Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 101

The attending palace servants were tactfully led away by the sweeping brush, leaving only the two of them in the room, their intimacy oblivious to their surroundings.

Wu Jing instinctively defended himself, “I’m just worried about you…” But he stopped midway, his gaze fixed on Ning Qinghong’s smiling eyes.

Ning Qinghong gently asked, “What if I were always in this state?” He continued, “Would Wu Wu want to stay by my side forever and not go anywhere else?”

Forever?

Wu Jing was momentarily stunned.

This word seemed unfamiliar to him, not because he was young or because it felt far off, but because Ning Qinghong didn’t seem like the type of person to use such words.

Wu Jing wondered if he was being deceived again. After a while, he decided to speak honestly and seriously, “Yes.”

“I only recognize you, and only you are good to me.”

Meaning, if he weren’t by Ning Qinghong’s side, he wouldn’t go anywhere else.

“And I can’t leave when you’re sick. I wouldn’t do that.”

Meaning, since Ning Qinghong was so good to him, he wouldn’t let him down.

In the past, Wu Jing’s words would have ended the topic, but Ning Qinghong asked, “Is it just because I’m good to Wu Wu?”

Then why?

Wu Jing’s mind was a bit chaotic.

After a long pause, the young man hesitantly nodded.

After a moment, Ning Qinghong sighed softly, “I understand.” He released the hand that was caressing Wu Jing’s neck and pretended to lead him away.

Wu Jing vaguely sensed a change in Ning Qinghong’s attitude, something strange and difficult to define. Unable to discern his emotions, he instinctively grabbed Ning Qinghong’s sleeve.

He didn’t want him to leave.

Ning Qinghong looked back at him and softly said, “Hmm?”

Wu Jing stammered, just staring at him.

He didn’t even know why he didn’t want Ning Qinghong to leave.

Wu Jing’s face flushed red, “And, and there’s something else…” His breath was hot.

Ning Qinghong asked, “What is Wu Wu talking about?”

Wu Jing’s mind was a mess, “I, I don’t know.”

Ning Qinghong had asked if he would stay by his side forever, and Wu Jing said he would, but then Ning Qinghong asked why.

Wu Jing struggled to make sense of it.

They had done almost everything, kissed, hugged, and even played around every night recently.

But it seemed that after every encounter, Ning Qinghong dealt with the aftermath himself, cleaning up the mess and burning any evidence to prevent others from discovering it. Wu Jing knew he had lost control each time, and Ning Qinghong, aware of his embarrassment, did this to avoid being noticed.

Yet…

He still didn’t understand what Ning Qinghong was thinking.

Wu Jing, in his confusion, changed his response, “I, I know.” He held onto Ning Qinghong’s sleeve tightly, his slender fingers turning white from the pressure.

His whole body felt overheated, and he was dizzy.

In the next moment, unexpectedly, Wu Jing grabbed Ning Qinghong’s clothing, jumped up, and planted a kiss on Ning Qinghong’s lips. “You, you, you know too.”

Without thinking, Wu Jing let go of Ning Qinghong’s sleeve and, like last time, hurriedly ran into the hall.

Panicked and disoriented, his heart raced so fast he nearly tripped over himself. Wu Jing’s mind was blank as he sought a place to catch his breath.

Otherwise, he felt he might suffocate under Ning Qinghong’s gaze. Once inside the hall, he hid by the door, dazedly touching his face.

Standing on the high platform for a long time, with the autumn wind blowing, his fingers were cold and recoiled from the warmth of his face.

After a while, he covered his face with his palms to cool down, and his hands became hot from the heat.

Unlike the previous time, when he had run away to attend a class, there was no reason this time for such a quick escape.

Wu Jing caught a glimpse of the corner of a red official robe beneath a white crane cloak at the hall’s entrance. Ning Qinghong entered at a leisurely pace, instructing the gatekeeper, “Send for breakfast and send someone to inform the National Academy that I’m taking leave.”

Ning Qinghong paused, then added, “If the imperial physician arrives, send someone to inform me.”

