I Am Too Weak and Fragile, Your Majesty

Ning Rushen finds himself transmigrated into the body of a young official who shares his name, a fifth-rank Hanlin Academy scholar and the youngest zhuangyuan in the empire's history. The original host had risen from humble origins to become a key ally of the new emperor, Li Wuting, during the brutal struggle for the throne. However, Ning Rushen quickly discovers that despite his illustrious resume, he is currently in deep political danger. The new emperor has summoned him for a private audience in the Imperial Study, a move that initially terrifies Ning Rushen, who fears execution. With fragmented memories and no clear understanding of why the emperor is displeased, he resorts to desperate measures to gather information. He forces his bewildered household staff to praise and then insult him, hoping to uncover his own faults or enemies through their complaints. Meanwhile, the emperor, Li Wuting, watches these antics with a mix of amusement and suspicion, ordering his shadow guard, Shi Yi, to monitor Ning Rushen closely.

The situation escalates during a palace banquet where Ning Rushen, already disoriented by the strange era, accidentally falls into a lake while trying to escape the crowd. Li Wuting rescues him and has him treated by the royal physician, who notes a previous head injury that may have caused memory issues. During his recovery, Ning Rushen is visited by Geng Yan, the son of Minister Geng, who reveals a critical political crisis: the imperial treasury is empty because the late Crown Prince’s faction, led by the powerful Chancellor Cui Haoyuan, siphoned funds during the previous reign. Minister Geng is now being impeached for embezzlement, a charge Ning Rushen knows is fabricated to eliminate a rival to the Cui family. Realizing he must choose a side, Ning Rushen decides to ally himself with the emperor to carve out a path for survival and influence.

Ning Rushen approaches Li Wuting and offers himself as the emperor’s "blade," willing to undertake dangerous missions. To demonstrate his loyalty and create a narrative that protects him, he stages a dramatic incident where he is beaten with thirty lashes using a substitute piece of pork, then spreads rumors that he is gravely injured and near death. This ruse successfully deters visitors and political enemies from approaching his residence. However, the plan is complicated when Li Wuting unexpectedly visits the Ning mansion and catches Ning Rushen hosting a hotpot dinner with Geng Yan, shattering the illusion of his suffering. Instead of punishing him, the emperor joins them, revealing he is aware of the deception and is intrigued by Ning Rushen’s audacity. Shortly after, Meng Kebao, a relative of the Cui family, invites Ning Rushen to his mansion under the pretense of offering medical help, but it is actually a trap to recruit him as a spy for the Chancellor.

Ning Rushen walks into the trap but manages to turn the tables. He allows himself to be imprisoned by Meng Kebao, but before this, he secretly coordinates with Shi Yi, the emperor’s guard, who sneaks into the Chancellor’s mansion. Ning Rushen stages a scene of himself being tied up and mistreated, providing Li Wuting with the perfect pretext to raid the Cui residence. The emperor mobilizes the Northern Patrol Division, surrounding the Chancellor’s mansion and confronting Cui Haoyuan. Li Wuting uses the image of the battered Ning Rushen as evidence of the Chancellor’s treasonous overreach, effectively neutralizing the Cui family’s political shield. The chapter concludes with Li Wuting rescuing Ning Rushen from the mansion, their relationship shifting from wary suspicion to a strategic partnership as the emperor begins to rely on Ning Rushen’s cunning in his fight to consolidate power.