Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 104

“As they say, ‘Shang Zheng,’ it also means the wine game.”

“Jiu Jiu, also known as the supervisor, is also called ‘Ou Zai’ or ‘Gong Lu Shi.'”

Hearing this, Ma Qingyang leaned in and said, “Seeing that Ning Jing has never drunk wine before, ‘Shang’ refers to wine. ‘Shang Ling’ is the same as ‘wine game,’ meaning the same thing.”

Liu Cheng laughed heartily, “Of course, ‘Shang Zheng’ and ‘wine game’ are the same. At any banquet, if someone does not drink all the wine in their cup, they must follow the ‘Shang Ling.’” He explained to Wu Jing, “At a formal banquet, there is usually a supervisor whose job is to oversee the wine game.”

“This supervisor is also called ‘Ou Zai’ or ‘Gong Lu Shi.'”

“But today’s gathering was arranged in a hurry, and we are not very meticulous people. Since I am hosting, I will be the supervisor.”

Wu Jing nodded, somewhat understanding. The people around him went back to their lively chatter, while he stared blankly at the fruit drink in his hand.

When the banquet ended, he hesitated before asking Liu Cheng for something.

At the end of the day.

Wu Jing carried a small, exquisite white jade wine jar, about the size of both his hands, and hurried to the carriage in the Ning residence. He carefully handed the item to the waiting servant with a dust brush.

Then he climbed in himself, holding the wine jar with both hands as he entered the carriage.

“What did Wu Wu bring?” The person seated inside the carriage slightly leaned forward, extending a slender, jade-like finger from his crimson official robe, trying to help the boy, who seemed to have his hands full.

Ning Qinghong had come to pick someone up after school.

Wu Jing instinctively avoided Ning Qinghong’s finger, tightly clutching the item in his arms. After a moment of confusion, he hurriedly tried to cover it up, “It’s, it’s the wine I was given at the banquet today. I’m just, just delivering it.”

He stumbled over his words, looking guilty.

As Wu Jing spoke more confidently, he added, “I was afraid it would break, so I avoided it.”

Ning Qinghong, smiling slightly, asked, “What kind of wine is so precious to Wu Wu? Let me see.”

His outstretched finger still hovered in the air, not withdrawing, silently indicating, though his face remained smiling.

Wu Jing placed the white jade jar on the table, leaned over, and took Ning Qinghong’s hand, sitting on his lap, kicking off his shoes, and kneeling up. He shook his head, “It’s… it’s fruit-flavored wine that Brother doesn’t like.”

The implied hint was almost palpable.

Ning Qinghong carefully withdrew his hand into his own arms, looking at Wu Jing with a feigned nonchalance, hoping that he wouldn’t see through it.

It was merely a white jade wine jar,

Inside, it was filled with water.

Wu Jing had specifically asked Liu Cheng to prepare this, letting the servants pour out the wine, clean it thoroughly, and refill it with drinkable clear water.

Ning Qinghong smiled, “Oh, how novel. Then Brother should—”

His words were interrupted.

Wu Jing, feeling nervous, grabbed Ning Qinghong’s other hand and said, “I, I went to the market today and bought some candy. Would you like some?”

Ning Qinghong paused, looking down at Wu Jing, who was carefully observing his expression, and sighed lightly, “Where did Wu Wu put it?”

Wu Jing slowly guided Ning Qinghong’s hand to the candy, “In the pouch you gave me.”

Ning Qinghong retrieved his hand and began to slowly open Wu Jing’s pouch.

Inside the Kirin pouch, there was indeed a missing piece of silver and a few copper coins. The pouch jingled with the sound of copper coins, and inside were two pieces of candy wrapped in oil paper.

They didn’t look as fine as what the palace or wealthy households would make.

Wu Jing’s eyes curved, “I’ve eaten one, and it’s very good.” He said, “Candy is expensive. A sugar-coated hawthorn stick costs five wen, but a piece of candy costs one copper coin.”

He hadn’t bought many things, aside from the river lantern last time, this candy was the only other purchase. A copper coin was nearly equivalent to ten wen.

The boy seemed eager to offer up what he thought was good and precious, unaware that it might not seem impressive to Ning Qinghong. He said, “I bought two pieces. One for you, and one for me.”

Ning Qinghong watched as Wu Jing unwrapped the oil paper and asked with a smile, “Did Wu Wu buy anything else?”

