When the Puppet Emperor Becomes a Heartthrob - Chapter 12

Summer has ended, and autumn is arriving. The imperial palace is filled with fresh rain over empty mountains, and even the green leaves are tinged with burnt yellow.

The rain was ill-timed, falling only after the morning court session had ended, and the air was filled with the scent of grass. Xi Huai finished court early but had no desire to return to his palace. Instead, he took shelter from the rain in the Imperial Garden, admiring the chrysanthemums. He thoughtfully took photos and sent them to the group chat for everyone to enjoy.

The Palace Drama Female Supporting Character’s world is currently in winter, where the north wind is howling and everything is covered in frost and snow. Meanwhile, the House-fighting Male Supporting Character entered summer not long ago; it is a scorching season, and the cicadas are chirping loudly. Xi Huai had no particular thoughts on this, only feeling that the group chat seemed much quieter than usual.

He scrolled through the chat history and asked, “Why haven’t I seen the Xianxia Novel Male Supporting Character lately? Isn’t he usually the one who loves to join in on the fun?”

The Palace Drama Female Supporting Character was likely very cold and did not want to type, so she sent a voice message instead. “He is busy right now. He is currently going through an important plot arc.”

The House-fighting Male Supporting Character replied with a message full of sympathy. “Sigh, a straight man transmigrated into a danmei novel, and he is stuck in the chasing wife through a crematorium trope.”

Seeing this, Xi Huai fell silent. He realized that the chat group was not just for chatting; it was a survival group. Every person in the group was burdened with an original plot that did not belong to them and had to find a way to survive in desperate circumstances. He wondered if the “Wolf Heart and Dog Lungs” red envelope he had given the Xianxia Male Lead would be of any use.

He closed the chat group, feeling distracted, when he suddenly heard Eunuch De’s voice.

“Your Majesty, General Qin and Master Sheng have arrived safely in the Northern Territory.”

“Is that so?” Xi Huai felt a sense of loss. “Time flies so quickly.”

“Before leaving the capital, General Qin left behind secret guards to protect your life.”

“Secret guards?” Xi Huai recalled that protecting the Son of Heaven was supposed to be the duty of the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards used to belong to the little Emperor, but they now belonged to the Regent. This was because, before Xi Huai transmigrated, the commander of the Imperial Guards had offended the little Emperor and was dismissed. The Regent had taken the opportunity to seize control of the Imperial Guards. The guards left behind now were all slackers who only cared about their pay. It was impossible to win them over. It is difficult for ordinary people to become officials, and these people were just occupying seats without doing any work. Xi Huai cursed these privileged elites.

He almost forgot that he was currently one of these elite privileged people himself. No wonder the Great Qing was destined to fall. If this little Emperor did not die, who would? He practically had the words foolish ruler carved on his forehead, racing toward his own demise.

But wait, had Qin Mingjing forgotten to find the assassin?

Xi Huai panicked. “Did General Qin say anything before he left?”

“General Qin only left the secret guards; he said nothing else.”

Fine, that means he did not find the assassin. The security in the Yangxin Palace was too poor. Sending Qin Mingjing away was a dangerous move, but he had no other choice. Sheng Mingyue was obsessed with power and brilliant, but unfortunately, he was a scholar with no strength to bind a chicken. In the original book, the little Emperor refused disaster relief, so Sheng Mingyue went alone, only to be robbed by mountain bandits. The relief effort failed, which led to the destruction of the country. With Qin Mingjing’s protection this time, perhaps this disaster relief would not end like it did in the original book, indirectly causing the little Emperor to lose the hearts of the people.

Xi Huai pursed his lips. Instead of acting like the arrogant little Emperor, he nodded slightly. “Since these are the secret guards personally selected by General Qin, have them come to the Imperial Garden to see me.”

Eunuch De responded with an affirmative, whispered something to a young eunuch, and the young eunuch stepped away. Soon after, a man with a loose and slovenly appearance walked into the Imperial Garden.

Eunuch De scolded, “To meet the Emperor with such unkempt clothing? What kind of manners are these? Kneel!”

Don’t say anything! Don’t scare away my bodyguard.

“Quiet!” Xi Huai pretended to be annoyed, furrowing his brow.

“This slave deserves death ten thousand times over.” Eunuch De knelt down, looking uneasy.

“Forget it. You may leave.”

Xi Huai rubbed his brow, examining the man kneeling before him. The man had decent features; even though he was wearing eunuch robes, his muscles were clearly defined, and his broad shoulders made him look like a double-door refrigerator. This was the type of man that everyone likes. Yet, even though he was kneeling, his eyes looked at Xi Huai with no sense of propriety. When he saw Xi Huai’s face, he was momentarily stunned.

Xi Huai looked at the man who had fallen into a daze and could not help but say, “Wake up.”

Hearing Xi Huai’s condescending voice, he said woodenly, “Your Majesty?”

Xi Huai glanced at him. “You are the secret guard Qin Mingjing bestowed upon me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” There was a hint of respect in the man’s eyes now.

Xi Huai was stunned, feeling that his gaze was strange. “Your name?”

“My name is Xue Fang. Your Majesty asks for my name; have you met me before?”

Xue Fang. Xi Huai repeated the name in his heart, but he really had no impression of it. His thoughtful and confused expression caused Xue Fang to reveal a look of obsession. “Your Majesty is concerned for the country and the people, so it is natural you would not remember me.”

“I was once a commander of the Imperial Guards. A few years ago, when I was young and arrogant, I privately discussed the Emperor. I was reported by my colleagues and dismissed by your order.”

Xi Huai: “…”

Qin Mingjing, you have done well. Will a secret guard who has such a grudge against the little Emperor really protect me? Having been dismissed by the little Emperor and now returning to his side, anyone would be angry. But he was not the little Emperor. As long as he did not feel awkward, it would be others who felt awkward. “Fine. Rise.”

