Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 44

By this time, it was already late into the night, almost the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).

 

If they were to take a carriage from the moat to the palace and let Wu Jing rest in the Yangxin Hall, it would be nearly midnight by the time they arrived.

 

Ning Qinghong noticed that Wu Jing’s eyes were almost closing, so he directly brought him back to his mansion.

 

The servants hurriedly took the emperor to freshen up.

 

Ning Qinghong first went to the study and called for the spy to continue reporting unfinished matters.

 

The door was wide open, and the servants waited far outside the corridor.

 

He stayed inside for less than a quarter of an hour, listened, gave a few instructions, and then turned to leave.

 

Seeing this, Fuchen respectfully approached and followed his master, “Master, should we take His Majesty to the guest room to rest tonight, or to your bedroom—”

 

Ning Qinghong said, “No need for such trouble.”

 

That meant they would sleep together.

 

Fuchen noted this and sent someone to make the arrangements.

 

He had gone to receive his punishment a few days ago and had been recuperating, unable to accompany His Highness to the palace but still serving in the mansion.

 

Having heard about what His Highness had done to the emperor in the past few days, Fuchen’s thoughts became lively. He wanted to ask more but couldn’t gauge his master’s intentions, so he carefully asked, “Master… should we have the pharmacy prepare some ointment to keep in your room?”

 

If the emperor were still a fool as before, he naturally wouldn’t think much of his master and the emperor sharing a bed, but now that His Highness knew the emperor had ulterior motives… he still indulged him.

 

It was inevitable to think that His Highness had other intentions towards the emperor.

 

Fuchen cautiously advised, “To avoid harming the emperor’s body.”

 

Ning Qinghong’s tone was calm, with a slight smile, but still indifferent, “No need.”

 

Fuchen understood that His Highness wasn’t focusing on that at the moment and was thinking about something else.

 

Because he couldn’t understand, his expression remained calm and unhurried.

 

Ning Qinghong entered the hall and stopped by the hot spring pool he usually used, while Wu Jing was taken elsewhere.

 

He stood by the door, waiting for the servants to remove his light fox fur coat, with a somewhat careless expression.

 

He was thinking about something unknown.

 

Fuchen was about to leave with the fox fur and bring new clothes when he heard His Highness suddenly say, “Go to the Inner Guards’ Office and call someone to report to me what the emperor has been doing lately.”

 

After that, Ning Qinghong dismissed the servants and entered the hall alone, bypassing the screen and heading to the bath. There was no one else inside.

 

Apart from daily service, His Highness never allowed anyone to approach him, which Fuchen was long accustomed to. He arranged things according to his master’s instructions, and when Ning Qinghong came out again, the dark guard was already waiting.

 

Most of the matters reported by the spy were already known to Ning Qinghong.

 

Ning Qinghong lightly tapped the armrest of the Grand Master’s chair with his knuckles, sighing with a slight headache.

 

Seeing this, Fuchen boldly asked, “Master, is there something troubling you?”

 

Ning Qinghong half-smiled, “Not really troubling.” He ambiguously said, “Just a bit difficult to handle.”

 

Fuchen asked again, “So, Master, do you want to handle it or not?”

 

Ning Qinghong simply said, “It can be handled or not handled.” He couldn’t give a definite answer, leaving others to guess, “But if left alone, it might make people think I’ve wronged someone.”

 

He remembered something and commented with a smile, “How pitiful.” With some interest, “It makes one feel sympathetic.”

 

Fuchen tried to grasp His Highness’s thoughts, “Is it about the emperor?”

 

Ning Qinghong sighed with a smile, “Forget it. Tomorrow, when I enter the palace, bring the palace maid who serves the emperor in the Yangxin Hall to me.”

 

Confirming who his master was referring to, Fuchen became even more cautious, “Yes, but may I boldly ask, why is this?”

 

By now, it was deep into the night.

 

Ning Qinghong got up, left the study, and walked to the bedroom, answering leisurely, “It’s just that the onlookers see more clearly than those involved.”

 

After confirming there was no contradiction in his master’s words, Fuchen still couldn’t understand His Highness’s thoughts. But then, the matters between His Highness and the emperor were not something he could meddle in.

 

He remembered the lesson from the other day.

 

Before Ning Qinghong returned, Wu Jing had already bathed, freshened up, and rested. He was very sleepy; as soon as he got on the bed, he fell asleep, but the tips of his hair were still wet from the water.

 

In his deep sleep, he vaguely felt someone lift him up. The person sat beside him, not using much force but enough to stop Wu Jing’s struggles.

 

“Wu Wu? Dry off before sleeping.”

 

A soft voice seemed to whisper in his ear.

 

Wu Jing had just fallen asleep but was woken up again. He didn’t get grumpy when disturbed; he just sleepily opened his eyes. Before he could see who it was, the familiar scent of the person calmed him down subconsciously.

 

He trembled slightly and was about to close his eyes again to continue sleeping.

 

Ning Qinghong chuckled, “Wu Wu?”

 

He patiently called again.

 

Only then did Wu Jing open his eyes, his vision still blurry.

 

The candlelight flickered in the room, casting a dim light. He could vaguely see Ning Qinghong in white crane-patterned inner robes, covered with a dark brocade outer robe edged with gold. His loose black hair fell behind him, and he looked at Wu Jing with a half-smile.

 

Ning Qinghong said, “Come here.”

 

Obediently, Wu Jing knelt up, leaning against him despite being extremely sleepy. “Brother? I’m sleepy.”

