Chapter 036: Wei Wanlan Has to Work Overtime
“Your meaning is… You want me to work overtime to complete the task?”
Zichen Hall.
An Ruyi had just helped Wei Wanlan remove the heavy attire from his body. The little emperor had just finished bathing, now lazily reclining on the imperial bed, reading a book. His small, pale legs dangled off the edge of the bed, toes lightly pink.
[Hmm.]
“I don’t want to~~~”
His pitiful voice almost dripped with grievance.
Then, the sound of crackling electricity filled the air, but Wei Wanlan, with the book covering his face, lay flat, completely unmoved.
System: [Why aren’t you getting shocked?]
Wei Wanlan stroked the gold foil on the carved dragon at the edge of the bed. “I guessed you’d try to shock me, so I grounded the electricity.”
[…]
This little idiot actually has a clever moment!
Knowing that this little guy was probably clutching tightly to some conductor, making it impossible to shock him now, the system had no choice but to reason with him.
[Every extra day you stay alive is a day you should strive to complete the task earlier. Su Jingzhi is seriously injured right now. If you visit the Prince’s mansion to check on him, it would be a perfect opportunity to continue the storyline with Yun Niang.]
“Can’t I go the day after tomorrow?” Wei Wanlan raised an eyebrow. “Why does everything have to be done so urgently?”
System: [Have you ever heard of someone knowing their opponent is injured but waiting until the next day to visit? Whereās the sincerity in that?]
Wei Wanlan flipped over on the dragon bed.
The picture book on his face slid down to the pillow.
In truth, including the time he spent bathing, changing clothes, and browsing the book, Wei Wanlan had only rested for about two hours. The exhaustion in his body hadnāt fully dissipated. The only reason he was still awake was the excitement from hearing the system reward him with a day off.
Naturally, he wasnāt happy to hear the system tell him to work overtime to complete a task now.
Wei Wanlan burrowed into the dragon bedās blanket, curling up like a little silkworm cocoon.
[The man got injured because of you. Even if heās your rival, you should show some humanitarian concern for the villain, right?]
Wei Wanlan: “…”
āDonāt be afraid, Wanlan.
Donāt be afraid.
For some reason, his ears turned slightly red with heat, and he couldnāt stay inside the little cocoon.
Wei Wanlan stretched out his two little dragon claws from under the blanket, blinking his eyes.
Hearing the silence from his host, the system figured the idiot had taken the bait and continued to appeal to his emotions:
[You were slightly injured on your chest, and the Regent used the best medicine for you. He even left his study for you to soak in the bath and rest.]
[Now that the Regent is injured, you wonāt even look at him or care? Besides, you have a day off tomorrow. Iām not asking you to kill him; just go visit him and chat with Yun Niang for a bit. Are you really this cold?]
Wei Wanlan was now under a moral test.
His claws clenched the blanket, grabbing two corners as his toes curled up under the covers.
He remembered the fierce alley fight between Su Jingzhi and Qin Zhen, where Su Jingzhi fought with injuries, covered in blood.
It didnāt seem right to be so cold.
“Alright, then, let’s get ready to go out. Iāll put on my clothes.”
Wei Wanlan sat up.
The system thought this little fool had a truly soft heart and snickered: [No rush. The curfew is in effect. Go to sleep, and visit him tomorrow.]
“Oh.” He picked up the picture book and lay down to continue reading.
The system heard the sound of pages turning: [Donāt stay up late. A wise emperor shouldnāt ruin his eyes. Wearing glasses will affect your imperial majestyās aura.]
“Just let me finish these last few pages, okay?” Wei Wanlan cooed. “Itās a fight between demons. So exciting.”
The ancient picture book was truly a work of antique beauty, with low-saturation colors resembling a refined, muted palette.
But the system was on high alert:
[What are you reading? Didnāt the Regent confiscate all the messy books and toys from your sleeping quarters?]
“But this is one he left me… The Illustrated Classic of Mountains and Seas.” Wei Wanlan replied innocently, “Itās full of all sorts of demons.”
[You can spend all night on that trash? Go to sleep!]
The system was speechless.