Wu Jing shook his head, “We returned to the school very late, almost time to ring the bell, so we didn’t stay long at the market.” He said, “I’ll buy other things for Brother next time.”

Wu Jing held the candy up and offered it to Ning Qinghong.

Ning Qinghong leaned slightly forward, his thin lips taking the candy wrapped in oil paper. As he lifted his head, the sugar strands stuck to the oil paper were pulled away in delicate threads.

Wu Jing watched, his fingers relaxing.

The small square of oil paper rested on Ning Qinghong’s lips. He gazed down at the boy in his arms.

Wu Jing held his breath, his heartbeat erratic. He hurriedly pulled the sticky oil paper off Ning Qinghong’s lips, but in the moment it was torn away, the person before him bent down to kiss him.

The kiss was gentle, but the sweet taste of the candy nearly softened Wu Jing’s tongue. The sugar strands melted with the warmth of their lips, and the sweet liquid was swallowed.

The candy tasted so good, he wanted to buy more next time.

Wu Jing thought dreamily.

Once the two pieces of candy were finished, the carriage arrived at the Ning residence. Wu Jing, carrying the white jade jar himself, carefully brought it to his room, instructing the servants not to touch it before he left for dinner.

After finishing dinner and bathing, he had to return to his room to check if the jar was still there.

He knew Ning Qinghong often had trouble sleeping at this time. After bathing, he would go to the study or pavilion to warm some clear wine, brew some tea, and review reports from scouts before coming back to rest.

Wu Jing hesitated but decided to carry the jar to find Ning Qinghong.

When he learned that Ning Qinghong was in the pavilion, he put on a fox fur coat, letting the servants carry his hand warmer and covering his ears with a fluffy white mink to avoid the cold night wind.

Even though he was tired and his hands ached, he didn’t want anyone else to help with the jar.

By the time he reached the pavilion, Ning Qinghong was already standing up, preparing to return to his room. Seeing the boy run towards him, he stopped in his tracks.

Wu Jing placed the jar down first, then warmed his cold fingers by placing them inside Ning Qinghong’s wide sleeves.

Ning Qinghong warmed his hands and asked, “Why did Wu Wu come here?”

Wu Jing shook his head, remaining silent.

Once his hands were warm, Wu Jing quietly said, “I came to keep Brother company for a while.”

Ning Qinghong took off the boy’s ear muffs and gently instructed, “Everyone, leave.”

The servants bowed silently and quietly withdrew, drawing the curtain of the pavilion to shield against the autumn wind. The figures inside became vague, obscured in the dim light.

Ning Qinghong held Wu Jing and sat on a cushioned armchair, placing the ear muffs aside. With a half-smile, he said, “If Wu Wu wants to do something, just tell Brother.”

Wu Jing hesitated, sitting on his lap.

Ning Qinghong asked, “So, what did you want to do with the wine jar?”

Wu Jing’s eyes widened, “How did you know…”

Ning Qinghong silently laughed.

Wu Jing bit his lip, glanced at the wine warming on the tea table, and said, “I went to a banquet with them today. They were having a great time, but I couldn’t drink and couldn’t join in.”

“So, I brought a jar of wine back to play with Brother.”

As he lied, his voice grew softer.

Ning Qinghong replied, “Alright, Brother will play with Wu Wu.”

Wu Jing added nervously, “But I don’t know how to drink wine.” He lowered his head, nearly closing his eyes, and stubbornly said, “Brother can drink your own wine, and I’ll drink the one I brought back. Is that okay?”

He felt guilty about lying,

And thought he was being particularly unfair.

Wu Jing’s face felt like it was burning. “The fruit-flavored wine won’t make you drunk,” he said, his breathing becoming uneven. “You’re used to drinking. We, we should be fair.”

He looked up, his eyelids trembling, and softly asked, “Is that alright, Brother?”

Ning Qinghong nodded slightly, asking leisurely, “How does Wu Wu want to play?”

Wu Jing’s eyes lit up as he took out a fabric pouch shaped like a tiger from his waist. “I put the gold and silver ingots you gave me into it,” he showed, “They’re all unmarked little gold and silver ingots.”

“Ten in total, five of each.”

“Whoever draws the gold ingot has to drink the wine.”

“If they can’t drink anymore, they must follow the wine game rules!”

Ning Qinghong paused, then lightly asked with a smile, “What’s the punishment?”

Wu Jing’s eyes brightened, “I’ll ask some questions, and Brother has to answer truthfully.”

“Speak the truth.”