Free Web NovelChapter 140: Chapter 140: This One Is Not to Be Underestimated!
Handan Hall.
The night wind was refreshing, but the room grew hotter and hotter. The scorching heat wasn’t just coming from him.
It was coming from her, too.
Her mind was a chaotic mess, churned by the overwhelming tide of passion. She felt awful. In truth, her body didn’t reject his intimacy; it even shamelessly wanted to press against him.
The moment his hand slipped beneath the hem of her skirt, clarity instantly returned to Ji Qingwu’s eyes. She reacted in a flash, reaching out to grab his hand.
She stubbornly met his dark eyes, which seemed capable of devouring everything.
In a voice barely above a whisper, Emperor Wu Su called her name.
"Ah Wu."
His tone was the very picture of intimacy, as if tinged with a hint of prayer.
Ji Qingwu, however, did not hesitate. She pressed her forehead against his chest and shifted her hips away from his touch—a silent, yet clear, rejection to end it.
’Before I’ve figured this all out...’
’No.’
A moment of pleasure versus long-term freedom—she knew which weighed more. She couldn’t let physical entanglement cloud her judgment of their relationship any longer.
Besides, a corner of Ji Qingwu’s heart still held the terror from that first night. The thought of being split open as if by a sharp blade...
She clenched her fists.
’It hurt too much. It wasn’t just ordinary pain.’
Thanks to the childbirth system, even giving birth hadn’t hurt that much.
Ji Qingwu’s face scrunched up as she glanced down at his lap. Her body, which had just been seduced by his masculine allure, cooled down completely.
’No, no, no.’
This thought solidified her resolve. Under his deep, dark gaze that looked like it could eat her alive, she pushed him away and scrambled back as if fleeing for her life.
A short while later, the Emperor’s hoarse voice sounded.
"Li Yuzong."
Li Yuzong, who had been waiting at the door, quickly led the Palace Attendants in to serve them.
Twelve palace lanterns, adorned with green jade hooks and cloud patterns, were slowly lit.
The two people in the room sat on opposite sides of the table, their expressions worlds apart.
Emperor Wu Su’s brows were tightly knitted, a persistent gloom hanging between them, unable to conceal his sullen displeasure.
Li Yuzong had entered beaming with delight, but one look at his master’s face and he quickly lowered his head. The smile vanished from his lips as he wondered what was wrong.
In the ten-odd years he had served the Emperor, Li Yuzong had never seen such a peculiar expression on his master’s face.
It was... the look of sexual frustration.
’But just now, listening to the sounds from inside... that can’t be right!’
Those delicate moans and sobs had made even his heart tremble.
Although he was a "rootless" eunuch, he hadn’t been castrated at birth. He had been a man once and knew what those sounds meant.
Li Yuzong sighed internally. ’His Majesty truly is His Majesty, able to endure what ordinary men cannot. To be able to stop himself cold in a situation like that...’
But because of this, his admiration for the vexing Fifth Miss Ji grew even stronger. ’It’s one thing to be skilled enough to arouse His Majesty’s passion...’
’...but to make him hold it all back?’
’This one’s abilities are not to be underestimated!’
When he lifted his head again, Li Yuzong had switched to a look of deep sorrow and grievance, his eyes filled with profound worry as he gazed at his master, who was struggling with his desire.
Emperor Wu Su’s face remained grim.
Ji Qingwu’s gaze accidentally met that of Chief Li, and she registered the multiple emotions in his eyes: confusion, astonishment, and admiration.
There was even a silent condemnation.
His look made it seem as if she were the one who had bullied his revered Majesty.
’Have I?’
’I’m the one who was bullied, aren’t I?’
Ji Qingwu silently turned her head, avoiding his gaze.
With the hall now brightly lit, Ji Qingwu could finally see clearly what was in the room.
The "golden branches and jade bottles" on the curio shelves were exquisitely precious, not to mention the walls covered in calligraphy and paintings. Each piece was a masterwork from a famous artist, any one of which could be considered a timeless masterpiece passed down through generations.
