Chapter 009: The Latest Techniques for Controlling Inferiors
[“Hurry up and get up! Where’s your dignity?”]
404 sternly rebuked.
Wei Wanlan quickly got up.
But the old vine had just been bent into an arched shape by his fall, and when Wei Wanlan tried to get up again, his upper body rose, but his foot was still caught in the vines, struggling for a while in an even more disheveled posture in front of Su Jingzhi, looking up to meet the Regent’s gaze, effectively bowing to the Regent like a new year’s greeting.
Wei Wanlan was both in pain and embarrassed, his ankle burning, his face and neck flushed hot from the neck up, feeling like the most shameful emperor, he couldn’t even bear to look at himself, and it seemed the Regent’s eyes were full of displeasure towards this emperor.
“Get up.” Su Jingzhi said coldly.
“We, can’t get up… can’t get up.” Wei Wanlan stammered.
The pain concentrated in his ankle was becoming more and more excruciating, Wei Wanlan felt his foot might be broken, on the one hand afraid of becoming lame, on the other hand also worried that he would be left behind in the dark and twisted crawling out of the Imperial Garden by the Regent, this scene was too pitiful to bear.
So he changed to pleading someone else: “General Tang, We can’t walk, please carry Us out of the Imperial Garden.” Wei Wanlan turned his face towards Tang Tuan, forcing out an imploring and expectant expression, stretching out his arms as if asking to be carried away.
Tang Tuan was frightened, his face turning ashen as he kept backing away – no no no, what level of hot potato is this!?
Tang Tuan felt he was still clear-headed, if he dared to carry the young Emperor today, the consequences would not be as simple as a three-month salary deduction, whether he would even have a salary to collect in the future was uncertain.
Tang Tuan’s gaze kept shifting between the Regent and the young Emperor, not daring to offend either, finally pretending to step forward half a step, then acting extremely clumsily by falling to the ground next to the young Emperor, clutching his ankle in pretend pain, stammering to report:
“This, this subordinate is powerless, please forgive this subordinate’s incapability…”
Wei Wanlan did not get a response from Tang Tuan, his gaze indiscriminately turned to the other Golden Armored Guards, his bright, watery eyes falling on each of them pleadingly: “Generals, everyone?”
Tang Tuan lay on the ground, coughing a few times: “Cough, cough cough cough!” Brothers, I can only help you guys this far, understand?
No wonder they were from the same trench, the rest of the Golden Armored Guards also fell to the ground, pretending to be lame, howling like ghosts and wolves, the combat capabilities of the Great Wei army instantly disintegrated into ruins at this moment.
The Imperial Garden was instantly filled with mournful cries: “Your Majesty, this subordinate is also unable to help…”
Wei Wanlan: “???”
Well, in the end he still had to ask the Regent, Wei Wanlan steeled himself and turned to Su Jingzhi, opening his arms towards him, but hearing Su Jingzhi seemed to take a deep breath, he didn’t dare provoke him, and quickly withdrew his arms.
“We… will get up on Our own.”
He had already prepared to be self-reliant, but unexpectedly, Su Jingzhi looked very unwilling, at this time he squatted down and turned his back to Wei Wanlan.
Wei Wanlan quickly hopped on, like an octopus boarding a boat, somewhat excitedly adjusting his position on the Regent’s back, hooking his two feet around the Regent’s waist, afraid of falling off, hugging him tightly.
The young Emperor was panting hot breath on the back of his neck.
Su Jingzhi closed his eyes. In his ear, the clear voice of the young Emperor rang out again: “Let’s go, Regent, you are wise, mighty, imposing, considerate, and upright, We knew the Regent is the best!”
After all, when in dire straits, one must firmly grasp the lifeline. He must flatter and sing his praises. This was the voice of Wei Wanlan’s desperate self-salvation.
The senior officials of the Three Judicial Agencies were shocked, watching the mighty ruler of Great Wei, the Regent, carry the young Emperor out of the Imperial Garden, momentarily feeling as if their lives were too long and their eyes deceived them, yet also feeling the young Emperor was unfathomable – was he just learning some very new techniques for controlling his inferiors?
***
In the Zichen Palace.
The imperial bedchamber was brightly lit by candles.
After the Regent left, Wei Wanlan’s ankle had just been cold-compressed by the Palace Physician, and now it was tightly wrapped in white cloth, with some blood-activating and swelling-reducing medicinal herbs sealed within.
