When the Puppet Emperor Becomes a Heartthrob - Chapter 14

Xi Huai had once studied horse riding and archery, and his skills in both were quite remarkable. However, since this was his first time shooting a living creature, he felt somewhat uncomfortable. But once he reminded himself that this was all to curry favor with Wen Yulin, his mood quickly settled.

He rode around the hunting grounds with his prey for a long while before finally finding Wen Yulin. Wen Yulin was standing under a tree, dappled shadows casting over him, making it difficult to see his expression. Yet, Xi Huai sensed that his mood was gloomy. Xi Huai stiffened, already beginning to worry whether approaching him would bring bad luck. However, the attendant by Wen Yulin’s side had already spotted him, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ride over.

He piled on a face of hypocritical smiles and said, “Mother, where did you go? I have been looking for you for a long time.”

Perhaps not expecting anyone to come looking for him, Wen Yulin froze. The severity that usually clung to his stern face faded. It was only then that Xi Huai realized Wen Yulin was extremely handsome, though he usually wore dark clothing that obscured his innate beauty.

“You…” Wen Yulin pressed his crimson lips together and frowned. “How dare you come without guards?”

Xi Huai glanced toward the tree. Guards? Isn’t Xue Fang squatting right there? Perhaps yesterday’s lecture had been effective; today, Xue Fang seemed much more dedicated, behaving quite like a proper secret bodyguard. When Xue Fang met his eyes, he appeared dazed for a moment before quickly looking away and focusing on his duties.

Satisfied with Xue Fang’s situational awareness, Xi Huai dismounted calmly. He scratched his head in a feigned, honest manner and said, “I came to find Mother. What guards do I need? Mother wouldn’t harm me, would she?”

His tone was intimate, like a mother and child in an ordinary family. Wen Yulin seemed not to have expected him to say such a thing; he froze once again. He soon composed himself and snorted coldly, “I have said many times that the Emperor is of noble birth, and those who covet your life are countless. When will you ever take these warnings to heart?”

Xi Huai: ” ”

Aren’t you one of the people coveting his life? If that was how he wanted to play it, Xi Huai would just have to keep up the act.

“I have not!” Xi Huai suddenly raised his voice, though it weakened quickly. “I have not ignored Mother’s words.”

He looked somewhat aggrieved, like a rabbit, his eyes slightly pink at the corners. “I only wanted to offer the prey to Mother.”

Wen Yulin watched the young emperor lower his eyelashes. His thick, dense lashes trembled like wings. After a long while, he looked up. Those stubborn eyes, unique to a youth, were watching him seriously and attentively beneath the warm sun and gentle breeze. The youth was covered in the sweat of the hunt, his fair cheeks flushed red from the wind.

It was only then that Wen Yulin noticed that although the boy wore riding gear, the inner layers were thin, making it easy to catch a cold. Thinking of how he had recently skipped morning court due to a cold, coughing incessantly every day, Wen Yulin lost his focus and his composure. He took out a handkerchief to wipe away the boy’s sweat.

They had rarely been this close. Xi Huai was completely dumbfounded; his beautiful doe eyes flashed with surprise, his pink lips slightly parted. “Mo, Mother?”

His trembling voice made Wen Yulin snap back to reality. He realized what he was doing, and his arm hung suspended in mid-air. He then retracted the handkerchief as if nothing had happened and said, “The Emperor usually dotes on the Imperial Concubine most; you should have given it to her instead.”

But no one saw that he tucked the handkerchief into his pocket, his five fingers clutching it tightly, just as he was clutching his own heart. His heart, which had long been calm, had been turned into a greedy ghost because of Xi Huai, craving the warmth. Wen Yulin did not understand this feeling. He thought that if he had a child, it would likely be just like this.

“After all, the Imperial Concubine is the one who will accompany the Emperor for a lifetime. You know that you and I are not mother and child by blood.” Wen Yulin’s thoughts drifted as he spoke words even he found hard to believe. “To you, I count for nothing, merely someone the late Emperor entrusted you to on his deathbed.”

“Mother! Be careful with your words!” Xi Huai interrupted sharply, looking very angry. “Father entrusted me to you before he passed away, and you have carefully guided me for many years.”

“I have long regarded you as my own mother. What are you talking about?” Xi Huai frowned, speaking eloquently. “You are strict and harsh, and though I might prefer a gentler mother, I have seen the guidance you have given me over these years.”

Gentle? A strange word rolled on the tip of Wen Yulin’s tongue. He was moved; because of Xi Huai’s words, ripples stirred in his heart. He had never expected that the pampering and spoiling he had intentionally used to ruin the boy would be seen as years of careful guidance. He had only just discovered, on this very day, the innocence beneath Xi Huai’s foolishness.

