No one in the hall had spoken for so ti. The scent of ambergris lingered at the tip of her nose, and the tall figure before her remained motionless.
But Ji Qingwu was still kneeling.
’My knees really hurt.’ She felt a pang of regret. ’When the Emperor told to rise earlier, why didn’t I take the opportunity? Now I’m in a bind.’
Tiny beads of sweat had ford on Ji Qingwu’s forehead. She stealthily raised her eyes, only to see Emperor Wu Su staring intently at her face.
She imdiately turned her face away, her neck stiff, unwilling to let him look at her.
Ji Qingwu rembered it crystal clear. When she entered the hall, his first glance at her had been a dark scowl, devoid of any pleasure.
Emperor Wu Su, however, condescended to squat down, settling onto one knee to pinch her chin.
"You don’t want to look? Who do you want to look, then?"
His deep, dark gaze swept over every inch of the tender skin on her face.
A strange sensation rose in Ji Qingwu. rely being watched by him made her skin tingle, a prickly, itching feeling.
She lowered her jet-black lashes, her expression still stubborn as she refused to look at him.
Her chin, pinched by his fingers, ached slightly. The translucent skin his gaze swept over flushed a deep crimson, revealing her maidenly bashfulness.
If Ji Qingwu had looked up at that mont, she would have been terrified by his expression.
Because his eyes were filled with raw lust, as if even devouring her, bones and all, would not be enough to satisfy him.
Today had been a coincidence.
Ji Qingwu had just removed her disguise when she ran into the secretly returned Wei Ting, right at the entrance of the Diligent Governance Hall.
In the eyes of the Emperor inside the hall, it looked like a reunion of old lovers, gazing at each other affectionately from several yards apart.
Ji Qingwu had even taken the initiative to curtsy. Her form was so light and graceful that, were it not for the presence of outsiders in the palace, she looked as if she were about to leap right into his arms.
But when it ca to him, she had reluctantly dropped to her knees with a thud.
No matter how ardent Emperor Wu Su’s heart had been, it turned cold.
He lifted her face, changing his grip to cradle her chin in his palm, the better to study her face in detail. His long fingers toyed with her soft earlobe, tracing the shape of her outer ear.
"They say people with soft ears are obedient and sensible. Why aren’t you like that?"
’The Emperor believes in that sort of thing?’
Ji Qingwu lifted her lashes, but the mont her gaze t his, she imdiately darted away.
His touch was exceedingly gentle, as if she were a precious treasure in his palm, but his expression... it was filled with a destructive desire.
It was a look that both cherished and sought to completely shackle her.
Alarm bells went off in Ji Qingwu’s mind.
This danger made her want to pull away, yet it was strangely alluring.
’The pain in my knees is a constant reminder. I can’t be a moth drawn to a fla, burning myself up for a mont of pleasure. To ultimately be used by the Empress Dowager and the others, and be imprisoned in the palace—that’s not the outco I want.’
Emperor Wu Su saw her watery eyes shift, shimring with light, and couldn’t tell what she was plotting.
He lowered his gaze, pulling the dark emotions he had just released back into the depths of his eyes until not a trace of them could be seen.
He said, "You made all sorts of excuses before, refusing to let see your true face. Why were you willing today? And you even ca to the Diligent Governance Hall on your own initiative?"
Ji Qingwu’s heart skipped a beat.
’Has he seen through my little sche?’
Emperor Wu Su kept his eyes downcast, his fingers still stroking wantonly at her neck. "They say a woman adorns herself for the one who pleases her. Who are you doing this for today?"
’Who was I doing this for?’
Listening to the THUMP-THUMP of her own heart, Ji Qingwu began to understand what she truly wanted.
’It was for this very mont.’
’People have a wicked streak, and I’m no exception.’
’I didn’t want to provoke him, but he used forceful thods, carving out a space and encamping himself in my heart.’
’Why should I be the only one whose heart is thrown into turmoil for him? It’s not fair.’
’I also wanted to see the lofty Emperor lose control and fall for . I wanted to see just how much he truly liked .’
But seeing Princess Consort Wei today had completely sobered Ji Qingwu up. She knew that the more entangled she beca with the Emperor, the one to fall into the abyss in the end would only be her.
This vast Phoenix Palace held many secrets she couldn’t see through, and the man before her was soone she could neither fathom nor control.
No matter how muddle-headed Ji Qingwu beca, she couldn’t possibly ask an Emperor who possessed the entire nation and a harem of three thousand for his one true heart.
She had to find a way to hide her feelings.
Ji Qingwu said, "Your Majesty, I did this for myself to see, not for anyone else. To please myself."
Hearing her answer—that it wasn’t for another man—Emperor Wu Su’s expression finally relaxed.
He wrapped one arm around her back and slid the other under the bend of her knees, sweeping her up into his arms.
Ji Qingwu let out a small gasp. "Your Majesty, please put down! I can walk on my own."
Hearing this, Emperor Wu Su suddenly loosened the arm around her back. Ji Qingwu felt her body drop and hastily threw her arms around his shoulders to catch herself.
Once she had steadied herself, she found that she was now actively clinging to him.
"Walk on your own?"
Ji Qingwu was speechless.
"Li Yuzong." Emperor Wu Su’s expression had finally returned to its usual indifference.
The door to the hall was pulled open from the outside, just a crack.
The Grand Steward with the blue feather peeked his head in furtively, carefully observing the situation inside.
"This old servant is here."
"Get in here."
Hearing no anger in the Holy Emperor’s voice, Li Yuzong imdiately scurried inside.
When he saw the Emperor striding toward the inner chamber with Ji Qingwu in his arms, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and he sidled up with a broad grin.
’It really has to be Miss Ji!’ he marveled inwardly. ’She can even handle a situation that would make countless others tremble in fear.’
"Go fetch the Yu Rong Ointnt."
Emperor Wu Su carried Ji Qingwu toward the side hall on the right, where there was a soft couch.
Li Yuzong froze.
’Yu Rong Ointnt is a miraculous dicine for improving circulation and dispelling bruises. The Holy Emperor actually punished even Miss Ji?!’
Emperor Wu Su shot him a cold look. "What are you gawking at? Hurry up and go."
Ji Qingwu glared at him too, her bright eyes filled with indignation. If it weren’t for them, she wouldn’t have had to suffer like this. At the hall entrance, this very Eunuch Li had ignored her wishes and even given her a push.
Feeling guilty, Li Yuzong lowered his head and agreed, then trotted out to fetch the ointnt.
Ji Qingwu hadn’t yet withdrawn what she thought was a fierce glare when Emperor Wu Su caught her expression.
He raised an eyebrow and said, "Ah Wu hasn’t told yet why you ca to request an audience."
Ji Qingwu had more or less figured out the Emperor’s temper. Now was not the ti to say it was for the Palace Attendants serving in the Diligent Governance Hall.
She sat on the edge of the couch, the hem of her crescent-white skirt draping over the golden floor tiles.
An idea ca to her. "On my way into the palace," she said, "I ran into Princess Qingyun. The Princess ntioned that for her wedding ceremony, she wanted... ah?!"
The end of Ji Qingwu’s sentence trembled. She stared intently at the Emperor’s hand, exclaiming in shock, "Your Majesty?"
He had suddenly lifted her skirt.
"You were saying."
Emperor Wu Su sat beside her, rolling her skirt up to her waist and exposing the off-white, jacquard-silk loose-fitting trousers she wore underneath.
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