I, The Substitute, Am With The Main Character Chapter 91

When Yin Qingxuan was a boy, he had once fed his younger brother, but at that time, his brother was mischievous and wouldn’t sit still, running around the room, even outside. After that, Yin Qingxuan never fed his younger brother again.

Now, as he fed someone else noodles, it felt like he was back to those days, though there was a difference. His younger brother was close to him but disobedient, while the person in his arms wasn’t close to him but had no choice but to obey.

Although Xueya didn’t like being fed, he obediently opened his mouth, tears welling in his eyes the entire time.

He was like a little lamb that had been tamed.

After finishing the hot bowl of noodles, Xueya’s face looked a bit better, and his lips were no longer as blue. Once he had eaten, he tried to get off Yin Qingxuan’s lap, but Yin Qingxuan didn’t let go. Xueya struggled for a moment but couldn’t break free, so he looked at Yin Qingxuan.

Meeting his gaze, Yin Qingxuan took out a handkerchief. Xueya tried to take it, but Yin Qingxuan dodged his hand and wiped his mouth himself.

This action was clearly too intimate, making Xueya’s body stiffen even more. He couldn’t understand why Yin Qingxuan was suddenly being so gentle.

After wiping his mouth, Yin Qingxuan still didn’t release him. Instead, he reached out to feel Xueya’s forehead.

It was burning hot, a clear sign of illness.

After a brief pause for thought, Yin Qingxuan carried Xueya back to the bed and then left the room again. Each time he left, he would lock the door, and this time was no exception. Hearing the sound of the lock turning, Xueya trembled as he tightly wrapped the blanket around himself.

Eating the noodles had only warmed him briefly; now, he felt cold again. Not only cold, but his entire body ached, and he had no strength.

When Yin Qingxuan returned, he found Xueya curled up on the bed with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. He approached and roughly pulled Xueya out from the inner side of the bed. The roughness must have hurt, as Xueya mumbled that it hurt, calling out, “Brother.”

Upon hearing the word “brother,” Yin Qingxuan paused before responding coldly, “You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

The feverish and confused Xueya didn’t hear this, continuing to murmur that he was in pain, that he was uncomfortable, and asking his brother to hold him. All the while, he cried.

Yin Qingxuan had once taken care of a pot of clivia. In fact, that clivia had originally been cared for by He Xulan. Yin Qingxuan had seen it in his room.

“Do you like it?” He Xulan had noticed his gaze on the plant. “It’s yours.”

Yin Qingxuan knew something about clivias and realized that the one He Xulan had was a prized variety. “It’s too valuable. I can’t accept it.”

“Someone else gave it to me. I don’t know how much it’s worth. I’m about to leave for Jiangnan, and I won’t have time to care for it.”

So, Yin Qingxuan took the plant back to his residence. However, not long after He Xulan left for Jiangnan, the clivia’s roots began to rot. He called in a famous gardener from the capital, but even that couldn’t save the plant.

Seeing Yin Qingxuan’s low spirits, the gardener tried to comfort him. “Don’t worry too much, sir. This plant is very delicate, and it’s normal for it to die.”

Yet, when the plant was in He Xulan’s hands, it had been thriving.

“I followed the care instructions exactly as my friend taught me. Why did it thrive under their care but not mine?” Yin Qingxuan asked, puzzled.

The gardener thought for a while before offering a tentative answer. “Perhaps the plant recognized its original owner and didn’t want to live after being separated.”

Just like the clivia, Xueya had also chosen his master. Yin Qingxuan couldn’t understand why they all chose their masters, even though they had been abandoned.

Although Xueya seemed like a tamed little lamb, in reality, he had been tamed by someone else. Yin Qingxuan remembered the ambition Xueya had shown when he first entered the palace—back then, his goal had been to climb into Cui Lingjing’s bed.

He stared at the boy who was still calling out for his brother. After a long pause, Yin Qingxuan gently pulled him into his arms, his movements noticeably softer than before. He then picked up a bowl of medicine and brought it to Xueya’s lips. In his feverish daze, Xueya didn’t struggle much and even obediently opened his mouth to drink the medicine, though he frowned after every sip.

After half the bowl, Xueya refused to drink any more. To avoid it, he buried his face in Yin Qingxuan’s chest, pitifully saying, “Brother… it’s so bitter. I don’t want to drink it anymore.”

“I’ll say it again, you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” Yin Qingxuan pulled Xueya’s face out of his chest and forcibly made him drink the remaining medicine. After this, the boy in his arms burst into tears again and struggled to get away from him.

