Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 110

There were still many documents left unread, but Wu Jing was carried to a cushioned chair, feeling comfortable and relaxed.

 

The cushion had been laid out before the cold weather arrived, so it wouldn’t raise suspicion. Although, even if the Left Chancellor was no longer present, those who were observant could still notice some intimacy between the two.

 

However, the fewer people who knew about such matters, the better.

 

Wu Jing thought that being together openly was different from being embarrassed in this situation.

 

Ning Qinghong knew this too.

 

He pulled a few easier-to-read documents from the stack on the desk and placed them in front of Wu Jing, gently saying, “Wu Wu, look at these for a while. Don’t neglect your work.”

 

He was the one who had first insisted on doing this or that with him.

 

Now he was turning it around and saying Wu Jing wasn’t diligent.

 

Wu Jing dared not show his anger and, feeling frustrated, responded softly while propping up his chin to look at the documents on the table. He planned to rest as soon as Ning Qinghong left.

 

Anyone who wanted to look could look.

 

He was exhausted.

 

Though he wasn’t the one putting in the effort.

 

The boy flipped through the documents, pretending to study them, but his true feelings were evident.

 

Ning Qinghong chuckled lightly, “Since Wu Wu is so unwilling, why not have brother stay and keep you company, while someone else fetches the ointment?” He asked gently, “What do you think?”

 

When Wu Jing heard “ointment,” he jumped up, quickly putting his hand over Ning Qinghong’s mouth, “Don’t say that!” His ears were burning, and he whispered, “Don’t let anyone bring it.”

 

Ning Qinghong half-caught him, not lifting his gaze, understanding his thoughts clearly, “You’d better study these documents well. If brother comes back and finds out you’ve been slacking—”

 

His words remained unfinished, merely implied.

 

Wu Jing’s guilty conscience was exposed, and he became anxious, “I will look at them.” His voice was even softer.

 

Ning Qinghong lightly stroked the boy’s brows and eyes, “Alright.”

 

Wu Jing slowly relaxed his grip and sat back down.

 

After Ning Qinghong left, most of the servants waiting outside also departed, leaving only a few by the door, with the rest waiting in the corridor.

 

Wu Jing sat alone in the room, forcing himself to glance at the documents. Unable to endure the boredom, he soon tossed them aside, laying his arms on the desk and resting his head.

 

Feeling both tired and not tired, he propped his chin on his hands and daydreamed.

 

He then noticed a thick stack of papers that seemed to have appeared on the desk. Wu Jing paused, curious, and sat up to look.

 

He hadn’t been to the study for a while; he would return to his quarters after class and usually stay there, not wanting to go out with the ointment.

 

Wu Jing looked and realized that these were papers he had written while studying, his notes and summaries, all here.

 

Every day after returning from the academy, these papers would be sent back to the residence and reviewed by Ning Qinghong.

 

Accumulated over time, there were quite a few.

 

Wu Jing idly flipped through them and saw that among them were papers with simplified characters he had written before.

 

He had almost forgotten about it.

 

Wu Jing stared blankly for a while, looking around, swallowing nervously. He started flipping through the pages from start to finish, growing increasingly anxious.

 

In the past, when he couldn’t read or wrote hurriedly, he would write a page or two of simplified characters daily, but in addition to these, he also wrote some strange pictographs from this dynasty.

 

If the papers were sorted by date, these simplified papers should be at the bottom.

 

But instead, they were deliberately pulled out and placed at the bottom of the stack.

 

Wu Jing counted; not a single one was missing. They were all neatly collected. He suddenly found it hard to breathe, staring blankly for a while, then nervously pulled out the stack from the bottom.

 

He wanted to fold them up, hide them somewhere, or simply throw them away, just to prevent Ning Qinghong from seeing them again.

 

His nature was such that when faced with unsolvable problems, he would panic and want to hide.

 

How could he explain this?

 

From where to start?

 

If he told the truth and said he was not the original person, then… what would happen?

 

Wu Jing’s mind was racing.

 

Holding the stack of papers, he stood at his place, struggling for a long time to control his breathing and keep himself from hiding or shying away.

 

Their relationship was different now.

 

He didn’t have to be so afraid.

 

He just needed to solve the problem if it arose. Wu Jing reassured himself for a long time, but in the end, he shook his head. No, he couldn’t do it.

 

Just thinking about it made his breathing tremble; he was truly afraid of being found out and punished.

 

Although Ning Qinghong was indulgent with him now, when it came to bottom-line issues, Wu Jing didn’t want to touch them at all. He was even scared to think about how Ning Qinghong had quietly collected these papers, never mentioning them or giving hints, acting as if nothing had happened.

 

But since Ning Qinghong had laid them out, not just yesterday or today but long ago, it was clear he was waiting for Wu Jing to find them.

 

Wu Jing pressed his lips together, trembling.

 

He wondered if Ning Qinghong had already anticipated this moment. Almost feeling lost, he suddenly heard a light “footstep sound” and quickly looked toward the door.

 

The study door was not closed. Ning Qinghong had changed out of his clothes and into a wide robe and cape after his bath. He entered the room, then removed the cape and handed it to a servant waiting by the side.

 

As soon as he raised his eyes, he locked eyes with Wu Jing, who was helplessly holding a stack of papers.

 

Without hearing a word from the boy, Ning Qinghong knew exactly what had happened. His expression remained unchanged as he raised a finger and made a gesture.

 

The servants waiting in the study bowed and retreated, closing the door silently.

 

Wu Jing, seeing this, tried to hold his breath, forcing himself not to shrink away, standing in place, blankly watching Ning Qinghong approach.

