Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 54

The bedchamber was filled with a lingering, subtle fragrance.

 

Wu Jing stared blankly upwards, tears slipping from the corners of his eyes without him even realizing. It was a long time before he would blink in a dazed and slow manner.

 

The young emperor lay limp in the arms of the person behind him, as if all the strength had drained from his body, leaving him soft and weak, like he might melt away.

 

His lips were slightly parted, and he breathed unconsciously through his mouth in small gasps, with faint, barely audible sobs mixed in.

 

His enlarged pupils reflected the image of the person behind him, who was looking down at his face with a gentle smile. That person used a clean fingertip to softly rub the corners of Wu Jing’s eyes, soothing the overwhelming emotions that had reached their peak.

 

Wu Jing blinked, his blurred vision focusing on Ning Qinghong’s face. His pupils contracted slightly, as if he had seen something too shocking to accept, too intense to believe. He stared at Ning Qinghong with trembling eyelids, in a daze.

 

The scent of floating gold powder and tea filled the air, masking the faint musk.

 

Ning Qinghong smiled faintly, about to say something softly.

 

Wu Jing, however, noticed that s*m*n was sliding down the smooth lines of Ning Qinghong’s face and falling toward his own.

 

“Plop—”

 

Wu Jing seemed to want to avoid it, but as the c*m fell onto his face, his eyes suddenly widened, his body twitched in a struggle, and finally, he went limp again, unable to resist any longer.

 

Ning Qinghong didn’t move at all.

 

It was just a single drop of s*m*n.

 

Wu Jing tightly closed his eyes, tears once again starting to flow uncontrollably. He sobbed in despair, “I-I’m sorry.”

 

He felt like he had lost control.

 

So humiliating.

 

So disgraceful.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

 

Wu Jing cried until he was almost out of breath, but this time it wasn’t out of fear. It was pure and simple shame. After this, he could never face Ning Qinghong properly again.

 

He would think of this moment every time they made eye contact.

 

Ning Qinghong, almost drowned by Wu Jing’s tears, sighed softly, “Brother isn’t angry. Why is Wu Wu crying again?”

 

Wu Jing shook his head, “No, it’s not that.” He stammered, trying to explain that he wasn’t scared, but couldn’t get the words out. However, being reminded like this, he finally reacted and reached out to help wipe Ning Qinghong’s face clean.

 

But as soon as he touched Ning Qinghong’s face, Wu Jing’s thin, fragile wrist was caught, and he heard Ning Qinghong say, “Does Wu Wu want to help Brother clean up?”

 

Wu Jing, with tears in his eyes, nodded.

 

Ning Qinghong chuckled softly, “But Brother doesn’t want Wu Wu to use his hand. What should we do?”

 

Wu Jing wiped his tears and covered his hand with a clean sleeve before reaching out again.

 

Ning Qinghong spoke leisurely, “You can’t use your clothes either.”

 

“The clothes that Brother just had someone send to Wu Wu, and you’ve only worn them for less than a day, but you’re going to dirty them and throw them away?”

 

Wu Jing instinctively felt a bit guilty and, sniffling, looked to Ning Qinghong for a solution. “What… what should I do?”

 

Ning Qinghong looked down at him and laughed softly, “Wu Wu, think for yourself.” Then he chuckled, “What should we do? Should we call in the palace attendants to clean up?”

 

Wu Jing shook his head frantically, “No.” After speaking, he suddenly realized he had just refused Ning Qinghong, and immediately became uneasy.

 

But in the next moment, he saw that Ning Qinghong’s expression hadn’t changed, as if he was genuinely seeking his opinion, humbly asking, “Then how does Wu Wu want to clean it up?”

 

Ning Qinghong’s smile was ambiguous. “Do you want to lick it clean for Brother?”

 

It was impossible to tell if he was joking or not.

 

But Wu Jing took him seriously. Hesitating for a moment, he carefully sat up straight, bent forward, and reached out with the tip of his tongue toward Ning Qinghong’s slightly bent hand.

 

If not for Ning Qinghong’s quick reflexes, raising his hand just in time, Wu Jing might have actually done it.

 

The young man, seeing the hand taken away, looked back in confusion, his eyes still filled with helpless tears.

 

Ning Qinghong’s gaze deepened, and after a moment, he bent the back of his other hand, lightly tapping Wu Jing’s forehead with his clean hand as a gentle reprimand.

 

Wu Jing instinctively closed his eyes, not understanding why he was being scolded.

 

So obedient.

 

Ning Qinghong sighed softly, “Not there.”

 

Then where?

 

Wu Jing was utterly confused.

 

The young man boldly stared at Ning Qinghong’s face. After a moment, he cautiously leaned back, lifting his head to lean toward the face of the person behind him.

 

His movements were careful, as if he would pitifully stop at the slightest signal from Ning Qinghong, waiting for an answer.

 

But there was no resistance.

 

The young man tentatively touched his lips to Ning Qinghong’s face.

 

Aside from kissing Ning Qinghong’s eyes before bed and upon waking, Wu Jing had no other experience. He cautiously parted his lips to kiss the side of Ning Qinghong’s face.

 

Like a small animal nibbling, clumsily extending his tongue.

 

It felt a bit awkward, but he obediently continued, kissing from Ning Qinghong’s eyes down to his cheek, and then slowly moving toward the lips.

 

There was something there too.

 

He moved slowly, reaching Ning Qinghong’s lips. Wu Jing’s eyelids trembled as he kissed them.

 

Ning Qinghong gently cupped the back of Wu Jing’s neck with his hand, as if not wanting to startle him. His actions were increasingly calm and gentle, indulgently allowing Wu Jing to explore.