Shengye Fang, Regentās Mansion.
Under the pretext of visiting the Regent to check on his injury, Wei Wanlan entered the Princeās mansion, carrying food and fine wine from the imperial kitchen and a specially prepared restorative ointment from the imperial medical office.
The mansion had strict security, but of course, they wouldnāt dare stop the emperor.
By now, Wei Wanlan was familiar with the layout of the place. He didnāt even need anyone to guide him; he could walk directly to the Regentās study or bedroom with his eyes closed.
However, the guards he passed along the way couldnāt help but secretly glance at the little emperor. They all thought that today, the little emperor looked strikingly similar to the “Xiao Wan” girl who had shown up at the mansion a few days earlier.
But no one dared to say anything. No one knew where “Xiao Wan” was now, and the matter of the Regentās concubine bearing a resemblance to the emperor was something they would take to their graves.
Tang Tuan intercepted him at the door: “Your Majesty.”
“Iāve come to see the Regent.”
Behind Wei Wanlan stood An Ruyi, who lifted the two baskets filled with medicine and food.
Today, the little emperor was dressed adorably again. Not in a fox-fur coat, but in a brocade cloak. He had the hood pulled over his head, and his entire outfit was a dazzling sky-blue embroidered with golden dragon patterns. A string of pearls around his neck jingled as he moved.
Tang Tuan couldnāt help but silently remark once again, Our boss is truly blessed.
But he explained aloud: “After court yesterday, the Regent treated his wounds, then stayed up late reviewing all the memorials. Perhaps due to the sheer volume of state affairs, he worked slowly, only going to bed well after the second watch.”
Wei Wanlan calculated the time in his head. The man had only slept for three or four hours: “Thatās not much sleep at all.”
Tang Tuan: “If Your Majesty is busy, I can convey your regards to the Regent on your behalf.”
“No need. Iāll hang around the mansion for a while and wait for him to wake up.”
After all, Iām on leave, so whatās the rush?
Besides, I need to ask Aunt Yun about the birth date and time.
Wei Wanlan left An Ruyi where he stood, saying he wanted to take a casual stroll.
The Regentās mansion was even safer than the palace, so of course, An Ruyi nodded, though not before reminding the emperor several times: “Be careful where you step,” “Lift your robe when going up the stairs,” and “Whatever you do, donāt take off your hood in this cold weather.”
“I know, I know!” Wei Wanlan responded, exasperated by An Ruyiās nagging. “Iāll come back as soon as the Regent wakes up!”
Little did he know how much these words impacted Tang Tuan.
Tang Tuanās imagination immediately ran wild, filtering everything through the lens of “the little emperor and the bossās deep, mutual affection.” He began to think, The little emperor would rather wait than wake the boss up. How touching!
Tang Tuan felt more and more like a single dog in the cold wind.
Wei Wanlan headed to the back courtyard of the mansion.
The twenty Meirenmei plum trees had now firmly taken root in the Regentās mansion.
The Meirenmei blooms with flowers and leaves simultaneously, with rose-pink blossoms and tender green leaves. Itās a type of plum that looks quite delicate.
Wei Wanlan leaned in to sniff the flowers, the fragrance filling his lungs with a fresh, clean scent.
He looked around but didnāt see Uncle Zhong tending to the plants, nor did he spot Aunt Yun preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Where had the two of them gone?
Wei Wanlan tilted his head in confusion.
A guard on duty, seeing the emperorās embroidered dragon robe, quickly saluted. But, being from the Regentās mansion, his voice was steady and unflinching as he asked:
“Your Majesty, is there anything you need from the kitchen?”
Wei Wanlan didnāt have any specific requests, so he casually replied, “Just give me some snacks or something.”
The guard was briefly stunned but then nodded: “…As you command.”
The Regentās mansion wasnāt exactly known for its snacks.
The kitchen guard was in a bit of a bind.
The Regent didnāt eat snacks, and the other residents werenāt interested either. In the end, they hastily fried some dough slices for the emperor, sprinkling them with sesame seeds and extra sugar for his taste.
