Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 69

Wu Jing was somewhat doubtful, but Ning Qinghong truly allowed him to have lunch and play by the shallow pool for a while, rest, and wake up naturally, with only an hour left before dusk.

 

It was so comfortable that it made Wu Jing uneasy.

 

He had been napping in the study. Earlier, when he was playing in the water, Ning Qinghong had rested in the wind-sheltered pavilion and only brought him back after sufficient rest. Even if Wu Jing changed his mind and didn’t want to take a nap with him, Ning Qinghong didn’t say anything.

 

He had napped the entire afternoon.

 

When Wu Jing got up from the soft couch, he saw that Ning Qinghong’s desk was cleared, and he was sitting at the tea table, playing chess against himself while listening to reports from his spies.

 

Through the curtain, the figure in the crimson official robe was faintly visible.

 

Because Ning Qinghong had been busy all morning, he hadn’t changed into his regular attire but had only removed the crown with nine beams. His black hair was half-loose, and he casually glanced over, meeting the sleepy-eyed Wu Jing’s gaze with a faint smile.

 

“Attend to His Majesty’s rising.”

 

He instructed.

 

Soon, Wu Jing was dressed in shoes and socks, put on his outer garment, and his messy hair was tidied. After washing his face and mouth, he obediently walked to the desk, feeling somewhat guilty as he sat down.

 

He began to focus on memorizing characters.

 

He had remembered a small portion of the characters from the morning and had forgotten the rest. He still couldn’t recognize the characters corresponding to the scribbled notes at a glance.

 

Fortunately, he had memorized the text and the first three sentences in the morning. Now, he recited it silently while matching it.

 

It was like having learned nearly a hundred foreign words in the morning and forgetting them, but with practice, he would remember them again. The difference was that memorizing text was simpler than learning foreign languages.

 

He had tried very hard and was very serious.

 

But to memorize so many and not make any mistakes in the strokes was something he was sure he couldn’t achieve. He thought Ning Qinghong was being unreasonable and demanding. Wu Jing, frustrated, had recited several pages of text until he completely memorized it.

 

When he confirmed that there were no mistakes on the last page, his eyes widened with excitement. He carefully rechecked it, his eyes brightened, and he couldn’t help but smile as he looked up and down at the page.

 

He seemed to have accomplished something monumental and was so happy that he almost jumped up. He actually stood up from his chair, holding the paper, and ran to Ning Qinghong.

 

After running up in a rush, he stood there blankly, holding the paper, not knowing what to say, and just looked at him eagerly.

 

It was already dusk, close to nightfall.

 

The light coming through the window softened the crimson of Ning Qinghong’s robes. He smiled and asked, “What’s wrong?”

 

Wu Jing’s eyes lit up, “I got everything right.”

 

His voice wasn’t loud, but he looked eager for praise.

 

Ning Qinghong smiled, “Let me see?” He raised his fingers, signaling Fuchen to step back.

 

Wu Jing happily handed over the paper.

 

Ning Qinghong took it and said, “Bring all the papers His Majesty has written.” Then he quietly looked at the original paper in his hand.

 

Wu Jing only glanced at Fuchen going to fetch the papers and didn’t pay attention to anything else, focusing instead on Ning Qinghong’s actions, feeling as nervous as if he were standing at a podium while the teacher reviewed his test papers.

 

His sleeves were clenched into a ball.

 

“Yes, everything is correct,” Ning Qinghong said softly. “Wu Wu didn’t slack off; praise is deserved.” He then took the papers from Fuchen one by one, examining each character slowly and commenting, “Brother will carefully consider how to praise Wu Wu.”

 

“No mistakes this time, so there won’t be any next time.”

 

“The writing is also becoming more neat.”

 

“…”

 

Wu Jing listened as Ning Qinghong went through each page slowly, a total of seven pages, plus the morning’s, making eight in total.

 

Finally, Ning Qinghong finished, gently placing the papers on the table. “Wu Wu has made great progress.”

 

Wu Jing, eager to improve further, said softly, “I didn’t write very neatly. I can practice a couple more sheets.”

 

Ning Qinghong held him with a half-smile, “No need to practice more. It’s enough.”

 

Enough?

 

What does that mean?

 

Wu Jing hadn’t reacted yet when Ning Qinghong held his wrist, rubbing his wrist bone with his palm. “Are you tired, Wu Wu? If your hand is sore, you must tell brother, understood?”

 

The boy cheered up again, nodding, “I will tell you.”

 

Ning Qinghong stood up, “Let’s go have dinner.”

