Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 116

Wu Jing discovered that Ning Qinghong, even when ill, was quite easygoing.

 

Due to a lack of energy, Ning Qinghong wouldn’t concern himself with many matters; as long as he wasn’t disturbed, he would quietly rest all day.

 

However, his patience was very limited, and any slight offense would result in harsher punishment than usual. This was something Fuchen had mentioned to Wu Jing, which he remembered.

 

As a result, the servants were extremely cautious, doing their best to minimize their presence, avoiding making any noise, and behaving as they normally did, without disturbing their master.

 

Only Wu Jing dared to touch his brow. He was exceptionally bold, even poking Ning Qinghong’s closed eyes after waking and then carefully giving him a kiss.

 

Today, Wu Jing had to attend the morning court. After the morning court, he would endure a small meeting with the cabinet ministers, have lunch in the palace, take a short rest, and then attend a one-hour lesson with the Prime Minister.

 

The palace was far from Ning’s residence, and if he returned midway, he might not make it back in time, so he had to stay in the Yangxin Hall all day.

 

Wu Jing was feeling down.

 

Ning Qinghong, sensing the disturbance, sighed lightly and kissed the young man’s brows.

 

Wu Jing quieted down again, no longer daring to disturb him.

 

After a few minutes, he stealthily got out of bed, changed his clothes, and, feeling drowsy, washed up and sleepily got into the carriage, heading to the palace.

 

Not long after he left, about fifteen minutes later, Fuchen, waiting outside the bedroom door, suddenly saw the door being pushed open.

 

The visitor’s voice was slightly cold as they asked, “Where is His Majesty?”

 

Fuchen immediately knelt down, cold sweat pouring from him. “Sir, His Majesty went to the morning court today and has left the residence for the palace.”

 

There was a long silence.

 

Fuchen, head bowed, noticed that his master was wearing only a thin garment, just a snow cloak dragging on the ground. He nervously advised, “Sir, it’s still early and the wind is strong. You should put on another layer of clothing to avoid catching a cold.”

 

Ning Qinghong pressed his brow for a moment, then said, “Prepare medicinal food.”

 

Fuchen immediately agreed. After this bowl of medicinal food, His Majesty would probably rest all day, as usual. It was uncertain when His Majesty would return, likely only after dark.

 

—

 

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty—”

 

Wu Jing, who had been dozing off, suddenly came to his senses, blinking in confusion. He looked down and asked, “…What’s wrong?”

 

He had only eaten some pastries during the morning court and had some breakfast afterward. Since he woke up early, he was now full and sleepy, and found the small morning meeting with the cabinet ministers rather tedious.

 

The ministers below were discussing various matters as usual. Even though Wu Jing was there to listen, they were discussing Ning Qinghong’s opinions, and no one addressed him directly.

 

Wu Jing was comfortably asleep.

 

When he heard the call “Your Majesty,” he initially thought he was still dreaming. After some effort to discern, he recognized that it was Scholar Zhang from the cabinet, Zhang Songyun.

 

Wu Jing glanced at the small booklet Ning Qinghong had given him earlier. He had drawn a distinctive little mustache next to Zhang Songyun’s name.

 

Looking up again, he saw that Zhang Songyun had a small mustache shaped like an inverted “V” on his chin. Wu Jing tried to suppress a smile, reminding himself repeatedly not to mock others based on their appearance.

 

He finally refocused.

 

Zhang Songyun was the commander of the anti-bandit army mentioned by Ning Qinghong earlier. The general, who had some connections with the Prime Minister, had fought against the enemy, while Zhang Songyun, using the title of the Lord, had helped the affected people by providing disaster relief and repairing damaged homes. When the army returned to the capital, the local people shouted the Lord’s title, and the leading general was quite displeased.

 

Recently, as the troops returned to the capital, coinciding with the Chongyang Festival, Zhang Songyun was now enjoying his prominence among the ministers.

 

However, Zhang Songyun didn’t seem pleased but showed great respect to the young Emperor, kneeling and reporting, “Your Majesty, it is now the Chongyang harvest season. However, in the northern regions, the weather is very cold. Local officials report that much of the grain in the fields has been frozen to death. If the tax and labor obligations are as usual, the people will suffer greatly this year, with many potentially starving or freezing to death.”

 

“But if we reduce the taxes and labor obligations, although the tax burden is heavy in the Jiangnan region, Your Majesty has only just ascended the throne and the country is in a period of rebuilding. If the national treasury is depleted…”

 

He sighed deeply, “Let alone if the cold disaster worsens; we would have to send officials from the capital for disaster relief.”

 

“If we want to show consideration for the people, when should we reduce taxes and labor? How much should we reduce? How much disaster relief money should be allocated from the treasury? How can we get the Ministry of Revenue to release some funds? Even which officials should be sent for disaster relief needs careful consideration.”

 

“We cannot make a decision on our own. Since Your Majesty is not in the palace at the moment, it will take some time to discuss this once you return.”

