Transmigrated as the Emperor, but Slacking Off - Chapter 31.1

Wen Xing’s days at the Lishan Hot Springs Palace were far too comfortable.

Because the sleeping quarters he resided in were close to the geothermal heat of the hot springs, the palace was constantly enveloped in a cozy warmth. Consequently, Ning Wujie used this as a godsend excuse; refusing to serve as his human heat pack at night anymore, he instead buried himself in continuous work over at the Qinzheng Hall.

Wen Xing figured he had probably broken the little pedant’s moral compass by dragging him into those two scandalous, unbridled escapades, causing the youth to now view him as if he were a predatory beast.

Thinking of this, he let out a low sneer.

What’s the big deal anyway? It’s nothing more than the exact same scandalous business every man does, except it was two people doing it together. How on earth can he be so thoroughly mortified?

He felt he hadn’t been nearly unbridled enough; sooner or later, he would have to drag this little pedant’s boundaries straight down into the gutter.

When that time came, he would finally be able to take him…

At that thought, a dangerous, calculating light flickered within the depths of his gem-like eyes.

Without anyone noticing, the days gradually bled into early spring.

The gentle early spring sun caused the fresh winter snow to melt away. At this moment, he was lounging lazily on a elevated viewing seat inside the Wangxin Pavilion by the lake, watching two teams aggressively competing in a game of cuju.

Perhaps because this was a detached imperial palace designed fundamentally for recreation, the variety of entertainment venues popping up left and right was significantly vast compared to the main imperial palace.

He had a completely different, non-repeating form of entertainment to indulge in every single day, leaving him profoundly regretting why he hadn’t packed up and relocated here much earlier.

The hair buns on Xing He’s head were bound by two vibrant blue ribbons that fluttered dynamically in the wind as he sprinted.

In the blink of an eye, he deftly maneuvered past two defenders, executing a mid-air sideways volley. The ball shot out with a sharp swoosh, landing precisely inside the narrow goal chamber.

Following a crisp clash of a gong, the scorekeeper bellowed at the top of his lungs: “The Blue Team scores two tallies!”

Xing He turned toward the high viewing platform, shouting excitedly toward Wen Xing: “Master! I won again!”

Wen Xing smiled, giving a grand wave of his wide silken sleeve. “Every victor shall receive a heavy imperial bounty!”

Hearing this, the members of the Blue Team erupted into a succession of ecstatic cheers.

“We thank Your Majesty for the bounty!”

The entire field was filled with a lively, roaring atmosphere.

In an excellent mood, Wen Xing gestured toward Xing He: “Come over here and rest for a moment.”

Xing He bounded over enthusiastically, instantly grabbing a pastry from the table and stuffing it into his mouth. His cheeks ballooned completely like a squirrel’s as he mumbled indistinctly, “Ma-sh-ter, the de-tached pa-la-ce is far too much fun! Can weee—”

Wen Xing tapped him lightly on the forehead. “One does not speak while dining, nor converse when retiring.”

Xing He swallowed with immense effort, downing a cup of tea to clear his throat before saying, “Can we just… not return to the main palace?”

Wen Xing leaned backward, sinking his entire body into a lounge chair buried beneath layers of plush cushions. The warm morning sun spilled over the pavilion’s eaves, illuminating half of his dark, silky hair.

He stated in a thoroughly relaxed tone, “We can.”

“Spectacular! I’m going to win another match!”

The moment the words left his mouth, Xing He bounced and skipped right back onto the field to continue absolute-noob-stomping the opposing players.

As Wen Xing was comfortably closing his eyes to rest his mind, a voice carrying the crisp, penetrating quality of a mountain spring striking solid stone suddenly drifted beside his ear: “Your Majesty.”

Wen Xing slowly cracked his eyes open. Under the brilliant glow of the warm sun, Ning Wujie’s tall, straight silhouette appeared softly gilded with a hazy silvery outline.

