Becoming Puppet Emperor of a Paranoid Eunuch - Chapter 95

Wu Jing was placed on the couch, and the candlelight in the bedroom was extinguished. Ning Qinghong leaned against the couch, holding Wu Jing in his arms, his eyes closed as he gently stroked Wu Jing’s back with his fingertips.

 

He was very tired, had been resting for a long time, and had little energy left, yet he felt light, and his sleep wasn’t restful.

 

In contrast, Wu Jing quickly fell asleep in his arms. Before sleeping, he anxiously glanced at Ning Qinghong a few times, but ultimately, the habit of being held like this for a long time won out.

 

He thought Ning Qinghong seemed to be asleep and even cautiously moved closer to check Ning Qinghong’s breathing. Although he didn’t dare to move around anymore, he relaxed his mind.

 

He fell asleep leaning against Ning Qinghong, with tear stains at the corners of his eyes, making him look pitiful with his still swollen eyes.

 

Ning Qinghong slept fitfully, waking up and falling back asleep intermittently.

 

Wu Jing, on the other hand, slept soundly. As Ning Qinghong stroked his brows and cheeks, Wu Jing only subconsciously nuzzled against him, murmuring softly in his sleep.

 

The boy’s body was warm and soft,

 

and he burrowed even deeper into Ning Qinghong’s embrace.

 

He had no idea that he had been kissed on his brow, and after a pause, on the side of his lips as well. Even in his sleep, when he sensed the touch, he instinctively tilted his head up, offering his face obediently.

 

Ning Qinghong kissed him lightly again.

 

…So obedient.

 

The next morning, Wu Jing woke up naturally.

 

He was still a bit dazed, staring blankly for a while, and even wanted to stay in bed a little longer, finding a comfortable position to continue lying there.

 

As he buried his face in Ning Qinghong’s neck, memories of the previous night slowly surfaced, making him stiffen for a moment. He carefully glanced at the person beside him.

 

Ning Qinghong’s eyes were closed, seemingly still asleep.

 

Wu Jing quietly let out a breath of relief. He was a little hungry and also thirsty, and he needed to go to the bathroom.

 

He wanted to get up but didn’t quite dare.

 

He stared at Ning Qinghong, hoping for permission, but didn’t want to wake him up. Ning Qinghong was still unwell, so being able to sleep must have been difficult for him.

 

After wrestling with his thoughts for a while, Wu Jing cautiously climbed out of bed and whispered, “I’ll be right back.”

 

As soon as Wu Jing got off the couch and took a couple of steps, he was startled by the servant kneeling behind the screen. After bumping into the servant, he only dared to look back at Ning Qinghong, thinking there must be something that needed handling and wanting to wait for Ning Qinghong to give instructions.

 

But when he saw Ning Qinghong’s silhouette still behind the curtain, he remembered that Ning Qinghong was still asleep, and he immediately felt lost again.

 

Wu Jing avoided the direction where the servant was kneeling and softly reminded, “He… he hasn’t woken up yet.”

 

The servant, Fu Chen, raised his head from the ground and respectfully clasped his hands, explaining with difficulty, “This old servant isn’t here to see Lord Qiansui, but to seek out you, Little Master.”

 

Wu Jing instinctively pointed at himself, stammering, “…Me?”

 

Fu Chen replied in a low voice, “The lord is currently too unwell to attend to matters, and this servant dares not act on my own. Does His Majesty intend to go to the Imperial Academy for lessons today, or will you stay in the residence?”

 

The emperor had been with Lord Qiansui since last night, and it happened to be a time when His Majesty was in a bad mood. Fu Chen had been kneeling here for a long time, waiting for the Little Master to wake up.

 

He didn’t dare to wake up His Majesty, who was sleeping with Lord Qiansui, for fear that Lord Qiansui would wake up displeased and punish him.

 

It was only after seeing Wu Jing leave the couch that he hurried over to ask.

 

Was His Majesty going to school today or not?

 

Wu Jing was stunned for a moment, instinctively glancing back, hoping for Ning Qinghong to make the decision.

 

This matter was truly a big deal for him. Whether it was going to school or being here, even asking for leave from school required parental approval. But now that he wasn’t at home, Ning Qinghong had been handling all his affairs.

 

This was the first time Wu Jing had to make a decision on his own, and he felt a sense of panic, as if someone who only knew how to cause trouble was suddenly being asked to take charge.

 

“Your Majesty? The Imperial Academy bell will ring in half an hour. If you don’t make a decision soon, it might be too late to send someone to request leave,” Fu Chen reminded, then added, “If you’re late, so be it. Please don’t worry, Your Majesty. There are other matters that this servant needs your guidance on.”

 

“During Lord Qiansui’s illness, does His Majesty intend to go to court? Lord Qiansui previously mentioned that you are supposed to attend the Grand Court every three days, but since the lord is ill now…”

 

“If you stay in the residence to accompany Lord Qiansui, that would also be fine. You needn’t worry about the discussions at court; the Imperial Guard will handle things as necessary.”

 

“However, if His Majesty stays with the lord, could this servant trouble you to ask when Lord Qiansui might be in the mood to look at memorials?”

 

“Should this servant read them aloud, or would His Majesty like to read them instead?”

 

Fu Chen became increasingly cautious as he spoke, tactfully suggesting, “As His Majesty knows, when Lord Qiansui is with you, he always dismisses the servants from his service.” He added with a wry smile, “This old servant fears offending the two masters, so if it’s inconvenient, I will wait outside the door for your summons.”

