Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 10
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After Emperor Jiuzhensui left, the palace returned to its usual coldness as the attendants departed with him.
When Wu Jing was escorted back to his sleeping quarters, he saw Yan He waiting inside the hall, looking somewhat nervous. Upon seeing him return, Yan He quickly approached and greeted the attendants who brought the Emperor back, “Thank you, Grand Tutor.”
The eunuch, appointed by Fu Chen, didn’t say much, “Tomorrow, His Majesty will be taken to the study again.” Then he left.
Once the attendants were gone, Yan He hurriedly pulled Wu Jing by his sleeve, guiding him around while anxiously surveying the surroundings. After ensuring no one was around, she sighed in relief, “Your Majesty, are you alright?”
One’s own humble abode is better than a palace of gold and silver.
Wu Jing’s eyes welled up with tears, but he managed to hold them back, feigning ignorance, “It was fun.”
“Big brother will give Wu Wu delicious treats.”
“We’ll go again tomorrow.”
If it continues like this tomorrow, he wouldn’t want to go anymore.
Wu Jing thought to himself, feeling a pang of unease.
Yan He sighed helplessly, “You silly child,” she said, “as long as you’re not hurt.”
She led Wu Jing to the desk and served him the evening meal. Because he had dined well with Emperor Jiuzhensui during the day, he didn’t reject the plain congee as much as usual.
He managed to eat about half a bowl and picked at a few vegetables.
Yan He encouraged him to eat a little more so he could sleep well at night.
Wu Jing pushed the bowl aside, turning his head away, “Wu Wu is full.”
Yan He sighed again and reminded him, “The hot water is ready behind the screen. Your Majesty, remember to wash up, dry yourself properly, and put on your clothes, alright?”
Wu Jing frowned, thinking for a moment, then nodded, “Oh.”
Yan He then left with the food tray.
Wu Jing watched her leave, feeling that something was not quite right.
He didn’t know why, but Yan He was exceptionally careful in her care today, unlike her usual demeanor. Could it be because she felt guilty about something, like leaving him outside the study at noon today?
Wu Jing felt exhausted, so after a while, he decided to lie down and rest.
The bathing tub behind the screen was quite simple, just a wooden tub with soap and cloth on the side, and a wooden ladle floating on the steaming water.
After closing the door, he undressed and soaked himself in the tub, washing away all the fatigue. After putting on his clothes, he prepared to lie down to sleep.
He was shaken and his eyes were sore from crying, extremely tired, but because it was autumn, the nights were much colder than the days.
Tonight was particularly cold, and the bed still had a summer blanket.
Wu Jing could only curl up into a ball, covering himself with a thin layer of blanket, and fell asleep haphazardly.
No one in the palace bothered to change his thin blanket for a warmer one, and Yan He also didn’t notice this.
In the middle of the night, the boy wrapped in the blanket shivered from the cold, shifting to find a more comfortable position.
The next morning, very early.
Wu Jing, who hadn’t slept well, was awakened by Yan He. He groggily opened his eyes and saw Yan He softly calling by his bedside, “Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”
Wasn’t he usually allowed to sleep until he woke up naturally? And why was she waking him up so early when the hall was still dim, with just a hint of light in the sky? Wu Jing was so tired that he wanted to go back to sleep.
“His Excellency Jiuzhensui just finished the morning court and is on his way to the Yangxin Hall. He ordered to wake Your Majesty up early to have breakfast together. Please hurry up, after breakfast, His Excellency still needs to discuss state affairs with the cabinet ministers, who are all waiting,” Yan He explained.
These lengthy sentences translated into Wu Jing’s mind as, “…His Excellency… breakfast… blah blah blah…”
Delicious food!
Who could resist such temptation?
Wu Jing suddenly woke up, sitting up, “Yan He, I’m awake!”
Yan He quickly let Wu Jing wash up on his own and helped him put on his clothes. The white clothes he wore yesterday, one of the few acceptable ones, had been taken away for washing. Today, he wore darker clothes, looking somewhat drab.
Although the young Wu Jing had black hair and fair skin, he didn’t look bad, but he didn’t quite match the status of an emperor.