During the struggle, the blanket was shaken loose. Xueya was only wearing the light fur coat, which was fastened with a single tie. As he struggled, the coat loosened, and Yin Qingxuan averted his gaze after just a glance.

The light fur was snow white, and so was the person wearing it.

After a moment of silence, Yin Qingxuan picked up the blanket, covered Xueya again, and tucked him back into bed.

***

Xueya felt miserable from his illness. When he woke up the next day, his throat was painfully sore, and when he tried to speak, he found his voice hoarse. He was alone in the room, and it was quiet outside—already daylight.

He forced himself out of bed. This was the room he had stayed in before, and it had been renovated so that water for washing and bathing could be brought in from outside, though the water was cold.

Using cold water, Xueya cleaned himself as best he could, then sat back on the bed. He was still wearing the light fur coat Yin Qingxuan had given him, with no other clothes.

He didn’t know what time it was. Staring out the window, the events of the previous day replayed in his mind like a lantern show. One moment, it was Cui Lingjing’s fury; the next, it was Yin Qingxuan’s strange behavior. In the end, all those images faded, leaving only He Xulan’s gaze.

As the daylight gradually faded, Xueya drifted in and out of sleep. When he was too weak to even sit up due to hunger, the door finally opened.

It was Yin Qingxuan.

He carried a food box and a bag in his other hand.

Starving for an entire day, Xueya no longer cared that the person bringing him food was Yin Qingxuan. As soon as he was placed on a chair by the table, he reached for the spoon. But as soon as he picked it up, it slipped from his weak grasp, clattering into the bowl of congee.

Some of the congee splashed onto his face, and Xueya shuddered from the burn.

Seeing this, Yin Qingxuan frowned and wiped the congee from Xueya’s face with a handkerchief. Then, just as he had done the previous night, he fed Xueya the congee.

After feeding him, Yin Qingxuan carried him back to the bed. “Take off your clothes.”

Upon hearing those words, Xueya instinctively tightened the cloak around him. But in the next moment, he saw Yin Qingxuan open the bag he had brought.

Inside were clothes, even socks.

The clothes were much too large for Xueya, and even the socks were oversized. However, given his current situation, he couldn’t afford to be picky — having something to wear was a blessing.

Struggling, he changed into the clothes behind the curtain. From outside, he heard a voice ask, “Are you done?”

“Yes,” Xueya replied hoarsely.

Yin Qingxuan lifted the curtain and scrutinized him. Xueya had managed to tie his hair with a cloth strip, though a few stray strands hung at the sides of his face, and his eyes were still slightly red. In just a day, his face had thinned to the point where a single hand could almost cover it entirely.

Yin Qingxuan looked at Xueya and reached out. Xueya, seeing his hand suddenly extend, instinctively tried to move back but was quickly grabbed.

He was pulled onto Yin Qingxuan’s lap. The position made Xueya tense up immediately. Yin Qingxuan noticed and, lowering his head, touched the boy’s earlobe with his fingertips.

“He liked holding you like this, didn’t he?” Yin Qingxuan asked, his tone flat, as if what he was doing was the most ordinary thing in the world.

It was obvious who he meant by “he.”

Xueya’s long eyelashes fluttered, but he said nothing, simply pressing his lips together.

Yin Qingxuan didn’t wait for an answer, nor did he seem angry. He continued to toy with Xueya’s ear until it turned bright red, before finally letting go. Once Yin Qingxuan left, Xueya breathed a sigh of relief. But now, left alone in the room, he found himself grateful that there was at least some candlelight.

Xueya curled up in bed, unsure of how much time had passed when he suddenly heard a sound near the window, like wooden slats being lifted. Startled, he quickly peeked out from the bed curtains, just as the window was opened.

There stood Liang Mu.

Xueya immediately scrambled off the bed, rushing toward the window. As soon as he reached it, Liang Mu stretched out his arms, pulling him out in one swift motion.

“The Emperor has ordered the Empress Dowager to move to the Qingchang Palace today. He’s already left the capital. I’m taking you to join him,” Liang Mu whispered.

Xueya quickly nodded.

Liang Mu, clearly familiar with the palace’s layout, expertly avoided the patrolling imperial guards. As they neared the palace gates, he paused, observing the changing of the guards from a distance. Turning to Xueya, he asked, “Do you remember the defense map of the capital?”

Xueya tried hard to recall and finally nodded.