Once everything was settled, the only one in charge of the bedchamber was Wei Wanlan himself. He instructed the little eunuch An Gonggong to brighten the candles, as all the toys left behind by the original host had been confiscated by the Regent.
The only things left were the books that propagated healthy thoughts, and two boxes of Go, along with a chessboard.
The night grew dark. Wei Wanlan sat in the dragon bed curtain and called the little eunuch An Ruyi: “Ruyi, let’s play a few rounds of chess.”
An Ruyi stepped forward and bowed: “This servant is terrified, playing chess requires profound thinking, this servant is dull-witted, lacking the ability, I fear I cannot bring Your Majesty full enjoyment.”
Wei Wanlan hugged the embroidered pillow, chin pressed against the pillow surface, changed the game: “We don’t know how to play chess either, how about We teach you to play Gomoku? You can learn it.”
He then began to explain the rules of Gomoku, and they played two rounds, with Wei Wanlan taking one win and one loss.
Wei Wanlan pouted.
An Ruyi quickly knelt and apologized: “Your Majesty, please forgive this servant’s grave crime!”
But Wei Wanlan was only reviewing the moves of the previous game, and had great self-confidence, not knowing he was actually a terrible player, continuing eagerly: “Then let’s play another round? This time I must trap you and win when you only have three pieces left.”
An Ruyi: “Please retire to rest, Your Majesty.”
Wei Wanlan: …
[He’s right, you should sleep.]
But it was like a Sunday night, tomorrow would be another day of fighting with tasks. He really wanted to play a little longer, how nice if he could go to other places in the palace tomorrow.
“System, I cleared out so many prohibited items of the Virtuous Monarch today, shouldn’t I get a reward?”
[Only a one-day delay.]
Wei Wanlan bit his lower lip, hugging the pillow core even tighter.
An Ruyi saw the Emperor silent, not moving the chess pieces either, mustering his courage to put the chess pieces one by one back into the box, take away the chessboard, then lower the bed curtain for Wei Wanlan, respectfully saying: “This servant and the Golden Armored Guards will be guarding outside, please feel free to summon us if Your Majesty needs anything.”
Then the lights went out.
The spacious dragon bed, shielded by the bed curtain, did not let in a single ray of moonlight.
Wei Wanlan curled up in the satin quilt. A thread of pain was coming from his ankle.
He suddenly remembered the physician’s instructions, softly telling the system: “I can’t move around much recently.”
[The host is too foolish.]
“What?”
The response Wei Wanlan received was a crackle of electric current, making him numb from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.
Wei Wanlan rolled around a few times, finally using the quilt to muffle his whimpers, a sense of unbearable grievance welling up: “Why are you shocking me?”
[The little eunuch who kept you company is Su Jingzhi’s confidant, in the original book he endured humiliation by your side, helping Su Jingzhi to usurp the throne and collect evidence of your inability to bear the heavy imperial burden.]
[Not to mention the Golden Armored Guards, palace maids… every single person around you is an eye planted by the Regent.]
As the words were spoken, Wei Wanlan’s thoughts were a bit slow to catch up, only vaguely sensing what the system was trying to convey.
He uncertainly asked: “Everyone around me is?”
[Yes, so I made you wake up.]
[The imperial power cannot be violated, between the ruler and the Regent, only one can survive.]
Wei Wanlan covered his ankle at this point. His ankle throbbed with pain. He recalled the solid sensation of being on the Regent’s back in the afternoon, curling himself up even tighter under the quilt. Suppressing a suddenly unrealistic idea that had sprouted. He didn’t dare speak up.
Wei Wanlan murmured: “Then how else can I kill him?”
Poisoning, drugging, assassination…
All methods have been tried.
But the assassination progress was still zero, he had even gotten hurt himself, spending a lot of money, yes, and even bowed to the Regent twice, too embarrassing.
Wei Wanlan questioned the system: “In fact, even you have no way, right?”
[What do you mean I have no way? Who said I have no way?] 404’s professional pride could not allow the host to challenge it, and now from the system’s props, a ghastly white puppet emerged, its features drawn with cinnabar, its smile exuding an eerie sense of terror, seeming like anything but a good thing.
Wei Wanlan tilted his head, carefully thinking about what kind of prop this was.
The system did not expect his slow-witted brain to understand, and said: [It is a voodoo doll. Host, have you heard of the incantation to control nightmares?]
404’s tone was decisive.
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