“Master Ning!”
“Quick, call someone, Master Ning fainted!”
***
A burst of dizziness hit Ning Rushen, and he dimly heard the clamor around him.
His memory was still frozen in the moment before. Coming out from the school building, he had missed a step on the stairs, and the next moment, he felt himself being dragged along the ground like a corpse.
He hacked out a cough and opened his eyes.
First there was a flash of searing white light, and then a flight of stone steps and a red wall entered his sight. Before him, a crowd of people wearing court robes were loftily passing through a palace gate, as if in a historical drama.
And he was sitting on a patch of empty ground not far from the line.
He looked down and reached out a hand before himself.
A scarlet sleeve entered his vision, with a thin, pale wrist and hand extending from it.
Ning Rushen turned his hand over.
Had he fallen to his death?
Just as he was thinking this, a man wearing a white robe hurried over from a distance. “Master Ning!”
Ning Rushen looked up at him. “Bai Wuchang?” Was this guy dressed all in white the god who brought spirits to the underworld?
The doctor’s footsteps paused. “......”
A voice suddenly came from nearby. “Did that fall give you brain damage?”
Ning Rushen looked over and found a man standing to the side, dressed in pale scarlet robes, who was about twenty years old. He was currently rubbing his knee with a grimace on his face, looking at him unpleasantly.
Two young eunuchs rounded off the joke with some laughter. “Master Geng, Master Ning sure did take a heavy fall.”
Geng Yan gave Ning Rushen a glance. “Sure enough, nothing good happens when I meet you.”
Ning Rushen looked at the people before him one by one.
The pain that came from his body was so real, and the surroundings were so clear and complete. His head buzzed a few times, until he was finally forced to admit the reality:
He hadn’t died. He’d transmigrated.
But he didn’t know which dynasty he was in, and he didn’t know who he was.
Ning Rushen rubbed his head and decided to first understand the situation. “My head isn’t too clear right now. Where am I, and what happened?”
The scene instantly sunk into silence.
The young eunuchs had shocked expressions. The doctor hastily took his pulse, closing his eyes and murmuring. Ning Rushen could make out a few faint words: “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over…”
Geng Yan’s mouth opened and closed. He looked at Ning Rushen for a long time, and finally couldn’t help but stumble over on his injured leg to ask, “Y-you really gave yourself brain damage?”
Ning Rushen looked at him, deathly pale.
Geng Yan took a deep breath and said, “Right now, it’s the emperor’s coronation ceremony, remember? We came back from the city outskirts and we’re going through the southern gate of the palace. You didn’t look where you were going and fell down in a heap, and even had the temerity to make me fall down and injure my leg as well. You forgot all of that?”
Ning Rushen: “......”
He couldn’t tell just how much emotion was packed into those words just now.
He couldn’t resist asking, “Do we have a bad relationship?”
Geng Yan nodded. “Very much so.”
Ning Rushen sighed. It was a pity he couldn’t remember anything right now, and he had no idea what grudges and favors he carried.
All he knew right now was that he was an imperial official.
He wasn’t sure what dynasty he was in, but looking at this scarlet robe embroidered with clouds and geese, and his silver belt embroidered with flowers, he must be an official of the fourth or fifth rank.
While he was sunk in thought, the doctor took back his hand and said, “Master, your constitution was weak to begin with, and you were quite injured by the fall. There’s no danger to your life, but blood has collected in your head, thus there was damage to your mind, especially your memory and perception…”
Ning Rushen waved a hand. “It’s no big deal.”
He thanked the doctor, who had “How is it no big deal?” written all over his face. Then he asked the eunuch, “If I leave now, can I still catch the coronation ceremony?”
The eunuch replied, “You can, Master.”
Geng Yan had his leg injuries treated as well. He rose and said unpleasantly, “As long as you don’t take another fall.”
One of them had injured his head, and the other had injured his leg.
Under the eunuch’s guidance, they walked down the long path to the throne room, injured head and foot.
Ning Rushen’s head and foot hurt. He felt like this body of his was weak beyond belief.
After they had walked for a while, they finally heard the sounds of the ceremony in the distance.
They could see the black-haired heads of the officials and the majestic long stairway of the palace hall before them.
When they were almost at the line, he suddenly thought of an important question.
Ning Rushen looked over and asked Geng Yan, “Right, my name is…”
Geng Yan: “Ning Chen.”
What? You’re the ningchen, you obsequious official.
Ning Rushen warned him, “Speak properly, or I’ll report you for slandering a court official.”
Geng Yan was incredulous. “Who are you pulling a scam on?!”
“......”
