Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 52

“Token?”

 

“He took the palace exit token?”

 

Fuchen was helping the Lord remove his fur-lined cloak and the jade crown from his hair when he heard his master, who had his eyes closed, ask these two questions softly, with a faint, indifferent expression.

 

It was as if he were talking to himself.

 

Ning Qinghong stood tall, arms outstretched. The hem of his robe was stained with blood, and a palace attendant was carefully removing his outer garment, replacing it with a dark purple gauze robe with large sleeves decorated with twining branch patterns.

 

His face showed nothing but weariness. Once the palace attendants had withdrawn, he slumped into the armchair.

 

Fuchen asked, “My lord, would you like me to read the memorials?”

 

Ning Qinghong made a hand gesture, silently signaling for him to leave. After pondering for a moment, he slightly moved his eyes and, with a faint smile, looked at the person kneeling in the hall. “I want you to repeat what you just said.”

 

“Reporting to the Lord…”

 

After speaking, the person kowtowed again.

 

“Say it again.”

 

“I said to stop, then stop.”

 

—

 

After Wu Jing was led out of the imperial study, he was handed over to other palace attendants by Yan He. His mind was in a daze, barely able to remember the way to the imperial garden, and he had no energy to pay attention to those around him.

 

He walked for a long time, head down, clutching two objects that felt as hot as burning coals.

 

Just as he was about to leave the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the young emperor’s steps faltered. He suddenly turned to look back at the path he had just walked, the two items in his hands pressing into his fingers so hard that they turned red.

 

Wu Jing exhaled carefully.

 

He should just put them back.

 

Put back the things that didn’t belong to him.

 

He hadn’t even thought about how he would use the token to leave the palace. Without someone to help disguise him, he would likely be caught as soon as he reached the palace gate. Even if he did manage to leave, he had no money with him and would eventually go hungry and cold.

 

He should put the items back before anyone noticed they were gone.

 

Wu Jing didn’t want to think about anything anymore.

 

He began to run back, almost as if he were escaping.

 

He ran faster and faster,

 

Until he was almost out of breath.

 

His thoughts became more and more chaotic, less rational, more fearful, and increasingly helpless.

 

There was an overwhelming sense of injustice.

 

But Wu Jing couldn’t find anyone to whom he could vent his feelings. The person who used to comfort him, ask him if he was unhappy, hungry, or thirsty, and then gently pat him on the back was now just a distant, dreamlike memory, full of unreality.

 

One day, out of the blue, someone told the bewildered Wu Jing that it was time for him to wake up from that dream.

 

He didn’t want to be an emperor, didn’t want power, and only played dumb and clung to others in hopes of eating well, sleeping well, and surviving.

 

He hadn’t meant to deceive anyone.

 

The more Wu Jing thought about it, the more he felt that if Ning Qinghong found out he had been pretending all along, it would be natural for him to be angry.

 

He had deceived someone and even stolen something from them.

 

He would just return the items.

 

If he was caught, he would explain everything. He truly had no ulterior motives regarding the dragon throne.

 

Going back to a life of eating plain porridge and vegetables every day,

 

Wouldn’t be so bad.

 

As long as he could survive.

 

The pond had been filled in, but he could still go there to catch fish and ask Sister Yan He for help again.

 

Wu Jing felt like he had been running for a long, long time. He didn’t understand why the path seemed so much longer now. He stopped to catch his breath.

 

The blood-red jade pendant hanging from his waist clinked against itself, the clear sound standing out in the surrounding silence.

 

The young emperor belatedly realized that none of the palace attendants who had followed him from the imperial study were still there. It was as if they had vanished into thin air, leaving only the motionless, sword-wielding guards who stood like statues, day and night, with their heads bowed.

 

In recent days, Wu Jing had grown accustomed to treating these guards as if they were invisible. He had no idea where the palace attendants had gone, but his foggy mind seemed to clear up a little. He slowed his pace, cautiously walking back.

 

He feared that the guards might notice something unusual.

 

But the surroundings were so quiet, as if there wasn’t a single person around. The further he walked, the more his unease grew.

 

Why would all the palace attendants disappear without reason?

 

No wonder no one had stopped him when he suddenly ran back.

 

When Wu Jing reached the glazed screen wall, he stopped again. For some reason, the doors to the imperial study were now tightly shut, with no palace attendants or guards in sight.

 

Was it because no one was inside?

 

Wu Jing clenched his fists and gathered his courage. Now was the time; he just needed to put the items back.

 

He climbed the stone steps,

 

And walked closer.

 

“Reporting to the Lord—”

 

Was someone there?

 

That voice…

 

“Earlier, His Majesty took two items from the shelves in the imperial study. I’m not sure what one of them was, only that it was kept in a bright yellow brocade box on the lowest shelf.”

 

“The other was the palace exit token.”

 

It was Yan He’s voice.

 

Her throat was dry from speaking, and she had lost count of how many times she had repeated herself. Her knees were numb from kneeling, and only after a long while did she hear the person above her say, “Fuchen, give her a reward.”

