I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 90

When Yin Qingxuan entered the palace, it was already late at night. He had come in such a hurry that he hadn’t even had time to change clothes, still wearing a dark blue, narrow-sleeved round-collared robe with a pure white light cloak draped over it.

The head eunuch came out to greet him. “Prime Minister Yin, you’ve finally arrived.”

“Why is the summons so urgent?” Yin Qingxuan asked as they walked toward Fengrui Palace. Upon hearing the head eunuch’s lowered voice explaining the situation, his expression remained unchanged, as though everything was within his expectations.

Before they reached the door to Xueya’s room, a soldier from the Imperial Guard rushed in and anxiously asked, “Where is His Majesty?”

Yin Qingxuan turned around, his gaze sweeping over the soldier’s worried face. “What’s the matter?”

***

Xueya was sobbing as he used all his strength to avoid Cui Lingjing, but with only so much space on the bed, there was nowhere to hide. He tried to get off the bed, but as soon as he touched the bed curtains, his hand was pulled back.

Soon, he could no longer even struggle, as he was firmly pinned down. Heavy breathing came from above him, and Xueya instinctively curled his body. Faced with this version of Cui Lingjing, he didn’t dare beg for mercy, only sobbing as he trembled.

“Now you’re afraid? And yet you dare climb into his bed?” Cui Lingjing’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice seething through gritted teeth.

When he noticed Xueya’s silence, he raised himself slightly, his gaze sweeping over the youth beneath him. Xueya had struggled hard, and his pant leg had rolled up, revealing a portion of his calf.

This smooth, pale skin had been carefully nurtured by the Imperial Medical Bureau with countless rare herbs. Cui Lingjing clenched his jaw, his hand tracing the marks on Xueya’s leg—one after another, clear signs of someone’s indulgence.

While Cui Lingjing harbored feelings for He Xulan, he had always viewed him as untouchable, pure, and above worldly matters like this. Despite his love, he had never allowed himself to imagine intimacy between them. But now, seeing the marks on Xueya’s body, his mind was filled with the image of He Xulan and Xueya together.

How did He Xulan kiss Xueya? Did he grasp Xueya’s feet in his hands and gently kiss them? Or did he lower himself, kissing slowly along the skin?

Fury surged through Cui Lingjing. His grip tightened, causing Xueya to cry out in pain. He flipped Xueya over, and as their eyes met, Xueya tried to turn his face away, but Cui Lingjing’s hand clamped down, holding him in place.

That hand left him no escape.

“When did it start?” Cui Lingjing’s voice was like a hiss through clenched teeth. Seeing Xueya still crying without answering, his rage intensified, and his grip tightened to the point where it seemed like bruises would form.

Unable to endure the pain, Xueya trembled and stammered, “Th-the private banquet… that day.”

Cui Lingjing froze for a moment, lowering his head to recall. Finally, he remembered that night.

At that private banquet, Cui Lingjing had only invited He Xulan and Yi Yefeng. That night, he drank a lot, and in high spirits, he took He Xulan and Yi Yefeng to see his prized Ferghana horse.

Halfway there, He Xulan suddenly said he wasn’t feeling well and asked to leave. Cui Lingjing had wanted to escort him back, but He Xulan insisted it wasn’t serious and told him to continue showing Yi Yefeng the horse.

At He Xulan’s insistence, Cui Lingjing let him go. By the time Cui Lingjing returned to Fengrui Palace that night, it was very late, and being drunk, he quickly fell asleep, even missing the next morning’s court session.

After court, Cui Lingjing was about to take a moment to relax when He Xulan came to see him, immediately chastising him for his increasingly reckless behavior.

Because of the recent disaster relief efforts, Cui Lingjing felt guilty toward He Xulan, so he didn’t argue and listened to everything He Xulan said.

He Xulan scolded him for indulging in palace servants too much, and Cui Lingjing accepted the reprimand. He Xulan even said he had reassigned Xueya back to Ningfu Palace for discipline. Though Cui Lingjing was reluctant, he didn’t want to upset He Xulan. Plus, moving Xueya away would also reduce the number of officials pressuring him to favor the consorts.

