Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 71

The bed in the bedroom was clean, but the small couch was dirty. Ning Qinghong placed Wu Jing on the soft, plush bedding, making sure to add an extra layer to make the sleeping youth turn over.

 

He went to find the ointment, speaking softly, and gently coaxed Wu Jing to lift his legs, pulling down his underpants, and then slowly applied the ointment to the bruised and reddened flesh, working it into every secret corner.

 

He covered everything from back to front.

 

Every hidden spot was carefully attended to.

 

After all, it had been painful. If any area was missed, it might become uncomfortable when Wu Jing woke up the next day, and that could make him unhappy again.

 

Ning Qinghong’s movements were very gentle, but since the ointment needed to be fully absorbed, he rubbed it in for a long time, his fingers covered in the sticky, melted ointment.

 

In the next moment, he heard the youth making soft noises in his sleep.

 

It was a sign of extreme comfort.

 

A natural, faint sound, since he was dreaming, slightly resembling a moan, mixed with a touch of weeping.

 

Ning Qinghong paused for a moment, and then continued with the same slow and careful pace, making sure to finish thoroughly before withdrawing his hands. The sleeping youth began to fidget.

 

If the ointment rubbed off, it would be wasted.

 

Ning Qinghong sighed lightly. He wiped his hands clean, gently holding Wu Jing’s restless legs in place, applying a bit more pressure when he struggled, and finally waited until the youth settled back into a deep sleep before putting his underpants back on and covering him with a thin blanket.

 

He let Wu Jing’s nose remain exposed so he wouldn’t suffocate while sleeping.

 

The young man, with his black hair and snowy skin, still had a flushed complexion from what had happened earlier, but his breathing was shallow. He soon turned over restlessly, instinctively rolling to the outer side as if searching for something to hold.

 

After finding nothing, he seemed displeased and mumbled in his sleep, hugging the blanket as he drifted off.

 

He was looking for Ning Qinghong.

 

Ning Qinghong watched quietly for a while and then smiled when he saw Wu Jing’s movements. He rolled up his sleeve and gently pinched the youth’s nose, playfully teasing him.

 

Wu Jing was disturbed from his good dream, frowning in discomfort. His sleeping posture was always poor, and he immediately reached up to swat at Ning Qinghong’s hand.

 

Ning Qinghong’s hand was swatted away, and he shook his head with a smile.

 

After a while, he got up to clean up the mess in the room, crouching by the soft couch to pick up the dirty clothes, wrapping them with the wet bedding, folding them slowly, and cleaning up the water stains on the floor.

 

Then, he moved methodically to the door, calling for a servant to take the clothes away to be burned.

 

He had the servant carefully clean the seemingly smooth floor with a cloth, replace the bedding on the couch, and personally washed the wooden ruler in warm water, drying it with a cloth.

 

It would not be used in the future,

 

but it could be kept as a memento.

 

The next day, Wu Jing woke up naturally.

 

Although Ning Qinghong had said he would go to the morning court with him, he had been punished and thus was exempted.

 

When he woke up, he was still a bit groggy because Ning Qinghong was still by his side, dressed in his everyday clothes, leaning against the head of the bed, reviewing the documents sent from the palace to the Ning residence.

 

Wu Jing was momentarily stunned and then felt an unusual soreness from behind. It was no longer painful, and he tentatively moved his legs, finding that he could move them without pain.

 

There was still some soreness.

 

He realized that Ning Qinghong hadn’t tricked him; he had indeed controlled the force, and as he said, it was almost healed after a night.

 

Including his palms, the red marks disappeared within minutes.

 

Wu Jing felt a vague sense of guilt, as if he had cut himself slightly but had panicked and called for the Imperial Doctor, only to find the wound healed when he saw the doctor.

 

He pressed his lips together and carefully climbed out of bed.

 

Without looking at Ning Qinghong, he climbed out of the bed silently, intending to leave. Before he could take more than a few steps, he heard Ning Qinghong ask, “Wu Wu just woke up, where are you rushing off to?”

 

Wu Jing grumbled, “You said we were going to the morning court.”

 

Ning Qinghong laughed, “It’s just past the hour of the snake(9-11am). The officials at the court are already gone.”

 

Wu Jing was startled and instinctively looked back at Ning Qinghong with a surprised expression, wondering why he was still here.

 

Usually, Ning Qinghong would wake up at the fifth watch, wash, dress, and either have breakfast if there was time or go straight to the court if there wasn’t.

 

The Ning residence was far, so he would go earlier. When resting at the Yangxin Palace, he would wake up a bit later, but not too late.