 

Ning Qinghong coaxed him, “Sleep later.”

 

As someone dried the damp ends of his hair, Wu Jing was about to fall asleep again when someone pinched his face and lifted it. Ning Qinghong smiled, “Wu Wu seems to have forgotten something.”

 

Forgotten… what?

 

Wu Jing couldn’t think of anything.

 

The young man looked up at the person close to him. They were very near, but still maintained a bit of distance.

 

Ning Qinghong, after waking Wu Jing again, let go of his face and smiled faintly, remaining silent.

 

He seemed to be waiting for Wu Jing to do something, perhaps trying to make him remember something, urging him to take the initiative.

 

Wu Jing was puzzled, but if it were Ning Qinghong, he would likely always wait like this, giving only a hint and letting Wu Jing guess the rest.

 

Though it seemed passive, Wu Jing was the one who clumsily followed, dazed and confused, trying to figure out what Ning Qinghong wanted him to do.

 

Guessing correctly would earn a slight satisfied smile and allow him to sleep.

 

Guessing wrong brought no punishment, only indulgence, letting him try again and again until he got it right and could sleep.

 

Wu Jing kissed the strands of hair at Ning Qinghong’s temple once, then again, and again… He lost count but still didn’t hear permission to sleep.

 

The black strands almost touched Wu Jing’s lips.

 

Wu Jing’s eyes showed his sleepy distress.

 

He repeated, “Brother, sleep? Wu Wu… also sleep?”

 

Interrupting someone’s sleep was utterly terrible.

 

Exhausted, like a lump of clay being kneaded, Wu Jing finally showed a bit of temper.

 

Thinking hard, still confused, “Wu Wu didn’t forget.” The goodnight kiss before had been in that spot, hadn’t it?

 

Ning Qinghong chuckled, stroking the corner of the young man’s eye, seeming to hint at something.

 

Wu Jing vaguely guessed, looking at Ning Qinghong’s eye corner, his eyelids trembled with uncertainty.

 

He became somewhat awake.

 

He tried to guess Ning Qinghong’s current thoughts but comforted himself that it was unlikely.

 

Wu Jing earnestly thought, no one would have any other intentions towards a fool! He was just a human-shaped pillow!

 

A kiss,

 

It’s not like it was a real kiss.

 

No big deal—

 

But as Wu Jing reassured himself, he glanced up at Ning Qinghong’s seemingly questioning and smiling eyes and froze again.

 

Ning Qinghong lightly “hmm”ed, seeing Wu Jing still motionless, sighed softly, “Forget it, Wu Wu, if you want to sleep, sleep.” He tried to withdraw his hand, but Wu Jing still clung to him.

 

Wu Jing instinctively followed, almost falling into Ning Qinghong, who leaned down to support him.

 

One side of his face was close, Ning Qinghong lowered his head to check if he was hurt, his gaze casual. Noticing a glance from the side, he slightly turned his head to look.

 

Such close proximity,

 

Such a good opportunity—

 

Wu Jing’s mind went blank for a moment, then he instinctively lifted his face and lightly touched the corner of Ning Qinghong’s eye with his lips, a real, soft kiss.

 

So quick it left no time to react,

 

Every move filled with a chaotic urgency.

 

But in retrospect, it felt incredibly slow.

 

Sufficient for a detailed savoring.

 

Wu Jing, after the kiss, didn’t even realize what he had done, hearing a low, light chuckle by his ear, “Wu Wu is so good.”

 

Ning Qinghong patted Wu Jing’s hair, “Alright, aren’t you sleepy?” His tone was light, as if he hadn’t been the one making things difficult, “Go to sleep.”

 

Until Wu Jing was coaxed back into the bed, he had no sleepiness left, staring out from under the covers.

 

He saw Ning Qinghong get up, loosen the dark brocade outer robe.

 

The robe was draped on a nearby rack,

 

The lamp was extinguished soon after.

 

In the darkness, Wu Jing felt someone lie down beside him, as if nothing had happened, maintaining some distance, ready to sleep as usual.

 

Wu Jing sighed in relief, burying himself in the quilt like a little quail, and after a long while, cautiously emerged for air, turning over several times.

 

Reassuring himself for a long time, he finally fell asleep.

 

When Ning Qinghong woke up the next day, Wu Jing was still asleep.

 

Before dawn, Fuchen, who came to wake his master, vaguely saw the emperor clinging to Ning Qinghong.

 

He heard a helpless sigh from Ning Qinghong, who gently extricated himself and covered the emperor with the quilt.

 

Today, Ning Qinghong didn’t take Wu Jing to court with him, changing into his official robes and leaving early for the palace.

 

After the morning court, before summoning the cabinet ministers, Ning Qinghong sent for someone from the Yangxin Hall.

 

The palace attendants were having breakfast.

 

Ning Qinghong casually instructed, “Move the memorials to the mansion first, let the cabinet ministers wait in the side hall.” Seeing the person kneel in greeting, he leisurely finished his breakfast before asking, “Do you know what His Majesty likes? Anything to pass the time?”

 

Yan He replied, “Your Highness, His Majesty used to like playing with a small wild dog in the imperial garden.”

 

Ning Qinghong asked, “What else?”

 

Yan He thought, “Previously… His Majesty liked catching fish in the pond.”

 

Fuchen turned pale at the thought.

 

“Why is it that he is either indifferent or uninterested in other matters,” Ning Qinghong said with a half-smile, “yet so fond of these little amusements?”