 

Wu Jing listened to all of this, feeling dizzy and hesitant. He still couldn’t help but glance back longingly at Ning Qinghong, almost as if he could see through the screen. He gripped the screen, his thoughts in a whirl, and said in a panicked voice, “Can’t we just do the same as before… whatever we did last time?”

 

Fu Chen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “Previously, His Majesty wasn’t with Lord Qiansui, but this time the lord hasn’t recovered within a day, and it might take several more days.”

 

He was in a difficult position, not knowing how to serve them. Lord Qiansui had no energy to give instructions on these trivial matters, and the situation was different from before. As servants, they were terrified of inadvertently intruding on the masters’ affairs, fearing that they might be punished harshly, perhaps even losing an eye or an ear.

 

Fu Chen was on the verge of kowtowing to the emperor.

 

Wu Jing didn’t understand the intricacies of the situation. He didn’t even pick up on the implied meanings in Fu Chen’s tactful speech. He opened his mouth and stammered, “I… I’ll… I’ll think about it.”

 

He squeezed out the words with difficulty.

 

The young boy hurried back behind the screen, his wooden clogs clattering as he ran back to the bedside. He was about to lift the curtain when his fingers paused, remembering that Ning Qinghong was still ill.

 

Would it be too much to ask him to push through his fatigue to handle these matters?

 

Wu Jing hesitated for a long time, head lowered and hands fidgeting, before he finally squatted down by the bedside. After a while, he softly said, “Then I’ll… go to school in a bit?”

 

“It’s not that I don’t want to stay with you. You wanted me to learn to read, and I’ve finally made some progress, so I can’t give up halfway.”

 

“The old teacher also has expectations for me. I promise I won’t goof around with others at school today. I’ll pay attention in class and come back as soon as the bell rings.”

 

He clutched the edge of the bed. “You… you always drink that medicinal soup, but it’s not good for your health…” He hesitated. “I… I’m leaving?”

 

Wu Jing spoke in a soft voice, hoping Ning Qinghong could hear him, but also not wanting to wake him. After speaking, he reluctantly left the bedside, looking back with every step.

 

The servants outside were waiting for him. When they saw him come out, they immediately stepped forward to assist the emperor with washing up and changing clothes.

 

Wu Jing said to Fu Chen, “I just attended court yesterday. Every three days means the day after tomorrow, right? You can come find me then and wake me up early.” After thinking for a moment, he added, “I’ll ask him about the memorials when I return.”

 

“I’ll go to school today, but…”

 

“I want…”

 

He lowered his voice.

 

A quarter of an hour later, Wu Jing had finished washing up and changing into new clothes. He also went to the small room, but he didn’t have time to eat breakfast. The servants brought a food box onto the carriage for him to eat on the way.

 

He didn’t have much appetite, and after a few bites of cake, he put the rest back.

 

His mind wasn’t focused at all on the lessons he was about to attend.

 

Earlier, he hadn’t been so worried, but now that he was living with someone and cared about them, it felt wrong to leave them alone all day, especially when they were spending nearly the entire day indoors, not eating three proper meals, and only drinking a bowl of medicinal soup.

 

Even if it wasn’t uncomfortable before, it would become uncomfortable.

 

Wu Jing was worried, but he forced himself to focus on the lessons, listening to the old teacher’s lecture on the “Book of Songs.”

 

He had learned many characters, and now he could barely follow along with the text and understand what the teacher was explaining. But memorizing the complicated classical Chinese phrases and their meanings was still difficult for him.

 

When the noon class ended, he declined his classmates’ invitations to eat at a restaurant or the school dining hall. Instead, he wrapped himself in his fox fur cloak and hurried out.

 

Wu Jing panted as he got onto the carriage, finally catching his breath. The noon break at the Imperial Academy lasted about an hour and a half, three hours in total. That should be enough time, right?

 

At the gates of Ning’s residence, the young boy jumped off the carriage.

 

He found the midday heat uncomfortable, so he clutched his fox fur cloak and ran inside.

 

Wu Jing sprinted all the way to the bedroom door. He hadn’t yet caught his breath when he pushed open the door, and his eyes lit up when he saw Ning Qinghong sitting beside the spring chair, brewing tea with his eyes half-closed. The young boy suddenly froze.

 

He became cautious again, standing dumbly in place. His breath came in gasps as he nervously said, “I… I’m back.”

 

His heart and eyes were filled with Ning Qinghong,

 

yet there was a hint of tentative fear,

 

and an eager longing.

 

Ning Qinghong put down the tea cup and silently beckoned him over.

 

Wu Jing hesitated for a moment, then took a couple of tentative steps forward. Receiving silent permission, he finally broke into a small run, a shy smile curling his lips as he felt a small sense of satisfaction.

 

The young boy stopped beside Ning Qinghong, not daring to throw himself directly into his arms. After a moment of hesitation, he squatted down beside Ning Qinghong’s knee, resting his chin on his leg and nervously fidgeting with his hands.

 

He stammered, “I didn’t skip school.”

 

“I came back on purpose. I’ll go back to school after lunch and won’t return until the bell rings at dusk.”

 

“Today, the teacher lectured on the ‘Book of Songs’… I think that’s what it’s called?”

 

“I’ve memorized it, but there are still some characters I don’t know how to write…”

 

“Someone at school asked me to go to a teahouse for lunch, but I didn’t accept…”

 

Wu Jing reported all of this, as if sharing some small, happy moments. Finally, he carefully raised his face to look at Ning Qinghong, who was gazing down at him, and asked, “I’m a little hungry.”

 

“Brother, are you hungry?”

 

Jiu Qiansui –  Ning Qinghong’s Name