Xi Huai expressed his feelings so directly, without concealing his likes or dislikes. Wen Yulin’s cold, hard heart softened. If he treated Xi Huai gently now, would Xi Huai be willing to become his true child? As long as he was gentle, like a truly virtuous mother, and treated him with utmost care, would he give him a response like a child would?

Lord Wen says I have no descendants, so he wants me to hand over the position that is within reach, but what if I had a child? A true bloodline. Just the thought of this softened Wen Yulin’s gaze. His usually stern face flowed with genuine gentleness. “Very well. Little Shunzi, take away the prey the Emperor bestowed.”

The little eunuch acknowledged the order and hurriedly took the prey from Xi Huai’s hands. Xi Huai noticed that the way Wen Yulin looked at him was exceptionally kind and soft. He could not help but shiver. No, what kind of weird look is that? He was here to curry favor with Wen Yulin, sure, but he did not want to open the door to a new world for him. Please, stop looking at me with that old mother gaze; I have goosebumps.

Yet, Wen Yulin acted like a truly kind old mother, adjusting his disheveled collar. “I wonder which servant dressed the Emperor. The weather has turned cold; they should have dressed the Emperor in more layers.”

Xi Huai: ” ”

Xi Huai could not take it anymore. He hurriedly brushed away Wen Yulin’s hand and said with cold sweat, “Alright, Mother, such trivial matters should not be handled by you. I came to find Mother because there is an important matter I wish to discuss.”

“An important matter?” He saw Wen Yulin’s fingers pause, his face darkening. “What matter does the Emperor wish to discuss with me?”

“As Mother knows, I enjoy playing polo and wish to build a polo field, but my budget has been a bit tight lately.”

“The Emperor came to find me just for this?”

“Of course not.” Xi Huai, fearing he was suspected of hoarding money, immediately stuck to his foolish ruler persona. “Don’t forget to keep a close eye on the selection of concubines next year for me.”

Wen Yulin was dazed. He would have unconditionally fulfilled any of Xi Huai’s requests, but at this moment, he only felt a sense of loss. All the gifts and prey Xi Huai offered were merely calculated moves to curry favor and ask for money to build a polo field.

“Mother?”

The voice that had once dispelled his chill now sounded cold. Wen Yulin glanced at Xi Huai, thinking to himself that people of the imperial house were truly only out for their own benefit. However, he was his child after all; he should be taught well. He once had the ability to spoil him, and now he had the ability to make him obedient. After all, he was still just a child.

Wen Yulin smiled, curving his lips with indulgence. Before leaving, he kindly left behind a sentence: “We shall do as the Emperor wishes.”

Xi Huai’s body shook. He keenly felt a change in Wen Yulin’s state of mind. He relayed this to the chat group, and everyone started comforting him.

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “What does the Empress Dowager’s mood have to do with you? Isn’t she a villain?”

Apocalypse Novel Male Lead: “You extorted the villain; isn’t that worth being happy about?”

But the look in Wen Yulin’s eyes was very wrong; it was almost like. Still, it did not matter. Why did he have to care about Wen Yulin’s mood? He figured it out: “You are right. I might as well immerse myself in the autumn hunt.”

Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead keenly smelled danger: “Autumn hunt? Often in novels, the autumn hunt is where important plot points happen.”

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “You had better be careful. You gave me a red envelope earlier, so I have some miracle medicine here. I’ll gift it to you first.”

Xi Huai thought of the Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead and shuddered, obediently accepting the miracle medicine from the House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead.

However, when he closed the chat group and returned to the hunting ground, Li Wan appeared from nowhere, holding a handkerchief to wipe away his sweat.

“The Emperor’s heroic bearing is truly something I admire. I have never seen the Emperor look as refreshed and uninhibited as he did today.”

That is natural. It is rare to encounter a sport I like, so I could not help but let myself go a little. He had to know that ever since he transmigrated, he had not felt this relaxed in a long time. But he did not show it on the surface; he could only maintain the foolish emperor persona, behaving in an unruly manner: “My horsemanship is indeed second to none in the Great Qing. Wan, are you satisfied with what you saw?”

Li Wan’s lips twitched a few times before she flattered him with a fake smile: “The Emperor is the true Son of Heaven, noble and peerless. Naturally, I am very satisfied.”

No way, Sister, you can tolerate this? Your self-control is really good. Xi Huai persisted, leaning to Li Wan’s ear and whispering: “I really want to have my way with you.”

What a narcissist, so gross. Yet Li Wan remained smiling, looking completely unbothered by his sleaze. She just pulled back her handkerchief without a sound.

He was in high spirits, as if he had met an opponent in the acting world, looking back with affection. Just as he was about to change the subject, Xiao Yuan’s voice suddenly sounded in his ear:

“Since the Emperor’s horsemanship is so good, how about having a polo match with me?”

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