Chapter 3
Li Wuting stared silently at the small walnut for a long time before speaking suddenly, “Shi Yi.”
From the shadows in the corner of the imperial study, a figure silently emerged. Li Wuting glanced toward the door, and the figure disappeared back into the shadows.
Half an hour later, Ning Rushen finally returned to his carriage.
Yan Min lifted the curtain for him. “Your lordship doesn’t seem to be in a good mood?”
Ning Rushen sank into the cushion, gazing deeply out of the window. “Losing it is a blessing, gaining it is my fate.”
“…” Yan Min thought: He’s already rambling.
“Shall I call for a doctor to check on you, my lord?”
“No need.” Ning Rushen collected his thoughts again. “Once we return, gather everyone in the household. I have something to announce.”
Before dropping the curtain, Yan Min took another glance inside the carriage. The fruit plate was already empty. “My lord, have you finished all the walnuts?”
The mansion wasn’t grand, but it exuded a certain elegance, befitting an official of the fifth rank. There was nothing to criticize.
After returning to the Ning residence, Yan Min gathered all the servants.
Ning Rushen pulled out a large armchair and sat in the courtyard, a plate of fruits and snacks by his side. He scanned the dozen or so servants in the yard, thinking:
Resigning from office isn’t an option, and my memory is fuzzy.
I’ll just take it step by step and first figure out what’s related to me.
“Everyone is here, my lord,” Yan Min said.
All the servants lowered their heads nervously, waiting for orders.
“Everyone is here, right?”
Ning Rushen set down his teacup, straightened up, cleared his throat, and said, “Alright, compliment me.”
“…”
Everyone looked up in confusion: ?
Thick-skinned, Ning Rushen repeated, “Compliment me.”
Everyone exchanged glances, unsure what to do, until the maid Xinglan, being the most perceptive, quickly praised:
“My lord, your grace rivals the moon, your talent is unmatched. Truly worthy of the top scholar who once dazzled the capital!”
The others finally caught on.
In an instant, the courtyard was flooded with lavish praises, blooming like a garden in spring—
Ning Rushen listened for a while and gradually pieced together the situation:
“Ning Chen” was not yet of age, the youngest fifth-rank official in the court. Orphaned at a young age, he had risen to the top as a commoner, earning the favor of the late emperor and entering the Hanlin Academy, climbing the ranks effortlessly.
Later, he had backed the right side in the imperial succession, helping Li Wuting ascend the throne.
Outwardly, he seemed to have a brilliant future.
So how had “he” offended Li Wuting?
…
The compliments in the courtyard began to dwindle.
The servants were running out of words, even resorting to praising how he once ate an extra bowl of rice.
Ning Rushen raised his hand to stop them. “That’s enough.”
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Ning Rushen then said, “Now, start insulting me.”
“…” The entire courtyard instantly dropped to their knees!
Outside the unnoticed courtyard wall, the shadowy figure lurking there also trembled slightly.
“We wouldn’t dare, my lord!”
Ning Rushen sighed. “Stand up.”
He looked at the trembling group, thought for a moment, then said, “One insult, one tael of silver.”
A dozen faces hesitantly lifted.
Ning Rushen expertly cracked open another walnut. “The first one to speak gets ten taels.”
In the next second, Steward Yan bellowed in a booming voice, “My lord, were you reincarnated from a starved ghost?!”
Ning Rushen: “…”
·
Ning Rushen spent the entire afternoon paying to be insulted.
At first, he listened eagerly, but by the end, his face grew numb.
—It was mostly trivial, petty matters, backhanded compliments, and the insults gradually strayed further off course. Towards the end, a young maid even blushed and shyly scolded:
“Your robes are always open… you’re such a… disgrace to men’s virtue.”
Ning Rushen felt his head spinning and ears buzzing.
What was all this nonsense?
After all that, he hadn’t gleaned anything useful. No clue about his enemies, and still no idea how he had offended the new emperor.
“That’s enough,” he said tiredly, waving his hand. He instructed Yan Min to distribute the reward silver and headed back to the main house. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up before the evening banquet.”
Yan Min, clutching the silver with reverence, bowed deeply. “Yes, my lord.”
…
In the imperial study at the palace, a figure knelt silently before Li Wuting—it was Shi Yi, the Jinyiwei (Embroidered Uniform Guard) assigned to spy on Ning Rushen.
The room had long been cleared of others.
