Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 122

Under the umbrella, Ning Qinghong gently coaxed the tears away for a long time.

Wu Jing, after being kissed on the eyebrows and lips, finally calmed down his tearful eyes. However, his nose was still a bit stuffy, and his voice carried a soft, muffled tone with a hint of a sob, “No wonder they… they didn’t take my money, and every vendor even said a few words to make me happy.”

Even the things being sold, all the fun and delicious treats, were things Wu Jing liked. Usually, he would see vendors selling fresh, blood-stained poultry in the marketplace, and he would avoid them from afar.

But tonight, he didn’t see any of that.

Once Wu Jing figured it out, he felt even more like crying.

It wasn’t because the others were willing to go to such great lengths for him, but because Ning Qinghong remembered, he knew what Wu Jing liked and disliked.

The other person truly cared about him.

Wu Jing hadn’t realized this before, because even when Ning Qinghong remembered something, he wouldn’t specifically tell him; he would just silently take care of it.

The meals prepared in the palace and the mansion, the hot tea, fruits, and snacks brought by the servants—everything was what Wu Jing liked to eat. If he felt cold at night and burrowed deeper into Ning Qinghong’s arms, the bedding would be thicker the next day…

No matter what it was, everything would be arranged perfectly.

Wu Jing never thought about all of this on a daily basis and hadn’t noticed any of it. But now, standing in front of Ning Qinghong, he started to recall all these small, subtle things.

The boy’s slender fingers couldn’t help but cling to Ning Qinghong’s robe. He tiptoed, lifting his tear-stained face, eyes still closed, sniffing, and whispered, “Brother, kiss me.”

Ning Qinghong chuckled softly and gave him a gentle kiss.

He didn’t deliberately kiss deeply.

Wu Jing, unsatisfied, frowned, but didn’t continue to ask for more. Without the umbrella covering them, he would’ve felt so embarrassed that he’d want to bury himself in the ground.

Let alone in public,

Where they were kissing and holding each other.

Fortunately, everyone around them was busy watching the fireworks and fire trees, and they were standing in the middle of it all, not drawing much attention. With the oil-paper umbrella covering them, hardly anyone noticed.

Wu Jing took the initiative to hold Ning Qinghong’s hand tightly, not wanting to let go.

Ning Qinghong sighed slightly, “Wu Wu, it’s your birthday today, why are you still crying?”

Wu Jing used the back of his hand to wipe away the remaining tears, muttering stubbornly, “I wasn’t crying with you—”

“I was so happy, that’s why… why I cried.”

Wu Jing couldn’t help but look at Ning Qinghong expectantly, “When is your birthday?”

Ning Qinghong continued walking slowly with him, saying, “In spring, on the eighth day of the second month, around the time of the Spring Equinox.”

“By then, the spring snow will have melted. How about I take Wu Wu to the horse farm for an outing? Now that you’re here, it wouldn’t be good to stay cooped up in the capital all the time. We should go out and see more of the world.”

“We’ll return to the capital before the Spring Examinations to take care of state affairs.”

Listening to his words, Wu Jing began to look forward to it, nodding eagerly while lightly swinging their joined hands, “What do you want for your birthday? I want to start preparing early.”

Ning Qinghong smiled, “Whatever Wu Wu wants to give.”

That phrase made Wu Jing pout internally.

Ning Qinghong continued, “Wu Wu, at the beginning of the year, you’ll be nineteen by Chinese age.” He implied that after the New Year and another birthday on Xiaoxue, he would be turning nineteen. He paused and added, “When the new year comes, you’ll be twenty, and it will be time for your coming-of-age ceremony. We’ll choose an auspicious day in the first month to hold the capping ceremony, and you’ll receive a name granted by Heaven.”

“By then, I’ll personally cap you, and before the official naming ceremony, Wu Wu can choose a character you like, or I can pick one for you. Then we can arrange with the official astronomer to announce it as Heaven’s decree.”

This meant that they could pick a nice-sounding character and, with some behind-the-scenes arrangements, present it as if it were divinely bestowed.

Wu Jing listened, feeling a bit dazed. He knew that in ancient times, a man would have a capping ceremony at twenty, but since he was the emperor, he had already been crowned on the day of his ascension.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be wearing the heavy twelve-stringed crown to court.

Wu Jing figured that perhaps because he wasn’t well-regarded when he ascended the throne, the ceremony had been skipped.