The youth was clad in a navy-blue, narrow-sleeved silk robe intricately embroidered with hidden swirling cloud patterns. A magnificent phoenix-belt securely bound his narrow waist. Standing tall and elegant like a piece of fine jade, his mere presence seemed to instantly cause the vibrant spring scenery of the entire pool to dull in comparison.

Sunk deep into his lazy comfort, Wen Xing merely let out a soft, low grunt of acknowledgment, closing his eyes once more. “Why have you come?”

Haven’t you been dodging me with immense diligence lately?

Seeing Wen Xing completely enveloped like a soft, boneless creature inside the plush cushions, wrapped securely in a snow-white fox-fur cloak with the rim of the hood pressed low against his brow, exposing nothing but a delicate, palm-sized face, Ning Wujie couldn’t tell for a moment whether the fox-fur was whiter or if the tyrant’s skin resembled snow more closely.

His gaze darkened slightly as he spoke: “Your Majesty, spring has already arrived. It is time to return to the imperial palace.”

Wen Xing let out a dismissive grunt, his brows knitting slightly. “I am not returning.”

Ning Wujie continued with a freezing expression, “Your Majesty’s prolonged residence at this detached palace drains millions from the treasury. Furthermore, for the ruler of a nation to abandon the virtues of respect and frugality risks causing the hearts of the realm’s people to turn completely cold.”

Wen Xing covered his ears with his hands. “I’m not listening, I’m not listening! A turtle reciting scriptures!”

Ning Wujie: “…”

Before arriving at this detached palace, he had a distinct premonition that once this foolish tyrant took root here, he would refuse to leave. The reality turned out exactly as predicted.

A detached palace was fundamentally meant for temporary rest. The Emperor possessed a frail constitution and feared the cold, so residing here during the winter months was entirely justifiable. However, if he refused to return to the imperial palace for months and years on end, it would definitively trigger widespread public condemnation.

Granted, this foolish tyrant absolutely did not care a single whit about condemnation.

But if he wished to sit securely upon the imperial throne, a monarch’s reputation was something that absolutely could not be discarded. Indulging in male beauty was one thing at most, it would merely warrant a casual, romantic stroke of the brush regarding ‘the passion of the cut sleeve’ in the historical annals. Plenty of heroic, brilliant rulers throughout history had left behind romantic folklore involving the ‘southern wind’ without impacting their grand legacies.

However, if he coupled it with unbridled extravagance, paired alongside a total abandonment of state affairs and sheer laziness, he would be firmly on par with the tyrannical historical infamy of Jie and Zhou.

He could already visualize exactly how those future romance novels regarding the ‘southern wind’ would construct the narrative

“To secure a single smile from his beloved beauty, the Emperor of Great Yong transformed the Lishan Hot Springs Palace into a soul-dissolving paradise, squandering tens of thousands of gold coins every single day from then on…”

Ning Wujie was so thoroughly struck by the uncontrollable visualizations inside his own mind that he felt blasted inside and out, his entire face darkening to absolute jet-black. He squeezed his fists with immense force, executing a mandatory deletion of these absurd delusions from his brain.

“Your Majesty, the results of the spring imperial examination are to be posted in a few days. You still must return to the imperial palace to personally preside over the palace examination.”

Wen Xing yanked his cloak, burying his entire body and head deep inside it, his voice emerging thoroughly muffled: “You go in This Emperor’s stead.”

Ning Wujie took a sharp, deep breath, resolving that under no circumstances would he indulge this foolish tyrant this time around.

He recalled two days ago when the Grand Tutor had mentioned to him that this foolish tyrant hadn’t attended a single daily imperial lecture or classical seminar in nearly a entire year.

Is it precisely because he has lived distanced from the teachings of the sages for so long that his moral foundation has deteriorated this catastrophically?

Furthermore, lately, the man was constantly clinging to him, demanding…

Heaven knew what specific images flashed across his mind; though Ning Wujie maintained his absolute ice-block expression, the tips of his ears began to flush a deep, vivid crimson.

The stark contrast between the white of his skin and the red of his ears was incredibly intense.

He stabilized his mind, dispelling those messy, lingering thoughts from his brain.

