Chapter 2: Bribery

As Ning Rushen stepped out of the palace gates, the carriage from the Ning Residence was already waiting outside.

A middle-aged man in his forties jumped down from the carriage, his face lighting up with joy. He greeted Ning Rushen with a respectful bow, “Sir!”

Ning Rushen raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Who are you?”

The man’s expression immediately turned alarmed. “Sir! I am Yan Min!”

Ning Rushen observed his attire and cautiously replied, “Ah… Steward Yan?”

Yan Min nodded eagerly. “Yes, it’s me.”

Ning Rushen smiled faintly. “You look different today, couldn’t recognize you at first.” He climbed into the carriage, leaving Yan Min standing there, bewildered, as he absentmindedly touched his face.

Inside the carriage, refreshments and tea were already prepared, along with some incense burning.

Ning Rushen felt as if his whole body had fallen apart.

He casually grabbed a handful of walnuts and began cracking them, then he told  Yan Min. “Let’s go, start the carriage.”

The carriage creaked as it slowly started moving.

After traveling a few meters, a thin and sharp voice suddenly came from behind, “Lord Ning… Lord Ning, please wait!”

Ning Rushen’s heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.

He stood up and banged on the carriage door, urging, “Faster, Uncle Yan, accelerate!”

“Um, my lord. It seems like I heard…”

“You heard wrong.”

“…”

“Lord Ning… Lord Ning! His Majesty is summoning you… Your Majesty…” The voice from behind grew closer, accompanied by trembling breaths.

The carriage swayed, and it came to a stop.

Ning Rushen took a deep breath and swiftly lifted the curtain, peering outside, only to come face to face with Dequan’s pale and panting face.

Dequan, having caught his breath, raised a finger in a scolding manner towards Ning Rushen. “Oh my, Lord Ning, you truly are a bother~”

Ning Rushen politely smiled: …

·..

Walking from the palace gate towards the depths of the imperial palace, the path was lined with golden-tiled vermilion walls. After passing through a side gate, they entered a winding path, with a row of pear trees resembling piles of snow.

Ning Rushen looked around and sighed inwardly:

In the spring courtyard, the pear trees,

A good burial place for the dead.

Once he set foot on this path, he feared he would never return…

“Why the sigh, my lord?” Dequan chuckled.

Ning Rushen shook his head and pointed to the most flourishing pear tree. “I like this one.” If he were to be buried, he would claim a spot in advance.

“Within the palace, every blade of grass and tree belongs to His Majesty.” Dequan grinned. “If you like it, my lord, on another day, you may request one or two branches as a reward from His Majesty.”

Ning Rushen’s heart surged at the thought.

He still had a “another day” ahead of him.

“Thank you for the auspicious words.”

During their conversation, they soon arrived outside the study. Dequan stopped at the door and bowed. “Lord Ning, please enter. This servant will not go in.”

Ning Rushen nodded, thinking about the rules inside the palace. He then reached into his sleeve and skillfully slipped something into Dequan’s hand. “Thank you for your service, Grand Secretary.”

After adjusting his sleeve, Ning Rushen stepped into the study.

As the doors closed, Dequan couldn’t wait and took a peek at his hand: several small walnuts neatly stacked together, with one half-eaten.

“… Click.” Dequan was utterly astonished.

Inside the study, a mahogany table was neatly arranged with fine writing materials. A white porcelain vase held a few branches of pear blossoms, adding a touch of elegance to the solemn room.

Li Wuting, dressed in dark clothing, sat behind the desk with a slightly furrowed brow.

Standing before him was a handsomely dressed man, bearing a resemblance to Li Wuting in his features—a striking resemblance to the late Emperor’s second prince, Prince Xuan, Li Yingtang.

Li Yingtang plucked at a pear branch. “Your Majesty, what happened at today’s ceremony?”

Li Wuting lightly tapped the desk with his fingertip, remaining silent.

Li Yingtang glanced at him and persuaded, “I don’t know what offense Ning Chen has committed, but now the courtiers are united. He not only has the merit of your support, but also the late Emperor’s decree. Arbitrary punishment might lead to criticism and discontent…”

^[1]Translator’s note: The names “Li Wuting” and “Li Yingtang” are fictional and not directly translatable to historical figures.

“Imperial Brother, I know my boundaries,” Li Wuting finally spoke.

Li Yingtang looked at him and smiled after some thought. “I was overly concerned.”

“Your Majesty,” a report came from outside at just the right moment, “Minister Ning Chen requests an audience—”

Li Yingtang withdrew his hand and bowed. “I shall take my leave, Your Majesty.”

…

Ning Rushen followed the eunuch towards the study and halfway there, he met someone coming out:

The person exuded an air of nobility, bearing a slight resemblance to Li Wuting in appearance. However, there was a shallow scar at the corner of his eye, like a flaw on a beautiful jade.

Ning Rushen remembered this person as the newly appointed Prince Xuan from the ceremony. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Li Yingtang was amiable. “Lord Ning.”

The two exchanged no further pleasantries.

Ning Rushen brushed past him and quickly entered the study, where Li Wuting sat behind the desk.

Li Wuting was focused on writing something on the paper and did not look at him.

Ning Rushen bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

After a moment of silence, a cool voice came from the front. “We heard that Minister Ning had a fall today and hit your head?”

Ning Rushen: ‘…Who reported this? Who?!’

He looked embarrassed. “I am foolish.”

Li Wuting set down his pen and glanced at him lightly. “Minister Ning, you have exceptional skills. How could you be so careless?”

Ning Rushen: …

Was it just an illusion? Why did it feel so eerie?