Wei Wanlan carried a paper bag of snacks as he wandered around the mansion, nibbling on them like a little hamsterāsmall bites, no crumbs, but still making a satisfying crunch.
When Tang Tuan saw the little emperor again, he couldnāt help but think that the emperor truly didnāt see himself as an outsider.
Who else would dare stroll around the Regentās mansion while snacking? Not only was he eating, but he was also leisurely wandering about.
By the time the hour of Si (9 a.m. to 11 a.m.) rolled around, Wei Wanlan still hadnāt found Aunt Yun.
He was starting to get anxious. Even though he was on vacation, he didnāt want to waste time. However, in trying to ask around, he had to be careful not to reveal that he was actually “Xiao Wan.” So, he had to inquire in a roundabout way.
Hmm, but now that he thought about it, showing up in the dragon robe wasnāt the best outfit for meeting Aunt Yun.
It was a delayed realization, but he was glad he hadnāt run into her yet.
If he had asked her anything earlier, she might have immediately recognized that “the emperor is Xiao Wan.”
Wei Wanlan chewed on his dough slice, suddenly feeling a wave of relief. He needed a plan. Luckily, he had come to the mansion in the golden carriage, and he had brought some maids along, so borrowing some clothes would be easy.
Thus, a quick costume change.
The Emperor of Wei once again transformed into “Xiao Wan.”
Now, as Xiao Wan, it would be much easier to ask about Aunt Yunās whereabouts.
Wei Wanlan found a familiar-looking guard in the courtyard and asked directly: “Big brother, whereās Aunt Yun?”
“Yun Niang and Uncle Zhong went out early to purchase ingredients. They said the fish at Chenās in the West Market is fat and fresh today, but it takes time to catch and transport it back to the mansion, so it might be a while.”
Wei Wanlan was momentarily dazed. Would he miss her today?
Tomorrow wasnāt a day off.
Guard: “No need to worry, young madam. Yun Niang said theyād be back before dinner. Please take your time and wait patiently.”
So, she would be back by evening at the latest.
Wei Wanlan nodded, mentally calculating the time.
But “young madam”? He pondered the term for a while, trying to figure out what it meant.
Wasnāt he “Xiao Wan”? How did he become “young madam”?
Maybe “young madam” just meant a young girl?
He couldnāt quite grasp the old-fashioned terms.
Wei Wanlan didnāt know that everyone in the Regent’s mansion thought “Xiao Wan” was Su Jingzhiās concubine. The system likely knew but had no interest in explaining it to the fool.
404 didnāt want him losing face outside:
[The person isnāt back yet. Hurry and change out of those clothes. Youāre the future emperor of Wei, walking around in womenās clothesāso embarrassing.]
“Sima Yi even wore makeup and womenās clothes.”
Jin Emperor Sima Yi.
During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhuge Liang used a goading tactic by sending a set of womenās clothes to Sima Yi, who not only didnāt go to battle but actually put them on.
404: [Do as you please. But when you embarrass yourself, donāt say I didnāt warn you.]
After that, the system went offline.
Before Aunt Yun returned, it was officially Wei Wanlanās vacation time, so 404 entered hibernation, unable to babysit him constantly.
So, Wei Wanlan stretched lazily.
He started looking for a place to stash his emperorās attire. Once Aunt Yun returned, heād have to find a way to slip away from Su Jingzhi and meet her alone.
But just as he was about to find a safe spot to change, the familiar guard from before approached again:
“Young madam. The Prince is awake, in his study.”
“Huh?”
He had come to the mansion today as the emperor to check on the Regent. How did Su Jingzhi know the moment he changed clothes?
Wei Wanlan looked around warily, his gaze eventually landing on the bridge of the guard’s nose. Someone in the mansion must have whispered that Xiao Wan had returned.
And then the message reached Su Jingzhi.
Wei Wanlanās ears twitched nervously: “Why is he notifying me?”
The familiar guard: “The Prince has summoned you to attend to him.”
āBig, bad, villain!!!
Not only did his costume change fail to help him find Aunt Yun, but it played right into the Regentās hands. His identity had shifted from the Emperor of Wei to a little maid in the Regentās mansion. What a failed transformation!
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