 

Yan He was finally able to kowtow. “Thank you, my lord.”

 

She was just a servant in the palace, with no choice but to obey those in power. At most, she could only feel a small, harmless sense of pity.

 

The young emperor stood frozen outside the door. He didn’t move, almost unable to breathe. He took a small step back, nearly missing a step and stumbling.

 

He had been discovered.

 

Wu Jing staggered but managed to steady himself.

 

He heard a familiar voice from inside the hall, speaking in a casual, soft tone. “Where is His Majesty?”

 

Ning Qinghong looked toward the closed hall doors, as if he were looking directly at someone through them. “Go find him.”

 

He smiled faintly, “He really deserves punishment.”

 

“Clang—”

 

**Wu Jing’s trembling fingertips relaxed, and the objects he had hidden under his wide sleeves fell to the ground with a loud clatter. Startled, his eyes filled with panic.**

 

Ning Qinghong, sensing something, spoke in a calm voice from behind the door, “Who’s out there? Go and check.”

 

Wu Jing was so distressed by his clumsiness that he was on the verge of tears. Breathing heavily and in a state of panic, he squatted down, hands shaking, to pick up the fallen bronze rod and jade token.

 

How could they do this?

 

It’s too much.

 

His vision blurred with tears, and he groped around on the ground again and again, struggling to gather the items. It took him a long time before he managed to pick them up.

 

Wu Jing didn’t even realize that despite how long it took him to pick up the items, no palace attendants had come out to investigate.

 

After Ning Qinghong spoke, he casually lifted his finger, signaling Fuchen to stop what he was doing. He then closed his eyes again.

 

It seemed that was the end of it, and he had no further intention of pursuing the matter.

 

But when he heard faint sobs from outside the hall, he sighed softly and opened his eyes.

 

He didn’t want to involve himself in too many things. 

 

Setting up the situation was merely to give someone a chance.

 

But in the end…

 

Feeling weary, Ning Qinghong slowly stood up. He walked to the hall’s entrance, then paused, as if deep in thought. He didn’t go outside, and after a moment, he sighed again, “Forget it.”

 

He pushed open the door, but there was no one outside.

 

—

 

**After picking up the items, the young emperor hurried off in a panic. He didn’t know where else to go, only thinking he needed to hide the stolen goods quickly.**

 

He wouldn’t admit to anything. As long as he wasn’t caught, everything would be fine.

 

When he finally made it back to his bedchamber, Wu Jing instinctively headed toward the bed. But then he remembered the palace maids guarding the room. With tears streaming down his face, he pushed everyone out, refusing to answer any questions and only mumbling a few unclear words.

 

“Get out, all of you.”

 

“Don’t stay here.”

 

He didn’t trust anyone anymore.

 

Once everyone had left, Wu Jing sniffled and returned to the side of his bed, crouching down. Underneath, there were still two porcelain plates he had hidden, some pretty little stones, and the other half of the nine-linked ring puzzle.

 

There was even the ointment Yan He had given him.

 

Seeing the small wooden box, Wu Jing couldn’t help but cry again. He suspected that the box wasn’t really from Yan He but was given to her by Ning Qinghong to pass on to him.

 

He was about to place the rod and token inside the box when he suddenly remembered that these items had mysteriously disappeared once before.

 

At that time, he thought he was dreaming or seeing things.

 

Now, only after the fact, did he realize that the very night he had asked Yan He about it, the items he had hidden reappeared.

 

…How could they do this?

 

How could they be so cruel?

 

They even filled in the pond where he used to catch fish. They wanted to steal his little stones, and after he found out, they put them back, making him think it was all just a dream.

 

How could they be so bad?

 

How could they be so mean?

 

Wu Jing rubbed his eyes, sniffling. He crouched there, completely lost, not knowing where to hide these things. 

 

It felt like he couldn’t hide anything from Ning Qinghong, that he was completely seen through, with no escape, no place to hide.

 

Except with him,

 

There was nowhere else to go.

 

Tears trickled down the sides of the boy’s face as he whimpered and cried for a long time. When he finally paused for breath, he realized his legs were numb from crouching.

 

Just as he was about to stand up, he heard the palace attendants outside greeting someone.

 

“Greetings, Your Grace.”

 

The chorus of voices almost drowned out the little bit of breathing space Wu Jing had managed to regain.

 

Ning Qinghong’s emotionless voice came from a distance. He asked calmly, “Where is His Majesty?”

 

A palace attendant replied, “His Majesty ran back to his bedchamber in a panic and drove us all out. He should still be inside.”

 

“All of you, leave.”

 

Ning Qinghong opened the door again and stepped inside. His eyes slowly swept around the room, but he didn’t see anyone.

 

With a faint smile, he softly called out, “Wu Wu?”

 

**Author’s Note:**

 

**Wuwu (covers ears): Can’t hear, can’t hear**