A faint cool breeze passed by his side, and the emperor’s gaze fell directly on him.

Ning Rushen cleared his throat a couple of times, trembling as he knelt down. “Your Majesty, are you blaming me… I deserve a thousand deaths… cough, cough, cough, cough!”

Li Wuting remained silent behind the desk, watching him.

The scarlet court attire was overly loose, accentuating the frail figure prostrated on the ground. The slightly hunched back revealed a lonely spine, and the jet-black hair scattered like ink.

His clenched fingers pressed against his lips, turning red from coughing.

It didn’t seem like a complete act.

Ning Rushen, with his mouth full of saliva and seeing stars, suddenly caught sight of a pair of black boots with gold trim in his line of sight.

“It seems that I have startled you, Ning Chen.”

“?” Ning Rushen raised his teary eyes in confusion. “Your Majesty?”

His moist eyes looked innocent and pure, tinged with a hint of perplexity. Li Wuting met his gaze for a moment before slowly speaking, “I summoned you, Ning Chen, regarding your official duties.”

Official duties?

Ning Rushen suddenly awakened to the fact that he was about to resign from his position!

Li Wuting continued, “Considering your head injury, it will be difficult for you to fulfill your duties in the Hanlin Academy. Starting from tomorrow…”

Ning Rushen couldn’t contain his joy and exclaimed, “I was just about to retire and return to my hometown—”

“…Come to the study.”

Two voices spoke simultaneously.

The study fell silent for a moment as the two locked eyes.

Li Wuting calmly looked at him and asked, “What did you just say, Ning Chen?”

Ning Rushen’s lips trembled slightly.

Damn it, he also wanted to ask Li Wuting what he meant!

He couldn’t go to the Hanlin Academy because of his head injury, so why was he being summoned to the study?

Did he ever show respect for the study?!

“I…,” Ning Rushen rubbed his temples, feeling dizzy and disoriented. “Am I experiencing tinnitus, Your Majesty? Are you saying that I should retire and return to my hometown?”

^[2]Tinnitus is a condition characterized by a perception of sound in the absece of any external sound source. It is commonly referred to as “Ringing in the ears”, although the perceived sound can … Continue reading

Suddenly, Li Wuting squatted down in front of him, and his cold gaze met Ning Rushen’s at eye level. A warm, rough palm held Ning Rushen’s chin, lifting his face up.

“Mmm…”

Li Wuting’s gaze fell clearly on Ning Rushen’s slightly pale face.

In a soft voice, Li Wuting asked, “Are you willing to retire and return to your hometown, Ning Chen?”

“What?” Ning Rushen was caught off guard by his face being pinched. His eyelashes fluttered, and his lips puckered like a goldfish.

A faint breath brushed against Li Wuting’s calloused palm.

Li Wuting carefully observed Ning Rushen’s expression. The soft and slightly cool skin beneath his fingertips reminded him of the white pear blossoms in the courtyard, delicate and easily crushed with a little force.

The study room was filled with an oppressive silence, where one could hear even a pin drop. The courtiers and palace maids kneeled silently on the floor.

Amidst the heavy silence, Ning Rushen couldn’t hold back any longer. He cautiously sniffled to clear the mucus caused by his coughing. “Sniffle…”

He speculated while carefully observing the emperor’s expression. “If… there were retirement benefits.”

Li Wuting remained silent, his expression unreadable.

After a long pause, the large palm that pinched Ning Rushen’s cheek loosened, leaving behind two shallow red marks.

Li Wuting glanced at Ning Rushen and lightly tugged at the corner of his lips. “I was joking.”

He stood up and walked back to the desk, picking up a wolf hair brush and resuming his writing. “Ning Rushen, you were personally appointed by the late emperor as the Grand Minister of State. I have just ascended the throne; how could I abandon a meritorious minister like a worn-out shoe?”

Ning Rushen: …

So why did you waste time playing LEGO with this old lady? Babbling for so long.

After finishing his writing, Li Wuting brushed off the stamped paper. “Receive the edict, Ning Rushen.”

Ning Rushen’s fingertips trembled. “Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty.”

·

Ning Rushen left the study room.

He gave a somewhat unnatural smile to the bewildered Dequan waiting outside, glanced at the sky, and floated away unsteadily.

Dequan was completely confused by his smile.

Has the imperial prison issued a decree or something?

“Dequan,” a low call came from the study room.

“I’m here!” Dequan hurriedly collected his thoughts and pushed the door open, quickly entering the room. Once in front of the imperial desk, he saw Li Wuting furrowing his brows as he annotated a memorial. “What can I do for you, Your Majesty…”

Li Wuting didn’t raise his head. “What did Ning Chen give you to pass on?”

There was an underlying insightfulness in his calm tone that made Dequan tremble instantly. He knelt down with a thud, his body drenched in cold sweat.

Giving gifts to palace maids was an unspoken rule in the palace. At best, it was a reward, but at worst, it was seen as bribing the emperor’s attendants, a crime punishable by death.

Dequan trembled like a sieve.

Li Wuting looked up. “Leave it here. I won’t pursue the matter with you.”

“Yes… yes, Your Majesty,” Dequan stammered.

Under the emperor’s gaze, Dequan nervously reached into his sleeve and took out a small walnut, placing it on the imperial desk with a clatter.

He then prostrated himself on the ground, tears and snot flowing as he confessed, “Your Majesty, it was Ning Rushen who bribed me with these small walnuts… There are a total of four and a half walnuts, and the half is all here! Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please spare me!”

Li Wuting: …

Author’s note:

Dequan: Our family has been eunuchs for generations, we’re so poor!

Ning Rushen: …Eunuchs for generations?

Li Wuting: …