“I’ll distract the guards. When you see an opening, escape. I can’t accompany you beyond this point. You’ll have to make it out of the capital on your own,” Liang Mu said, before handing him a dagger from his cloak. “Only draw this if absolutely necessary. Promise me… stay safe.”

Xueya stared at the dagger and suddenly thought of another concern. “Won’t the Emperor punish you for helping me escape?”

Liang Mu was the captain of the imperial guards, directly serving under Emperor Cui Lingjing. By helping Xueya escape, wasn’t he betraying the Emperor? Could Cui Lingjing tolerate such a thing?

“They might not even realize it was me. It’s the last quarter of the Chou hour; the East City Gate is your closest exit. Remember that,” Liang Mu instructed, flashing a small smile before stepping out of the shadows and heading toward the palace gate. Xueya watched as the guards followed Liang Mu’s diversion, and without wasting any time, he bolted for the gate.

He had never run so fast before. The cold wind slashed across his face like knives, and he could even taste blood in his mouth. Upon reaching the gate, he pushed hard against the iron bars, squeezing through a small opening.

The last quarter of the Chou hour…

He kept repeating the time in his mind, while mentally reviewing the map he had memorized.

The East City Gate was the closest to the palace, but even so, it took Xueya almost an entire hour to reach it. By the time he arrived, he was barely able to stand. Looking at the heavily guarded gate, he quietly gripped the dagger hidden in his sleeve.

The gate wouldn’t open until the middle of the next hour, so he would have to wait another half-hour.

Time passed slowly, and as more civilians gathered at the gate, Xueya tried to blend into the crowd. Just as the guards were about to open the gate, a higher-ranking officer approached and ordered, “Hold the gate! The Emperor hasn’t lifted the lockdown today. Everyone, go back!”

The last part was directed at the civilians.

Xueya’s heart sank. The civilians, too scared to complain, quickly dispersed. Xueya, fearing he would stand out if he remained, also turned to leave. As he was walking away, someone suddenly blocked his path.

Panicking, Xueya started to draw the dagger from his sleeve. But before he could fully unsheath it, the person grabbed his hand. “It’s me.”

Recognizing the voice, Xueya was pulled into a corner where a horse stood waiting.

Yi Yefeng removed the black cloak from the horse and wrapped it around Xueya before taking the dagger from his hand and tucking it into his own cloak. As Yi Yefeng helped him onto the horse, Xueya couldn’t help but ask in a small voice, “Did Broth… Empress Dowager… send you?”

“Yes,” Yi Yefeng replied, mounting the horse and reaching around Xueya to grab the reins before urging the horse toward the city gate.

The guards, surprised by Yi Yefeng’s sudden approach, called out, “General Yi?”

Yi Yefeng didn’t slow down. Instead, he rode even faster, pulling out an imperial medallion and shouting, “Open the gate!”

The medallion was a gift from Cui Lingjing, awarded to Yi Yefeng after a victorious battle. When asked what he wanted as a reward, Yi Yefeng had requested the medallion.

This medallion held the authority of the Emperor himself.

Yi Yefeng had recently returned in glory, and the guards, seeing the urgency and the imperial medallion, didn’t dare hesitate. They quickly opened the gate. By the time they realized Yi Yefeng had taken someone with him, it was too late to stop them. The pair had already disappeared into the distance.

Yi Yefeng galloped through the countryside, leaving the main roads and taking the mountain paths. As they reached a mountain pass, he slowed the horse, noticing a carriage in the distance. 

The sound of their arrival must have alerted the people inside the carriage because the curtain soon lifted. He Xulan, dressed in black, peered out. His usually striking face seemed almost ethereal in the dawn light.

Xueya had been running on sheer willpower, but as He Xulan carried him onto the carriage, the tension that had kept him going finally snapped. Unable to hold on any longer, Xueya fainted.

When he next awoke, he found himself resting his head on He Xulan’s lap, with the sound of the carriage wheels turning beneath him.

A hand touched his forehead.

“Still a bit feverish,” He Xulan said to someone outside. “Yi Yefeng, we’ll stop in an hour to rest and brew some medicine.”

“Understood,” Yi Yefeng’s voice responded from outside the carriage.

Xueya turned his head to look outside the carriage before glancing back at He Xulan, who had been watching him.

Noticing Xueya’s confused expression, He Xulan asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Xueya, still dizzy and unable to sit up, weakly reached for He Xulan’s clothes. When He Xulan leaned in to hear him better, Xueya whispered anxiously, “Brother, did we bring the box with the gold?”

His voice was deliberately soft, as if he feared Yi Yefeng might overhear from outside the carriage.