Li Wuting looked at the shadowy figure kneeling before him. “Speak.”
Shi Yi kowtowed and reported every detail of Ning Rushen’s return to his residence, leaving nothing out.
When Li Wuting heard about Ning asking his servants to praise him, he let out a faint scoff.
But then Shi Yi continued, “After being praised, Lord Ning said: ‘Insult me.'”
“‘For every insult, I’ll give you one tael of silver.'”
Li Wuting’s expression turned strange.
Shi Yi, in perfect mimicry of Yan Min’s booming voice, said, “The steward then asked, ‘My lord! Were you reincarnated from a starved ghost?!'”
Li Wuting nearly choked on his tea.
Shi Yi, utterly oblivious, continued his report. “Another maid scolded shyly, ‘My lord, your robes are always open… you’re such a… disgrace to men’s virtue!'”
Li Wuting: “…”
Shi Yi added, “Lord Ning blushed and discreetly pulled his robe shut…”
Li Wuting interrupted, “Shi Yi.”
Shi Yi immediately silenced himself, lowering his body even further.
Li Wuting stared at the Jinyiwei before him, feeling like his mind had been stuffed with a bunch of absurd and trivial matters. Rubbing his temples, he sighed.
After a moment, he spoke, “Leave, and continue your surveillance.”
Shi Yi kowtowed again.
Just before leaving, he heard the emperor’s voice, now with a dangerous edge, “And next time, if you bring me this nonsense again, don’t bother coming back.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
…
Ning Rushen slept until nearly dusk.
When the knocking on his door came, his mind was still foggy. The windows were tightly shut, and the room was dim. In his grogginess, he almost thought he was back in his dormitory.
Ning Rushen propped himself up, mumbling as he called out to his roommate, “Erkang—it’s so dark in here. Why didn’t you turn on the light?”
The door creaked open, and a familiar voice answered, “My lord, it is I, Yan Min.”
The lamps were lit, casting a warm glow across the room.
Yan Min stood respectfully by the bedside.
Ning Rushen snapped awake.
He nearly forgot—he had traveled to another era.
Rubbing his throbbing temples, he patted around the bedclothes, mumbling, “Erkang, where’s my robe?”
“Your lordship’s outer robe is hanging on the rack,” Yan Min said as he handed over Ning’s cloud-patterned red robe. “And I am Yan Min.”
Ning Rushen took the robe, refusing his help to get dressed. “Alright, I can do it myself. You can leave now, Er… Yan Kang.”
Yan Min: …
By the time Ning Rushen entered the palace, the sky had already darkened.
The banquet had been fully prepared, with golden pillars and beams gleaming under the bright lights. Under the guidance of the eunuchs, Ning took his seat among his fellow Hanlin Academy colleagues, seated far from the main table at the front.
A short while later, the imperial procession arrived in grand fashion.
Li Wuting, dressed in dark robes, took his seat above them all.
Ning Rushen glanced at him from a distance, and Li Wuting seemed to notice, his gaze briefly resting on Ning with a subtle, unreadable expression. But with the dazzling lights and dancers in the way, Ning couldn’t be sure.
He rubbed his chin, thinking, Probably just my imagination.
After the rituals and formal greetings, the atmosphere gradually loosened. As the wine flowed, the emperor rose and left the banquet, and the mood became even more relaxed.
Ning’s colleagues all raised their cups toward him with enthusiasm. “We hear that Lord Ning will be serving directly before His Majesty starting tomorrow! The emperor’s most favored official!”
Ning Rushen: Who’s been tattling now?
“Ha! Don’t act like you don’t know! The imperial decree was delivered to the Hanlin Academy this afternoon. We all know!”
Ning choked on his wine: So it’s from the emperor himself!
The toasts came one after another, and Ning Rushen found himself getting hotter with each drink. Just as he was contemplating an escape, a familiar mocking voice rang out nearby, “Hmph, retiring to the countryside?”
He snapped his head up.
There stood Geng Yan, holding a cup, with a look of disdain.
A perfect shield! Ning grabbed onto him as if he were a lifeline, pulling Geng in front of him as a human barricade. “What? You have something important to discuss with me?”
Geng Yan looked bewildered. “Huh?”
Ning furrowed his brow. “A personal ailment?”
“…” The colleagues who had been coming to toast them exchanged awkward glances and quietly dispersed.
Geng Yan finally realized what was happening and slammed his hand on the table. “You son of a—”
Ning hurriedly poured him a cup of wine and handed him a walnut. “Calm down, calm down.”
