Transmigrated as the Emperor, but Slacking Off - Chapter 26.1

The next day, Wen Xing slept in until the sun was high in the sky. When he finally woke up, he was surprised to find that Ning Wujie had not pulled his usual vanishing act early in the morning. Instead, the young man was sitting upright in an armchair by the window, his head lowered as he wrote something down.

The youth wore a light-green, plain brocade robe with narrow sleeves and a subtle dark bamboo pattern. A wide belt cinched his taut, slender waist. His ink-black hair was bound high beneath a crown, held in place by a jade hairpin. He looked exceptionally clean-cut and handsome.

The murderous aura that had enveloped him last night had vanished without a trace. At this moment, as he dipped his brush in ink, the suspended joints of his wrist looked as elegant as carved jade. He looked more like a pure-hearted scholar from some prestigious academy than a young general who had rolled through a sea of blood and mountains of corpses.

Wen Xing sat up, propped his lower back against a soft pillow, and rested his chin on his hand, quietly admiring the beauty.

Outside the window, the maple leaves rustled softly in the wind.

After an unknown amount of time, Ning Wujie made his final stroke. His long eyelashes lifted slightly as if sensing something, and his gaze shifted toward the figure on the bed.

“Your Majesty.” He put down his brush and walked toward Wen Xing.

Wen Xing raised his eyes, feigning displeasure. “Did This Emperor not say that political affairs are not to be brought into the bedchamber?”

Ning Wujie glanced back at the booklet he had just finished writing by the window. Making no excuses, he simply said, “I await Your Majesty’s punishment.”

Wen Xing raised an eyebrow. “Any punishment This Emperor chooses?”

Wen Xing felt that there must be an evil little imp inside his heart, constantly urging him to do bad things.

“Then I punish you to dress This Emperor and feed This Emperor. You will be responsible for my daily life and meals today, and you are not allowed to delegate it to the servants.” As he spoke, he raised his arms. “Now, carry me up.”

If this had been the past, he would have definitely heard all kinds of excuses from Ning Wujie’s mouth. Wen Xing had already prepared to play his trump card and threaten him.

But today, Ning Wujie merely looked at him, leaned down, and actually scooped him up in a horizontal carry.

Wen Xing was speechless. Since when is he this obedient?

Maintaining his position in the horizontal carry, Wen Xing closely examined Ning Wujie’s earlobes, trying to spot that familiar flush of humiliation. But he saw nothing.

Wen Xing felt a bit dazed. So, Ning Wujie’s behavior last night wasn’t an anomaly—this stubborn bastard had actually stopped being stubborn! What had happened? What did Wen Xing do?

While immersed in self-reflection, Wen Xing felt like a completely helpless marionette, passively letting Ning Wujie strip off his sleepwear, change him into an inner tunic, and drape a casual robe over his shoulders.

He was pushed to sit in front of the mirror. Then, to his shock, he watched Ning Wujie smoothly pick up a comb and a hairpin to bind his hair!

Wait a minute. Wen Xing was no longer just flattered; he was downright terrified.

He turned his head mechanically to look at Ning Wujie. “Are you sick? Or have you been possessed by a voodoo curse?”

Where is that fierce, sensitive pride of a youth? Where is your towering, unyielding pride as a military general? Didn’t we agree you wouldn’t learn the ways of a male concubine?

Ning Wujie merely replied calmly, “Your servant is perfectly well.”

Wen Xing thought to himself: Well, I feel very unwell.

Once again, he became certain that he must be some kind of pervert. He preferred seeing Ning Wujie look humiliated and furious yet forced to submit, rather than this current low-browed, submissive docility.

This was completely, utterly wrong!

He refused to accept it. Something had definitely gone awry. He pondered, recalling how Ning Wujie had flipped him over after being kissed last night. Suddenly, enlightenment struck: It must be because I didn’t bully him harshly enough.

After all, when people are bullied for too long, they become numb. Their threshold for pain rises, requiring stronger stimulation. Wen Xing felt this was the only logical explanation.

Heh, just watch me force you back into your true colors.

Just as he was about to employ his old tricks and unleash a big move, he saw that Ning Wujie had finished binding his hair.

The youth spoke up, “The list Your Majesty requested has been compiled by your servant. Would you like to take a look?”