On the wall directly opposite the desk hung numerous portraits of past sages, all painted with lifelike detail. One could almost imagine the grace and splendor of these great figures when they were alive.
However, when Ji Qingwu thought about what they had just been doing in front of these portraits, as if they were fooling around under the watchful eyes of these men, she couldn’t stop her face from burning. The heat that had just subsided flared up again, turning her fair ears a brilliant, succulent red.
This was her first time in this hall, but the Emperor was a frequent visitor. Yet he had still acted so wantonly.
And the "culprit" was over there, calmly drinking tea to compose himself.
The tea stove had long since been extinguished, and the teapot had been cold for a while. Li Yuzong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this tea has gone cold. Drinking too much of it is bad for your health. This servant will fetch a new pot for you."
Emperor Wu Su was still burning with frustration, his voice retaining its hoarseness.
He said sullenly, "What’s all this noise? No matter how cold the tea is, can it be as cold as my heart?"
His heart was cold, but his body was still on fire.
A heaven of ice and fire—this was it exactly. freewebnovel.cσ๓
His words were clearly pointed. As for who they were pointed at...
Li Yuzong quickly lowered his head and retreated to the side, intending to continue being invisible.
Ji Qingwu blinked, also feigning ignorance of the Emperor’s meaning. Then, lowering her head and eyes, she followed Eunuch Li and retreated to the side of a pillar.
As the two of them stood together, Li Yuzong sucked in a sharp breath.
His narrow old eyes widened to more than twice their size. He hurriedly whispered, "Miss Ji, what are you doing over here? Hurry up and go attend to him."
Ji Qingwu covered her lips with her fingers and said in a low voice, "Eunuch Li, His Majesty doesn’t need to be served. He is composing himself. If I were to go over now, I would only be disturbing him."
When Li Yuzong got close, his chatter annoyed the Emperor.
But when Ji Qingwu was near, she ignited a different kind of fire in the Emperor.
Emperor Wu Su glanced at the two of them standing side by side. He tightened his grip on his teacup, his gaze shooting silent, whistling arrows.
With Eunuch Li by her side, Ji Qingwu was no longer as intimidated by his cold expression. She even managed to flash a smile at the Emperor.
Seeing her smile, as gentle as a summer lotus after the rain, the Emperor’s brow lifted slightly. His expression didn’t look quite as bad anymore.
Li Yuzong, standing beside her, decided to follow suit. Copying Miss Ji, he squeezed a wrinkly, sycophantic smile onto his old face, also hoping to please his master.
Emperor Wu Su’s face, which had just begun to clear, immediately darkened again.
He frowned and said, "What are you smiling about? Your smile is uglier than a cry. Don’t smile in my presence ever again."
Seeing Li Yuzong’s smile freeze on his face, Ji Qingwu’s own smile grew even brighter.
The night had grown deep.
Above the main floor of Handan Hall was a loft. A screen inset with green jade and carved with kui-dragon patterns divided the space into two parts, with a full set of bedding inside.
Li Yuzong had already sent a messenger to the Ji Family to inform them that Ji Qingwu would be staying in the palace for the night. However, it had been done under the Empress Dowager’s name, so for her to appear in a separate palace would be difficult to explain.
Staying in Handan Hall, then, was a good solution.
Ji Qingwu stood before the screen’s green jade, examining the room’s furnishings, while Emperor Wu Su stood at the entrance to the loft, simply watching her back.
Seeing that he didn’t intend to enter, Ji Qingwu turned and asked, "Your Majesty, are you leaving?"
Although it was a question, her tone held an unconcealed delight, without a trace of reluctance to see him go.
Unwilling to give up, Emperor Wu Su tested her, "Do you want me to stay?"
Ji Qingwu opened her lips, then closed them again. She swallowed the two words, "I don’t," that were about to escape.
