I in trouble?”
“These paintings were sent here for His Majesty to see if there were any he liked. Those he didn’t choose are sent back to the families of the candidates, including daughters and sisters of high-ranking officials…”
Before he could finish, another young eunuch pulled him aside, “Why are you telling him this? We need to get these paintings back to the Ministry of Rites.”
Xueya’s face turned pale. He squatted down and grabbed the arm of the young eunuch who had spoken first, “Will the officials know it was me who wrote on them?”
“Of course they will. You’d better pray for yourself,” the eunuch replied.
“But it was His Majesty who told me to write it,” Xueya said urgently.
The young eunuch responded, “Do those officials dare complain about His Majesty?”
Xueya’s face went white. He thought of seeking out Cui Lingjing, but without a summons, he couldn’t see him. Then he thought of He Xulan, but remembered how he had deceived him recently. He Xulan had helped him cover up that incident, and now if he went to him again, He Xulan might find him annoying.
Realizing this, Xueya decided to take a gamble. Since Cui Lingjing had instructed him to write the word “ugly,” those officials couldn’t possibly come to the palace to complain about their daughters and sisters. But he didn’t expect one official to enter the palace.
“Minister Yin, as you have seen, it’s not that I don’t want to choose consorts, but none of the candidates are as good-looking as even one of my servants. This servant was too presumptuous, scribbling ‘ugly’ on the paintings. Seeing those words, I am even less inclined to choose. If Minister Yin insists, then bring better candidates.”
Cui Lingjing’s words were unreasonable. All eligible noblewomen had already been presented; there were no others to choose from.
The man addressed as Minister Yin was the Prime Minister, Yin Qingxuan. Dressed in dark blue official robes, his fair and handsome face remained expressionless, “It’s difficult to capture a person’s essence in a painting. I believe Your Majesty should meet the candidates in person.”
Cui Lingjing’s face darkened. He grabbed Xueya, who had been trying to hide, and dragged him forward, “Essence? Minister Yin, why don’t you see if any of the candidates are more beautiful than him?”
Yin Qingxuan’s gaze fell on Xueya. He looked at Xueya’s face for a moment before shifting his eyes away, his tone indifferent, “A seductive appearance, neither man nor woman, unbearable to look at.”
Upon hearing those words, both Xueya and even Cui Lingjing were stunned.
After a moment, Cui Lingjing was the first to lose his temper. “Is Minister Yin questioning my taste?”
It was the first time Xueya had heard someone say his appearance was unbearable. In his shock, he forgot his fear and clenched his fists inside his sleeves. However, he dared not glare at Yin Qingxuan and could only stare at the tiles beneath his feet.
Yin Qingxuan remained calm and even nodded, answering directly, “Yes.”
This left Cui Lingjing speechless for a moment. Yin Qingxuan had been appointed by the previous emperor to assist him, and both his father and grandfather had served as prime ministers. Cui Lingjing truly couldn’t do anything to him.
Leaning back into his dragon throne, Cui Lingjing finally spoke after a long pause. “Minister Yin, give me one more year. Can’t I choose consorts then?”
“No,” Yin Qingxuan replied. Before his words had even settled, Cui Lingjing picked up a memorial from the table and threw it at him. The corner of the memorial struck Yin Qingxuan’s forehead, leaving a thin cut, but Yin Qingxuan stood unflinching, his gaze steady on Cui Lingjing.
After venting his anger, Cui Lingjing took a deep breath. “What if I refuse to choose consorts? Will you force me?”
“We dare not,” Yin Qingxuan replied.
“I see you dare plenty. Get out!” Cui Lingjing waved dismissively.
Yin Qingxuan bowed. “I will return tomorrow.” Then he added, “By the way, there is one more thing I haven’t informed Your Majesty. Allowing a palace servant to scribble ‘ugly’ on the paintings of the candidates has deeply offended many officials.”
“Let them find him if they want to blame someone. He wrote it; let those officials come to him,” Cui Lingjing said coldly.
A few days ago, Xueya had pinned the blame on Cui Lingjing. Now Cui Lingjing was turning it back on him. Xueya couldn’t help but curse Cui Lingjing inwardly, but outwardly, he quickly knelt down, “Your Majesty!”
Seeing Cui Lingjing ignore him, Xueya tried to reach for his sleeve, but Cui Lingjing brushed him away.
Yin Qingxuan observed the scene calmly. “Since he wrote it, I can only imprison him in the dungeon pending investigation.”
Those f*cking trash men!