Chapter 58: The Obedient Little Puppet
“Is that not possible?”
Wei Wanlan tilted his head, looking at Tang Tuan.
The countdown in the lower left corner was still ticking. He read Tang Tuan’s thoughts—a strong refusal. Tang Tuan was about to jump.
To be honest, Wei Wanlan couldn’t accept this outcome.
Because Tang Fujiang had just said…
Wei Wanlan reminded him:
“The Regent King said I could issue edicts today, and the Regent King isn’t in the Zichen Palace; can I have someone else accompany me for dinner?”
No!
Precisely because the boss is not here, I can’t let you eat with other people; the boss will skin me alive!!!
Your Majesty, please be good and eat by yourself.
But Tang Tuan didn’t know that Wei Wanlan, with his Mind-Reading Gu, had heard his thoughts clearly, making the sense of accomplishment Wei Wanlan had just felt instantly turn into frustration.
He suddenly realized that the personal governance experience card was fake; he was the emperor in the afternoon.
However, outside the Zhongshu Sheng, he was strictly controlled by the Regent King.
Before, he might have deceived himself, saying it was all an illusion, that the big bad guy would save him, that he would occasionally be kind.
But now—
He had heard the answer directly from the Regent King’s confidant.
And he had truly felt how strict the Regent King’s control over him was.
…In fact, the apology last night and the personal governance today were just compensatory gestures, weren’t they?
Su Jingzhi didn’t trust him at all, otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent Tang Tuan to stay by his side.
He had been deceived again.
He always gave the big bad guy opportunities, and always received bad answers in return.
Wei Wanlan glanced at the lower left corner; the Mind-Reading Gu had three minutes left. This was his last chance to get answers.
He suddenly… didn’t want to be so passive in front of the Regent King.
Tang Tuan was a simple-minded young man.
He wanted to ask everything he wanted to know!
Wei Wanlan looked intently at Tang Tuan with his moist, large eyes, his face tilted up, his gaze unwavering. He rarely looked at people directly from this angle; it might be misunderstood as hostility.
But Wei Wanlan directly questioned Tang Tuan:
“The Regent King doesn’t want me to have contact with others? Especially Xiao She Ren.”
Tang Tuan didn’t know Wei Wanlan was reading his mind.
Tang Tuan even happily thought that the young emperor had come to his senses and decided to stop making things difficult for him. He quickly nodded:
“Yes, yes, yes, yes. Your Majesty, it’s good that you understand. No matter who Your Majesty speaks to, the boss feels uncomfortable. Let’s understand each other and reduce conflicts.”
But Wei Wanlan’s face completely collapsed.
Because he hadn’t considered the possibility of the Regent King being jealous.
Others said the Regent King treated him as a puppet, and now he had personally verified that he was a puppet in the Regent King’s hands, facing the bleak reality, the level of sadness was indescribable.
Therefore, Wei Wanlan inevitably considered the situation to be worse, coupled with the warning before 404 went offline, it acted as a catalyst.
【He’s the big bad guy, you’re the little puppet。】
Wei Wanlan’s raised face drooped.
His voice was low, filled with bitterness, even a hint of crying:
“…So the Regent King ordered me to wake up at five, eat, nap, attend lectures, and then sleep with him, not for anything else, but to control me, to keep me within his sight, always by his side?”
Tang Tuan had no experience in love.
Hearing the young emperor’s words, besides thinking that the word “control” was a bit excessive, it was basically accurate.
Doesn’t love mean considering everything?
Especially a man like the boss who is overly protective; he’s probably holding back; otherwise, he would really take care of everything for the young emperor.
What’s the point of nitpicking?
It’s basically the same!
Tang Tuan: “Yes, yes, yes…”
After hearing these words, Wei Wanlan’s little claws clenched tightly in his sleeves.
His nails dug into his palms.
The sharp pain was like needles.
The countdown in the lower left corner had one minute left.
He understood how the Regent King viewed him.
But he still didn’t understand the Regent King’s unusual reaction yesterday and why he hadn’t appeared yet.
The Mind-Reading Gu still had time; he still had a chance to figure it out.
Forty seconds.
He bit his lower lip and asked Tang Tuan, “Actually, the Regent King isn’t in the military camp, is he?”
Tang Tuan denied it, shaking his head repeatedly.
But his thoughts betrayed him: “He’s at home.”
Thirty seconds.
“Why is he staying in the Prince’s mansion and not coming out?”
Tang Tuan was stunned. Thinking, I don’t know either, the boss’s door is tightly shut. Maybe he suddenly doesn’t want to see anyone.
Twenty seconds.
“Then can I go to the Prince’s mansion now?”
In fact, Wei Wanlan had considered the possibility that the Regent King might be unwell; it was false to say he didn’t care about the Regent King’s health; after all, whether genuine or acting, he had spent so long with Su Jingzhi.
He just wanted to know…
What was wrong with the Regent King.
Wei Wanlan really needed to understand why the Regent King had such a bad attitude, he was just a small puppet who couldn’t escape.
Then why, while calling him Xiao Wan, would he suddenly be so fierce to him?
Unexpectedly, upon hearing that the young emperor wanted to enter the Prince’s mansion, Tang Tuan’s refusal became even more desperate, almost breaking his voice:
—No, the boss specifically instructed that, especially the young emperor, he must not be allowed into the Prince’s mansion recently. Whoever lets Wei Wanlan into the Prince’s mansion will die!
Ten seconds.
