When the Puppet Emperor Becomes a Heartthrob - Chapter 8

Empress Dowager Wen and the Regent had long coveted the throne. Both sought to emulate the Founding Emperor of the Great Qing Dynasty, hoping to restore the realm to its former glory. As for the current ruler, the little emperor, he was nothing more than a complete puppet groomed by Empress Dowager Wen, destined to be forced to abdicate sooner or later.

However, they had not expected Empress Dowager Wen and the Regent to be so impatient, unable to resist poisoning the little emperor. This revelation caused the smile that usually hung on Sheng Mingyue’s lips to vanish.

“Your Majesty, may I ask if it was the Empress Dowager or the Regent who gave you…”

Sheng Mingyue hesitated, then feigned a coughing fit, pretending to be ill.

Xi Huai: “…”

You brat, you are putting on a performance of being sick in front of someone who is actually ill? You truly are; it has to be you; you are indeed the male lead of a political intrigue novel.

But he had not been poisoned. He had merely taken a potent health tonic to bolster his constitution against a cold, but he had overdone it, resulting in him coughing up blood. Who knew that a tonic could be this effective? He could still survive! He could borrow another five hundred years from the heavens!

Just as he thought this, he felt a heat in his nose, and a trickle of blood began to flow out.

Xi Huai wiped the nosebleed with a numb expression. “Autumn is almost here. You should look after your health, my minister. Do not catch a cold like I have.”

As he spoke, he paused. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he suddenly thought of a way to change his current predicament. Xi Huai lowered his eyes; his thick eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings under the lamp light.

“I called you here because I wanted to tell you that you have been wronged regarding this disaster relief mission. You are the Chief Councilor and should remain in the capital to manage the government. But the people I can rely on are few and far between. As a high-ranking official, your presence in the North alongside Qin Mingjing will be more effective in stabilizing the hearts of the people.”

“I am a useless emperor. In order to survive, I can only pretend to be a foolish ruler, letting the Empress Dowager and the Regent manipulate me, thereby chilling the hearts of my loyal ministers.” Xi Huai lowered his gaze, acting out the role of the long-suffering little emperor to perfection.

“But today, to seize power, they have completely ignored the disaster!” Suddenly, he raised his voice, looking incredibly annoyed and indignant. “How can they be so indifferent to the suffering of the world? Indifferent to the common people!”

“Although I am incompetent, I am still the Son of Heaven of the Great Qing. I cannot bear to watch my people suffer in misery.”

The young emperor’s sickly face flushed with a vivid pink due to his emotional outburst. His almond-shaped eyes were filled with anger, shining brilliantly in the dim light. Compared to his usual foolish ruler facade, he looked as if he had torn off his mask to reveal his true self.

However, Sheng Mingyue was not interested. Sheng Mingyue was born with an indifferent disposition; he did not take things he had no interest in to heart. Even his parents had looked at him with strange eyes, as if he were some terrifying monster. Even later, when his family was wiped out, his emotions remained completely flat; he simply felt it was a matter of course. After all, his parents, who appeared wise and virtuous on the surface, were in reality not good people, but greedy officials.

He held no desire for revenge against Xi Huai; it was purely instinct that made him imitate human emotions to appear like a normal person. For instance, because he was the Chief Councilor and ought to govern the country, which concerned the fate of the Great Qing, he played the part of a wise minister. But the young emperor was completely oblivious to the past, possessing a heart full of passion but no power to act upon it.

He calmly observed the youth, not understanding how the previously inept foolish ruler had suddenly transformed into a wise monarch. Even so, he smiled as he usually did. “Your servant does not understand. Is Your Majesty saying that this is not your fault?”

Xi Huai’s expression stiffened. He did not deny it; he only wanted to gain the male lead’s favor and avoid being executed by lingchi. He looked resolute, stepped toward Sheng Mingyue, and said, word for word, “Sheng Mingyue, hear my words. I simply do not want to see the foundations of the Great Qing destroyed. I need you. Teach me how to be the Emperor of the Great Qing.”

Hear my words. It was the command of a king, a decree of destiny. Anyone who heard it would be unable to refuse the words of the Son of Heaven and would be compelled to obey his orders. This was a skill he had snatched from the chat group.

Sheng Mingyue’s body trembled, and his expression stiffened. He rarely showed such an expression. His reason seemed to be struggling, and in the end, his voice sounded hoarse as he asked, “Why me?”

Why him? He could have exposed his true side in front of Qin Mingjing and asked for his help instead.

Xi Huai saw Sheng Mingyue’s wavering. Lies or not, he could not miss this opportunity. The young emperor stopped walking, looked him straight in the eye, and ignited a flame within his gaze.

“Because I need you, Sheng Mingyue. You rose to become the Chief Councilor of the Great Qing on your own merit, yet you never fell in with the corrupt. It shows your integrity and your concern for the people. I need you to be my shield.”

The flame flickered, casting brilliant colors in the dim bedchamber, dazzling to the point of almost scorching the soul. Sheng Mingyue felt as if a rush of hot blood surged through his body, inexplicably giving him the urge to agree. He had never felt this way before. He could not feel the emotions normal people possessed, and becoming Chief Councilor had been an act of going with the flow. But now, the surging passion spread through his entire body, as if something was manipulating his thoughts, trying to awaken his emotions.

