Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 73

I’ve unlocked 2 chapters rn on Saturday- I’ll unlock the other (3rd one) on monday enjoy this early update

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty? Please wake up.”

“It’s already the Chen hour(7-9am). If you change clothes and have breakfast soon, you’ll just make it in time.”

There were faint sounds of servants urging from behind the curtain, their voices sharp and thin, typical of the eunuchs who served beside Ning Qinghong, and most of the servants in the Ning residence were eunuchs from the Inner Guard who were well-known.

Wu Jing had grown accustomed to the indistinguishable high-pitched voices. Annoyed by the noise, he buried himself deeper under the covers, curled up, and refused to get up.

He thought to himself, no wonder that person, being a eunuch, was different from others everywhere.

He drowsily wanted to go back to sleep.

Unless Ning Qinghong came in person, Wu Jing, who was not particularly bold but knew when he could be lazy, would not dare to stay in bed if someone else was urging him.

The servants certainly wouldn’t dare say anything to him.

He couldn’t hear, couldn’t hear.

Wu Jing covered his ears.

“Your Majesty? The carriage for leaving the residence is all prepared. We need to set off in an hour. Your Majesty?” The eunuch urged in various ways, “The bell at the Guozijian (Imperial Academy) will ring in about an hour. Today is your first day attending the Guozijian. If you’re late, it might leave a poor impression on the tutor.”

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”

The voices outside the curtain continued to respectfully persuade, but Wu Jing’s drowsiness was completely gone. He didn’t quite understand what was happening; it was too sudden and he was very tired.

He felt bewildered.

Leaving the residence? Carriage?

Were they going to send him away without a word?

What was the Guozijian or Guozixue (Imperial Academy)? Why did he need to go there? What was the bell for? In another hour… was Ning Qinghong really going to send him somewhere else?

So petty; was it because he ignored him yesterday morning?

Why like this?

After everything that had happened, how could they just stop paying attention to him like that? What was this?

He was just a little disobedient,

Did that mean everything he received was to be taken back?

How unfair.

Wu Jing slowly curled up tighter, thinking a lot in just a few moments. He felt he couldn’t stay at someone else’s place indefinitely. Carefully pulling off the covers, he said quietly, “I’ll get up now… no, I’ll get up right away.”

He got up and sat at the side.

Hearing the noise, the servants immediately bent down and lifted the curtain, waiting for their master to get up.

Wu Jing lifted the covers, lowered his head to find his wooden clogs on the floor. He had kicked them off haphazardly when he got into bed the previous night, one here, one there. He had just put them on, then took them off again, and changed to put on the nearby socks and boots.

Then, he squatted down to neatly place the wooden clogs.

Like a guest in someone else’s home, he carefully avoided messing up the host’s things.

After arranging them, he prepared to wash up. Just as he stood up, the door to the bedroom was opened by the attendants, and they entered in a neat line.

The lead was Fu Chen, who entered with clothes in hand, bowing and lowering his head. He seemed to have waited outside for a long time, and his robe was damp from moving around.

Even without Ning Qinghong present, Fu Chen was still respectful.

Fu Chen smiled and said, “Your Majesty, you’re finally awake. Today you’re going to the Guozijian to study with the other students. Although the tutor chosen by Lord Ning is elderly, fortunately, he is patient and rarely disciplines students harshly.” He continued, “He is a notable scholar in the Confucian Dao.”

“Rest assured, for the time being, just listen in the academy. The dishes for lunch, as well as morning and afternoon tea and snacks, will be sent from the residence. The attendants who accompany you in the academy are also our own people.”

“Everyone in the academy is from the capital’s high-ranking officials’ families, so they are concerned with their reputation and will not deliberately make things difficult.”

“Every day, the bell rings around the Si hour, and classes end at noon. After a break of about an hour and a half, there will be another hour of study, and you can leave the academy by the You hour.”

“When the time comes, the Ning residence’s carriage will wait outside the academy. I will personally guard the carriage, and even if you forget me, a lantern with the character ‘Ning’ will hang from the carriage’s eaves.”

“You can recognize it by looking for the character.”

“Master said, if Your Majesty forgets how to write the character ‘Ning,’ you can look—”

Fu Chen went on, meticulously detailing every step to ensure the young emperor understood and remembered everything.

Word by word, he recited it.

