Transmigrated as the Emperor, but Slacking Off - Chapter 23

“Or would you prefer I have your elder brother stripped bare and sent into the palace?”

Ning Wujie lowered his eyes and walked toward the Sovereign. A pair of slender feet first entered his field of vision; having been soaked in the hot spring water, the skin was as translucent as thin porcelain, with faint blue veins tracing across the bony ridges of the toes. The beautiful nails shimmered subtly under the dim yellow candlelight.

His heart gave a violent jolt.

The Emperor had unknowingly changed into a moon-white undergarment. The gossamer silk lay lightly over his legs, revealing the jade-like flesh beneath, while water droplets traced the curves of his calves and vanished into the shadows.

Ning Wujie looked away, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “This subject is ignorant of massage. I fear my hands will be too heavy and harm Your Majesty.”

Wen Xing looked up. The youth stood before him in a stylish, wide-sleeved long robe. A few strands of dark hair fell across his forehead; his high ponytail had not been removed, the hairpin piercing through the crown. Long silken hair cascaded down to his waist, accentuating a spine as straight as a pine tree.

Ning Wujie’s tilted head happened to expose the reddened tips of his ears to Wen Xing’s gaze. Wen Xing curled his lips. Why does he turn red so easily? He didn’t understand. Is it a teenage sensitive phase?

Wen Xing provocatively lifted a foot and gave Ning Wujie’s upper thigh a light nudge. He teased, “I don’t mind.”

Ning Wujie’s breath hitched. A numbing, shivering sensation shot through the spot where he had been nudged, like an electric shock. Reflexively, he grabbed Wen Xing’s mischievous ankle.

Being held in such a death grip, Wen Xing was startled. He saw the youth staring straight at him, the corners of his eyes tinged with red whether from burning rage or a sense of grievance, he couldn’t tell.

“Release me.”

Ning Wujie refused to let go, merely staring. Wen Xing felt as if he were prey being targeted by a wild beast; for a moment, he actually felt a trace of panic under that gaze.

“Ning Wujie,” he warned in a deep voice.

He saw the youth suddenly close his eyes and kneel on one knee. Then, in a deep, raspy voice, he asked: “Your Majesty, may I massage however I please?”

Wen Xing curled his lips, looking at him playfully. “As long as you don’t hurt me.”

Ning Wujie lowered his eyes. One hand gripped the Emperor’s heel, while the other curled the knuckle of his index finger. A flash of light flickered in his eyes as his knuckle pressed down on a specific acupoint on the sole of Wen Xing’s foot.

“Pfft—”

An unbearable itch instantly surged from the sole of his foot straight to his heart. Wen Xing couldn’t help but burst into loud laughter.

“Hahahaha release me!”

The itch was so intense it felt like his heart was being clawed. Wen Xing began to struggle violently. “You are insolent it tickles hahahaha! Ning Wujie hahaha!”

One of his feet kicked and shoved against Ning Wujie’s thigh, but the other ankle was held by a massive force that rendered escape impossible. The itch from his sole continued to drill into his heart, making him roar with laughter until he curled into a ball.

“Re… release—hahahaha—Ning Wujie, you dare commit regicide!”

“Help—guards—hahahaha—regicide!”

Outside the door, Xing He heard the word “regicide” and was about to burst in, but he was blocked by the old eunuch’s arm. “The couple is just playing around. You’re just a kid; don’t go meddling.”

Xing He said nervously, “But Master is shouting ‘regicide’!”

Li Dequan calmly patted Xing He’s head. “What do you know? That’s called ‘chamber playfulness’.”

Xing He rubbed his head where it stung from the tap and muttered, “Regicide is called chamber playfulness too?”

The younger eunuchs all lowered their heads to their waistbands, stifling their laughter.

Wen Xing had laughed until he was breathless. He was curled up like a boiled shrimp, his entire body flushed pink. He gasped for air, his voice as faint as a mosquito’s: “…If you don’t… let go, I will… kill you.”

Ning Wujie raised an eyebrow and finally let go, a smile he didn’t even notice himself curling the corner of his lips. “Did Your Majesty not say: as long as it doesn’t hurt?”

