When the Puppet Emperor Becomes a Heartthrob - Chapter 4

Xi Huai suddenly felt that danger was lurking everywhere.

In the original novel, the young Emperor was a puppet with no real power. The military authority was divided, with the first portion controlled by the Prince Regent, Xiao Yuan.

As for the Imperial Guards, who were originally under the direct command of the monarch, they had been seized by Xiao Yuan because the young Emperor was too muddle-headed to maintain control.

Just a few days ago, Xiao Yuan had even arranged for the Imperial Guards to patrol the Cining Palace, using the excuse that Empress Dowager Wen Yulin was in poor health and that someone might be attempting to harm her.

Now, there were very few Imperial Guards left stationed at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Therefore, when Qin Mingjing trespassed into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, there were no Imperial Guards to stop him, only Eunuch De and the attendants.

If someone in the palace truly wanted to harm the young Emperor, it would be an incredibly easy task.

However, Xi Huai did not believe that the Prince Regent, Xiao Yuan, would resort to violence at this moment and incite chaos within the palace.

Empress Dowager Wen Yulin was even less likely to do so because, on the surface, they were both part of the Emperor’s faction and had not yet reached the point of tearing off their masks.

Not to mention, the Prime Minister and male lead had only recently taken office and did not yet have the strength to usurp the throne. He was currently biding his time and focusing on restoring order to the court.

Xi Huai could not guess who wanted to harm him, simply because there were far too many people in the palace who wanted the young Emperor to die.

While he was lost in thought, the arrows from outside the window suddenly ceased. A figure in black leaped over the window frame and thrust a sword toward him with terrifying speed.

Before he could even react, Qin Mingjing had already reached out, pulled him into his arms, and used a spoon to block the strike.

Qin Mingjing said, “Your Majesty, please do not move.”

Xi Huai: “…”

Seriously? Big brother, that is far too reckless.

What is the difference between blocking a sword with a spoon and blocking a bullet with a frying pan?

However, Qin Mingjing did not have his sword with him. Although he was skilled in martial arts, he was at a disadvantage while holding only a spoon.

Xi Huai watched as black and white figures blurred in the flashes of steel, the sounds of the spoon clashing against the sword ringing out. The assassin in black thrust his blade toward Qin Mingjing’s chest.

In that split second, Xi Huai instinctively threw himself at Qin Mingjing, using his own broad chest to take the strike from the assassin.

At that moment, he had no other thoughts. He only knew that no matter what, he could not let Qin Mingjing be killed by this mysterious assassin.

Qin Mingjing was his sword; he was his only sharp weapon.

If Qin Mingjing died, he would likely be isolated and unable to survive.

A powerful desire for survival made him clearly aware that he was wearing protective armor and would not die, which was why he stood in front of Qin Mingjing without hesitation.

The sharp sword struck his chest without mercy.

As a result, the blade recoiled and wounded the assassin’s fingers instead.

The assassin: “…”

Xi Huai saw the shock in the assassin’s eyes and the complex look directed at him. It was not until the Imperial Guards approached that the assassin regained his senses, turned, and fled through the window.

Covered in cold sweat, Xi Huai clutched his chest and collapsed to the floor. Because it was his first time encountering such an intense event, he was unable to recover his composure for a long time.

Qin Mingjing was stunned. He had never once thought that the licentious and incompetent young Emperor would block a sword for him, and for a moment, he felt a sense of trance.

He suddenly thought of a boy from long ago, one with slightly chubby cheeks, who had stood high above him and said, “Qin Mingjing, you must become my sword.”

That was in early spring, during his grandmother’s birthday banquet back home, when the peach blossoms were in full bloom. He had climbed a peach tree, but his feet had slipped, and a small hand had grabbed him.

It was a boy with porcelain-white skin, crimson lips, and pearly teeth; a jade-like child only about six years old, born with an air of wealth and beauty.

Even though he wore gorgeously embroidered clothing, his expression was cold as he stood on the tree. Set against the beautiful peach blossoms, he looked like a flower deity blossoming in spring, radiating an air that felt completely out of place with his surroundings.

It was not until much later that he learned the boy who had pulled him up that day, the one who had played house with him and made him swear an oath to be a loyal official, was not the child of his father’s colleague, but the only Crown Prince of Daqing.

From that day on, he had kept the Prince’s image in his heart, swearing to follow him and become his loyal servant.

Even after the Prince ascended the throne, his temperament changed drastically, and he became a licentious and incompetent tyrant, but Qin Mingjing never wanted to abandon him.

Qin Mingjing was lost in his thoughts, and for some reason, he felt that the young man in front of him overlapped perfectly with the boy in his memories.

He looked at the pale-faced Xi Huai in his arms and asked with a dry throat, “Your Majesty, why did you block the sword for your subject?”

“Let…”

“Let?”

“Let go of my shoulder blades!” Xi Huai gritted his teeth. The titanium alloy of the protective armor was digging into him.

Qin Mingjing: “…”

Seeing this, Eunuch De turned pale and shouted to the attendants, “Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician!”

Eunuch De knelt on the floor, his voice trembling as tears streamed down his face. “Your Majesty, are you alright?”

“I, I do not feel very well.” He felt like the armor was about to be pierced by the sword, and it was incredibly uncomfortable.

“Physician! Why has the physician not arrived yet? Do these quacks not want their lives anymore?” Eunuch De said anxiously. His expression was full of worry, and he eventually decided to go fetch the physician himself. Before leaving, he gently comforted him, “Please, Your Majesty, lie down on the bed and rest. This old servant will return immediately.”