Whoever lets Wei Wanlan into the Prince’s mansion will die…
Don’t come, don’t touch this king…
Wei Wanlan’s heart felt like it was being crushed by a heavy stone.
He began to gasp for breath, his eyes stinging with tears.
He wanted to cry loudly.
His throat was choked with pain:
“So, when the Regent King needs my cooperation, I have to be close to him; when he suddenly hates me, I have to stay far away from him.”
Summoned at will, dismissed at will.
That’s what he wanted.
An obedient little puppet.
That’s all.
“This—”
Tang Tuan finally sensed something was wrong with the young emperor’s tone.
But he was slow to react, only thinking that the two were arguing again, failing to perceive the fatal misunderstanding between the young emperor and the Regent King.
Wei Wanlan misunderstood the Regent King’s intentions, thinking that he was under the Regent King’s airtight control.
The Regent King’s wholehearted devotion to the young emperor, his infinite consideration, ultimately failed to make his true intentions clear, instead counterproductively increasing Wei Wanlan’s fear of being controlled.
These…
Tang Tuan, as the unqualified intermediary, couldn’t understand.
Tang Fujiang could only act as a silent listener, persuading Wei Wanlan not to cry, but Wei Wanlan cried even harder, making him at a loss.
Finally, he watched the young emperor cry back to the Zichen Palace.
The door was closed and locked.
There, another self-imposed isolation.
The Regent King’s mansion.
The door to the Regent King’s bedroom remained closed.
But this time, the bedroom was lit.
In the dim light, the tips of the silver needles gleamed like stars.
The old military doctor’s rough fingers held the needle tightly; his eye lines were like ravines, his pupils flickering under the candlelight. Before administering the acupuncture, the military doctor confirmed again with the Regent King.
The old man’s voice was low and heavy: “Your Highness, acupuncture on the Yuyao point may temporarily restore your vision, but it will be extremely painful.”
Su Jingzhi, neatly dressed, sat on the edge of the bed, not lying down. Even though he was blind, he didn’t want to lose his composure, unwilling to show any weakness:
“It’s alright. Proceed.”
The silver needle flashed in the candlelight.
When the needle pierced the Regent King’s brow, his body trembled slightly, but only for a moment, then he recovered; only his lips were tighter than before. One could see that he wasn’t at ease.
The old military doctor’s hand trembled.
“Young General, who is it?”
“Who is who?”
“Before the old General lost his sight, he also had me use acupuncture. At that time, he hid it from Madam Rong, unwilling to tell her, enduring the pain only to alleviate her worries.”
The military doctors were all loyal retainers who served the Su family for decades.
They had also grown up watching the Regent King.
Su Jingzhi knew he didn’t need to hide it from them.
But his lover, Wei Wanlan’s identity, was not convenient to disclose.
The military doctor guessed, “Is it, Miss Xiao Wan?”
“It is,” Su Jingzhi replied.
The old military doctor smiled, “Everyone in the mansion says Miss Xiao Wan has a very good personality.”
The silver needle was stuck in his brow.
The pain spread throughout his body, a bone-grinding despair.
But the Regent King could endure it. His fists clenched tightly on his thighs, the veins on his hands prominent.
The needle tip moved in the flesh…
Su Jingzhi suddenly saw a light before his eyes, a thrill surged through him; he straightened his body and perceived more and more light entering his eyes.
He was slowly recovering.
Finally, he could see; his bedroom reappeared in his vision, the room with simple furnishings, and the candlestick burning on the table next to the bed.
The joy of regaining what was lost was immense.
Su Jingzhi took a deep breath, pulled out the needle, and stood up, his tall figure casting a strong shadow in the bedroom.
He ordered outside, his voice urgent, faster than usual, “Bring me my robe, prepare the carriage, and send the memorials to the Zichen Palace. I am going to the palace now.”
The old military doctor stopped him, “Your Highness is not yet suitable for excessive eye strain. It’s already curfew, it would be better to go to the palace tomorrow.”
But he couldn’t wait a moment longer!
He had frightened Wei Wanlan; no matter the reason, even though he had just regained his sight, he had to see Wei Wanlan.
He couldn’t stop.
“Is the carriage ready?” The Regent King asked again.
The coachmen were all veterans from the front lines; they moved swiftly and prepared the carriage for the Regent King immediately. They drove the carriage to an open area in the courtyard.
“Your Highness, please enter the carriage.”
Military boots stepped into the carriage.
Su Jingzhi sat in the carriage.
But Tang Tuan suddenly stood outside the carriage to stop him, “Boss, I don’t think you should see the young emperor now. You two need to calm down.”
Su Jingzhi suddenly couldn’t understand his words.
He hadn’t left the house for almost two days; wasn’t that enough to calm down?
But Tang Tuan couldn’t express himself clearly; he just felt that it wasn’t a good time, the young emperor might not want to see him now.
Considering Tang Tuan’s intelligence, Su Jingzhi lifted the carriage curtain and asked him,
“Why are you stopping me from going to the palace?”
Tang Tuan: “Because the young emperor was crying when I left.”
The Regent King’s heart ached, and he said in a low, dangerous voice, “Who provoked him in the Zhongshu Sheng this afternoon, why is he crying?”
Recalling the root cause of the young emperor’s tears, Tang Tuan scratched his head and decided to explain from the beginning, “He wanted to have dinner with Xiao Ji in the Zichen Palace.”
Then the whip cracked, and the carriage sped away.
The Regent King didn’t want to hear another word from Tang Tuan.
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