 

When the young man was fully immersed, Ning Qinghong commanded in a soft voice, “Wu Wu, open your mouth.”

 

Wu Jing obediently complied.

 

Ning Qinghong leaned in slightly, half-closing his eyes.

 

Tears spilled from the corners of Wu Jing’s eyes again. It felt so good.

 

He was kissed into a daze, feeling as if even the taste in his mouth had faded. Occasionally, he would respond to Ning Qinghong, allowing the long tongue to continue its invasion.

 

As if no amount of kissing was too much.

 

Ning Qinghong simply held him. During the kiss, he even left Wu Jing enough space to breathe. Every step was perfectly controlled, making Wu Jing so comfortable that he wanted it to continue forever.

 

Not the slightest hint of urgency, unhurried and methodical.

 

You couldn’t tell that, like the young man, Ning Qinghong was also experiencing this for the first time.

 

Even when Ning Qinghong finally let go of him, Wu Jing was still in a daze, wanting to reach out and embrace him again, to kiss him once more.

 

But then he was pushed away.

 

Wu Jing blinked in confusion, feeling a bit aggrieved.

 

Ning Qinghong closed his eyes for a moment before standing up from the bed.

 

He stood quietly by the bedside for a while before speaking to the young man who was about to reach out to tug at his sleeve, “Wu Wu, be good. Wait here for Brother.”

 

Wu Jing suddenly stopped,

 

Staring blankly at Ning Qinghong’s retreating figure.

 

The only clean water left in the hall was the pot of tea Ning Qinghong had brewed earlier. He quietly lowered his eyes, poured the tea onto a clean cloth, and slowly wiped his hands clean.

 

When he had finished wiping, his emotions had also calmed and subdued.

 

Ning Qinghong then took another cloth, poured some tea onto it, and returned to the bedside, carefully cleaning the young man.

 

Wu Jing half-lay on the bed, turning his face away, not daring to look down, his eyes trembling as tears fell once more.

 

He didn’t know how long it had been, but when Ning Qinghong straightened up again with the dirty cloth, Wu Jing took the chance while his back was turned to quickly dress himself.

 

The young man timidly sat by the bed, watching as Ning Qinghong returned to clean up the floor.

 

Wu Jing fidgeted with his hands,

 

His ears burning red.

 

The dirty cloth was thrown into the brazier, burning to ashes.

 

Everything was cleaned up without a trace.

 

No one would find out.

 

Wu Jing’s anxious, nervous mood eased slightly, the shame fading. He vaguely understood that Ning Qinghong didn’t mind these things, and that the reason why…

 

He didn’t continue the thought.

 

He also crouched down, wanting to help clean the floor again.

 

But Ning Qinghong, standing by the brazier, raised a finger and motioned to him, “Come here.”

 

Wu Jing hesitated for a moment before following Ning Qinghong step by step, keeping his head down, every breath he took feeling like it was burning.

 

His eyelids trembled as Ning Qinghong took his hand.

 

It wasn’t until Ning Qinghong led him to the wardrobe where he had previously hidden that Wu Jing recalled what had happened earlier. His lips turned pale in an instant, and he wanted to run, but Ning Qinghong tightened his grip and pulled him back.

 

“Stay still,” Ning Qinghong ordered.

 

After speaking, Ning Qinghong bent down slightly and, without much effort, retrieved the two items Wu Jing had hidden in the wardrobe.

 

Wu Jing didn’t dare look anymore, but he had a vague feeling that Ning Qinghong wasn’t going to hold it against him. He was still very nervous, but not as scared as before.

 

At some point, his tears had stopped, though his eyes were still swollen from crying for so long, and his face was still streaked with tear stains.

 

Ning Qinghong led him slowly around the bedchamber, finally stopping at the bedside.

 

Wu Jing held his breath as Ning Qinghong reached under the bed’s gauze curtains and pulled out the things he had hidden there, then led him away again.

 

Ning Qinghong, with his eyes downcast, placed the porcelain plate with the pretty little stones Wu Jing had collected next to the chessboard on the tea table, right next to the jade-like chess box.

 

He then set the two porcelain plates on the table where the pastries were placed, gently putting them down.

 

Wu Jing watched, and at some point, he tilted his head up,

 

Staring blankly at Ning Qinghong’s face.

 

Ning Qinghong walked to the pearwood shelf and paused beside the wooden box that held the toys he had bought for Wu Jing. Without even looking, he deftly reassembled the two separated rods and the ring, turning them back into the original nine-ring puzzle.

 

He put it back into the wooden box.

 

There was also a jar of ointment in a small wooden box, not something Ning Qinghong had given him, nor something Wu Jing had picked up on his own.

 

Ning Qinghong smiled and asked, “Where did you get this?”

 

Wu Jing answered cautiously, “Sister Yan He gave it to me.”

 

Ning Qinghong asked again, “Does Wu Wu still need it?”

 

Wu Jing hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

 

It would be a waste otherwise.

 

Seeing him nod, Ning Qinghong placed the cheap ointment on the shelf. After tidying everything up, there was only a jade pendant left.

 

Ning Qinghong’s eyes lowered as he traced the patterns on the pendant with his fingertips.

 

Wu Jing’s heart was in his throat, but then he heard Ning Qinghong say with a laugh, “This can’t be given to Wu Wu.”

 

Ning Qinghong sighed softly, “If Wu Wu wants to go out of the palace to play, you can tell Brother.”

 

His voice was gentle, as if trying to comfort him.

 

It took Wu Jing a long time before he nodded in a daze, “Wu Wu understands.” But his expression was one of confusion and puzzlement.

 

He didn’t understand why,

 

He was curious why.

 

**Author’s Note:**

 

Qinghong : Not a germaphobe, but what even is pure love?