“If Your Majesty agrees to a single condition from your servant, then temporarily remaining at the detached palace is not entirely out of the question.”

The cloak unraveled a tiny fraction, exposing Wen Xing’s two eyes. “What condition?”

Wait, something is wrong. I am the Emperor why on earth am I making this sort of transaction with a mere minister?

Before he could back out, he heard Ning Wujie state: “Your Majesty must reinstate the daily classical lectures. For every single lecture session you complete, you may remain at this detached palace for one additional day.”

Wen Xing rolled his eyes aggressively. “I am not going. I cannot wake up.”

He’s talking about those lectures where the original owner of this body had to wake up at four o’clock every single morning, right? Hehehe.

Keep dreaming.

Ning Wujie adjusted his term: “Evening lectures.”

“Still not going.”

Ning Wujie’s voice sank to a low, heavy register: “Then your servant shall completely halt the funds allocated to the Hot Springs Palace by the Ministry of Revenue.”

Wen Xing froze, instantly exploding into a furious, outraged roar: “Ning Wujie! You are presumptuous!”

Wen Xing realized with a delayed sense of horror that by handing over the management of the Nine Treasuries to Ning Wujie, he had essentially handed over his entire livelihood to this guy.

He rubbed his pressure points, practically reduced to tears by his own sheer stupidity.

I’ve seen people hide a secret private stash of money, but I have never seen anyone actively hand over their entire vault on their own accord.

Ning Wujie, however, merely stared back at him with an unchanging, ice-cold gaze.

Am I truly supposed to just sit back and allow him to leave behind the historical legacy of a foolish tyrant?

A century from now, what sort of posthumous title would future generations slap onto this foolish tyrant? ‘Ling’ [The Absent-minded]? Or ‘Hun’ [The Ignorant/Dim-witted]?

That would mean being permanently nailed to the historical pillar of absolute shame.

This foolish tyrant did not care, but he cared.

He was determined to ruthlessly bend this foolish tyrant right back onto the proper path.

Wen Xing locked eyes with him for a long moment before ultimately clutching his chest and collapsing backward. “This Emperor’s heart aches with agonizing pain.”

Ning Wujie: “…”

Ning Wujie lowered his eyes in a state of profound, extreme disappointment.

Even though he knew with absolute certainty that this foolish tyrant was entirely faking it, the moment he witnessed that expression of enduring pain, he still found himself completely incapable of hardening his heart.

This foolish tyrant always knew exactly how to manipulate him.

Just as he was on the verge of throwing in the towel, he heard the foolish tyrant add in a thoroughly muffled mumble: “Unless…”

Ning Wujie’s eyes flickered slightly, waiting for the other to finish his sentence. However, entirely caught off guard, his robe-tail was violently yanked by Wen Xing, causing his body to fall forward.

Fortunately, his reflexes were lightning-fast; in the blink of an eye, he propped his hands against the armrests of the lounge chair to stabilize his frame, preparing to instantly retreat.

Yet Wen Xing refused to grant him the opportunity. Simultaneously yanking him down, he lunged forward face-first.

Ning Wujie’s pupils shrank. Fearing the tyrant would hurt himself in a fall, he instinctively stretched out his arms to catch him, only to be met by a heavy, crushing kiss.

Hiss…

The movement was far too large in scale, and Wen Xing failed to control his precision in time. His teeth violently knocked against the youth’s lip, causing him to knit his brows in sharp pain.

However, after a brief moment of absolute daze, the youth before him gently wrapped his arms around him. His slightly lowered lashes trembled delicately, and the tip of his tongue had already swept across the seam of his lips.

Wen Xing narrowed his eyes.

This kid has taught himself without a master; isn’t he remarkably proficient at this?

Letting out a thoroughly satisfied sigh, he wrapped his arms tightly around the youth’s neck to deepen the kiss. Yet, before he could fully enjoy the flavor, Ning Wujie suddenly seemed to snap back to reality, abruptly pushing him away.

The youth’s beautiful eyes seemed to have absolutely nowhere to look, casting his gaze sharply to the side. The tips of his ears had flushed to a shade resembling pure pigeon-blood.