Since the little New Year’s Eve celebration, when he had publicly carried Xueya into the palanquin, some ministers had been frequently submitting memorials, criticizing him for doting on a mere palace servant.

But it turned out He Xulan had been deceiving him all along, treating him like a fool.

Cui Lingjing’s rage peaked in that moment. He hated He Xulan, hated Xueya—hated the two of them for conspiring under his very nose. Xueya saw Cui Lingjing raise his hand, and instinctively shut his eyes. But the expected pain didn’t come; instead, the sound of fabric tearing filled the air.

Xueya immediately tried to flee, but Cui Lingjing pulled him back into his arms. Cold and fear wrapped around Xueya’s body. With nothing left to cover himself, and his legs even exposed… he was on the verge of fainting from fear and tears.

At that moment, voices suddenly came from outside.

“Your Majesty.”

Cui Lingjing recognized the voice of Yin Qingxuan. He turned his face away, still holding Xueya down. “Wait in the side hall.”

“I’m afraid Your Majesty needs to step out,” Yin Qingxuan paused. “Lei Qiurong is missing.”

Cui Lingjing’s expression changed abruptly. He scrambled off the bed without even putting on shoes and strode toward the door, opening it. Standing outside was Yin Qingxuan, who was just about to speak when Cui Lingjing grabbed him first.

“What did you say?”

“Your Majesty, just now the dungeon reported that the traitor Lei Qiurong has disappeared,” Yin Qingxuan repeated.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Qingxuan was shoved aside as Cui Lingjing stormed out, furious. “How could he disappear? Weren’t there plenty of guards…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly stopped, clutching his chest. His eyes stared straight ahead, and then, abruptly, he collapsed backward.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

The palace servants rushed forward to catch Cui Lingjing as he fell. Yin Qingxuan quickly approached and, seeing that Cui Lingjing had already fainted with blood at the corner of his mouth, immediately ordered, “Fetch the Imperial Physician.”

***

Cui Lingjing remained unconscious, and the entire staff of the Imperial Medical Bureau was summoned to Fengrui Palace, not daring to leave his bedside for even a moment. They prepared medicine and carried out their tasks personally. Yin Qingxuan also stayed by his side through the night, handling matters related to Lei Qiurong’s disappearance and the next morning’s court session.

He temporarily issued an edict on behalf of Cui Lingjing, ordering the entire city to be sealed off. The news of Cui Lingjing’s collapse was not to be spread, and as for the next court session, it would be announced that Cui Lingjing had merely missed it due to drunkenness.

After Yin Qingxuan finished dealing with matters outside the side hall, he inquired about Cui Lingjing’s condition in the sleeping quarters before walking over to the door of Xueya’s room. Most of the palace servants were stationed near Cui Lingjing’s quarters, and no one was paying attention here. However, before the head eunuch left to attend to Cui Lingjing, he made sure the door was locked.

“Who has the key?” Yin Qingxuan called out to a passing servant.

The servant replied, “The key is with the Gonggong.”

“Go fetch it. Tell him I have questions to ask,” Yin Qingxuan ordered. Before long, the servant returned with the key. Yin Qingxuan took it, unlocked the door, and entered the room, immediately noticing how cold it was. Not only was there no floor heating, but there wasn’t even a brazier, making it as cold as outside.

He slowly walked to the bedside, his gaze sweeping over the torn fabric on the floor before landing on the tightly drawn bed curtains. Hearing faint sounds from within, Yin Qingxuan reached to pull back the curtains, though he encountered some resistance.

Someone inside was gripping the curtains tightly.

There was no need to guess who.

With a bit more force, Yin Qingxuan tore the curtains open. As soon as they were drawn, the person inside shrank into the corner. Yin Qingxuan paused for a moment when he saw the youth.