Xi Huai was protected by his armor and did not suffer any physical injury, but after Eunuch De left, he still pretended to be weak while lying in Qin Mingjing’s arms. The corners of his eyes were red and filled with physiological tears. He grabbed Qin Mingjing’s sleeve tightly and whispered, “Qin Mingjing, you must become my sword.”

I never expected being a tyrant to be such a high-risk profession.

I was truly terrified at that moment.

My life in this deep palace can only depend on you now.

“I need you.” Xi Huai was shaking so badly that he was too lazy to keep up the act. He had not expected that, apart from being sliced to death by the male lead in the original book, he would also be facing an assassination attempt. This segment about an assassination was not even in the original novel.

He gripped Qin Mingjing’s sleeve as if it were his only life-saving straw. His fingertips were pale and weak, his body looked delicate and fragile, and as he curled up in Qin Mingjing’s arms, he said, “In this palace, you are the only one I can trust.”

Those words, so different from his usual behavior and carrying hidden meaning, caused Qin Mingjing’s body to tremble slightly. He wore the expression of someone who had guessed at some secret, his look stunned as he stared straight at him.

In those eyes, which were like black jade, rolled emotions that Xi Huai could not understand. He paused, and only after a moment did he finally hear that voice, deep and hoarse like aged red wine, respond: “Very well.”

Xi Huai did not know what exactly Qin Mingjing had imagined, only that under his verbal guidance, Qin Mingjing believed in his “helpless predicament.”

He exhaled in relief, his posture resembling a frightened little kitten, curled up in Qin Mingjing’s arms, allowing him to carry him back to the bed.

By the time Eunuch De returned with the attendants and the physician, Xi Huai was already resting on the bed.

The chief medical officer of the Imperial Hospital hurriedly examined Xi Huai’s body but could not find anything wrong.

Naturally, the physician did not know about the protective armor and only said that the Emperor had been frightened and needed to take a calming medicine.

“Your Majesty is protected by the spirit of a true dragon; you are physically strong and have no external wounds. This is a great blessing for our Daqing.”

Qin Mingjing frowned. “I saw with my own eyes the assassin’s sharp sword strike Your Majesty. How can there be no wounds?”

The physician blathered, “Perhaps it was blocked by layers of clothing, and that is why the sword did not wound Your Majesty.”

Xi Huai, lying on the bed with his eyes closed, knew that the invisible protective armor could not be scrutinized. He immediately channeled his inner actor, looking extremely impatient as he threw a pillow at them. “You are so noisy! Do you not see that I am unwell? Why have you not rolled out yet?”

He was about to bleed from the pressure of the protective armor. If they did not leave, he was going to lose his mind. Thus, he began to feign fury, smashing things wildly. “How dare you make such a racket in my sleeping quarters! Is it your intent to see me dead?”

When the young Emperor was angry, everyone around him feared for their lives, and they hurriedly scrambled out of the room.

Only Qin Mingjing stood there, motionless, his face wearing an unreadable expression.

Seeing that Qin Mingjing did not budge, Xi Huai was just about to speak when the young man with the face of jade knelt on one knee.

“Your Majesty.” The young man bit his lip, lifted his eyelashes, and looked at him with eyes like a wild beast.

Xi Huai could not help but feel a bit apprehensive; the more he looked at the young man, the more he resembled a teacher urging him to submit his homework.

The young man simply bowed his head with righteous indignation and made a sincere promise, “Your subject will find the assassin.”

But Xi Huai had no clue who the assassin was. After all, it was an assassin who had not appeared in the original text. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and he did not believe the upright Qin Mingjing would be able to find them.

Therefore, Xi Huai did not take it to heart and nodded quite perfunctorily.

Qin Mingjing, however, seemed to have received a great recognition. A satisfied smile appeared on his usually stern face as he turned and left the bedroom.

Only when there was no one left in the bedroom did Xi Huai take off his protective armor. He sighed in relief, collapsed onto the bed, and opened the chat group with his mind.

The group was currently discussing the times they had been assassinated. Xi Huai thought about the assassination attempt just now and finally could not help but come here to vent.

The supporting character from the palace intrigue novel listened to the cause and effect and replied with sympathy, “When I first transmigrated, I was also on the verge of death. My elder brother, who was originally gentle and elegant, framed me for cheating during the imperial examinations, almost causing me to be wrongfully killed. This shows that the human heart is unfathomable.”

It turned out that everyone in the group had had similar experiences. Xi Huai could not describe his current mood. He had no other wishes; he only wanted to be a “salted fish” until the ending, then fake his death, escape, and find a village like the one in Peach Blossom Spring to live a life of leisure.

But now there was an assassin who wanted to kill him, and he did not even know who the assassin was…

The supporting character from the Xianxia novel provided a new idea, “If you want to find the assassin, why not use the Immortal Entering Dreams skill I gifted you?”

Xi Huai: “?”

The Xianxia character: “The red packet I gave you allows you to enter other people’s dreams, view the dreams of those around you, and look for clues within them.”

Xi Huai understood. From ancient times to the present, there has been the saying that “what one thinks about by day, one dreams of by night.” For the assassin, tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.

In order to complete his “salted fish” grand plan, Xi Huai, who had used red packets before, skillfully used the Immortal Entering Dreams skill before drifting off to sleep.

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