 

Tonight, he stayed at the Ning residence.

 

After dinner, Wu Jing quickly went for a bath. Having played in the water, his hair tips were quite wet and needed a thorough cleaning, so it took a while.

 

Once he finished washing and drying himself, and with the attendants helping him dress and prepare, he was finally allowed to leave.

 

At night, the path was dark, illuminated only by lanterns and hand-held palace lamps. As Wu Jing walked, he noticed fewer people behind him, and only two or three eunuchs remained in front.

 

The leading eunuch abruptly stopped outside the courtyard gate.

 

The three attendants bowed their heads and waited on either side, leaving the large courtyard gate open. 

 

Wu Jing was puzzled why they didn’t enter but soon realized that Ning Qinghong didn’t like having anyone guard him during the night.

 

He asked the eunuch for a lantern since he couldn’t see clearly. With just one request, he successfully got a better one than Ning Qinghong’s.

 

Holding the lantern, Wu Jing mentally complained and jogged back, eventually reaching in front of his bedroom.

 

Ning Qinghong’s bedroom was as large as the Yangxin Palace’s chambers, separated by screens and curtains. He was leaning against a long couch, reading a book.

 

He hadn’t changed his clothes, still in his official robe, with his black hair loosely tied at the back.

 

On the tea table next to him lay a wooden ruler, about five to six inches long and a finger wide—a heavy, slender ruler.

 

Wu Jing, still feeling drowsy, walked inside and was curious about what Ning Qinghong was reading. A quick glance at the ruler instantly sobered him, and all sleepiness vanished.

 

He stood frozen, breathless, staring at the ruler, and turned to run outside.

 

Now he understood why the attendants didn’t follow him—he felt deceived. How could things be like this, despite Ning Qinghong’s promises?

 

In a panic, Wu Jing bolted toward the door.

 

But before he could run far, a calm voice called out, “Wu Wu, come here.” The voice was slow and gentle.

 

But that was enough to make Wu Jing freeze in place, tears welling up quickly. He couldn’t bear to think about how many more strokes he would receive.

 

He was terrified, unable to move.

 

Ning Qinghong spoke softly, “Come to brother, be good.” He added, “If you listen to brother, it will be lighter later.”

 

Wu Jing sobbed, wiping away his few tears and saying, “You didn’t keep your promise; I’m not going.”

 

Ning Qinghong’s response was a calm “Hmm?”

 

Wu Jing shivered at the sound, his fingers tightly twisting his sleeve in fear. He turned around, not daring to look Ning Qinghong in the eye, and hesitantly moved closer.

 

He heard Ning Qinghong speak clearly.

 

“Wu Wu wrote eight pages today. Out of those, only one was correct. The remaining pages contained a total of three hundred and forty-five mistakes,” Ning Qinghong said slowly.

 

Wu Jing’s breath hitched, his voice breaking as he cried, “You’re lying.”

 

How could there be so many mistakes?

 

Ning Qinghong smiled lightly, “Brother counted them himself. How could I lie to Wu Wu?”

 

Wu Jing sniffled, “We agreed—you promised not to hit my hands. You didn’t keep your word.”

 

Ning Qinghong replied, “That’s right, but I didn’t say the punishment would be erased entirely.”

 

Wu Jing’s tears fell instantly, feeling extremely wronged, “You’re being unreasonable. How can you be so unreasonable?”

 

Ning Qinghong sighed softly, “Didn’t I tell Wu Wu? If it’s considered being unreasonable, then three hundred strikes might be too harsh.”

 

“Brother will give Wu Wu a chance.”

 

“Do you want it?”

 

Wu Jing instinctively nodded, “Yes, yes.” He sniffled, having stubbornly refused to be punished a moment ago, but now he accepted Ning Qinghong’s offer to reduce the punishment.

 

Dazed, he wasn’t aware that his own limits were unconsciously retreating step by step.

 

Ning Qinghong extended his fingers, gesturing to Wu Jing.

 

Wu Jing wished he could curl up and hide in the ground. Trembling, he still reached for Ning Qinghong’s hand, making a soft sound and calling out, “Brother.”

 

He didn’t know if this pitiful plea would be effective.

 

Ning Qinghong drew him into an embrace, “Wu Wu? Come up here.” He coaxed gently, “It will be over soon, don’t cry.”

 

Wu Jing’s eyes were blurred with tears, unable to see clearly. He climbed onto the couch, instinctively kneeling and hugging Ning Qinghong’s neck.

 

Ning Qinghong’s fingers lightly pressed against the boy’s thigh, circling to block him, “Kneel up, don’t sit down.”

