Transmigrated as the Emperor, but Slacking Off - Chapter 32

Ning Wujie’s freezing aura was profoundly at odds with the vivid crimson flush creeping up his ears.

Staring at the lingering moisture that hadn’t completely faded from the youth’s eyes, alongside the deep blush bleeding from the outer corners of his eyes all the way down to his cheeks, Wen Xing found himself staring completely blankly.

Honestly, he was far too beautiful.

Ning Wujie’s lips were exceptionally shapely two thin, delicate ribbons where the lip line curved slightly downward, only to tilt subtly upward at the very corners. Every curve and contour was precisely mathematically perfect; a fraction more would appear overly manufactured, while a fraction less would feel entirely too severe.

The natural color was incredibly pale, now painted with a soft layer of dark purplish-pink under the shifting, bleeding hues of the evening sunset.

Staring intently at those lips, Wen Xing instinctively leaned his head upward, desperate to press his mouth against them.

Yet Ning Wujie pulled backward with an absolute vacuum of expression, causing Wen Xing’s chasing lips to completely catch empty air.

Dissatisfied, Wen Xing grumbled, “Ning Wujie, This Emperor wants to kiss you.”

Ning Wujie cast a deathly cold glance down at him from his elevated position. “What exactly is it that Your Majesty wants? Is it merely a kiss?”

Utterly baffled, Wen Xing tried to pursue him once more, only to be abruptly pinned by the jaw by Ning Wujie’s palm, rendering him completely incapable of motion.

Knotting his brows in deep displeasure, Wen Xing barked a dark, heavy warning: “Ning Wujie, you are presumptuous!”

Ning Wujie stared back at him with an icy gaze. “It appears Your Majesty doesn’t even know what he truly wants. Fine, your servant shall help Your Majesty understand clearly.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he violently yanked Wen Xing up, sweeping him into a heavy bridal carry, and began executing massive strides directly toward the exit.

Sensing the monumentally massive strength within the arms locking him securely, Wen Xing felt an immediate flash of pure, instinctual danger. His voice tightened significantly: “Ning Wujie, what on earth are you doing?”

Ning Wujie completely ignored him, maintaining his frozen, rigid face as he walked out entirely on his own accord.

“Put This Emperor down!”

Ning Wujie still paid him absolutely zero heed. Wen Xing began to thrash violently in his grip. “Ning Wujie! This Emperor commands you to release me, otherwise I will execute you!”

Yet the youth merely let out a low, mocking sneer.

Witnessing that Ning Wujie remained entirely unmoved, and that no matter how fiercely he thrashed, the iron-like grip locking him down refused to budge even a single millimeter, Wen Xing’s rage completely exploded: “You… if you do not release me this instant, This Emperor shall execute your entire nine clans!”

The youth’s footsteps faltered for a tiny fraction of a second. Turning his head, his freezing, lethal gaze locked squarely onto him, his voice cuttingly cold down to the absolute marrow: “Your Majesty is the supreme ruler of the nation. The words you speak must be strictly upheld.”

Wen Xing let out an involuntary shiver from the pure chill.

Naturally, it was completely impossible for him to actually execute Ning Wujie’s nine clans; he was merely so thoroughly consumed by pure fury that he was throwing out incoherent nonsense.

But the moment he realized that even the threat of executing nine clans failed to intimidate this kid in the slightest, a sudden wave of frantic panic began to ripple through his chest.

“What on earth is wrong with you? This Emperor merely teased you a tiny bit—is it truly worth throwing such a catastrophic tantrum?”

In reality, his own heart knew with absolute certainty that it hadn’t been just a casual tease. A moment ago under the desk, he had actively stepped on the guy to the point where…

Even through the sole of his foot, he had clearly felt the other’s swelling heat racing to an absolute, boiling peak.

Feeling slightly guilty, he desperately put on an aggressive front to mask his internal weakness: “Since you are this profoundly disobedient, This Emperor has zero desire to favor you anymore! Pack your bags and return to the Northwest tomorrow morning!”

Ning Wujie executed massive, heavy strides all the way back to the imperial sleeping quarters, carrying Wen Xing the entire distance.

Along the corridors, the attendants lining both sides took one look at Ning Wujie holding the Emperor in his arms and immediately buried their heads low, turning a completely blind eye and a deaf ear to their explosive argument as if they were entirely desensitized to it.

Only Xing He sensed that something was deeply wrong. Catching sight of Wen Xing’s face burning with absolute fury, he executed a sharp flip, preparing to charge straight into the bedchamber. Before his foot could cross the threshold, he was violently hoisted back by the collar by Li Dequan, who was standing guard outside. “Children are strictly prohibited from watching.”

Xing He grumbled in deep dissatisfaction, “But Master is throwing a massive tantrum! I distinctly heard Master screaming and cursing…”

Before his sentence could finish, a sharp rap from a finger snapped squarely against his forehead. “You understand absolutely nothing. That is precisely what one calls ‘boudoir pleasures’.”

Xing He pouted his lips. “What kind of boudoir pleasure involves screaming and fighting? Could it be that boudoir pleasure is literally just arguing?”

Li Dequan merely offered a knowing smile.

“Once you grow up and encounter the person you truly love, you will comprehend it naturally.”

Wen Xing was violently tossed straight onto the mattress by Ning Wujie.

“You!”

Never in his life had he been treated this roughly by Ning Wujie. Wen Xing pushed his torso up in pure rage, only to discover that the other’s gaze had already transformed into something deeply terrifying, his voice capable of instantly freezing into solid ice: “Then who exactly does Your Majesty wish to favor?”

Suppressing his blazing fury, Wen Xing spat out, “This Emperor thinks Minister Wang looks exceptionally fine!”

“He is highly obedient, unlike you, who constantly defies imperial decrees.”

Before the syllables could fully clear his mouth, the youth had already aggressively lunged over. A monumentally massive force violently pinned him flat beneath the youth’s frame, while a single hand rigidly locked his jaw in place, his tone deathly cold: “Anyone else?”

If Wen Xing weren’t the Emperor, naturally enveloped in the inherent, dominating prestige of a supreme ruler, anyone else witnessing Ning Wujie’s current expression would have already frozen to the absolute bone with pure terror.

His rage burning hot, Wen Xing pitched his voice to a dark, heavy register: “Furthermore, his words are incredibly sweet to the ear, and he actively accommodates This Emperor’s every whim.”

“He doesn’t behave like you, constantly forcing This Emperor to review imperial memorials, forcing This Emperor to attend court, and forcing This Emperor to endure those daily classical lectures!”

“He would never restrict This Emperor at every single turn! Mmph—!”

His lips were violently bitten down upon. The other tore into him like a bloodthirsty, predatory beast, causing a sharp, agonizing pain to erupt across the corners of his mouth.

It must be bleeding, he thought to himself.

It hurts like hell, this absolute brat!

“Ning Wujie! This Emperor is going to execute you!” He thrashed with extreme violence, yet trapped beneath the youth’s heavy, crushing frame, his struggles were rendered entirely futile.

He caught the youth’s dark, raspy register a voice completely detached from his typical crisp, crystal-clear tone: “Your servant shall execute him first.”

Wen Xing froze, a sudden wave of cold sweat breaking across his skin from that single, absolute declaration of pure murderous intent.

For the very first time, a sliver of genuine fear began to creep into his chest. “Ning Wujie, what on earth do you want to do?”

He witnessed the youth using one hand to rigidly lock his jaw to prevent him from moving, while his other hand began to violently rip and tear at his imperial robes.

Wen Xing: !

The other’s physical strength was far too massive; he possessed absolutely zero capability to break free. The sharp, tearing sound of fine silk splitting open caused Wen Xing’s pupils to shake with violent shock.

“You are presumptuous! Stop this instant!”

Ning Wujie suddenly halted his movements. Casting a deathly cold glance down at him from above, he demanded, “Stop? Isn’t this exactly what Your Majesty has been begging for?”

Wen Xing roared in pure outrage, “What absolute garbage are you spewing?!”

Ning Wujie let out a low, mocking sneer. “Your Majesty wishes to be completely shameless and devoid of honor; your servant shall accompany you to the absolute end.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he resumed the violent tearing of the robes. The front of Wen Xing’s robes was forced completely wide open, and a set of slightly cool fingertips slid straight across his waist.

A genuine tremor of pure terror finally rippled through Wen Xing’s entire frame.

This kid… could he actually be planning to take him right here and…

At that thought, his entire body went rigidly stiff. Pitching his voice to a dark, trembling register: “Stop.”

Ning Wujie halted his actions, a pair of pitch-black eyes locking onto him. Those eyes resembled a dark, ancient well, incapable of reflecting even a single sliver of light.

“Has Your Majesty thought it through clearly?”

“What Your Majesty desired, your servant has granted. If you wish to back out and regret it now, there will absolutely not be a second chance.”

A profound chill rushed from the crown of Wen Xing’s head straight down to his toes.

This kid was actively delivering a lethal warning: if he continued to relentlessly provoke and tease him, this would be the absolute, definitive consequence.

To think there is actually someone in this entire world who dares to threaten me?!

Wen Xing ground his teeth with immense force, his fear instantly washed away once more by a tidal wave of pure rage. His voice turned dark and heavy: “Ning Wujie, do you have even a single shred of awareness regarding what you were just doing?”

“I am the Emperor!”

Ning Wujie closed his eyes deeply, ruthlessly forcing down the raging fury burning inside his chest, thinking to himself: Of course I know.

“If you had taken one wrong step just now, This Emperor could have wiped out your entire clan!”

When Ning Wujie cracked his eyes open once more, the turbulent waves within had dissolved entirely, replaced instead by a layer of absolute, unyielding frost.

He stood up and stepped off the bed, leaving Wen Xing with nothing but the straight silhouette of his back. “As Your Majesty pleases.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Ning Wujie’s figure had already completely vanished beyond the imperial bedchamber.

Wrapped in a state of profound daze, Wen Xing lay flat on his back across the mattress, his chest still heaving with the heavy remnants of pure adrenaline.

His pale, slender fingers slowly tightened inch by inch, ultimately clenching into a rigid fist. The force was so immense that his knuckles turned stark white, trembling slightly, twisting the fine silk bedding beneath his palm into a heavily wrinkled mess.

This…

Stupid…

Brat!

The moment Ning Wujie walked out of the bedchamber, he crossed paths with Imperial Physician Zhai Yuanqing, who was rushing over in immense haste.

“Master Ning, a moment ago the Grand Tutor mentioned you were physically unwell. Where exactly do you feel discomfort?”

Ning Wujie’s face was completely masked in shadow. When he lifted his eyelids to look over, the residual, razor-sharp edge radiating from his frame was so piercingly cold that Zhai Yuanqing let out a sharp shiver, instinctively taking half a step backward.

Ning Wujie stated in a heavy, low register: “I am not ill.”

Zhai Yuanqing instantly recalled the absolute, murderous glare this youth had directed at him the last time he had personally delivered medicine to his quarters.

Heaven knew what specific malfunction the kid was suffering from today. Daring not draw a single inch closer, he offered a strained, awkward smile. “Is that so? Then the Grand Tutor…”

“The Emperor has sustained an injury. Imperial Physician Zhai should head inside to conduct an examination.”

Leaving behind those brief words, Ning Wujie strode away.

Hearing that the Emperor had sustained an injury, Zhai Yuanqing frantically rushed into the bedchamber, only to witness Wen Xing lying flat across the mattress, staring blankly up at the canopy of the bed with his robes completely disheveled.

Calling it disheveled was an absolute understatement the silk was literally torn to shreds.

Furthermore, there was a visible wound resting on the Emperor’s lips, a streak of blood tracing from the corner of his mouth all the way down to his jaw, staining a patch of his snow-white skin a stark crimson.

His entire presence radiated the absolute, tragic aura of someone who had just been thoroughly ravaged.

Zhai Yuanqing was completely struck with absolute shock. What on earth transpired here?!

Could it be that the Emperor drove his little beauty far too close to the edge, provoking him to perform an absolute act of insubordination from below?!

His voice shook with a massive stutter: “Y-Y-Your Majesty, how do you fare?”

Wen Xing remained entirely motionless, merely shifting his eyes to direct a sharp, sideways glance over. “This Emperor is perfectly fine.”

Zhai Yuanqing: Does this look even remotely close to being perfectly fine?!

He stepped forward with immense trepidation. “Your Majesty’s mouth…”

Wen Xing reached out a hand to lightly touch the corner of his lip, instantly letting out a sharp, painful hiss. “Hiss—”

This absolute brat… is he part dog?!

With a heart suspended in pure terror, Zhai Yuanqing meticulously applied medicinal salve to Wen Xing’s wound, asking with extreme caution: “Your Majesty, are there any other areas that sustained injuries?”

Wen Xing snapped in a thoroughly foul mood, “No.”

“Are… are you absolutely certain?”

Wen Xing sliced a sharp glance toward him. “Otherwise, what do you think?”

Swept by Wen Xing’s freezing, razor-sharp gaze, Zhai Yuanqing dared not utter another single syllable, cursing his own mouth internally for lacking proper tact. Even if there were other injuries, this was the Emperor could the man ever realistically voice it aloud?

Consequently, he focused entirely on properly dressing the wound on the Emperor’s lips, subsequently taking his pulse. Only after confirming there were zero major complications did his heart finally settle.

“Although spring has arrived, Your Majesty’s constitution remains fragile. It is still vital to exercise caution engage in less strenuous movement, and ensure plenty of rest. Do not… push things far too tightly.”

It is best not to drive people completely crazy.

Zhai Yuanqing figured he had already exerted his absolute maximum effort with his phrasing; whether the Emperor possessed the capacity to comprehend the underlying advice was entirely up to the man himself.

“Get out.”

The Emperor’s mood was catastrophically terrible. Zhai Yuanqing dared not linger a single second longer, executing a deep bow before retreating out of the room.

Being the Imperial Physician is truly a monumentally miserable job, he thought to himself.

On the other side, Ning Wujie walked all the way back to the Qinzheng Hall.

The interior of the hall was completely vacant, save for two on-duty eunuchs standing guard outside the massive entrance.

He took his seat before the grand desk, organizing the imperial memorials and official documents into neat, orderly stacks. Pulling one specific document out, he prepared to review it, yet he found himself entirely incapable of focusing his mental energy.

Floating relentlessly within his mind was Wen Xing’s frantic, terror-stricken expression as he thrashed with all his might a moment ago a vision completely impossible to dispel.

He massaged his pressure points, forcing his heart to harden.

Today, he actively stepped on me in broad daylight during a solemn event like the daily classical lecture. Moving forward, heaven knows what other absurd, unbridled stunts this foolish tyrant will pull.

Yet right at that moment, his ears twitched subtly. Sensing a slight disturbance, he cast a sharp, sideways glance toward the window.

The windows were tightly sealed, yet there was clear movement outside.

Concealing his breathing entirely, he walked over without a single sound, sliding his frame behind the window frame. He gently pushed the window open to expose a tiny, narrow slit. Peering through the gap, he caught sight of a silhouette crouching directly beneath the window.

His night vision was exceptionally superb; even shrouded in absolute darkness, he recognized the exact build of the person in a single glance.

His gaze instantly turned deathly cold, his fists clenching with immense force, his stare radiating an intensity that looked ready to tear the individual into a million pieces.

The person was holding something unrecognizable in their hands, behaving with extreme stealth and sketchiness.

Ning Wujie knit his brows, his gaze locking onto the person without a single blink, wanting to witness exactly what they were planning to execute.

Yet the silhouette merely crouched there in absolute hesitation, muttering small, anxious complaints under their breath: “What should I do? What on earth should I do?”

Muttering for a long moment, they failed to initiate a single follow-up action.

Losing his patience, Ning Wujie was on the verge of violently pushing the window wide open when he witnessed the crouching figure slowly tilt their head upward.

Following that, he watched as the person appeared to discover the tiny slit at the bottom of the window. Sketchily poking their head closer, they attempted to peer through the gap to look inside.

Ning Wujie simply leaned his frame low, approaching the window slit, narrowing his eyes to witness exactly what this absolute fool was trying to pull.

The other’s round, dark eyes blinked a few times. Crossing the window slit, their gaze landed squarely onto Ning Wujie’s face, which was a mere inch away.

The two stood staring at each other, eye to eye.

Ning Wujie spoke in an eerie, ghostly register: “Wang Jiang.”

Wang Jiang: !

A loud thud echoed from beneath the window frame as a certain individual was so thoroughly scared out of their wits that they crashed flat onto their backside.

“M-M-Master Ning!”

Only after stammering out those words did he suddenly snap back to reality. Scrambling to his feet in a frantic rush, he prepared to bolt.

However, the window behind him was violently flung wide open. A long arm shot out from within, yanking him backward by his rear collar, hoisting him straight back like a helpless little chicken.

Turning his head in absolute terror, he witnessed Ning Wujie directing a look at him that looked ready to commit murder, his voice chillingly cold: “What are you doing?”

Wang Jiang dared not move a single inch, his entire frame breaking into a violent cold sweat under the crushing weight of Ning Wujie’s aura. Internally, he let out a miserable wail, wondering exactly how on earth he had offended this absolute god of death. Why does he look ready to skin me alive every single time he sets eyes on me?

Is it because we are competing for the Emperor’s favor? But didn’t I already explain that matter with absolute clarity?!

This man is completely unreasonable!

“N-Nothing, I-I’m not doing anything.”

His words were entirely chopped and broken.

Ning Wujie narrowed his eyes, staring at this fool’s struggling back, the words Wen Xing had uttered a moment ago instantly flashing across his brain—

“He is highly obedient, unlike you, who constantly defies imperial decrees.”

“Furthermore, his words are incredibly sweet to the ear, and he actively accommodates This Emperor’s every whim.”

The joints of his jaw ground together with an audible crack. Looking at the person once more, his gaze was practically sharp enough to slice flesh.

Exerting a sudden force, he dragged the person straight inside, simultaneously clamping a vice-like grip around Wang Jiang’s throat, his stare cold like a razor blade.

“Nothing?” he whispered textually. “The Qinzheng Hall is a vital center of military and state affairs. You are acting sketchily and suspiciously outside, yet you dare claim it is nothing?”

I might as well just kill him.

Ning Wujie thought to himself. What a magnificent, perfectly packaged excuse delivered right to my doorstep.

He would merely need to report that this individual broke into the Qinzheng Hall with malicious intent…

The more the thought brewed, the tighter his fingertips clamped around the throat.

Wang Jiang felt as though his neck was on the verge of being snapped in half, his eyes widening in pure terror.

This guy… could he actually be planning to murder me right here?!

This is an absolute frame-up! I haven’t even initiated a single action yet!

Straining his vocal cords, he managed to squeeze out a raspy, agonizing plea: “I… have… not… done… anything… yet… you… cannot…”

Though the voice was incredibly raspy and hard to hear, Ning Wujie’s sharp senses instantly captured the core keyword: “Not yet?”

He suddenly accelerated the crushing force in his hand. “Speak the absolute truth, otherwise…”

Wang Jiang trembled like a leaf. “I’ll speak… I’ll speak!”

He possessed extreme self-awareness regarding his own abysmal acting skills; there was absolutely zero possibility of deceiving Ning Wujie.

Furthermore, he was now 100% certain that Ning Wujie was actively calculating any method to take his life. If he refused to speak this literal second, he would genuinely lose his life.

Ning Wujie released his grip.

Wang Jiang erupted into a violent fit of coughing, wheezing for a considerable time before barely stabilizing his breathing.

“The Empress Dowager ordered me to… slip you a knockout drug.” As he spoke, he shakily extended his right hand, exposing a small incense cylinder tucked neatly within the cuff of his sleeve.

Ning Wujie cast a dismissive glance toward the incense cylinder, letting out a scornful snort. “With just you?”

Wang Jiang let out a heavy, helpless sigh. “I have absolutely zero idea why the Empress Dowager commanded me to execute this task, but I reckon it must be a test.”

“The questions for the spring examination failed to satisfy the Empress Dowager, so she wanted to test whether I would actually make a move against you.”

“If I execute it, it proves I am not one of the Emperor’s people.”

Hearing up to this point, the murderous intent within Ning Wujie’s chest dissolved by half.

This person could not die at least, absolutely not right now.

Though this absolute fool possessed zero practical utility, he held immense symbolic value. Only by keeping this individual appearing highly favored and heavily utilized by the Emperor would those fair-weather factions currently circling the Wang clan choose to defect to the Emperor’s side, or at the very least maintain neutrality without stirring up further chaos for the monarch.

Ning Wujie directed a sharp glance toward him. “The Empress Dowager would never merely command you to knock me unconscious. What other plans does she possess?”

Wang Jiang shook his head frantically. “I swear I only know this much!”

Ning Wujie’s eyes shifted slightly. Reaching out, he slid the incense cylinder from Wang Jiang’s sleeve to inspect it.

Beside him, Wang Jiang whimpered in an incredibly depressed, defeated tone: “Everything is ruined now. I failed to pass the test, and the Empress Dowager is highly likely going to murder me.”

Wang Jiang felt as though he was completely blocked at both ends.

On this side, Ning Wujie was constantly looking for a reason to slaughter him, while on the other side, the Empress Dowager refused to trust him. In the end, he was facing a definitive death regardless.

It was truly a narrative of ‘there is no most tragic, only more tragic’.