After realizing this, he nodded blankly, still a bit lost in thought.

Seeing his expression, Ning Qinghong sighed softly, “Never mind, I’ll take care of it when the time comes.”

Wu Jing nodded, somewhat absent-minded, not even paying attention to the lively crowd around them. He was racking his brains trying to think of what gift to give Ning Qinghong for his birthday, thinking about what the other might like.

He didn’t want to make such a big spectacle like today. The boy blushed and looked down at his nearly empty pouch.

He had already spent quite a bit of money these days.

Ning Qinghong called softly, “Wu Wu?”

Wu Jing slowly came back to his senses, looking up in a daze at the person before him.

Ning Qinghong raised his hand and lightly tapped the boy’s forehead with the back of his fingers. “Focus.”

Wu Jing instinctively blinked, closing his eyes briefly.

After being reprimanded, he tried not to think too much about it. Although he was still somewhat distracted while they continued playing, he was happy. It wasn’t until just before the curfew that he took a carriage back to the residence.

He was tired from playing, and his feet were sore from walking.

As soon as Wu Jing got into the carriage, he leaned into the other person’s arms, not wanting to move. He wrapped his arms around their neck, drowsy and on the verge of sleep. When they returned to the bedroom, he was carried back in.

The cold wind on the way made him a bit more alert.

He buried his face in Ning Qinghong’s chest and clumsily asked, “Is there anything Brother likes? I can do it.”

The servants were far away, keeping their heads down, not daring to look at their master.

Ning Qinghong slightly lowered his head and kissed the boy’s ear and neck. The closeness made his words sound like a whisper in Wu Jing’s ear, “What do you think, Wu Wu?”

The warm breath almost instantly made Wu Jing feel a shiver run from the base of his spine to the nape of his neck, making his entire back tingle.

They were almost always intertwined day and night. Wu Jing’s body had become intimately familiar with the other’s, to the point where just a word, a breath, made his breathing nearly stop, becoming thick and heavy. His eyelids fluttered, and he couldn’t help but move when Ning Qinghong supported his hips.

He shifted his position, burying his face in the other shoulder and neck.

After a moment, Wu Jing seemed to make some kind of decision. He straightened up, supported himself on Ning Qinghong’s shoulders, and lowered his head, like a young, inexperienced animal, clumsily giving the person a kiss with a soft “smooch.” “I… I want to help Brother.”

His face burned with embarrassment, and he felt that the cold wind of the night had cleared his mind a bit.

Even though they were still outside, with a few servants following at a distance, their heads lowered, not daring to glance at their master, it was a big test for Wu Jing.

He barely managed a few licks on the other’s lips before he was overwhelmed, his face flushing even redder, breathing becoming labored and difficult.

Because he was too nervous, afraid of being seen, his body tensed, and he shrank back.

It was only a moment before Ning Qinghong’s fingers slowly encountered a wetness spreading, where he supported the boy’s back and Wu Jing’s cloak, draped over him with fur trim, covered the area.

Whatever Ning Qinghong did made Wu Jing instantly bite his lip, his vision blurring with tears. He stared blankly ahead, and in just a few moments, his thin, slender fingers were gripping Ning Qinghong’s shoulders tightly.

His legs curled up, his waist arching slightly, and a faint, trembling whimper escaped from his throat.

Ning Qinghong chuckled softly and asked, “How does Wu Wu want to help?”

Wu Jing couldn’t say a word, afraid that he might cry out loud. He arched his back, burying his face, and tightly covered the lower half of his face with his hands.

Only Ning Qinghong, close enough to hear, caught the suppressed sobs and the trembling, sniffing sounds coming from Wu Jing.

His hand holding Wu Jing was almost immediately dampened by the liquid that flowed from the boy, trickling down his fingers.

Under his hands, Wu Jing’s lips, which he tried to muffle, parted slightly, and his eyes were already rolling back, nearly losing focus. Just as a cry was about to escape his lips, Ning Qinghong kissed him, silencing it.

As he kissed him, Ning Qinghong calmly asked, “Why isn’t Wu Wu speaking?”

In the brief moments between the kisses, Wu Jing exhaled shakily, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He received a brief respite, as if given mercy, and whimpered, “Like… like last time.”

“This time…”

He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Another kiss silenced his whimpering, and his entire body went limp in Ning Qinghong’s arms. His eyes wide open in a daze, he mumbled softly, “This time, there’s no need…”

“No need for Brother… to tie me up.”