Wen Xing remembered that he had indeed assigned him such a task last night, but he hadn’t expected it to be ready so soon. Thus, he nodded.

Ning Wujie walked to the window, picked up the booklet he had just written on the desk, and handed it to Wen Xing.

“These are the names of the military officers. Ji Chengyun of the Five Thousand Camp, Xu Zhengchu of the Shenji Camp, and Yuwen Ming of the Three Thousand Camp are among the five currently in the capital. Locally, there are thirteen others, including Di Quan, the Deputy Commander of the Jinshan Guard, and Lu Mingzhi of the Xuanfu Guard.”

Wen Xing skimmed through the pages quickly. “Find an opportunity to expand their military power, but do not make it too obvious. You can only transfer their positions or give them overt demotions that are actually covert promotions.”

He handed the booklet back to Ning Wujie. “This Emperor knows you now hold the list of the Wang clan’s factions. However, to avoid alerting the enemy, we cannot touch their people just yet.”

The reason he was constrained by the Wang clan was that, aside from the many court officials clinging to them, there were also many in the military. This was the true source of confidence for this prominent aristocratic clan. Therefore, he needed to expand his control over the military to counterbalance the Wang clan.

However, Ning Wujie looked at him, his gaze suddenly turning incredibly deep. He warned in a low, heavy tone, “They all hail from the Ningyuan Army.”

Ning Wujie said this deliberately, wanting to see Wen Xing’s reaction. He held the brush on behalf of Heaven and commanded the investigation network; he appeared to wield terrifying power. But at the end of the day, he was merely a knife in the Emperor’s hand. As long as the Emperor was displeased, his power could be revoked at any moment. He was nothing more than a favored official. Such favorites could be replaced or even killed at any time.

But once the military was involved, the nature of the situation changed entirely.

These men from the Ningyuan Army shared a bond of brotherhood with him, his father, and his brother. They would never betray the Ning family. If he planted his own people across various factions of the army, whose orders would these men follow when their power grew in the future the Ning family’s or the Imperial family’s?

Military power was true power, sitting even above imperial authority. If he controlled the army in the future, deposing the Emperor would be effortless.

Despite such a glaring danger, would this foolish tyrant still…

To his surprise, Wen Xing looked at him with slight confusion. “Should it not be so? When you choose people, you naturally choose those you trust. Otherwise, what would be the point of This Emperor asking you to compile this list?”

Ning Wujie’s pupils trembled. In utter disbelief, he blurted out, “Is Your Majesty not afraid that your servant might harbor treasonous intentions in the future?”

Wen Xing gave him a meaningful look, thinking to himself: I’m afraid you won’t rebel.

Aloud, however, his tone was half-defiant and half-teasing. “Would Master Ning do that?”

As if feeling that these words weren’t stimulating enough, he stood up, closed the distance between them, and leaned into Ning Wujie’s ear. “This Emperor has placed my entire life and safety in Master Ning’s hands. Are you moved?”

A warm breath brushed against the root of his ear, causing Ning Wujie’s spine to stiffen.

However, realizing the underlying meaning in the foolish tyrant’s words, he clenched his fists tightly. He did not feel a shred of joy from this absolute trust. Instead, a chill ran down his spine due to the other man’s complete lack of crisis awareness.

Just because you fancy someone’s appearance, you can hand over your life and safety? Absurd!

Today you like my face, but what about tomorrow? If you meet another beautiful youth, will you let your lust dictate your actions again? Will you then pamper someone else into a powerful official, indulging them without boundaries, and even handing your life over to them?

At this thought, Ning Wujie grew nearly incandescent with rage, his teeth clenched tight. He desperately wished he could punch some sense into this foolish tyrant! What was the use of him caring so much and feeling so much heartache?!

Within his close-quarters vision, Wen Xing finally saw the fire of anger return to Ning Wujie’s eyes, along with the flushed corners of his eyes.

Now that’s more like it. Wen Xing curled his lips into a smile. This kid was finally back to normal.

Ning Wujie cast a sidelong glance at him, his initially gentle gaze turning abruptly cold. “Your Majesty is of imperial blood. Your servant fears I cannot bear the weight of Your Majesty’s life and safety.”