Wen Xing gasped for a long time before he caught his breath. His stomach even ached from the laughter. His voice was still weak. “You are insolent. You did that on purpose.”

Wen Xing’s tensed muscles finally relaxed, and he sprawled out. “Stupid brat.” Truly repays every grievance. “Hurry and rub my stomach; it hurts so much.”

He had laughed too long and too hard; now his abdomen was throbbing with pain. Whether out of guilt or something else, Ning Wujie was very obedient this time. His palm pressed against Wen Xing’s lower abdomen, performing gentle, circular massages.

Wen Xing closed his eyes contentedly. “So you do know how to massage.”

The palm on his abdomen paused for an instant before continuing its slow movements. Wen Xing let out a sigh, finally over the pain, and said hauntingly: “You committed regicide. What should your punishment be?”

A flicker of light moved in Ning Wujie’s eyes. “Your Majesty wrongs me.”

Wen Xing swore he could hear a sense of grievance in Ning Wujie’s calm, emotionless tone. Not true grievance, but feigned grievance.

Wen Xing suddenly sat up, interrupting Ning Wujie’s massage. “I must punish you properly, otherwise I’ll spoil you until you’re lawless.”

As he rose, his already loose collar slid down, nearly exposing all the skin beneath to Ning Wujie’s looming gaze from the hollow of his collarbone all the way down to his lower abdomen, which was partially hidden by the overlapping fabric.

Ning Wujie hurried to look away, the tips of his ears turning red again.

Wen Xing thought for a moment and hummed, “Since you can’t handle the ‘Way of Serving the Sovereign’ properly, then you shall warm my bed.”

Ning Wujie was stunned. “What?”

Seeing his nervous look, Wen Xing’s dissatisfaction from being teased earlier vanished. “You shall be my…” He said word by word, “…bed-warming maid.”

Ning Wujie’s temple gave a heavy throb. He had handled cases involving many nobles, and thus he had heard of these “bed-warming maids” in high-ranking households. While called “bed-warming,” what they did wasn’t limited to just warming the bed. Sometimes they had to…

At that thought, the corners of Ning Wujie’s eyes grew even redder, and his fists clenched tight. This faint-hearted ruler… is treating him like a bed-warming maid? …Shameless!

He nearly turned to leave. But as he turned, he heard the Emperor say lazily from behind: “If you don’t do it, I’ll have someone else do it. For example…”

“Your. Elder. Brother.”

Ning Wujie closed his eyes in utter helplessness. Always this. He was nearly becoming numb to it.

Wen Xing smiled and went even further, reaching out his arms. “Carry me back to the bedchamber.”

Ning Wujie didn’t move, saying coolly: “Why doesn’t Your Majesty just kill me and my brother together? I believe my brother would understand.”

Wen Xing raised an eyebrow in surprise. This move doesn’t work anymore? He had always used Ning Wujie’s brother as his ultimate trump card; as long as he mentioned the brother, this kid would be obedient. Is warming the bed such an excessive request? Did I hit a bottom line?

Wen Xing thought about it and quickly understood. This stubborn man hated him and wanted to avoid him, while warming the bed was directly contrary to his wishes. Wen Xing’s eyes lit up with a wicked gleam; that made him even less likely to let this man go.

The Sovereign continued to threaten: “Then I shall charge you with regicide and execute your entire clan.”

Ning Wujie suddenly turned back, looking at Wen Xing in disbelief. “You…” The words “Faint-hearted ruler” swirled in his throat but were eventually swallowed. He didn’t believe the Emperor would truly execute his clan; he was just shocked by this method of threat. What kind of Emperor, whose word is law, keeps ‘executing nine generations’ on the tip of his tongue? Is it a game? Isn’t it childish?

Oh. This Sovereign would.

While he was speechless, he saw Wen Xing lift his arms and urge: “Quickly. Carry me.”

He kept his face expressionless and twitched his lips before finally, and very reluctantly, bowing to scoop the man up in a horizontal carry. Passing through the outer room, he took a cloak from an attendant and draped it over Wen Xing, carrying him all the way to the palanquin.

Ning Wujie placed the man on the couch. The Sovereign shifted his rear to make room and patted the bed. “Get up here.”

