When the Puppet Emperor Becomes a Heartthrob - Chapter 13

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, with its yellow glazed tiles, Xi Huai sneezed violently. Could he really have caught a cold?

Eunuch De, seeing this, could not help but lament, “It is all my fault for forgetting the umbrella, causing Your Majesty to get caught in the rain.”

Though Eunuch De was fond of nagging, he was quick and efficient. In the blink of an eye, he had changed Xi Huai into a set of fresh, brand-new robes. Only after Eunuch De finished his tasks and exited the bedchamber did Xi Huai finally turn his attention toward Xue Fang.

Xue Fang was still staring blankly at him, not appearing to take his earlier self-destructive behavior to heart.

Xi Huai, however, was furious. Did the man not understand that a bodyguard’s duty was to protect the homeowner’s safety, not to expose their private affairs?

“Do you know your error?” Xi Huai suppressed his emotions, glaring at Xue Fang, who was currently looking around the room.

Xue Fang froze, then lowered his head in confusion. “This subject is dull-witted. I do not know what crime I have committed.”

“Were you not trying to stop the Prince Regent earlier?”

“I.”

Before Xue Fang could finish, Xi Huai cut him off. “Did Qin Mingjing not tell you that my situation cannot tolerate even the slightest mistake?”

Xi Huai truly did not want to die. Every step he took could not be based on his own preferences; it had to be carefully considered. If Xue Fang had truly obstructed the Prince Regent at that moment, and the Prince Regent suspected he had ulterior motives and caused his death ahead of schedule, who would pay the price?

“I know you simply did not want to see me bullied by the Prince Regent, but do not forget that I am currently just a puppet Emperor without real power.”

“The entire court now knows that Qin Mingjing is my man. We are branches of the same tree; if I die, Qin Mingjing will die as well.”

Xi Huai’s voice was sonorous and powerful. Every word was filled with vibrant vitality, making it impossible for others not to believe him.

“Do you want to see Qin Mingjing buried with me?”

“No.”

Xue Fang had never considered what the consequences of his impulsiveness would be. He only knew that General Qin had been kind to him, and he did not wish to implicate him.

“This subject did not mean that. I only.”

Xue Fang could find no words to argue back. He had been strong and vigorous since childhood, becoming a guard commander at a young age, and had never encountered such setbacks. Even when he was dismissed from his post by the young Emperor, he had assumed it was merely because the Emperor was short-sighted and did not know how to employ talent.

But under Xi Huai’s powerful questioning, Xue Fang opened and closed his mouth, eventually left speechless and unable to say a word. He had assumed the young Emperor was young, naive, and understood nothing, hence being toyed with by Empress Dowager Wen and the Prince Regent.

Only under the weight of Xi Huai’s voice did he realize that His Majesty understood everything. The young Emperor knew his own situation; he knew he was merely a puppet.

He knew. He knew everything.

At that moment, Xue Fang felt ashamed. He wanted to say something, but the boy simply waved his hand at him tiredly. “That is enough. You may leave. Do not act impulsively again in the future.”

Xue Fang pressed his lips tightly together and eventually said nothing. After looking at the boy several times with a conflicted expression, he turned and shambled out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation in defeat.

Xi Huai felt numb. The double-door refrigerator had turned into a golden retriever abandoned by its owner, drooping its tail as it left, leaving Xi Huai feeling a bit guilty. What is this? It is not like it was my fault. He immediately shook his head to dispel these thoughts. Now that the private treasury was empty, the best plan was to figure out how to make money.

He dejectedly clicked open the chat group and asked bluntly, “Everyone, a question: I am out of money. Do you have any ways to make money?”

The supporting character from the palace intrigue novel sent a question mark. She was a tough older sister who did not say much. “Context, tell me.”

Xi Huai briefly explained how the young Emperor was a spendthrift and how the private treasury held nothing. The group, which had been deathly silent since being influenced by the Xianxia novel character, was shocked. They could not understand why the ruler of a nation would be so poor.

How would Xi Huai know? He could not help but grumble, “The original text clearly had quite a few descriptions of the young Emperor being extravagant and wasteful, yet the private treasury only has that little bit of stuff.”

The apocalypse novel protagonist spoke up, “Cannon-fodder character from the political intrigue novel, you are a foolish and incompetent tyrant. Have you never thought about how a tyrant maintains their extravagance?”

Xi Huai: “?”

What question?

The palace intrigue supporting character sighed repeatedly. “If my patron was out of money, I would have loyal officials impeach the treacherous ones, raid the corrupt officials’ homes, and use their money to fill the national treasury. As for the little Emperor, if you were in his shoes, how would you make money?”

Xi Huai understood. In the original book, whenever the young Emperor was out of money, he would only cry and make a scene before the Empress Dowager. To keep him useless, she would promise him anything, let alone small sums of money. Since raiding homes was impossible, he could just ask his “nominal mother” for money.

Though this method was “dirty,” Xi Huai’s skin was thick enough. He immediately thanked the group for their guidance and sent several red packets.

“Ouch!” Suddenly, he heard Eunuch De scream outside the door. Eunuch De walked in, clutching his lower back.

He shouted with an ugly expression, “Your Majesty, that Xue Fang has no manners at all! He bumped into this old servant so hard I cannot even straighten my back.”