“Master Ning is too modest. If This Emperor says you can bear it, then you can bear it.” The foolish tyrant laughed, completely oblivious to the anomaly in the youth’s expression. In a thoroughly pleasant mood, he wandered out to the outer room to have his meal.

Ning Wujie stared fixedly at the tyrant’s retreating figure, his mind a chaotic vortex of thoughts.

What should I do? What on earth should I do?!

A lecher will one day shift his affections because of lust. Must I really wait until this foolish tyrant grows tired of me and finds another beautiful youth to favor? Will this tyrant hand over military power just like today, plunging himself into a situation of eternal damnation?

Ning Wujie suddenly felt a deep sense of helplessness. He closed his eyes. After a long while, though it was unclear what he had realized, his gaze suddenly hardened with resolve.

The Arsenal Bureau of the Ministry of Works

From afar, the cry of “An Imperial Edict arrives!” echoed. The officials currently on duty were filled with astonishment. Ever since the Emperor had neglected state affairs, they hadn’t heard the imperial voice for several months.

Not daring to delay, everyone put down their work and knelt in unison to receive the edict.

The eunuch delivering the decree unfurled the yellow silk scroll and announced: “By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Xue Shichang, the Supervisor of the Gunpowder Depot of the Arsenal Bureau under the Ministry of Works, privately sold gunpowder to the criminal Gu Chengping for an attempted assassination of a court official. The evidence of the crime is distinct and clear. In accordance with the law, he is to be summarily executed by decapitation, his head displayed on a pike, and his family property confiscated by the state. Zhang Qianzhi, the Director of the Arsenal Bureau, failed in his oversight and cannot escape the charge of dereliction of duty. He is hereby stripped of his post and official registry, never to be employed again. Respect this.”

As the words fell, Xue Shichang panicked completely, crying out, “Injustice! When did this official sell gunpowder to a criminal? This is a groundless fabrication! I am a court official; how can I be executed without a trial?!”

The delivering eunuch sneered, “If you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it in the first place.”

“That Gu Chengping tried to kill the apple of His Majesty’s eye. The Gu family was raided that very day—were they not also destroyed without a trial? What kind of end you would meet for aiding such a criminal… do you truly not have any inkling in your heart?”

Xue Shichang’s pupils dilated with terror. “I… I didn’t know! I didn’t know! Injustice!”

The eunuch waved his hand, and two imperial guards dragged the man away. They then removed the official hat of the chief officer, Zhang Qianzhi, before turning on their heels to leave.

The remaining officials of the Arsenal Bureau broke into hushed whispers.

“Since when did His Majesty employ such thunderous methods? The case of Gu Chengping was only a few days ago, right? Has it even been fully investigated? He was in such a hurry to execute one and strip the other of his registry.”

“You don’t know? It’s all because someone harmed the apple of His Majesty’s eye. Word has it that Ning Wujie almost lost his life back then!”

“Last time, when the Prince of Pingyang beat the Dengwen drum, His Majesty openly fell out with the Wang clan just to protect Ning Wujie. Now that they’ve orchestrated a public assassination, it has likely enraged His Majesty. This is His Majesty demanding justice for his darling.”

One official commented coldly, “Since a foolish tyrant rules the court, Master Zhang, we might as well stop serving as officials.”

Zhang Qianzhi, though stripped of his official hat, was not angry. He merely sneered, “Since His Majesty values that boy from the Ning family so highly, why not just hand over the official seals of all the civil and military officials to him?!”

Several figures stood up abruptly. Exchanging glances as if sharing a tacit understanding, they followed Zhang Qianzhi out the door.

The official quarters instantly emptied by more than half, leaving the few remaining officials staring at one another.

A green-robed official, watching the retreating backs of those who had left, revealed a look of absolute clarity and scoffed coldly, “They speak with such righteous indignation, but they’re merely afraid the purge will reach their own heads. Thus, they strike first, slacking off to hold His Majesty hostage.”

Within the offices of the Arsenal Bureau, sighs continuously echoed from the remaining officials.

Dusk, The Hall of Imperial Supremacy

Empress Dowager Wang Fuwei sat regally on the screened seat behind the dragon throne. A trace of imperceptible smugness played on her lips as she looked down coldly at the two distinct factions of court officials below.

They were flinging accusations at each other, their spit flying without a shred of decorum. The roar of their arguments threatened to rip the roof off the hall.