**The attendants quickly complied and, under the master’s gesture, withdrew one by one.**

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Wu Jing quietly moved to the tea table, pretending to be nonchalant as he sat down and sipped slowly from his tea cup.

The cup nearly covered the lower half of the young man’s face, leaving only his eyes, moist from the tea steam, visible.

As soon as Ning Qinghong arrived, he took the tea cup Wu Jing was using to hide his face. Although his grip was gentle, Wu Jing didn’t resist and obediently let him take it away.

This revealed a flushed face.

Despite this, Wu Jing maintained a calm demeanor and tried to sound serious, “Why did you take my tea cup?”

Ning Qinghong chuckled, “Then why did Wu Wu run away?”

Wu Jing defiantly explained, “Who ran away? I didn’t run away. I was just thirsty and hungry… so I left.”

With an air of righteousness.

Ning Qinghong couldn’t help but smile, “Alright, whatever Wu Wu says, it is.” He bent down and touched the pouch at Wu Jing’s waist, asking, “Didn’t you spend even a single copper coin?”

Wu Jing assured him, “No, I didn’t use any of the gold ingots to reward anyone.” He opened his pouch to show Ning Qinghong, “Everything is here. Look.”

While it was common for both palace and wealthy families to reward servants with gold and silver ingots, Ning Qinghong’s gifts to Wu Jing were not the usual small gold or silver ingots found in the market.

Instead, each item was finely crafted by skilled blacksmiths in the palace, with intricate carvings and different blessings inscribed on the back.

Wu Jing couldn’t bear to spend any of it, let alone give it away to others. He even wished he could sleep hugging the pouch shaped like a cloth tiger.

If it weren’t for the fear of embarrassment, he wouldn’t have carried only the qilin-shaped pouch.

Ning Qinghong smiled, “Alright then.” He crouched down, carefully re-tightening the pouch’s strings around Wu Jing’s waist and tying it back in place. “Since elder brother gave Wu Wu money, it’s for Wu Wu to spend.”

Wu Jing held his breath, intently watching Ning Qinghong’s slender fingers as they re-tied the pouch’s strings, feeling momentarily dazed.

“Elder brother doesn’t mind if Wu Wu talks to others, but just wants Wu Wu to behave well.”

“Wu Wu can do whatever he wants.”

As Ning Qinghong was halfway through his words, attendants carrying food entered like a stream. The leading attendant, seeing the scene of the half-squatting elder brother beside the seated young emperor, nearly wanted to turn and leave immediately.

However, with so many eyes on them, Ning Qinghong remained calm, quietly finishing the knot on the pouch and continuing, “Wu Wu should be smarter. Otherwise, if people end up with nothing but skin left, they’ll only remember the good things about others.”

He smiled gently, “That won’t do.”

“Elder brother has taught Wu Wu for so long not just for this.” Ning Qinghong raised his hand to smooth Wu Jing’s disheveled hair.

Wu Jing instinctively said, “But elder brother is not just anyone.” He argued, “I can’t be deceived by you. It’s only right to remember your good.”

Ning Qinghong paused, his tone somewhat helpless. He lifted his hand from smoothing Wu Jing’s hair and lightly tapped the young man’s forehead with the back of his hand.

Wu Jing instinctively closed his eyes, confused and not understanding what he had said wrong.

He had only been following Ning Qinghong’s words, trying to make him happy.

Ning Qinghong stood up, glanced at the array of dishes on the table, and asked, “How is the Left Minister?”

The attendant replied immediately, “The imperial physician said that the Left Minister has been suffering from emotional strain, leading to persistent coughing. Several prescriptions for calming the mind and regulating the qi have been given.”

Ning Qinghong pondered for a moment, then looked at Wu Jing, who was still gazing up at him, and smiled, “Wu Wu can eat first.”

He instructed, “Bring a palanquin. Go take a look.”

“Remember to send someone to inform them in advance, saying that I need to discuss matters with the Left Minister.”