Indeed, he had no manners. He wore all his emotions on his face. He probably still thought of himself as the celebrated commander of the Imperial Guards.

However, for Qin Mingjing’s sake, after Xue Fang was taught a lesson, he would not dare to act recklessly again. But Xi Huai truly could not bear to see an elderly man like Eunuch De still working here. Seeing that Eunuch De’s hair was already white, he had no choice but to roar:

“Enough! Is it really necessary for you to be punished by my bodyguard? Get out of my sight!”

I am sorry, Eunuch De. Please retire, Eunuch De.

Eunuch De’s entire face went pale. Breaking out in a cold sweat, he knelt in fear and begged, “Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! This old servant will not do it again.”

But Xi Huai had no intention of blaming him. Sensing his mood, Eunuch De hurriedly got up and retreated.

Xi Huai finally exhaled, his mind already calculating how to ask the Empress Dowager for money in a reasonable way.

On the day of the autumn hunt, the sun was bright, the temperature was pleasant, and the nobility gathered at the hunting grounds, exchanging fake pleasantries.

Xi Huai acted as the arrogant, insufferable little Emperor, haughtily firing the first arrow of the autumn hunt.

On the pony, the young Emperor was spirited and full of life. Compared to the lethargic appearance he had once projected due to his indulgence and debauchery, he now looked remarkably clear and ethereal.

His arms were taut as he pulled the longbow, his eyes exceptionally sharp. Such a flamboyant posture sent a chill through the hearts of the young elites present; they could not help but want to ride alongside him.

So the Emperor is this brave.

A young, militant Emperor should have been such a dazzling presence, yet because of the infighting between two factions, he had been buried by the power of the throne. The young elites felt more and more regretful as they thought about it.

But the young Emperor was unaware. He stared at the prey in the jungle, his eyes burning. In an instant, the crowd heard the sound of an arrow flying, and a small deer fell to the ground.

“Noble Consort! Your Majesty has hunted it! He hunted it!” In the women’s pavilion, the excited voices of young girls could be heard.

“His Majesty must have hunted that deer for the Noble Consort. No one in the capital does not know how deeply His Majesty loves her.”

“I hear that when a man gifts his prey to a woman, he is expressing his admiration. His Majesty must be gifting it to you.”

“Usually, neither concubines nor officials’ daughters are allowed to attend the autumn hunt, but His Majesty made an exception for you, allowing us to bask in your glow. It is clear your love is deep.”

Li Wan felt dazed for a moment, then raised a fake smile and said with feigned shyness, “Do not tease me. The prey His Majesty hunts belongs to him; it is up to him to decide.”

The women in the pavilion were in high spirits, but when Empress Dowager Wen Yulin saw this, for some reason, he felt a tightness in his chest and a shortness of breath. He snorted coldly, used the excuse of wanting some air, and turned to leave.

Seeing the young man who had once been like mud he could not prop up now appearing so dazzling, he felt unhappy. Even though he was foolish, incompetent, and accomplished nothing, he had become the Emperor simply because his surname was Xi.

Wen Yulin felt it was extremely ironic; his mind even echoed with the warning of his elder brother: “You cannot; everyone knows Wen Yulin is the Empress Dowager. How could you ascend the throne? Furthermore, you have no descendants; you have no children of your own. Who would inherit the throne? You bear the surname Wen; as long as my son ascends this throne, our honor and shame will be shared.”

He cannot?

How could he not?

Just because he is the Empress Dowager, has no children, and no descendants, he cannot inherit the throne?

The late Emperor was fond of men. To curry favor with him, the Wen family took him—born in filth—disguised him as a woman, and sent him into the palace, forcing him to endure humiliation. No one knew that the wise and sagacious late Emperor was, in private, a libertine. He was not only a homosexual but also had an unspeakable fetish for “scabs.” Every night, the late Emperor liked to take out canes, whips, and oil lamps to perform on his body.

Even though the late Emperor had passed away, at night, his skin would instinctively feel burning and itchy, and his body would be in immense pain. He would toss and turn all night, unable to sleep; only by imagining himself ascending the throne could he relieve the bitterness in his heart.

Thinking of this, Wen Yulin suddenly felt very cold. He trembled all over, bit his lower lip, and dug his nails into his flesh.

Wen Yulin snorted coldly. Who said he cannot? Who decided that this position must be occupied by someone with descendants?

This throne, just as the Xi Huai in his dream said, had always been for the capable to take, for the ordinary to yield, and for the mediocre to lose. Wen Yulin’s chest heaved, and the killing intent in his eyes was unrestrained; he wanted to destroy all obstacles as quickly as possible to soothe his inner turmoil.

But in the next moment, from behind him, the young Emperor’s boyish voice sounded unexpectedly: “Mother, so you are here!”

Under the rising morning sun, the boy rode his horse over. He held the small deer in one hand and the reins in the other, slowly approaching.

It was clearly a barbaric act lacking all etiquette, but the boy on horseback did not look as fierce as an ordinary man; instead, he was like the spring all grasses flourishing, and the seasons bright and pleasant.

The puppet Emperor he had never cared about was now on horseback, smiling brightly at him.

“Where have you been? I have been looking for you for a long time.”

And it was this simple, soft, and glutinous voice that easily dispelled the chill on his body.

Support