Only then did Wen Xing notice that the surrounding attendants had buried their heads so deeply they were practically stuffed into their waistbands, and one little eunuch’s entire face had turned a vivid scarlet.

Meanwhile, on the field, several players were continuously halting their steps to steal glances over here.

One particular player, thoroughly distracted by trying to sneak a peek, was struck squarely in the head by the cuju ball volleyed over by Xing He. With a resounding thud, he crashed flat onto the ground.

Xing He roared out: “What on earth are you spacing out for?! Eh? Where are you all looking?”

Wen Xing: “…”

“What are you looking at?!” he barked. “Anyone who sneaks another peek shall receive absolutely zero bounty!”

The players frantically hung their heads or averted their gazes, forcing their stiffened heads to absolutely avoid looking in this direction, returning to being ruthlessly stomped by Xing He.

Wen Xing turned his head back to look at Ning Wujie, whose entire body was practically radiating acute awkwardness. His cunning eyes flashed, and he let out a laugh. “Unless you accompany This Emperor to attend the lectures together.”

Ning Wujie froze, looking at Wen Xing with deep suspicion.

Just that simple?

Given this foolish tyrant’s typical personality, shouldn’t he have proposed some sort of demands calculated to make a person want to die of pure shame and fury?

But since the foolish tyrant was rarely this receptive to advice, he chose not to probe any deeper, nodding his agreement.

Staring at Ning Wujie’s crimson ear tip, Wen Xing narrowed his eyes. Sweeping the tip of his tongue across his canine teeth, he violently dragged the youth back over. “Let This Emperor satisfy his craving first.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he lifted his head and captured the youth’s lips right in front of everyone’s eyes.

Kissing in broad daylight before a massive crowd completely shattered the absolute bottom line of Ning Wujie’s boundaries. His pupils shook violently, and a word slipped out of his mouth: “Ty—”

Yet the remaining syllables were ruthlessly stuffed right back down his throat by Wen Xing’s dexterous tongue.

As their breaths tightly intertwined, Ning Wujie’s consciousness was provoked to the point of absolute snapping. Instinctively pressing down on the back of Wen Xing’s neck, he locked him securely within his embrace, completely turning the tables to deepen the kiss aggressively.

Forget it.

…Whatever.

Leaning his body entirely forward, he pressed the tyrant deep into the cushions of the lounge chair, simultaneously flipping the fox-fur cloak resting on Wen Xing’s shoulders upward with a sharp motion.

SPLASH—

The fox-fur cloak transformed into a heavy blanket, rigidly and seamlessly blanketing their overlapping bodies from view.

Leaving behind nothing but the sticky, wet sounds of kissing and trembling gasps that drifted out from beneath the fox fur from time to time. Hearing it, the attendants flushed crimson one after another, daring not lift their heads ever again.

The Empress Dowager’s Palace.

Wang Fuwei pinched the lid of her teacup, her sharp decorative finger-guards scraping against the rim of the porcelain bowl. Her freezing, ruthless gaze swept down toward Wang Jiang, who was currently hanging his head at the foot of the steps, shivering uncontrollably.

“To dare to trick and deceive This Palace—your courage is certainly not small.”

Wang Jiang frantically shook his head like a spinning rattle. “Your servant does not! Your servant would absolutely never dare to deceive the Empress Dowager!”

“Although your servant was responsible for constructing the questions for this spring examination, your servant was not the sole individual compiling them. The questions submitted by all the examiners were uniformly compiled into a central question bank, and the Emperor personally drew from them. To prevent cheating, he created three distinct test papers labeled A, B, and C.”

The Empress Dowager knit her brows, unable to comprehend. “What A, B, and C? A complete mess of nonsense.”

Wang Jiang scratched his head. “Your servant is not entirely clear on the details either. In short, your servant has absolutely no idea which specific questions ended up inside the three sets of papers drawn by the Emperor. Furthermore, which specific paper each individual candidate receives is determined entirely by drawing lots.”