 

There were small court meetings even after the grand court session.

 

After everything was done, and accounting for the travel time, it would be around ten o’clock. Since it was just past the hour of the snake, it was only about nine.

 

Wu Jing had figured it out.

 

Ning Qinghong set aside the documents and extended his hand to him, “Brother isn’t going today; he has things to do.” He smiled and continued, “I’m afraid Wu Wu will be upset with me, so I have to clear the day to make it up to you, right?”

 

“Come here, I’ll help you wash up and have breakfast. Is it still hurting?”

 

“Hmm? Why are you dazed again?”

 

Wu Jing snapped back to reality, conflicted for a while, and then turned his face away, “I don’t need you, I’ll do it myself.” He climbed down from the bed, put on his wooden clogs, and addressed the waiting servant, “I need to wash up and change.”

 

The servant looked at Ning Qinghong with a questioning glance.

 

Ning Qinghong just smiled and said nothing.

 

“Why are you looking at him?” Wu Jing asked, “Is he the emperor or am I the emperor?”

 

The servant was startled, “Your Majesty, please don’t speak like that.” He was just a servant and didn’t know what was going on with the two masters. It was truly an unwarranted disaster; The servant thought bitterly, but forced a smile, “I’ll go prepare now. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

 

After all, no matter how the emperor behaved, the esteemed master was still indulgent. If the emperor was unhappy, the one who would be punished was him.

 

The servant hurriedly went out as if chased by a fierce tiger.

 

Wu Jing felt a pang of guilt and gathered his thoughts, preparing to go to the basin to get a towel and dampen it to wash his face.

 

Just as he turned around, he heard Ning Qinghong’s light laugh.

 

Wu Jing became irritated again and quickly went to the copper basin, feeling uncomfortable under Ning Qinghong’s gaze, clumsily reaching for the towel.

 

“Wu Wu? That towel is used.”

 

Wu Jing had no choice but to take another towel. As he was dipping the towel in the water, Ning Qinghong reminded him in a gentle tone, “The water is already cold. Why don’t you wait for The servant to bring a fresh basin?”

 

Wu Jing froze for a moment, ignoring him, and wrung out the towel. He buried his face in it and wiped it randomly. Before he could continue, he heard Ning Qinghong laughing and saying, “You need to be careful while wiping your eyes. The ointment from last night needs to be cleaned thoroughly.”

 

The young man reflexively moved the towel around his eyes and then realized it didn’t make sense. When did the ointment get applied? He had gone to sleep very early last night.

 

Wu Jing tried to recall carefully but couldn’t remember anything. He was unsure if he had forgotten because he was too tired yesterday.

 

He didn’t doubt Ning Qinghong’s words at all.

 

After wiping his face clean, Wu Jing said, “I don’t need your help with the ointment. I can do it myself.” He spoke firmly while neatly folding the towel and putting it away.

 

He then heard Ning Qinghong’s light, amused voice behind him.

 

Ning Qinghong asked, “Will Wu Wu also apply the ointment on his back by himself?”

 

Wu Jing’s ears turned red instantly, and he stammered, “I-I can do it too.” He pressed his lips together, “Anyway, you don’t need to worry about it.”

 

Ning Qinghong responded with a smile, “Alright.”

 

At this moment, the servant, led by Fuchen, brought in a basin of warm water, along with tooth powder, willow branches, a set of clothes and a hairpin for the day, a cup of tea, and some snacks.

 

The array of items was dazzling.

 

Wu Jing, who had been insisting on doing things himself, didn’t know what to say to the servants. Before he could speak, the attendant said, “Your Majesty, let me help you change.” After changing his clothes, Wu Jing was handed the willow branch dipped in tooth powder for rinsing his mouth, and he didn’t need to move, as the servant held the basin for him to spit into.

 

Even the tea was held to his lips by someone, and the attendant cheerfully asked, “Your Majesty, which snack would you like?”

 

Wu Jing chose a small plum blossom cake, worried that the flaky crust might fall apart. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed it in one bite.

 

It was delicious.

 

The young man’s eyes brightened, and he wanted to take another piece himself.

 

Someone behind him said, “Wu Wu? You can’t eat too much; you still need to have breakfast later.”

 

Wu Jing paused, but continued reaching for another piece.

 

Ning Qinghong’s voice grew slightly stern, “Wu Wu.”

 

Wu Jing took another piece of cake, put it in his mouth, and said, “Can you stop calling me Wu Wu all the time? It’s really annoying.”

 

“I have my own name.”

 

“I just want to eat.”

 

Author’s Note:

 

Wuwu: Big Guts