The two men stared at each other, one wide-eyed, one narrow-eyed.
After staring for a moment, Ning Rushen slowly closed his eyes and brushed over his heart, his mind about to explode.
So he was really called Ning Chen, “Obsequious Official.”
What a truly wonderful, provoking name!
***
The clock struck thrice.
Ning Rushen had just rushed into the hall.
He stood in line with a hundred other officials entering the hall to bow. He followed them and copied the movements of their mouths to cry, “Long live the emperor.” While they were rising, he snuck a glance at the throne.
It was a real emperor.
Let him have a good look.
When his gaze passed the throne, he saw a young emperor wearing a jade crown, without a curtain of tassels covering his face. His expression was cold and distant. He looked like he was only twenty years old, but the air that surrounded him seemed like it had long passed thirty.
He was like an ancient yet keen blade.
A single glance from him was enough to make his heart tremble.
Ning Rushen was secretly taking him in when the emperor sitting high on his throne suddenly looked over, seemingly in his direction.
His heart jumped, and he instantly looked down.
With his twenty years of survival experience, he knew that he couldn’t meet the teacher’s eyes in the middle of class.
The director of rites continued to speak at a gradual pace before him. After a few moments, the gaze that had landed in his direction slowly moved away.
***
The new emperor received his seal and pardoned all the realm.
The end of the ceremony consisted of rewarding the officials.
The grand eunuch De Quan stood before the crowd, holding the imperial edict, his thin voice sounding throughout the hall.
Ning Rushen stood in the middle of the line in a daze, and suddenly heard a familiar, irritating name: “The study companion Ning Chen—”
Ning Rushen’s first reaction was, which official is being obsequious?
Only afterwards did he sink into a daze: Oh, it’s me.
“Ning Chen is filled with both virtue and talent, and has extraordinary grace in the written arts. The late emperor promoted him for…” Suddenly, De Quan’s voice stopped. “Y-your Majesty?”
Ning Rushen: ?
Ning Rushen looked up and saw the emperor had stood up.
The hall immediately sunk into cowed silence.
Li Wuting stood above the wide hall, his gaze passing through the room and landing on the figure standing in front—Ning Chen.
The late emperor had personally selected him to assist him in government, and afterwards, he colluded with his relatives to embezzle grain money, frame loyal ministers and plot rebellion… His party implicated so many people, it bored a hundred holes through the structure of the empire.
The scene where a thousand arrows fired at once before the palace had happened only yesterday for him.
Li Wuting’s eyes darkened, and he walked down.
In the solemn hall, the just-crowned emperor walked down the throne hall, stopping before Ning Rushen.
Their eyes met, and killing intent instantly surfaced in that pair of cold eyes.
Ning Rushen: ……
???? What was wrong?
Before he could understand his killing intent, the emperor suddenly raised a hand against him—
Alarm bells instantly sounded in his heart!
Just when a fierce slap was about to land on him, Ning Rushen suddenly fell to the ground with a thump before the eyes of the crowd. His face as white as snow, his eyes red, he seemed like a delicate little white flower trembling in the wind.
“.......”
When the officials came back to themselves, they cried, “Your Majesty, have mercy!”
“Y-Your Majesty, why would you do this!”
“You’ll beat Master Ning to death—”
He didn’t know which helpful official had shouted the last sentence. They drew out the word “death” so long their voice almost broke.
Li Wuting, who hadn’t managed to hit the man at all: ?
He looked down expressionlessly at the man who had fallen at his feet.
Once he’d finished tricking him, Ning Rushen looked up and met a pair of dark eyes.
“......” He rubbed his eyes and lowered his head again, bracing himself. “T-This official is very weak.” He let out a slight sob.
Li Wuting: ……
Ning Rushen’s wrists were pale and thin where they left his sleeves, holding up his frail figure. His hair fell down against the red mole on his earlobe, echoing his scarlet robes. He seemed pitiable, yet ravishing.
He seemed as if he’d suffered all the bullying in the world.
Li Wuting’s hand, having hit nothing, trembled slightly. He was so pissed off he smiled.
Great. What a wonderful obsequious official.
Ning Rushen was hanging his head and trembling when he heard a sound that was almost a scoff from above him: “Hah.”
“......” He immediately started coughing his lungs out again.
The next moment, a large hand took hold of his arm. A burst of strength came through, “helping” him up—
He said it was helping, but it was more like squeezing the life out of him.
Once Ning Rushen found his footing, he looked up into Li Wuting’s handsome, aloof face. His deep features seemed to have been carefully carved from jade. He couldn’t tell what his expression meant.
Li Wuting looked down and pressed down on Ning Rushen’s shoulder.
