Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 39

Learn what?

What was he stunned about?

Wu Jing’s mind went blank. Suddenly, his relationship with Ning Qinghong felt different, no longer as relaxed as before when he could naturally see himself as a human pillow.

Or rather, it was the other side’s unilateral change that forced him to adapt uncomfortably.

He felt dizzy, his breath hot, trying to figure out what Ning Qinghong wanted him to do despite his extreme drowsiness.

Did he want a goodnight kiss?

Wu Jing blinked slowly, tilting his head in confusion, gazing at the person in front of him with an innocent, animal-like expression.

Then, as if he understood something.

The young emperor leaned forward very slowly, inching closer, pursing his lips slightly, cautiously aiming to plant a kiss at the corner of the person’s smiling eye.

But he was too sleepy, and after briefly closing his eyes, his lips brushed the air, landing instead on the black hair at Ning Qinghong’s temple, where he kissed it earnestly.

Wu Jing murmured drowsily, “Wu Wu has put brother to sleep?”

A naïve, almost pitiable yet adorable goodnight kiss.

Ning Qinghong gazed fixedly at the earnest boy in his arms for a long moment, finally sighing with a smile, “Alright.”

“You’re already not very bright; you need your rest, so you don’t become even more foolish.” Ning Qinghong patted his back soothingly. “Sleep.”

Given permission to relax, Wu Jing’s heavy eyelids immediately drooped, and he clung to Ning Qinghong’s neck, glancing up at him.

Ning Qinghong gently smoothed his hair again.

Only then did Wu Jing fall into a deep sleep.

But less than half an hour after he fell asleep, Fu Chen entered, timing it perfectly with Ning Qinghong’s usual midday nap. Seeing the emperor still asleep, he lowered his voice, “Master, I have something to report.”

Ning Qinghong raised his hand, signaling for silence.

Fu Chen fell silent.

Ning Qinghong appeared lean but had managed to control a fierce horse and wield a heavy sword during the palace coup. Now, he held Wu Jing gently in his arms, to avoid waking him and having him cling to him again.

His movements were very light.

Ning Qinghong slowly sat up, supporting himself with one hand on the chair and easily lifting the sleeping boy with the other. He walked towards the warm chamber.

On the way, Wu Jing rubbed his head against Ning Qinghong’s shoulder uncomfortably but settled down after a few strokes on his back.

Fu Chen perceptively opened the chamber door for his master.

Ning Qinghong pulled back the quilt and carefully placed Wu Jing on the bed. Wu Jing held on so tightly that Ning Qinghong almost fell over. He had to call softly several times to get Wu Jing to drowsily open his eyes.

“Let go.”

Wu Jing obediently released his grip, and Ning Qinghong quickly untied his collar, skillfully removing his heavy outer robe and covering him with the quilt.

Comfortably served, Wu Jing soon fell back into a deep sleep.

Ning Qinghong, chiding softly, “Always a troublemaker.” He smiled, stood up straight, and left the warm chamber.

He walked to the desk, opened a memorial, and asked, “Any news?”

Fu Chen grinned sheepishly, “It’s about the Emperor.” With no other palace servants around, he spoke directly, “Master, Doctor Li refuses to leave the capital. He was lingering at the mansion gate today.”

Ning Qinghong asked, “I spared his life, only cutting out his tongue before he left the capital. What more does he want?”

Fu Chen hesitated, clearly uneasy about touching on a sensitive topic, but finally spoke, “He claims to have a medicine for you, Master.”

Ning Qinghong smiled enigmatically, “What kind of medicine?”

Fu Chen, “For the Emperor.”

The implication of what the medicine was for was clear.

After reporting, Fu Chen knelt with a bang, trembling. He couldn’t fathom his master’s thoughts but had learned a thing or two from serving Ning Qinghong for so many years.

He understood a bit more after recalling the events following Ning Qinghong’s return to the palace from the painting boat, taking some items from the Yangxin Hall back to the mansion.

Since then, the master’s inexplicable actions towards the Emperor now made some sense.

Clearly, he suspected the Emperor was pretending to be foolish and had let something slip that Ning Qinghong picked up on.

The questions Ning Qinghong had asked Doctor Li that day hinted he believed only a fraction of the story, less than half.

Though suspicious, he turned a blind eye, still intrigued.

However, the Yangxin Hall was already infiltrated by Ning Qinghong’s spies, leaving the Emperor exposed.

Fu Chen couldn’t understand why Ning Qinghong dealt harshly with Doctor Li but treated the Emperor leniently.