“Shameless!” Geng cursed before glaring at him. “Hypocrite.”
Ning sighed and explained, “I really did request retirement, but the emperor insisted on keeping me in the imperial study.”
He was being sincere, but even he felt a little guilty as he said it. A quick glance confirmed his suspicion—Geng Yan’s fists were clenched in his sleeves.
“…”
Ning sighed again. “Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger.”
The knife-like gaze softened slightly.
He swirled the wine in his cup with melancholy. “I wonder how long I can hold on.”
The tense sleeves gradually relaxed.
Geng Yan, after considering Ning’s predicament, nodded. “That’s true.”
Ning took a sip of his wine, feeling quite pleased. He’s surprisingly easy to fool.
Taking advantage of the moment, he glanced toward the emperor’s empty seat. “Why hasn’t His Majesty returned yet?”
Geng Yan gave him a strange look. “You don’t remember?”
Ning blinked. “Remember what?”
Geng leaned in and whispered, “The emperor is probably at Changning Palace. His late mother, Concubine Xian, used to live there.”
…
As the banquet drew to a close, Ning had overheard a fair amount of palace gossip and drank more than enough wine. The heat and alcohol surged within him, making his head spin and his body flush.
He excused himself from the banquet.
Outside the palace hall was a tranquil lake, hidden behind a canopy of trees, cool and peaceful in the night.
Ning sat on a stone near the lake to cool off, letting the evening breeze blow over him. He pulled open his robe, his flushed face and neck reflecting the shimmering light of the water.
After sitting there for a while, he faintly heard De Quan’s voice coming from the path nearby, “Your Majesty, it’s cold tonight. Please put on a cloak.”
There was no response in the quiet night.
The emperor? Ning stood up groggily.
The grass at his feet rustled, and immediately, De Quan’s sharp voice rang out, “Who’s there?!”
A row of bright palace lanterns instantly illuminated the path by the lake. Ning looked toward the light, and his flushed face and bright eyes were suddenly caught in everyone’s sight—
The once serene atmosphere shattered.
De Quan, startled, exclaimed, “Lord Ning?”
Ning Rushen stood frozen, not responding.
He looked at Li Wuting, who stood in the night in his thin robes, and absentmindedly blurted out, “Your Majesty, perhaps you should wear a cloak.”
Li Wuting: “…”
Ning’s hair had fallen loose, some strands slipping into the open collar of his robe, his whole body radiating the heat of alcohol.
The moment Li Wuting saw him, the Jinyiwei’s report flashed through his mind:
Starved ghost reincarnated, disgrace to men’s virtue.
Seeing Ning standing there so casually, De Quan was already panicking, stammering, “Oh no, Lord Ning must be drunk! Hurry and bow to His Majesty!”
Though Ning’s mind was hazy, he still understood what was being said. He took a few unsteady steps toward Li Wuting.
De Quan gripped his duster tightly, terrified that Ning might accidentally offend the emperor.
Ning stopped in front of Li Wuting, swaying slightly as he bowed. “Your humble servant greets His Majesty.”
Li Wuting glanced down at him. “Why are you here?”
“Cooling off.”
“This is not a place you should be,” Li Wuting said, his expression betraying no emotion. “Go back.”
“Oh.” Ning Rushen blinked once, then sluggishly added, “Your servant takes his leave.”
He turned and began to walk away, his crimson robe fluttering in the breeze, the silver embroidery on his belt accentuating his slender waist.
Li Wuting glanced at him briefly before averting his gaze. His voice remained calm, “Return to the Yangxin Hall.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The rows of palace lanterns swung as the entourage turned to leave.
They had barely taken a few steps when suddenly, from not far behind them, there was a loud “splash” from the lake.
Li Wuting turned his head.
There, the figure who had just been wobbling away had somehow managed to fall headfirst into the lake, his upper body now submerged, and he was slowly sinking further down the bank, bubbles rising with every second.
“…”
De Quan’s face went pale in shock. “Lord Ning!”
The palace servants rushed towards the lake, but Li Wuting’s voice suddenly rang out, “Hold on.”
“Your Majesty?” De Quan looked up in confusion.
For a brief moment, Li Wuting’s gaze darkened, though it was fleeting.
He glanced again at the bubbles coming up from the water, then, pressing his fingers to his brow in exasperation, said, “…Forget it. Pull him out.”