His thumb pressed against his thin shoulder through the cloth, and patted him as if he meant to point something out. “Official Ning really has a weak constitution. A simple pat to the shoulder, and he fell down.”
Ning Rushen smiled weakly. “......”
What the fuck are you talking about.
You almost slapped me into another world.
The emperor only touched him for a moment before taking back his hand. As if nothing had happened, Li Wuting turned and walked back to the throne. “De Quan, continue reading.”
De Quan hastily bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The tense air in the courtroom relaxed.
De Quan continued reading, “He received the late emperor’s praise, and is now promoted to a high scholar, as ordered.”
Ning Rushen: “...Thank you, Your Majesty, for your favor.”
***
The long coronation ceremony finally ended.
The officials returned home, waiting until the evening banquet to enter the palace again.
Li Wuting’s figure disappeared into the hall. The colleagues around Ning Rushen immediately rushed up to him with a clamor.
“Master Ning, sure enough, you have the emperor’s heart. First the late emperor praised you, and now His Majesty commends you.”
“His Majesty patted you on the shoulder, what a unique honor!”
Ning Rushen smiled weakly. I’ll give this honor to you, how about that?
Just as they were in the middle of praising him, Geng Yan squeezed through from behind them. He called Ning Rushen to the side, and then said superciliously, “How come you turned so delicate after getting dropped on your head? Just a pat on the shoulder put you into this state.”
Ning Rushen felt like Geng Yan was really taking too much trouble.
He even ran over to humiliate him.
When he thought of what had just happened, Ning Rushen sighed and said, “I never thought I had such good connections.” There were so many people who called on the emperor to take mercy on him.
Geng Yan smiled at his naivety. “They’re just worried it’ll be their turn next.”
Ning Rushen was quiet for a moment, then closed his eyes in sadness. “Your hearts are so dirty.”
Geng Yan: “......”
Damn, I’m pissed.
The officials were leaving in twos and threes. Ning Rushen turned and walked out of the hall as well.
Geng Yan suddenly thought of something, and caught up to him. “Right, you got brain damage, so what are you going to do next?”
Ning Rushen tucked his hands in his sleeves and looked into the distance. “I’ll go home and write a letter of resignation, then return to my hometown.”
“......” Geng Yan’s head swelled in disbelief after hearing this. “What?!”
***
Within the warmth of the emperor’s room.
Li Wuting took off his complicated vestments, and changed into light ordinary clothes.
His dark shirt fell around his broad shoulders, pleated severely across his chest. A hint of self-restraint showed through his dignified calm.
Carrying a dish for washing, De Quan stood respectfully at the side.
Once Li Wuting had changed, he washed his hands in the dish. The warm water submerged his clear-jointed hands and the slight calluses between thumb and index finger. Amid the splashing of the water, the emperor’s cool voice sounded: “Nothing went wrong during the coronation today, right?”
“Everything was fine, Your Majesty.”
De Quan paused, then continued slowly, “It’s just that…there was one small thing. I don’t know whether I should bother your Majesty…”
“Say it.”
“Master Ning fell down before the Meridian Gate…” He had just started speaking when the sounds of water stopped.
Li Wuting gazed straight at De Quan. “Oh?”
De Quan carefully described, “Assistant Minister Geng fell as well. Master Ning’s fall was more serious, and he hit his head. Minister Geng took a little external damage to his knee.”
“He hit his head?”
“Yes.” De Quan took his measure of the ruler’s heart, and reported on Ning Rushen’s matter. “I heard that it’s like he became someone else.”
***
The author has something to say:
Ning Rushen: delicate, helpless, formidable.jpg
*This is a comedic court novel at heart~ But it has a plotline and a backstory that will slowly be uncovered.
There are also plenty of inexplicable details and personally-created settings. Please don’t compare this to actual history =3=
***
cela’s notes
Ning Chen's name, 宁琛 (Nìng Chēn) sounds almost exactly like 佞臣 (nìngchén), meaning a crafty and fawning official. His original name, 宁琛, has the characters 宁 "peace" and 琛 "gem."
1 hour and 59 minutes for 2,529 words, or 4.7 minutes for every 100 words. Dang, that’s a record. I had to check my math. Guess I’ve improved—I don’t use google translate at all now, I just translate directly from the chapter, and it’s a lot easier. Yay!
A total of 3 hours and 28 minutes for 3,817 words, or 5.4 minutes for every 100 words.
If you appreciate this translation, please consider encouraging me on Ko-fi! Extra chapter for every three ko-fis 💛
Love it and thank you so much for the translation ❤️🔥❤️🔥
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