He advised, “Master, the Emperor is highly cunning—”

Just as Fuchen was settling, Ning Qinghong chuckled lightly and asked, “Is that so?”

“This person has avoided many of the Lord’s tests. If it weren’t for the maid I caught in the Yangxin Palace earlier, I’m afraid it would have taken much longer to uncover anything!”

“If we don’t act now, and he colludes with the Left Prime Minister in the future, regaining power, my Lord, it will be difficult to ensure your safety—”

Ning Qinghong chuckled, “During the Three Kings’ contention, if you didn’t see a trace of the Left Prime Minister’s faction, even if I were to hand the Emperor over to them personally, what of it?” He continued nonchalantly, “By then, Great Zhou will still be under my control.”

The scene of the Lord’s manipulation in the palace, pitting two princes against each other, secretly bringing in the deposed crown prince, then turning the Imperial Guards against him, branding the deposed prince as a traitor and executing him on the spot, still vividly replayed in his mind.

Fuchen couldn’t refute a word and could only reluctantly advise, “My Lord, if you wish to toy with the Emperor again, won’t it be the same as before?” He speculated, “Or perhaps… if the Lord wishes to indulge the Emperor in bed, as long as the person is still alive, it wouldn’t matter if the Emperor is foolish—”

Ning Qinghong half-smiled, “Fuchen, why don’t you become a pair of unfortunate lovebirds with Lord Li?”

Fuchen immediately shut his mouth, afraid that with a single command, he would be ordered to have his tongue cut out too. “This servant is foolish!” he trembled, kowtowing, begging for mercy, “I cannot fathom my Lord’s intentions. I beg for your forgiveness.”

He waited nervously for a moment before hearing his Lord say, “You may go and receive your punishment.”

Fuchen immediately complied, then heard his master add, “As for the medicine presented by Doctor Li, let him drink it himself. It’s better if the medicine is harmless; after all, being mute still allows one to write.”

Ning Qinghong casually instructed, “To avoid future troubles.”

Fuchen prostrated on the ground, “What about the Emperor…”

He genuinely didn’t know what the Lord’s intentions were towards the Emperor now. If it was like before, just keeping the Emperor as a pet, it would seem the Lord should have lost interest by now, knowing the Emperor is not foolish anymore.

But if he regarded the Emperor as a favored consort, from the Lord’s words, there seemed to be no other amorous intentions.

Not catering to the Emperor is not right,

Catering to the Emperor is not right either.

Ning Qinghong seemed to notice something, gesturing for Fuchen to be silent, before quietly observing the barefooted, disheveled young Emperor who had found his way out of the warm chamber.

Wu Jing seemed terribly fatigued, rubbing his eyes as he walked, looking at the path ahead, seemingly heading towards a small room to rest.

Just awakened, he seemed unable to see clearly yet. Walking sometimes fast, sometimes slow, still not fully awake, he bumped into the door frame with a “thud” as he turned.

Wu Jing rubbed his head, grimacing at the door frame that obstructed him, then walked into the small room angrily, only to emerge shortly after.

But he was still sleepy.

Yawning, he walked back, half-awake, stumbling over the threshold before returning to the warm chamber safely.

Fuchen was unaware of what had happened behind him, daring to look at the Lord’s expression, only to see his master seemingly amused by something interesting, then shaking his head helplessly after a moment, smiling.

“We still have to keep him.” Ning Qinghong murmured softly, recalling something, smiling, “And teach him some more.”

He put down the documents, “You may leave.”

Seeing his master’s mood improve slightly, Fuchen breathed a sigh of relief, accepted his punishment, and left. As he turned back to look, he saw the Lord walking into the warm chamber where the Emperor was.

Author’s Note:

Qinghong: Wuwu has changed, but it seems there’s no difference, he’s just more distant.

Wuwu: Pushed away, pulled close, then pushed away again, and pulled close again.

Qinghong: Submission (willingly), teaching Wuwu how to cling better to oneself, enjoying it.

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The “Three Kings’ contention” refers to a period in Chinese history known as the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). During this time, China was divided into three major states: Wei, Shu, and Wu, each vying for control over the entire country. The term “Three Kings” is a reference to the rulers of these states: Cao Cao of Wei, Liu Bei of Shu, and Sun Quan of Wu. They were among the key figures who competed for dominance during this tumultuous era, which is renowned for its military campaigns, political maneuvering, and legendary figures like Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao.