Transmigrated as the Emperor, but Slacking Off - Chapter 6

Wen Xing lay listlessly on the Arhat couch by the window, gazing at the massive, silver lunar disk hanging in the night sky.

Behind him came Ning Wujie’s pleasant voice: “Thirty li outside of Bianliang City lies Willow Town. In the town, there is an antique shop called ‘Juzhen Pavilion.’ The proprietor, Gu Erlang, belongs to a family that has managed this business for three generations…”

As Ning Wujie read the storybook aloud, he tiredly massaged his Jingming acupoints.

At that moment, Li Dequan approached, bowing as he spoke. “Your Majesty, several elder ministers have been waiting since noon. Do you truly refuse to see them?”

Wen Xing waved a hand dismissively. “I won’t see them.”

He could already guess what those old men wanted. It was nothing more than urging him to manage state affairs, attend the morning court, or demand he revoke Ning Wujie’s power to comment on official memorials in red ink the same old three tricks, over and over again.

Li Dequan seemed troubled, casting a glance at Ning Wujie, who was still reading.

Receiving the silent plea for help, Ning Wujie lowered his eyes in thought for a moment. He set the book down and asked, “Your Majesty, do you still wish to hear the story of that sixth-rank Secretary?”

Wen Xing’s ears perked up. “Is there an update?”

He had found that ancient storybooks were mostly about romance, classics, or history; rarely did they feature suspense or mystery. Following Ning Wujie’s investigation felt like following a serialized novel.

Only a few days ago, Wen Xing had been cursing Ning Wujie for digging a hole for him. Now, in the blink of an eye, he had turned into a loyal reader. He could practically hear the sound of his own face being slapped.

It hurts.

Ning Wujie guessed what “update” meant and pressed down the corners of his lips. “That sixth-rank Secretary was unyielding unto death for the sake of his mother’s safety. Even the Inspectorate was helpless. If the interrogation continued, the man would likely die. Therefore.”

“So, you couldn’t find anything?” Wen Xing looked slightly disappointed. “It seems your Inspectorate is only so-so.”

However, Ning Wujie’s tone shifted. “Therefore, I ‘kidnapped’ his mother from Yingchuan.”

Wen Xing: “?”

He suddenly turned around and sat up. “You took her to the Imperial Prisons?”

Isn’t that a bit too ruthless?

Wen Xing scrutinized the youth. For the past few days, he had only seen the boy blushing from his teasing, leading him to believe he was a pure-hearted youth. He never expected him to be a “Black Lotus.”

The contrast was quite stark.

But then, recalling the historical descriptions of Emperor Wu of Zhou” decisive in killing” and “cold-blooded and cruel” it did seem like something this stubborn person would do.

But, that was an old woman. Was he sure she wouldn’t be scared to death before even stepping through the prison doors?

Seeing Wen Xing’s complex gaze, Ning Wujie said calmly, “Naturally, I sent her to the official courier station under the Inspectorate’s jurisdiction to be settled.”

Wen Xing: “…”

“Otherwise, did Your Majesty truly think I would send a septuagenarian woman to a place like the Imperial Prisons, where one enters but never returns?”

As Ning Wujie spoke, he took a half-step closer. A glimmer flashed in the depths of his eyes as he said gloomily, “It turns out Your Majesty’s heart is the one that is truly cruel.”

Wen Xing: “…”

Very well!

He was getting bolder and bolder.

Wen Xing highly suspected that his last line “How could I bear to let you die?” had given this stubborn brat an opening. Realizing that the Emperor wouldn’t actually move against him, he was now trying to make up for all the frustration he’d endured lately.

He was truly learning how to “push his luck.”

Wen Xing narrowed his eyes, hooking two fingers to signal Ning Wujie to come closer.

The youth hesitated for a split second, giving him a wary look, but he obeyed nonetheless.

Wen Xing smirked. He grabbed the other man’s collar and pulled hard, bringing a handsome face instantly within inches of his own.

“I am just that cold-hearted. You’d better serve me well; otherwise, I’ll kill you and replace you with another beautiful youth to please my eyes.”

His low voice was like a whisper, his breath brushing against the other’s ear.

The two were so close that their breaths intertwined. The pervasive scent of Ambergris incense made Ning Wujie feel a bit dizzy.