Xue Fang was surprised by Xi Huai’s calm. That unchanging demeanor, as if he did not remember him at all, made him feel somewhat dejected. He had not originally wanted to be the little Emperor’s secret guard, but no matter how foolish the little Emperor was, he was still the Emperor. He had offended the Emperor, and it was only natural that he was dismissed. Therefore, he held no grudge against Qin Mingjing’s arrangement and was willing to accept the duty of protecting the Emperor. However, he had not expected the Emperor to look like this. Just looking at the Emperor made his heart pound. Xue Fang did not understand this feeling; he only knew he had to obey.

As he was thinking, he saw someone walking over. The person stood behind the Emperor and leaned down to whisper.

“Ah Huai.”

It was actually the Regent, Xiao Yuan. The Emperor seemed startled, subconsciously covering his ears with a terrified expression. “Why is it you?”

But the Emperor quickly regained his composure, stood up, moved away from the Regent, and said expressionlessly, “What is it?”

The Regent chuckled, his tone full of playfulness. “It is just that I saw Ah Huai hiding from the rain, so I wanted to join you.”

A light drizzle suddenly turned into a downpour. The rain hit the banana leaves, making a crisp sound. Xue Fang’s body trembled. He saw the Regent take out a handkerchief and reach out to wipe the Emperor’s brow while the Emperor was still stunned. The Emperor, like a startled bird, jumped up and scrambled to avoid the Regent’s hand. “What are you doing?”

“Ah Huai is drenched from the rain; why not wipe it off?”

Xue Fang, who was still kneeling, felt a teacup fly over his head. He subconsciously leaned to the side to avoid it. “You dog slave, how are you serving the Emperor? He is drenched in rain, and you do not help him change his clothes? Do you want His Majesty to catch a cold?”

The Regent looked down at him viciously, as if looking at an ant, without any emotion. Yet, the way the Regent looked at the Emperor was neither like a close friend nor a subject looking at his ruler. It was more like he was looking at a sparrow held in his hand, filled with clear possessiveness.

Xue Fang gasped. The Regent actually had such feelings for the Emperor. He had once thought the Emperor was inherently foolish, but had never considered why. But now, Xue Fang could not help but feel a bit of pity.

Xi Huai was completely unaware and was baffled. Why did Xiao Yuan throw things at people? He had known Xiao Yuan was a pervert, but he did not expect him to be this perverse. Xi Huai stood in front of Xue Fang and pointed at him. “Presumptuous! He is my slave. If he is to be disciplined, it will be by me! Who do you think you are?”

Xiao Yuan was not the least bit annoyed; instead, he gripped his finger and pinched it. “Ah Huai, don’t be angry. If Ah Huai is unwilling, I won’t discipline him.”

Saying this, he leaned close and placed his finger on his lips. “It has been a long time since I was this close to Ah Huai. I remember when Ah Huai was a child, you liked to stuff your fingers into my mouth to be mischievous.”

The burning temperature of his lips made his fingers tremble. Lifting his eyes, he saw him staring at him with a gaze overflowing with desire, as if he wanted to swallow him whole and melt them into one. Xi Huai’s hair stood on end. Xue Fang seemed to be moving; was he trying to stop the Regent?

Don’t, big brother! I am just a puppet Emperor right now; I cannot expose that I found secret guards!

Xi Huai hurriedly pulled his finger away and kicked Xiao Yuan to the ground. “Get lost! You bastard!”

Xiao Yuan’s face flushed red, and he seemed to feel no pain, crawling on the ground and panting softly. “It is my fault for overstepping. If Your Majesty wishes to punish me, then punish me.”

Xi Huai: “…”

Do not think I do not know that being humiliated in public is equivalent to a reward. Don’t even think about it!

“I will spare you this time. If you do it again, be careful, or I will tell the Empress Dowager!”

Saying this, Xi Huai became annoyed and embarrassed. He shouted to remind Xue Fang, “Little Xue, prepare the carriage to return to the palace.”

He saw Xue Fang’s body tremble because of the nickname, his expression blank for a moment. He sighed in relief and turned to leave, only to hear Xiao Yuan’s voice.

“Your Majesty, it is early autumn now. How about I compensate you with this autumn hunt?”

Autumn hunt? In the original book, the little Emperor apparently brought concubines to the autumn hunt, which only made his reputation as a foolish ruler even worse. Since this was a plot described in the original text, and it could save money, he had no choice but to face the challenge. Xi Huai assumed the look of the little Emperor and snorted coldly. “Since you have the heart, do as you see fit.”

After speaking, he turned and left the Imperial Garden. Xiao Yuan stood up and watched the youth’s retreating figure, his gaze deep and unfathomable. After a long while, he let out a low laugh.

A guard beside him asked, “Your Highness, why help the Emperor organize the autumn hunt? The Emperor’s private treasury is empty; this would just make the loyal ministers feel cold-hearted.”

“What do you think of the martial arts of the little eunuch beside the Emperor?”

The guard was shocked. He knew the Prince was flirtatious, but he did not expect the Prince to have taken a liking to the little eunuch beside the little Emperor. He wanted to remind the Prince not to be addicted to wine and sex and delay his grand plan, but then he remembered the little eunuch had just dodged the teacup.

Xiao Yuan laughed loudly. Ah Huai, his Ah Huai greedy, stupid, foolish, and incompetent, all evils gathered in one body. Even so, he would spoil him and pamper him. It was only because he wanted Ah Huai to respect him and fear him. And then, at the very last moment, when he was trapped in a dilemma, he would beg him.

But his Ah Huai, when did he grow a brain?

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