The absurd thought suddenly stopped. Sheng Mingyue froze, his gaze toward the youth becoming increasingly obscure.

The youth stopped pretending to be an incompetent ruler. Instead, he turned around weakly and pulled out a hidden travel bag.

“For this disaster relief, I fear the Regent’s faction and the Empress Dowager’s faction will stir up trouble. I know this is a great grievance for you, but please help me this once.”

“This is what I have prepared for you. It is but a drop in the bucket, but it can provide urgent relief.”

His eyes reddened, and his voice was firm. “Teacher, you are the only one I can trust.”

Sheng Mingyue’s entire body trembled. The word Teacher caused his reason to be devoured, burning brighter and hotter. Before leaving the bedchamber, his mind went blank, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Very well.”

Xi Huai felt satisfied; he collapsed onto the dragon throne like a deflated balloon. He felt embarrassed; who knew the little emperor’s private treasury was so empty? What a spendthrift!

However, the previous speech felt familiar. How did it feel as if he had said it to someone else before? Forget it, that is not important. As long as he could get the male lead transferred, anything would do. Like a fickle scoundrel, he soon discarded these unimportant thoughts.

In the original story, to build his wine pools and meat forests, the little emperor refused to provide disaster relief, chilling the hearts of loyal ministers, who then defected to Sheng Mingyue, indirectly leading to the nation’s downfall. Xi Huai, knowing the plot, had agreed to the relief mission in a roundabout way to survive a few more years, changing the outcome of the loyal ministers’ heartbreak. Now, Sheng Mingyue would no longer want to kill him.

Xi Huai closed his eyes. At least, not for now. Because Sheng Mingyue would no longer remain in the imperial city.

Heavy clouds obscured the stars. A sudden rainstorm swept down in the middle of the night, drenching the imperial city and cloaking it in dampness.

On the dragon bed, Xi Huai’s condition worsened. Despite taking the health tonic, his body remained incredibly weak, and his coughing was incessant. He remained feverish and could not attend court, eventually forcing Eunuch De to call for Imperial Physician Zhang to check his pulse and prescribe medicine for the cold.

Xi Huai did not drink it. Instead, he coughed a few times, a flush of unnatural red staining his face, and knocked over the teacup that had been handed to him.

“How noisy. It is just a cold; do not make a mountain out of a molehill.”

“Your Majesty, your health is poor. Please take your medicine.”

Xi Huai laughed with a pfft. “If I insist on not drinking it, what will Imperial Physician Zhang do?”

Imperial Physician Zhang broke out in a cold sweat, fearing he would incur the little emperor’s wrath and bring disaster upon himself. But he had a duty to fulfill, so his legs trembled as he knelt down. “Your Majesty is the master of ten thousand chariots; no one can decide for you. But if you do not take care of your body, there will be no one to protect the dynasty. The Great Qing needs you; you should cherish yourself more.”

Physician Zhang’s words were moving. If Xi Huai hadn’t known that Physician Zhang was a member of the Empress Dowager’s faction, he might have believed him. The original text clearly stated that Empress Dowager Wen, fearing the little emperor would produce an heir, frequently ordered him to consume sterility-inducing drugs. He hadn’t lied to Sheng Mingyue; someone was indeed poisoning him. As for what the poison was, that was all in Sheng Mingyue’s imagination.

However, the little emperor’s persona was that of a foolish, gullible ruler. Thus, Xi Huai had to pretend he was touched by the praise, haughtily lifting his chin. “I never expected you to view me this way. You have a discerning eye. Leave the medicine; I will drink it myself later.”

“But, Your Majesty…”

“Eunuch De, show him out.” Xi Huai gave Physician Zhang no chance to refuse.

“Imperial Physician Zhang, this way.” Eunuch De understood and led him out.

Until the bedchamber was empty, Xi Huai rose weakly and poured the medicinal soup into a flowerpot. In the original story, many people wanted the little emperor’s life; how could he possibly drink it?

But without the medicine, his body felt burning hot. He wanted to go to the chat group to vent, but his consciousness was blurred, and he soon lost consciousness.

Xi Huai felt as if he had fallen into a nightmare. In the dream, a pair of large hands tore open his lapels and gripped his throat. The air was thin; he wanted to struggle, but the grip on his neck loosened. It felt as if a block of ice had slipped into his lapels, causing him to shiver. Then, his body began to feel cold and tremble, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; his teeth chattered from the cold.

Only when he sensed something warm in front of him, like a heating stove, did he involuntarily roll over and instinctively hug it. Warmth reached the tip of his heart, and he sighed in comfort.

This sigh startled the person, who immediately withdrew from his embrace.

But he shackled him. “Cold…”

Xi Huai shed tears of misery.

The youth was in a disheveled state; his clothes were open, his chest exposed, and his skin was a delicate pink. His raven-black hair was scattered across the bed, not looking disrespectful, but rather possessing a messy, aesthetic beauty. Yet, he was completely unaware of it.

The man looked dazed. That drop of tears felt as scorching as an electric shock; he suddenly pulled his hand back. He looked at the Son of Heaven in his arms with a dazed expression, filled with absurdity regarding his own actions.

But the Son of Heaven, who was clinging to him, had shed the coldness of the past from his formerly young face. Now, there was only the joyous smile of someone who had recovered what was lost. It was precisely that pure smile that made him accelerate his actions, alleviating the pain for the Great Qing Emperor on the throne.

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