Ning Wujie looked at the Emperor’s playful gaze and said without emotion: “I still have much official business to handle. Does Your Majesty wish for me to bring my work into the bedchamber?”

Wen Xing squinted at him. “Is that clever brain of yours used specifically to deal with me?”

Ning Wujie lowered his eyes. “Does Your Majesty want me to review memorials for you, or warm the bed for you?”

Wen Xing chuckled. “Only children make choices. I want both.”

As he spoke, he pulled the man without allowing for argument. Caught off guard, Ning Wujie’s footing gave way, and he stumbled forward. However, his reflexes were sharp; he propped one arm against the edge of the couch to steady himself, stopping just inches from the Emperor’s face.

The two were close enough to feel each other’s breath; their breathing intertwined. Ning Wujie’s entire body was tensed; his knuckles on the couch-edge tightened until they turned white. He stared at Wen Xing without blinking. This ruler truly wants him to warm the bed…

His mind uncontrollably recalled those damp, lingering dreams, and the tips of his ears began to burn. However, seeing the Emperor’s playful face, he instantly remembered that box of ointment Zhai Yuanqing had given him. Based on how this Sovereign and everyone around them defined their relationship… could it be that this faint-hearted ruler wants to…

A certain string in his mind snapped. Ning Wujie’s handsome face instantly turned ashen, and he unconsciously applied force to the couch-edge, crushing it into several cracks in the blink of an eye. Faint-hearted ruler! In your dreams!

The person before him was as motionless as a stone. Wen Xing’s strength in pulling him was nothing compared to Ning Wujie’s. Wen Xing ordered: “The bed is so cold; how am I supposed to sleep? Warm it up quickly.”

Ning Wujie: ? He processed this for a moment. “Just warming the bed?”

Wen Xing frowned. “What else?” “Oh, right. If you want to work, that’s fine too. Read the memorials to me and approve them while you’re at it. Kill two birds with one stone.”

With that, he lay down and let out a hiss. It was indeed very cold. Even with the underfloor heating, it was chilly. He didn’t like using foot-warmers; they were too hot in the first half of the night and too cold in the second. He glanced at Ning Wujie, thinking he truly needed a constant-temperature “warming baby.”

The youth, in his plain silk wide-sleeved robe, had lost his usual sharp, murderous aura, leaving only a refined and dashing presence. He stood there dazed, looking at Wen Xing. Just as Wen Xing was about to urge him, he saw Ning Wujie’s brow suddenly relax. He let out an extremely faint chuckle and flipped onto the couch with agility.

The warm aura of the person beside him enveloped him, like the warm sun after the first snow, dispelling all the chill around him. Wen Xing curled his lips and closed his eyes contentedly.

The next day.

This was the best sleep Wen Xing had had since transmigrating. He didn’t have nightmares, didn’t wake up from the cold, and didn’t suffer from heart pain. He felt as if he were still in the hot spring pool from the night before, wrapped in warm water, even his bones feeling a melt-away weariness.

He rolled over and let out a comfortable sigh. Then, he realized his forehead had bumped into something hard. He frowned and felt around. Hard wasn’t exactly right; it was resilient, firm, and elastic. The feel was actually quite good. He couldn’t help but rub and squeeze it for a while, until his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Wen Xing opened his eyes. Once his vision focused, he was met with a handsome face inches away. The eyes were red-rimmed, with faint dark circles beneath, as if he had stayed up all night.

“Your Majesty… have you touched enough?” Ning Wujie asked coolly.

Wen Xing realized his hand was resting on the other’s chest. Eh. It really feels good to the touch. He even wanted to touch more, so he said honestly: “No. Let me touch more.”

Then, his fingers shamelessly gave the other’s pectoral muscle another squeeze.

Ning Wujie bolted upright and retreated as if he had been electrocuted. The look in his eyes held an indescribable, complex meaning.

Wen Xing looked at the man’s reddened ears and teased: “What?” “Did you just find out today that I am ‘easily swayed by beauty’?”

Ning Wujie twitched his lips. Recalling his own understanding of “warming the bed” from the night before, for a moment he didn’t know who exactly was the one swayed by beauty. He rubbed his temples with helplessness and then got out of bed.