Like a jewel covered in dust, forgotten in the soil.
But the palace servants had gotten used to it, and no one felt it was inappropriate.
Wu Jing was led to the dining hall of the Yangxin Hall instead of the side hall next to the study as he did yesterday.
When he arrived, the palace servants were still setting up the meal, and the table was already full of bowls and plates, with various fruits and pastries laid out. The main course was a meat porridge with strands of gold threads at the bottom and soup, fragrant and appetizing.
Even more extravagant than yesterday.
Ning Qinghong stood in the hall, seemingly just arrived. His eunuch was taking off his white fur coat, revealing a red silk official robe with water-like patterns underneath.
He sat on the Grand Preceptor’s chair, and faintly visible on his chest were golden embroidered crane patches.
His eunuch then bent down, carefully removing the Nine-beamed Crown from the top of his head and whispered, “Your Majesty has arrived.”
Ning Qinghong looked up and saw the young emperor, who was eagerly eyeing the food on the table. He smiled somewhat helplessly, “Always looking like you haven’t eaten enough.”
The eunuch also teased, “Your Majesty’s nature is that of a child, naturally only thinking about food.”
Ning Qinghong’s smile softened, “Is that so?”
The eunuch didn’t know where he went wrong with his words, so he awkwardly shut his mouth and changed the subject, “Your Excellency, should the cabinet ministers wait for you in the Golden Phoenix Hall or come to the study?”
Ning Qinghong glanced at Wu Jing, who had just entered the hall, and said three words, “The study.”
Wu Jing reluctantly looked away, pretending to be especially happy to see Ning Qinghong, “Brother!”
Ning Qinghong’s expression softened a bit, and he smiled, “If Your Majesty is hungry, you can eat first.”
It took Wu Jing a moment to realize that he was being spoken to. He nodded slowly, “Wu Wu will eat with brother.”
Ning Qinghong smiled and said, “Come over.”
The master’s mood has improved again, how strange.
Fu Chen thought to himself.
This meat porridge was mixed with chopped crab meat and crab roe, and also added with finely seasoned shrimp, with the saltiness and temperature controlled perfectly.
Wu Jing opened his mouth, waiting for Ning Qinghong to feed him another spoonful, his eyes almost squinting with happiness.
He didn’t want to drink porridge for the rest of his life, it was too delicious, he wanted another spoonful!
Ning Qinghong fed him almost half a bowl and then quietly asked if there was anything else Wu Jing wanted to eat, using a public chopstick to pick up some warm steamed cakes to feed him.
After Wu Jing finished eating, he held the bowl of soup slowly, drinking it, and then saw Ning Qinghong eating leisurely with his chopsticks.
This person is so strange,
Why does he like to feed him so much?
Before long, breakfast was over, and Wu Jing was taken to the small room next to the study where he was yesterday. When he entered, he could vaguely see many officials in official robes entering the hall outside.
Ning Qinghong didn’t sit on the dragon throne today, but instead placed a Grand Preceptor’s chair on the side, not as indifferent as he was yesterday when facing the Prime Minister.
Although the dragon throne was empty, those courtiers still treated him with utmost respect.
After the door to the small room was closed, blocking out the noise from outside and the view of people.
Wu Jing vaguely remembered what Yan He said, discussing state affairs, is there anything he couldn’t listen to on the side? Is he just a fool, or are they afraid he’ll cause trouble?
The eunuch who led him in went out again, and Wu Jing could vaguely hear the sound of the door being locked.
Wu Jing sat alone on the soft couch. The room was scented with warmth, with Ning Qinghong’s fur coat hanging on the rack and a crown on the table, along with tea and snacks.
It seemed to be a warm place for the other party to rest.
Perhaps they were afraid that this fool would cause trouble, so they put him here to avoid hindering official business, locking the door so he couldn’t escape.
Well, it’s good that no one is bothering him,
He’ll catch up on his sleep.
Wu Jing slept on the table for a while. At first, he didn’t dare to overstep, but after waking up, he wandered around boredly, pushed the window, and found that it was also locked.