 

“Your Majesty, how do you wish to proceed?”

 

Although this wasn’t a major issue, it involved taxes and disaster relief, which could not be handled carelessly. Several imperial edicts were required to address it.

 

Wu Jing took a moment, then, gathering his courage, tentatively said, “You write a memorial, recording this matter in detail, and…” He swallowed nervously, trying to imitate Ning Qinghong’s tone, “…present it to me for review.”

 

His mind was blank.

 

He feared that the officials would see through his order, which was issued because he hadn’t fully understood or sorted out the lengthy explanation from earlier.

 

The young Emperor’s tone was gentle and somewhat immature, with a hint of nervousness.

 

Yet the ministers dared not refuse. Soon, the memorial was handed to Wu Jing.

 

Wu Jing read it four or five times, barely managing to remember the details. He stared blankly at the memorial, feeling like a headless fly, unable to figure out a solution.

 

Despite studying for so many days, he still felt inadequate.

 

Wu Jing suddenly wanted to try doing something himself, to show Ning Qinghong.

 

Taking a deep breath, he tentatively asked, “What do you….think?”

 

The officials immediately knelt and said, “I believe, according to His Majesty’s previous actions, that the labor and tax burdens will be reduced.”

 

“However, the extent of the reduction will depend on the severity of the disaster.”

 

“If it’s severe, adjustments can be made accordingly this winter.”

 

“It can’t be completely exempted, as that would result in a significant loss of tax revenue.”

 

“Reducing taxes by county or town is feasible, but not exempting all twelve cities from labor duties.”

 

“That makes sense.”

 

“The disaster is still relatively minor at the moment, so there’s no need to send officials for disaster relief yet. But how it will develop is hard to predict.”

 

“If heavy snow blocks the mountains, by the time the news reaches the capital, it may already be too late!”

 

“It’s better to make decisions early…”

 

Wu Jing was feeling dizzy from the discussion, trying to remember various details. He managed to note that, depending on the severity of the disaster, reductions could be up to 20% or 50%, and if it was truly severe, not only would taxes be fully exempted, but disaster relief would also be needed.

 

Disaster relief funds should be determined by county, and the maximum should not exceed twenty thousand taels.

 

It was easy to get the Ministry of Revenue to release the money, as long as the Lord personally ordered it, the Minister of Revenue would not dare to refuse.

 

But deciding which officials to send was another matter. It had to be someone from Ning Qinghong’s side, but Wu Jing was unsure who could handle it well and wouldn’t be corrupt.

 

This was the people’s livelihood, and he feared that even a small mistake might cost lives.

 

By the time the small morning meeting ended, no conclusion had been reached. After lunch, Wu Jing was still feeling dazed and couldn’t even nap. He aimlessly played with a small dog in the Imperial Garden, turning its tail in his hand.

 

His mind was in knots.

 

When attending the Prime Minister’s lesson in the afternoon, he was still distracted.

 

The Prime Minister said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty?”

 

Wu Jing came to his senses and asked blankly, “Prime Minister?”

 

The Prime Minister asked directly, “What is troubling Your Majesty?”

 

Wu Jing hesitated for a moment and then explained the situation.

 

He wasn’t trying to align himself with the Prime Minister, but he couldn’t distinguish who was right or wrong among the cabinet’s opinions. He needed another person he trusted to provide some advice.

 

Comparing and combining both sides’ statements, he aimed to find the most reasonable solution.

 

The Prime Minister was surprised, “Is this the case?”

 

This issue had been discussed at the small morning meeting but had not yet been known to the other ministers.

 

The Prime Minister asked in detail, “Can Your Majesty tell me how many counties are affected by the disaster? How many acres of fertile land have been frozen? How much surplus food is available in the households?”

 

Wu Jing looked at the memorial and detailed the information. He added, “As for the amount of surplus food, it wasn’t mentioned.”

 

The Prime Minister said, “Then it hasn’t been fully counted yet…”

 

Wu Jing listened attentively, asking openly about anything he didn’t understand. He didn’t need to put on a facade in front of the Prime Minister.

 

The cabinet officials were still getting to know him, but the Prime Minister, who had been teaching him for some time, understood his capabilities.

 

When Wu Jing finally returned to the residence, he was exhausted and disheartened. He got out of the carriage and, seeing the Ning residence’s plaque, felt a bit more energetic.

 

He missed his brother.

 

By the early night of late autumn, when Wu Jing returned to the residence, it was almost the hour of You, and it was already dark. The servants were waiting at the door with lanterns.

 

Fuchen hurried over to greet him, “Your Majesty, why have you returned so late?”

 

Wu Jing was taken aback, feeling something was off and growing slightly wary.

 

“The Lord asked where Your Majesty had been early this morning and has been waiting for you all day after taking the medicinal food.”

 

“He seems to be a bit concerned.”

 

Wu Jing realized and stopped his hurried steps.

 

“He waited for me all day?”

 

The young Emperor asked tentatively.

 

Ning Qinghong’s title is technically Prince