Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 47

A fleeting thought couldn’t withstand the pull of drowsiness.

 

After lying down in his familiar and warm bed, Wu Jing quickly fell into a deep sleep. He was used to having someone next to him, and even in his sleep, he would roll over and wrap himself around the other person like an octopus.

 

Even his beloved cloth tiger was cast aside. In his semi-conscious state, Wu Jing seemed to feel the other person’s light sigh and felt the blankets he had kicked off being gently pulled back over him.

 

He buried himself in the other person’s neck, breathing in the lingering, heavy fragrance that pulled him deeper into a light, dreamy sleep, as if being dragged further into an alluring dream.

 

Even the faint tremor of his eyelids and the comforting pats on his back felt unreal, like being in an indulgent, gentle world that one was afraid to wake from.

 

Wu Jing clung tighter, but for some reason, he didn’t sleep as well as he had in recent nights and felt unusually hot.

 

He slept restlessly and lightly.

 

In his groggy state, he woke up whenever the other person moved. Despite being sleepy, when Ning Qinghong gently moved his hand away, Wu Jing lazily clung to it again.

 

He seemed to hear a hoarse, gentle laugh from Ning Qinghong, who coaxed him, “Wu Wu? Let go.”

 

Wu Jing reluctantly let go after a while, turning to the other side and preparing to snuggle under the covers to continue sleeping.

 

Yet, he vaguely heard sounds from behind him. The palace guards on night duty, hearing the noise, knelt and saluted the rising master with an accustomed expression, whispering, “Greetings, Lord.”

 

The night guards were trusted individuals who had served the Grand Emperor for many years, and they understood his habits. The Grandmaster often had light sleep, seldom more than two or three hours a night, and could only sleep longer when at ease.

 

Ning Qinghong quietly asked, “What time is it?”

 

The guard replied, “It’s just past the hour of Yin(3am). In another hour, it will be time for court.”

 

Ning Qinghong responded lightly.

 

Wu Jing heard the guard then whisper, “Be gentle. Don’t wake His Majesty.” Soon after, the footsteps grew fainter.

 

After waiting a bit, Wu Jing turned over and looked outside with drowsy eyes. He waited for a while, but his sleepiness disappeared.

 

Curious about where they were going at such a late hour, Wu Jing gingerly peeked out from behind the curtain. It was dark outside, but there were candles burning beyond the screen.

 

Wu Jing wasn’t the type to follow out of curiosity in the middle of the night; he was more likely to snuggle back into his covers and try to fall asleep again. But, if it were someone else…

 

Wu Jing got out of bed, put on his wooden clogs, and, feeling a bit scared in the middle of the night, turned back to find his cloth tiger. He hugged it and wandered outside, looking around with a sense of confusion.

 

He looked this way and that, finding no one else in the palace hall.

 

The palace guards who had been keeping watch behind the screen had followed Ning Qinghong. When Wu Jing quietly pushed the door open a crack to look outside, he soon saw Ning Qinghong walking down the corridor, followed by palace attendants carrying lanterns. They were heading toward the direction of the Imperial Study.

 

Wu Jing followed with a sense of bewilderment. He wondered what they were doing. As he trailed behind, he noticed that things seemed the same as usual.

 

The Grandmaster walked slowly in the darkness, occasionally stopping in the corridor. It seemed he suddenly took an interest in everything, stopping to look at things, and then continuing his slow walk.

 

It was as if he couldn’t sleep and had nothing to do, passing the time in this way.

 

The palace attendants whispered reports to him. The Grandmaster occasionally responded with a silent nod, his attention not focused on the reports, but they continued regardless.

 

Everyone had grown used to it.

 

Despite this, Wu Jing stumbled along, walking slowly. When he finally reached his destination, the attendants seemed to have retreated, leaving only the Imperial Study with its doors wide open.

 

Wu Jing wanted to go in but hesitated, feeling nervous. He wished he could shrink behind a pillar, gathering enough courage before finally approaching the Imperial Study and peeking through the door.

 

He wasn’t afraid of being discovered. Perhaps it was his growing courage or the leniency of others. Nevertheless, Wu Jing still felt a bit guilty and uneasy, as if sneaking around.

 

After mentally preparing himself, he peered inside and saw Ning Qinghong standing tall with his back to him, casually tending to the oil lamp.

 

Ning Qinghong lowered his eyes, leisurely adjusting the wick of the oil lamp and then preparing tea. His movements were practiced and calm, as if he had done this many times before. He seemed to use these small tasks to pass the time, without the usual palace attendants.

 

After preparing the tea, he walked over to the desk, briefly touched some documents, then pulled out the medical book.

 

He stood quietly, slowly flipping through the book.

 

Strangely, Wu Jing felt that Ning Qinghong’s mood might not be very good at the moment. He thought, as a scheming and power-hungry official… Well, maybe not so scheming.

 

Wu Jing remembered that Ning Qinghong, when idle, was always dealing with court matters, as if he were an unqualified Emperor of the Great Zhou.

 

He thought Ning Qinghong was busy enough and couldn’t imagine why he would spend time studying medical books. There were plenty of doctors in the palace, after all.

 

Wu Jing felt puzzled, recalling that Ning Qinghong had been taking medicine recently, and although he had stopped, the medicinal diet continued, and he still had to eat it too.

 

Could it be that he had a condition that even doctors couldn’t cure?