 

Wu Jing had to tremble and straighten up, his knees apart, bending at Ning Qinghong’s sides. Because he was supporting himself on Ning Qinghong’s shoulders, he was slightly higher than Ning Qinghong.

 

But only slightly.

 

The boy’s frail figure made even this position seem too large, his clothes hanging loosely and smoothly to the ground. He cried while being careful not to let his tears fall on Ning Qinghong.

 

Fortunately, the soft couch meant that kneeling for a long time wasn’t too painful.

 

Ning Qinghong said, “Take off your outer garment.”

 

Wu Jing didn’t understand why he had to undress before getting punished. It seemed like he could be allowed to sleep after that, which didn’t seem too bad.

 

Since it was already so painful,

 

he didn’t want to apply medicine anymore.

 

Wu Jing awkwardly pulled his hand out of his sleeve, managing to remove one sleeve. The smooth fabric made his outer robe slide off easily. Once it was off, he steadied himself on Ning Qinghong’s shoulder again.

 

While wiping his tears, he shakily extended his hand to Ning Qinghong, “Brother, be gentle, please.”

 

He was already sobbing and stuttering.

 

Ning Qinghong held him by the waist with one hand and picked up the slender wooden ruler with the other, remaining unmoved. “Bend over.”

 

He applied a little force.

 

Wu Jing, confused, bent over with Ning Qinghong’s force, assuming a highly humiliating position. He was finally as high as Ning Qinghong, but his tailbone was arched outward.

 

Unable to stop hugging Ning Qinghong, he cried even harder.

 

Wu Jing suddenly felt a cold object against his tailbone. He was startled, his crying momentarily stopping. He heard Ning Qinghong’s gentle voice, “One strike equals ten, is that alright?”

 

Wu Jing could only shake his head.

 

Ning Qinghong continued, “Then it’s three hundred strikes. Has Wu Wu decided?”

 

Wu Jing shook his head and nodded, “Yes, yes…”

 

Ning Qinghong softly commanded, “Then Wu Wu should pull down his own clothes.”

 

Wu Jing choked on his sobs, closing his eyes tightly. He trembled as he reached for the hem of his clothes, and in the next moment, a cold breeze hit him, followed by sharp pain.

 

“Wah—”

 

“It hurts, it hurts—”

 

Wu Jing’s knees gave way entirely. He desperately clung to Ning Qinghong, trying to distance himself from the cruel object, pressing himself as close as possible. His face pressed against Ning Qinghong’s, tears soaking and sticking together.

 

Ning Qinghong didn’t pause, his pace steady and unhurried.

 

Wu Jing felt the pain intensify with each strike, making him cry almost to the point of losing consciousness. He frantically shouted, “Brother, brother—gentle, gentle—”

 

He tried to kiss Ning Qinghong’s brows and the corners of his lips, seemingly pleading for gentleness, hoping for an end to the punishment.

 

Suddenly, he felt a sharp sting somewhere, causing his waist to go limp, and the pain turned to a tingling, itching sensation. He vaguely heard Ning Qinghong say, “Wu Wu has sat down. We have to start over.”

 

Finally, Ning Qinghong stopped.

 

Wu Jing, crying, could only shake his head and tremblingly kneel up again, “No, no, it doesn’t count.”

 

Ning Qinghong used the tip of the ruler to measure from the center, from back to front, softly saying, “One strike equals a hundred, is that alright?”

 

Wu Jing was about to lose consciousness, just wanting the punishment to end quickly, and nodded repeatedly while crying, “Yes, yes.”

 

Ning Qinghong smiled, “Then Wu Wu cannot sit down anymore.”

 

The boy’s soft flesh trembled, his legs shaking uncontrollably. He still managed to hold onto Ning Qinghong’s shoulders, hugging him and burying his face, “No, no sitting.”

 

Ning Qinghong controlled his strength. The ruler was heavier than the palm, cushioned by flesh, but still, it was not overly damaging.

 

With the first strike, the boy’s waist bent even further, his tailbone jutting up. His cries were muffled, completely silent except for gasps.

 

Each strike scraped,

 

causing a mix of numbness and itching.

 

Ning Qinghong’s pace didn’t change, administering ten strikes, one at each end, before stopping.

 

The boy, resting on Ning Qinghong’s shoulder, had his eyes wide open, his tongue out, saliva flowing. He maintained this position for an unknown duration until the final strike made him shiver violently, with a sudden, mingled sound in his ears.

 

It was all mixed together,

 

completely embarrassing.