 

Ning Qinghong came closer, stopped beside the boy, and leaned down, half-extending his hand.

 

Wu Jing, looking up at him, suddenly closed his eyes. Without any action from Ning Qinghong, he panicked and explained, “I accidentally came across this; it wasn’t intentional!”

 

### Chapter 110: End of the Main Text – Just Remember Wu Wu I Met

 

With a pitiful look, Wu Jing said, “I was just about to hide it or throw it away. I didn’t throw it away or hide it.”

 

“I was waiting for you to come back.”

 

Ning Qinghong smiled lightly, “So you really didn’t hide it and were just waiting for brother to return?”

 

Wu Jing shook his head repeatedly, “No, no.”

 

The boy was picked up again and placed back on the chair. He cautiously opened his eyes, worried because he felt guilty and couldn’t explain himself.

 

He truly didn’t know what to do.

 

“What did brother say just now?” Ning Qinghong lifted a document, flipping through it briefly. “Wu Wu hasn’t looked at a single one. Have you been slacking off again?”

 

Wu Jing was caught between the issues, and with a defeated expression, buried his face in Ning Qinghong’s arms, not wanting to say a word.

 

Ning Qinghong laughed, “Why is Wu Wu being so evasive? You still need to remember what should be remembered. Don’t say that brother is unreasonable at night.”

 

His words seemed to carry deeper meaning.

 

Wu Jing realized that the issue of him not looking at the documents was even more serious than the stack of papers he was holding, and he instinctively asked, “Then… what about this?” He lifted his face and tugged at Ning Qinghong’s sleeve, indicating the papers in his arms.

 

He was too distracted to notice the trap in the question.

 

Ning Qinghong smiled, “What does Wu Wu want to say to brother?”

 

Wu Jing hesitated, “You found out… why didn’t you ask me? Don’t you think what I wrote is strange?”

 

Ning Qinghong paused, casually picking up a sheet of paper and examining it while smiling, “Although the simplified characters Wu Wu wrote are much more simplified, you can still faintly see the essence of the original characters.”

 

“After looking at them for a while, you get used to it.”

 

“This part here, Wu Wu wrote brother’s name, didn’t you?”

 

Seeing that Ning Qinghong could accurately recognize the simplified characters, Wu Jing stared in amazement, “You can understand them like this?”

 

Ning Qinghong replied gently, “I can understand some of it.”

 

Wu Jing swallowed nervously, feeling as though Ning Qinghong was not just looking at a person but had some extraordinary ability.

 

Ning Qinghong continued, “It’s not strange at all; instead, it shows some cleverness.” He asked, “But did Wu Wu learn these from somewhere else?”

 

Just from a few sheets of paper, Ning Qinghong had guessed quite accurately.

 

Wu Jing felt like he had been thoroughly seen through without a word, but since it was Ning Qinghong, he was only impressed.

 

He nodded, instinctively saying, “Don’t you want to ask where I learned these characters from?”

 

Ning Qinghong followed up with the question, “So where did Wu Wu learn them from?”

 

Wu Jing hesitated, “What if I said I’m a wandering soul from a storybook?”

 

Ning Qinghong responded lightly.

 

Wu Jing pressed his lips together and tentatively said, “Then, what if these characters came to me after I recovered from my illness, coming out from my own mind?”

 

Ning Qinghong smiled, “That’s fine.”

 

Wu Jing saw that Ning Qinghong believed everything he said and continued to ask eagerly, “What if I’m not the original me?”

 

Ning Qinghong put down the paper he was holding, “But brother only remembers the Wu Wu I met.” He gently stroked the boy’s neck, lifting his face and giving him a tender kiss.

 

Wu Jing’s eyes widened slightly, his heartbeat erratically quickening. After being kissed so gently, his heart raced even faster.

 

He was tenderly kissed for a long time, feeling dazed and unsure of the time or place.

 

When a servant knocked on the study door, saying, “Master, it’s time for lunch,” Ning Qinghong slowly released him.

 

Wu Jing sat on his lap, breathing deeply.

 

Ning Qinghong gently said, “Let’s go have lunch. Wu Wu still has to go to the academy this afternoon.”

 

The boy looked at him longingly and, reluctantly, murmured an agreement. After a while, he looked up and gave Ning Qinghong’s cheek a soft kiss, asking, “Will you come to pick me up?”

 

With a gentle “smack,” Ning Qinghong sighed, “Yes.”

 

Wu Jing then asked softly, “Will you come to pick me up every day? Except… except when you’re sick?”

 

Ning Qinghong chuckled softly, “Yes, I will.”

 

Wu Jing’s breath caught again, “Then I’ll try to come out quickly after class to see you.” He couldn’t resist, giving Ning Qinghong another dazed kiss on his lips.

 

Ning Qinghong helped him down, and as they walked out together toward the dining hall, he said, “Alright.”

 

“Would you like me to accompany Wu Wu to the market today?”

 

“Shall I bring my satchel? I want to buy some of that candy from last time, and the pastries from that shop are also good…”

 

As they left and headed towards the dining hall, their voices faded away in tender conversation.

 

—

 

**Author’s Note:**

 

The main text is complete, but there will be many long extras to continue the timeline. The main text has covered what needed to be written (the illness from the start was set to be incurable, but extras will consider adding an alternate modern timeline for treatment. The state affairs will still be managed by 9k, while 55 will need to learn a lot more before handling state matters, so it will be placed in the extras, which is not suitable for the main text. The story ends at the point of 55 and 9k’s deepening relationship. I hope you understand.

 

P.S. Extras will be updated irregularly.**