Fu Chen handed the tray to another servant and picked up the clothes from outside, revealing the embroidery, “Each piece of clothing has the character ‘Ning’ embroidered by the seamstress from the Clothing Office. Even the handkerchiefs you use daily have the character embroidered on the bottom right corner.”

“If you truly cannot recognize it, you can have your attendant guide you. Every morning, before the Si hour, they will take you to the Guozijian, and in the evening, they will pick you up and return you to the residence.”

“If anyone at the academy bullies you, just let me know, and someone will handle it.”

“Of course, if Your Majesty prefers to stay in the palace, that is also fine. But the journey from the palace to the Guozijian is quite far, and you would have to wake up half an hour earlier each day.”

“If you can’t get up, you can continue staying at the Ning residence.”

After finishing this long list, Fu Chen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He looked at the slightly dazed emperor and said softly, “Your Majesty? If there’s nothing you don’t understand, please proceed with washing up and changing.”

Wu Jing, still dazed, nodded and walked clumsily to the copper basin on the rack. His ears were red as he used a warm towel to cover his face and rubbed it vigorously.

He tried to clear his mind of the confusing thoughts.

But…

Wu Jing opened his lips and put down the towel, asking quietly, “Why do I have to go to another place to study? Isn’t Ning Qinghong going to teach me himself?”

Did he find him troublesome?

Was he being disobedient and throwing a tantrum?

Wu Jing lowered his eyelids again.

Fu Chen smiled, “There’s a reason for this.” He waved his hand, signaling everyone else to leave.

Once Wu Jing had cleaned his mouth with tooth powder, Fu Chen personally assisted him with dressing and donning his crown, doing so with utmost respect and meticulousness.

“Your Majesty, don’t take offense. This is a serious matter and shouldn’t be overheard by others,” Fu Chen said. “Recently, Lord Ning has not been in a good mood, which is why you are being sent to the Guozijian for study.”

Wu Jing, who was somewhat familiar with Fu Chen and not too afraid of him, boldly asked, “Is it that he finds me…”

It seemed unlikely that someone would push him away just because they were in a bad mood. Perhaps it was more that he was too slow-witted, taking a long time to learn even one character, and Ning Qinghong might be losing patience with teaching him.

Or maybe it was just an excuse for his bad mood.

“Your Majesty! You must be joking,” Fu Chen said awkwardly. “You mustn’t say this to Lord Ning. It has nothing to do with you.”

Fu Chen hurriedly said, “The Lord is indeed in a bad mood and needs to take medication and rest. He has no interest in seeing anyone right now.”

Wu Jing repeated the words, “…anyone.”

Fu Chen, sweating profusely, corrected himself, “Not anyone, but I am inept.” He immediately slapped his own mouth, saying, “I misspoke.”

Wu Jing was startled, unsure why someone would hit themselves. He had never seen this before and instinctively shrank back, looking bewildered.

Fu Chen said, “The relationship between Your Majesty and Lord Ning is not something that can be summed up with just ‘anyone’.” He pleaded, “Please do not mention this to Lord Ning.”

Wu Jing, feeling helpless, nodded, “I won’t say anything.” He then added, “Thank you for helping me with my clothes.”

Fu Chen sighed in relief, “That is what I should do.” He continued, “It’s just that Lord Ning does not wish to interact with anyone right now, but it is acceptable for you.”

“It’s for Your Majesty’s safety that you are temporarily staying here and going to the academy for study.”

“Please don’t be upset.”

His safety? Wu Jing didn’t quite understand how Ning Qinghong’s unwillingness to interact with people related to his own safety.

Or did it mean there was danger in staying with Ning Qinghong now?

Wu Jing asked, “Why?”

“Because Lord Ning has epilepsy, his mood fluctuates, and during unstable periods, he treats everyone equally, regardless of their relationship.”

“It’s better for Your Majesty to keep your distance at this time.”

After explaining briefly, Fu Chen forced a smile, “Look, I’ve talked so much, we’re running out of time. Hurry, have some breakfast, and then we’ll head to the carriage.”

As Wu Jing was led outside, he seemed still a bit disoriented. He vaguely heard Fu Chen say, “The Lord also gave you an alias to prevent anyone from recognizing you. Your surname is Ning, and you can choose the character that follows.”

“Everything has been arranged properly by Lord Ning, so please don’t worry.”