However, as soon as his feet hit the floor, his gaze fell on a small damp patch on the hem of his robe. He immediately remembered that he had stayed up until the latter half of the night before finally being unable to resist falling asleep and he had still dreamed.

His entire body turned to stone. A roar seemed to echo in his internal organs, making his head buzz. He closed his eyes deeply and buried his face in his palms, wishing he could slap himself to death.

Wen Xing saw the man frozen with his back to him. A wave of red was visible, spreading from his neck all the way up, burning his entire ear through. If I reached out to touch it, I’d surely be scalded.

Before he could react, he heard the youth say: “I am going to change.” With that, the man vanished.

Wen Xing: ? Is the reaction time a bit long? Shouldn’t he have turned red when I squeezed his chest? I’ll try something else next time, he thought wickedly.

Wen Xing rarely stayed in bed until midday today. He rose feeling refreshed, changed his clothes, and ate a proper breakfast on time. Recalling the fatigue in Ning Wujie’s eyes compared to his own high spirits, a phrase suddenly popped into his mind: Gathering Yang to supplement Yin.

Wait, it should be gathering Yang to supplement Yang. “I’ll have the constant-temperature warmer warm my bed every day from now on,” he thought contentedly.

During his meal, an attendant came to report that an official was at the Meridian Gate with a coffin, seeking “remonstrance unto death.”

“That Supervising Secretary is speaking quite outrageously outside the gate. It is truly… too unpleasant.”

Wen Xing paused his eating, his interest piqued. “How unpleasant? Tell me.”

“The man said… said…” The eunuch peeked timidly at Wen Xing’s expression. “He said Lord Ning is ‘bewitching the Sovereign’… a ‘fox-like beauty bringing disaster to the Lord’.”

“Pfft—” Wen Xing was choked by his rinsing tea.

Wen Xing recalled Ning Wujie’s face. How should he put it? He was indeed very good-looking, but a very heroic kind of handsome. If he had to describe it, he was like the 3D model of an otome game male lead alpha as hell. It had nothing to do with being a “fox-like beauty.”

Wen Xing wiped the water from his lip. “Anything else?”

At that moment, Ning Wujie returned in clean clothes. Just as he stepped into the hall, he heard the eunuch say: “He said… Lord Ning is entangling the Emperor, engaging in… ‘secret affairs of the curtains’…” “Tempting Your Majesty to indulge in passion… and neglect state affairs…”

The eunuch couldn’t go on, his face turning red. Ning Wujie’s brows knitted tightly.

To their surprise, the Emperor burst into laughter. “He truly knows how to make things up. What does he actually want?”

The eunuch said: “He said he will ‘stain the palace gates with blood’, begging Your Majesty to arrest Lord Ning for a public confrontation, to ‘purge the Sovereign’s side’.”

Wen Xing let out a cold scoff, showing utter disdain. The eunuch said with difficulty: “Many commoners have already gathered outside the gate. If this isn’t stopped, I fear the rumors will become ‘truth’.”

“Where are the Imperial Guards? Where is the City Defense Force?” Ning Wujie asked coldly. “Do they not care?”

The eunuch shook his head. “The Imperial Guards say the area outside the gate isn’t part of the inner palace; they won’t interfere. The City Defense Force says the gate is within the Imperial City, so they can’t manage it either. Furthermore, he is an official of the Censorate; he remonstrates the Sovereign above and the officials below. There is no reason to arrest him.”

Ning Wujie’s eyes darkened. Was it mutual evasion of responsibility, or a deliberate setup? He pondered for a moment and said, “Then I shall go and meet him.” With that, he left on his own.

Watching Ning Wujie’s departing back, Wen Xing’s eyes shifted. He said to Li Dequan, “Prepare the carriage.”

The old eunuch beamed and complied. The entire court used to curse His Majesty for being lazy and neglectful, and he was unmoved. Now a minor secretary says a few words about the little beauty, and His Majesty can’t sit still. Tsk tsk tsk. Our Sovereign truly pities his man.

Thinking this, the old eunuch happily went to prepare the palanquin.