 

Was he ill?

 

Ning Qinghong stood for a long time. His reflection on the jade floor tiles was elongated. Just looking at it made Wu Jing question whether he should continue spying.

 

Despite Ning Qinghong’s every action seeming extremely relaxed.

 

Wu Jing’s legs grew tired from standing, and he wanted to shift his position. But he forgot he was wearing wooden clogs, and the sound he made startled him. He quickly froze, clutching his cloth tiger for comfort.

 

After a long wait with no further movement, he noticed Ning Qinghong seemed not to have heard the noise and remained in the same position.

 

Wu Jing cautiously let out a breath. But before he could fully relax, he heard Ning Qinghong’s light laugh.

 

Ning Qinghong asked calmly, “Still hiding?” He laughed, “Come over.” He seemed to question how he had been followed for so long in the heavily guarded palace, and why there was not a single guard at the Imperial Study’s door.

 

When Wu Jing approached, Ning Qinghong took the cloth tiger from his arms, playfully handling it for a moment, and asked, “Wu Wu not tired?”

 

Wu Jing tentatively shook his head, watching the cloth tiger being taken from him. He then focused back on Ning Qinghong and asked in a childlike voice, “Brother not tired?”

 

Starting to play the fool again.

 

Wu Jing racked his brain, trying to figure out how to ask Ning Qinghong why he was wandering around in the middle of the night.

 

Ning Qinghong laughed, “Brother is not tired.”

 

Wu Jing asked cautiously, “Is Brother unhappy?”

 

Ning Qinghong continued, “Brother is not unhappy.” He looked at Wu Jing with interest.

 

Wu Jing was even more confused. He glanced at the medical book in Ning Qinghong’s hand and tried to come up with the right words, “…What is Brother reading?”

 

Ning Qinghong softly replied, “This?” He relaxed his hold on the book, causing it to close by itself. “Just a medical book.”

 

“If Wu Wu wants to read it, wait until you can read, and Brother will teach you.”

 

Recalling the hours he spent practicing characters today, Wu Jing felt disheartened.

 

Ning Qinghong added, “Why is Wu Wu awake so early? Why don’t you go back to sleep for a while?”

 

Wu Jing instinctively tugged at his sleeve, asking, “What about Brother?”

 

Ning Qinghong repeated the phrase, his tone nonchalant, “Brother is not tired.” He paused, losing interest in teasing, and smiled lightly. “Someone, take His Majesty back to rest.”

 

In the once empty Imperial Study, two palace attendants emerged from the side door, saluted, and prepared to escort the Emperor out with great respect.

 

However, Wu Jing was still holding onto Ning Qinghong’s sleeve.

 

Ning Qinghong coaxed, “Wu Wu, be good. Otherwise, you’ll be tired tomorrow. Go back and sleep for a while.”

 

Wu Jing buried his head into Ning Qinghong’s embrace, shaking his head, “Wu Wu won’t go.” He tried to explain his intentions in his childish way, saying earnestly, “Wu Wu will accompany Brother.”

 

This was not an act of foolishness.

 

Wu Jing genuinely wanted to stay with Ning Qinghong, even if the latter didn’t seem to need any company at all.

 

Ning Qinghong appeared unable to refuse him, smiling faintly, “Does Wu Wu really want to stay with Brother?” He lowered his gaze, his eyes deep.

 

Wu Jing hesitated for a moment before nodding.

 

Ning Qinghong responded meaningfully, “Alright.” He then said, “Everyone, leave.”

 

The two palace attendants bowed again and respectfully withdrew.

 

Ning Qinghong asked, “If Brother reads, will Wu Wu stay with him?”

 

Wu Jing drowsily nodded.

 

In the next moment, he felt Ning Qinghong slightly bend forward, lifting him up by his legs, and holding him in the air.

 

Wu Jing, startled, adjusted his position. His wooden clogs slipped off and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

 

His bare feet were exposed to the cold air.

 

Ning Qinghong returned to the armchair and slowly sat down, adjusting Wu Jing’s position so he wouldn’t be startled by his movements. He told him to let go.

 

Wu Jing ended up sitting sideways, able to see the medical book in Ning Qinghong’s hands, nervously sitting on his lap.

 

Ning Qinghong indeed read the book slowly, unlike court matters that could be skimmed through quickly. This book required careful study.

 

By the time dawn began to break, Wu Jing felt sleepy and leaned against Ning Qinghong, almost falling asleep. In his half-sleep state, he seemed to hear palace attendants entering, perhaps brushing dust.

 

Fuchen said, “Sir, it’s time to attend court.”

 

Ning Qinghong responded calmly, then instructed, “During these days, I will stay in the palace with His Majesty. Send some people back to the residence to prepare some items, move the documents and medical books from the study to the Imperial Study, and bring more warm clothing.” He added with a smile, “To avoid catching a cold.”

 

His voice was close to Wu Jing’s ear, as if he intended for someone to overhear.

 

Ning Qinghong slightly raised his sleeve as if preparing to stand. As he moved, Wu Jing’s feet, which had been warming against the sleeve, were abruptly exposed to the autumn chill.

 

The drowsy young emperor instantly woke up and embarrassingly buried his face in Ning Qinghong’s embrace.

 

Only Fuchen who didn’t understand the underlying meaning of Ning Qinghong’s words silently speculated about what clothing might be prepared and what it had to do with the Emperor.