Thinking of his own impending doom, he let out a pathetic, depressed sob.

How on earth did I end up this spectacularly unlucky?!

Yet he witnessed Ning Wujie narrowing his eyes, stating icily, “That is not entirely a absolute certainty.”

Hearing those words, Wang Jiang choked back his sobs, slowly exhaling a pathetic bubble from his nose. “Huh?”

“I shall assist you this one time.” As Ning Wujie spoke, he ground his fists together with immense force, adding a final, highly reluctant clause: “Merely because you still possess some utility to the Emperor.”

Wang Jiang: ?

Deep into the dead of night, inside the Qinzheng Hall, the shadows of the candles flickered softly.

Ning Wujie sat hunched over the desk, his brush never ceasing for a single second, presenting the absolute image of a monumentally busy official.

However, beneath his lowered eyelids, his gaze was slicing sideways toward the grand entrance.

Typically, the patrolling guards would complete a sweep outside the hall every single cup of tea’s time, yet he hadn’t caught the sound of a single guard’s footstep for at least half an hour now.

From outside the doors came the low conversation of eunuchs swapping shifts: “A heavy shift, a heavy shift. Leave the latter half of the night to this servant.”

The on-duty eunuchs voiced their compliance and withdrew.

Following a brief flurry of messy footsteps, two new eunuchs stepped up to occupy the guarding positions outside the hall.

Simultaneously, the distinct sound of footsteps crushing fallen leaves drifted from outside the window, numbering roughly two to three individuals.

His eyelids lifted a fraction, a look of absolute comprehension settling deep within his pupils.

Right at that moment, a thin wisp of green smoke silently slipped through the window lattice, dissolving into the interior of the hall.

Ning Wujie’s eyes flashed. Feigning a violent stagger, his entire body collapsed heavily across the desk, simultaneously striking a teacup and causing it to crash to the floor with a loud clash.

Not long after, he caught the distinct sound of liquid being aggressively splashed and poured outside the window.

A highly concentrated, pungent, piercing odor rapidly assailed his nostrils, drifting in through the window slits and door gaps.

Beneath his lowered eyelids, his pupils shook violently.

As someone who had emerged from the literal mountain of corpses and sea of blood on the battlefield, he was intimately familiar with this specific scent.

It was Fierce Fire Oil!

The slightest spark would cause it to instantly detonate into a raging inferno, and it was entirely impossible to extinguish with water.

Sure enough, in the very next instant, a roaring, consuming fire erupted with sharp, crackling explosions. The licking tongues of the flames instantly consumed the window paper, tracing the wooden frame to spread inward at a catastrophic speed.

He caught the sound of the eunuchs executing a frantic, rapid retreat.

He sprang to his feet, attempting to escape through the window, yet a wall of roaring fire slammed directly face-first toward him.

WHOOSH—

The inferno detonated into a massive flashover. The window frame was thoroughly eaten through by the tongues of fire, warping and twisting violently under the extreme heat, releasing a series of agonizing, crackling snaps.

The wave of fire flooded inside almost resembling a liquid entity, transforming into a sweeping golden heat wave within the blink of an eye.

With his escape route forward completely blocked by a solid wall of fire, he spun around to charge toward the main doors.

Yet within a mere matter of breaths, the entirety of the Qinzheng Hall had completely fallen into a massive, consuming sea of fire!

Far in the distance atop the watchtower, an on-duty guard caught sight of the towering crimson glow shooting into the sky, letting out an involuntary, terror-stricken scream: “Fire! There’s a fire!”

Swiftly, the frantic clanging of gongs rippled across the entire detached palace.

“Fire! There’s a fire!” Countless individuals sprinted in absolute chaos, waving copper gongs and screaming at the top of their lungs.

The roaring alarm rapidly drifted all the way to the Emperor’s personal sleeping quarters.

Wen Xing, who was currently lying flat across the mattress suffering from acute insomnia, abruptly bolted upright the moment he caught the commotion. “What happened?!”

A little eunuch scrambled inside in absolute panic and terror. “Your Majesty! The Qinzheng Hall has caught fire!”

The moment the words ‘Qinzheng Hall’ struck his ears, Wen Xing’s heart violently seized. Reaching out with a sudden ferocity, he yanked the little eunuch by the wrist, his voice cuttingly sharp: “Where is Ning Wujie?!”

The little eunuch was paralyzed with absolute terror. “M-Master Ning… is still trapped inside!”