Xueya’s condition was clearly poor. His long hair was disheveled, his pale face stained with visible tear marks, his eyelids red, and even his nose was flushed. But the most concerning thing was the cold; with only a thin blanket wrapped around him, his lips had turned a bluish-white from the freezing temperature. Curled up in the corner, Xueya looked at Yin Qingxuan with fear and trepidation, his hands clutching the blanket were similarly pale.

Yin Qingxuan’s gaze lingered on Xueya for a moment before he turned and left. Half a cup of tea later, he returned carrying a bowl of noodles.

Xueya’s stomach growled; it had been a long time since he had eaten. Seeing the steaming noodles, his eyes widened, and he instinctively licked his lips. Yin Qingxuan placed the bowl on the table, then walked to the door and closed it. After ensuring the door was secure, he noticed that Xueya remained huddled on the bed and said calmly, “Aren’t you hungry?”

Xueya was starving, almost driven mad by hunger, but the person offering him food was Yin Qingxuan.

Seeing Xueya’s hesitation, Yin Qingxuan glanced at the noodles. “It’s cold, the noodles will cool quickly.”

Hearing this, Xueya decided to get off the bed. The servants of Fengrui Palace wouldn’t care if he lived or died, especially now that Cui Lingjing had fallen ill. He had overheard some commotion outside earlier.

Maybe this would be his last meal, and if so, he might as well die on a full stomach.

With that thought in mind, Xueya wrapped the blanket around himself and tried to get out of bed. However, he seemed to be ill—his head was spinning, and his limbs felt weak. As soon as he stepped off the bed, he collapsed to his knees.

The blanket slipped from his movements, exposing his shoulder.

Yin Qingxuan saw Xueya’s exposed shoulder and seemed to understand something. He walked over to Xueya. Seeing him approach, Xueya panicked and tried to crawl back onto the bed, but the effort drained what little strength he had left. Xueya felt as though he might faint.

Yin Qingxuan stopped by the bed and removed his light cloak.

This action terrified Xueya even more, and his face turned deathly pale. But the next moment, he saw Yin Qingxuan toss the cloak onto the bed.

“Put this on for now,” Yin Qingxuan said after a pause. “Do you have the strength to put it on?”

Xueya glanced at the cloak, then at Yin Qingxuan, and slowly nodded.

Seeing this, Yin Qingxuan turned back to the table.

After a while, he finally heard movement behind him.

Xueya had put on the cloak Yin Qingxuan gave him and wrapped himself in the blanket. But when he tried to get out of bed again, he collapsed to his knees once more, unable to stand.

Hearing the noise, Yin Qingxuan turned around and saw Xueya struggling to get up. Walking over, he scooped Xueya up, blanket and all, and carried him to the table.

After placing Xueya on a chair, Yin Qingxuan handed him a pair of chopsticks. However, he soon realized that Xueya was too weak to even lift the noodles. After several failed attempts, the noodles slipped from his chopsticks. The food was cooling quickly, and with a frown, Yin Qingxuan pulled Xueya onto his lap, picked up the chopsticks, and brought a small bite of noodles to his lips.

The youth in his arms didn’t open his mouth and even tried to wriggle out of his lap.

Yin Qingxuan tightened his grip around Xueya’s waist, his voice cold. “If you don’t eat, how many more days do you think you’ll survive? Don’t you want to see the Empress Dowager again?”

At the mention of He Xulan, Xueya’s expression changed noticeably. He bit his lip, his tear-streaked face pitiful.

“If you really don’t want to eat, I’ll have them take it away,” Yin Qingxuan added.

“No… I’ll… I’ll eat.” Xueya’s voice was small as he sniffled and opened his mouth to eat the noodles offered to him.

After feeding him a mouthful, Yin Qingxuan picked up another. But shortly after, he set down the chopsticks and removed his purple sable earmuffs, placing them over Xueya’s ears.

Startled, Xueya stared at him in a daze. Yin Qingxuan said nothing, simply picking up the chopsticks and continuing to feed him.

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