In his unavoidable line of sight, a pair of crow-feather lashes flickered. The slightly lowered eyelids hid half of those gem-like eyes, which looked like clear springs under the moonlight. The youth’s slender neck was as white as snow, and his exquisite Adam’s apple sat there like a small mountain peak.

Clearly, these words were like a viper’s hiss and should have repulsed him. Clearly, he should have pushed this man away with force and denounced him as a “faint-hearted tyrant.”

Yet, he only unconsciously tightened his grip on his fingers, tensed his jaw, and squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: “I obey your decree.”

Wen Xing finally let go, satisfied.

Ning Wujie straightened up, his lowered lashes concealing the fleeting light in his eyes. He lowered his voice and returned to the previous topic. “I took that Secretary to the courier station to meet his mother.”

“I told him that if he confessed, the Inspectorate would provide all the tiger bone medicine his mother needs for the rest of her life and guarantee their safety. If he didn’t, his mother would receive his corpse that very day.”

Wen Xing pricked up his ears. “And then?”

“And then” Ning Wujie pulled an exquisite metal box from his sleeve and handed it to Wen Xing.

Wen Xing opened the box. Inside was a piece of bone an inch long. On the end of the bone, a complex circular emblem was engraved. The mark looked familiar; it seemed to match the one on the medicine boxes he often used, which came from the Imperial Pharmacy.

This was a royal item.

“This is the tiger bone his mother received. Originally, the person delivering the medicine was very careful with the dosage, delivering it once a day and never giving more, likely to avoid leaving evidence.”

“But his mother felt the medicine was precious and thought if she could save a little, she could exchange it for a lot of money in the future. So, every time she used it, she shaved off a bit. Over time, she actually saved up a complete segment of tiger bone.”

Wen Xing frowned. “So, someone in the palace is stealing and selling the supplies?”

Ning Wujie: “That Secretary said he doesn’t know who the mastermind is. Every so often, his gatekeeper receives an anonymous letter. Inside the letter is the tiger bone, along with instructions on which memorials he needs to intentionally suppress. As long as he complies, his mother will have a steady supply of medicine.”

Wen Xing: “So he didn’t confess before because he was worried the mastermind would stop providing the medicine once they found out?”

Ning Wujie nodded.

Wen Xing: “If we don’t know who the mastermind is, hasn’t the lead gone cold?”

Ning Wujie shook his head. “Not necessarily.”

Wen Xing raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

Ning Wujie glanced at him and said, “I have a method, but I need Your Majesty to attend court.”

Hearing the words “attend court,” Wen Xing’s brow furrowed again.

Truthfully, he hated work especially since the morning court sessions were held in the early hours before dawn; he simply couldn’t get up. Most importantly, attending court meant listening to officials argue over various political matters.

Every time, they argued until his head throbbed. Once, they even argued until he had a heart attack, throwing the entire court into chaos.

Since then, he had stopped attending.

Wen Xing was resistant. “What does this have to do with the case?”

Ning Wujie leaned in and whispered into Wen Xing’s ear, “I wish for Your Majesty to do something in the throne room”

After listening to Ning Wujie’s words, Wen Xing nodded in realization.

But he still didn’t want to go. He just wanted to hear stories; he didn’t want to participate in them.

He narrowed his eyes, looking at Ning Wujie and putting on an act. “It’s not impossible for me to attend court. But you”

Fearing the “faint-hearted tyrant” was about to say something shocking again, Ning Wujie quickly cut him off. “Does Your Majesty not wish to find out who the mastermind is?”

Wen Xing slanted a glance at Ning Wujie.

This kid… could it be that he was using the case to hook his interest just to trick him into attending court?

The unscrupulous Emperor’s eyes shifted slightly as he said playfully, “Since you are asking for my help, shouldn’t you act like someone who is asking for a favor?”

A sense of foreboding rose in Ning Wujie’s heart. Is this tyrant going to.

Sure enough, the Emperor hooked a finger at him. “Come here.”

Jade-white knuckles flickered before his eyes. Ning Wujie’s gaze dropped as if burned, and he quietly clenched his fists. “Your Majesty, what do you want?”

“Let me kiss you once, and I will agree.”