Slowly, he reached out for those pastries and finished all the snacks and tea, feeling bored, he approached the crown.
Counting how many beads were on it.
Wu Jing waited and waited, not knowing how long he waited. His stomach growled again, and he felt a bit sleepy.
It should be afternoon by now, right?
He was used to taking a nap after lunch, and his internal clock reminded him that it was time to sleep.
But he was so hungry.
Wu Jing could vaguely guess that he had been forgotten inside. His presence as the emperor was very low everywhere, but he dared not speak up or knock on the door.
Afraid that the person he just started clinging to would find him disobedient,
And won’t let him cling anymore.
For the matter of the floods in Jiangnan and disaster relief, the cabinet ministers deliberated in the study for the entire morning, delineating the specific areas affected by the floods and the surrounding regions where refugees might gather.
They allocated relief funds from various regions and appointed officials responsible for pacifying the people in Jiangnan. Additionally, several subordinates were assigned to the Deputy Minister of Works.
Later, Ning Qinghong began reviewing the documents for the day. After flipping through them, he asked, “What about the documents from the Prime Minister?”
Fu Chen reported truthfully, “The Prime Minister woke up yesterday and drove all the court physicians away. He did not attend the court today either. Scouts reported that the Prime Minister’s residence is closed, and he is not attending to state affairs.”
Ning Qinghong pondered for a moment, “Send the Deputy Minister of Works to visit him and inform the Prime Minister in detail about the disaster relief efforts in Jiangnan.”
Fu Chen was puzzled, “But…”
Ning Qinghong said, “Keep an eye on it. Although Jiangnan is suffering from floods, it has always been a gathering place for merchants and traders. Behind the Prime Minister’s residence are the Jiangnan scholars. The Prime Minister needs to know how much relief funds should be allocated.”
Fu Chen acknowledged.
After dealing with state affairs, Ning Qinghong was reminded by Fu Chen to have lunch. With various tasks piling up, he hadn’t rested since noon, and he had been reading the documents until the afternoon.
Returning with a pot of hot tea, Fu Chen whispered, “Master, there is a response from the Empress Dowager. She said those cats were just kept for fun, and if they offend you, she will send those pets out of the palace.”
The Empress Dowager seemed to have misunderstood, thinking that His Excellency wanted to do something to the cats. Fu Chen’s expression was strange. Although the matter was suspicious, it was inevitable that misunderstandings would arise, but His Excellency would never arbitrarily trouble a few cats.
Ning Qinghong paused his writing, “Forget it.”
Fu Chen was also troubled. The servants in charge of the Internal Guards were all eunuchs, and the servants in the mansion were all rootless. It was difficult to find someone to ask.
I wonder how His Excellency suddenly came up with the idea of keeping cats and dogs and even raising a child.
Strange, His Excellency couldn’t have children himself, could he have thought of adopting a child to inherit the family wealth?
Ning Qinghong was about to pick up his pen, as if he remembered something, and asked, “What about His Majesty?”
Fu Chen replied, “…Let me think. It seems like he’s still locked in the small room.”
The tip of the pen paused, leaving a small red dot on the paper for no reason.
Ning Qinghong put down his pen and stood up, “Hasn’t he been called out all day?”
Fu Chen affirmed.
The lock on the small room was opened again, and the intricately carved wooden door was pushed inward. The fragrance in the room had long since dissipated, leaving only the autumn chill.
Ning Qinghong lowered his eyes and saw the young emperor sleeping on the soft couch, his shoes and socks removed, apparently feeling cold, curled up and covered with his fur coat.
His small face wrinkled,
But his sleeping posture was very obedient.
Fu Chen was about to wake him up, but as soon as he reached out, he felt something was wrong. “Master, His Majesty feels a bit hot. He may have caught a cold last night, and now he has a fever.”
Wu Jing vaguely heard someone saying something in his ear, as if someone was helping him up. He lay on someone’s lap, smelling the familiar fragrance, and was covered with a warm quilt.
His wrinkled little face relaxed, feeling comfortable.
Vaguely, he heard someone say, “Summon the imperial physician.”
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