It wasn’t that Wen Xing particularly wanted to kiss him; he just wanted to see how far this poor child would go for the sake of the investigation.

Sigh, Wen Xing felt he was bored out of his mind being cooped up in the palace. He loved teasing people all day long.

But

He watched Ning Wujie’s shamed and indignant reaction.

It’s just so much fun.

Ning Wujie’s pupils trembled. He suddenly stood straight and took a half-step back, his fists clenched so tight that the sound of his knuckles cracking could be heard through his sleeves; his nails even dug into his palms.

Always like this! Always!

Shameless!

He abruptly closed his eyes, the blood roaring in his ears. He wished he could wake this tyrant up with a single punch!

But soon, his logic restrained him again, and an intense psychological struggle began.

Calm down. This is for the sake of the case.

Military supplies were being delayed again and again. For the sake of the Ningyuan Army, he had to deliver a fatal blow to those old foxes! To do that, he needed this tyrant’s help.

But, was the tyrant truly necessary? Could there be another way without him?

Necessary.

Since it was necessary, then he could only…

He bit his lip until he tasted blood. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was like frozen ice. With immense endurance, he slowly leaned down.

Wen Xing saw Ning Wujie’s face approaching. The youth’s eyes suddenly turned red, and they became visibly moist. Because they were so close, Wen Xing could even see a faint crimson flush spreading across the youth’s neck, which was tense with rage, ike a thin layer of rouge.

Wen Xing was amazed. It seemed the boy was truly prepared to sacrifice everything for the investigation.

The distance between them closed until their lips were almost touching.

Realizing something was slightly off, Wen Xing thought: Wait a minute, I said ‘let me kiss you,’ right? I didn’t say we had to kiss on the mouth, did I?

Before he could figure out what he hadn’t made clear, a cool and soft sensation suddenly came from his lips.

In that instant, he caught a glimpse of a streak of moisture rolling down Ning Wujie’s cheek.

The lips touched and parted instantly.

The youth quickly stood up and turned his back to Wen Xing. Wen Xing thought he saw the youth lift his sleeve to wipe his face, but the movement was too fast to be sure.

Wen Xing was stunned. Did he actually cry?

When Ning Wujie turned around again, although the moisture on his face was gone, his eyes were still red. “Is that enough?”

His voice was extremely low, as if he were suppressing something.

Wen Xing let out a dazed “Mm.”

Did I take the teasing too far?

Ning Wujie stared straight at the Emperor, his voice almost questioning as he gritted his teeth. “Then, can Your Majesty attend court?”

He forcefully pushed down the surging emotions in his heart. The intense humiliation and anger he expected were suddenly replaced by another strange sensation the moment the kiss landed.

He didn’t know what it was.

He thought he would loathe that kiss. But strangely, he didn’t. In fact, that soft, sliding sensation was firmly branded into his mind, and his heart was racing wildly.

Something must be wrong with me.

I’m sick, he thought.

Wen Xing smiled and said with satisfaction, “Since Minister Ning has served me so well, I can, of course, reluctantly agree.”

As he spoke, he stood up and headed for the door. “Then there’s no time like the present.”

“Inform the officials: there will be an evening court session today.”

Waking up early was impossible, but an evening session was doable. After all, he was in a good mood today.

Li Dequan nodded repeatedly, casting a grateful glance at Ning Wujie.

It truly takes the person closest to His Majesty’s heart to move him.

Look at that. All the civil and military officials had exerted all their effort even threatening to bash their heads against the pillars and couldn’t persuade the Emperor. Yet, the little beauty gives him a peck on the lips, and the Emperor is actually going to court.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. The old eunuch mused. A beauty is truly the best.

Ning Wujie remained silent, his gaze fixed on Wen Xing’s lean and elegant back.

The man wore an azure silk Taoist robe that billowed like the wind. As he walked, the scent of Ambergris drifted out, brushing against Ning Wujie’s nose.

Ning Wujie’s pupils flickered.

He suddenly remembered that every time he got close to the tyrant, he could smell this fragrance, and it always made him dizzy.

He must have fallen for the incense just now. It must be.

What on earth was mixed into the tyrant’s incense? Was it a mind-controlling poison?

Trying to control me with such despicable means?

Wishful thinking!

Just you wait. I will definitely find out.