Free Web NovelChapter 141: Chapter 141: Who Points a Sword at His Own Wife?
Ji Qingwu tilted her head, trying a different approach.
"I was just thinking that Your Majesty must be incredibly busy with state affairs. You surely have more important things to do, and I don’t wish to take up too much of your time."
Her words were so generous and sensible, but he would have preferred her to be willful and unreasonable.
Emperor Wu Su stared at her, his gaze profound.
He spoke. "I will give you a little more time, but not for long."
His gaze swept across her face, as tangible as a physical touch, delivering his ultimatum. freeweɓnovel.cøm
This time, Ji Qingwu didn’t shy away. She boldly met his gaze and nodded calmly. "I understand."
’I’ll just put it off for as long as I can,’ she thought.
"I hope you truly understand."
With those parting words, he turned and strode away.
*
「Late that night」
The Diligent Governance Hall remained as bright as day, its lamps banishing the darkness.
Emperor Wu Su returned to the hall and resumed reviewing his court memorials.
Once most of the memorials had been marked with the vermilion of the Imperial Brush, he finally set his brush aside to catch his breath. His gaze, however, remained fixed on the large rosewood desk before him.
He seemed lost in thought.
A candle sputtered. Li Yuzong stood quietly at the entrance to the hall, exhaustion etched on his face.
Emperor Wu Su, however, was still wide awake, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface of the desk.
He didn’t have to try; an image flashed into his mind unbidden.
It was the sight of Ji Qingwu from earlier that day—curled up and hiding beneath another desk, looking both enchanting and pitiful.
Vivid, sensual scenes replayed in his mind.
He was not a man given to debauchery, but whenever he touched her, whenever he was even near her, he couldn’t stop himself. He wanted more. He couldn’t help the urge to lose himself in her.
He remembered their first time in his great tent at the Northern Border Camp, the way her hips had swayed so gracefully as she settled on top of him...
Emperor Wu Su’s breathing hitched. He snatched the strong tea at his side and forced himself to suppress the amorous thoughts.
His patience was wearing thin, but no matter how desperate he felt, he had to restrain himself.
If he only wanted her body, he wouldn’t need to go to this trouble. He had plenty of ways to make her submit to him.
But as it is in the art of war, to subdue the heart is superior to conquering a city; psychological warfare is superior to open battle.
From the very beginning, his true target had always been her heart—a heart as brilliant and clear as the purest crystal.
These last few days, that clever little mind of Ji Qingwu’s had been working overtime, and her behavior toward him had changed dramatically.
But pushing too hard would be a mistake. She might seem soft and gentle, but if truly cornered, she was the type to bite back, consequences be damned.
Emperor Wu Su pinched the bridge of his nose.
A long sigh echoed in the hall.
Hearing the sound, Li Yuzong, who was so drowsy he was swaying on his feet, snapped to attention and entered the hall to refill the Emperor’s tea.
Emperor Wu Su gave a few quiet instructions.
Li Yuzong’s eyes brightened. He was about to flash a grin and praise the Holy Emperor’s wisdom, but then he remembered the Emperor had called his smile ugly. He suppressed the urge and simply replied with a respectful, "Yes, Your Majesty."
*
「That same night.」
Princess Hua Chang had finally caught up with the military convoy heading for the Northern Border.
But Wei Chi Lianping’s army marched at a pace no ordinary carriage could match.
In the desperate chase, the carriage had been driven at a frantic pace. Princess Hua Chang had gotten so carsick that she’d vomited several times, to the point where she was bringing up bile.
She had never endured such hardship, and it left her utterly drained.
The army had stopped to rest near a relay station.
Suddenly, a carriage pulled up in front of Wei Chi Lianping. He squinted at it. The decorations suggested it was from Lin’an. He figured he must be missing Hua Chang so desperately that he was starting to imagine this carriage resembled hers.
The frantic journey had left its mark: the fine silk draping the carriage was splattered with mud, and its gold-inlaid, jewel-encrusted windows were coated in dust.
’So filthy. How could it possibly be hers?’
In a foul mood, Wei Chi Lianping snapped, "Don’t just stop there. Move it."
But the carriage remained motionless before him.
"Didn’t you hear me?!"
The carriage curtain stirred. The driver, terrified by the scowling General’s shouts, didn’t dare to move.
Wei Chi Lianping strode forward, planted a foot on the carriage step, and flung open the curtain. One glance at the ornate interior told him it belonged to a woman.
But with no lamp lit inside, he couldn’t make out her face.
Suddenly, the woman moved. The longsword by her hand flew from its sheath, aimed straight for his throat.
Unflustered, Wei Chi Lianping didn’t even let the sword get close. He sidestepped with fluid grace and delivered a sharp blow to her arm, causing her sword to clatter to the ground.
Then he swore, "Son of a bitch! Someone actually dares to try and assassinate me!"
Hearing his words, the soldiers all drew their weapons and surrounded the carriage.
He seized her by the arm and yanked her out of the carriage.
The woman’s face, revealed in the bright moonlight, seemed to outshine the moon itself.
Before the eyes of his men, the ever-valiant Great General froze, utterly dumbfounded.
The transcendent beauty then slapped Wei Chi Lianping hard across the face.
The slap echoed, sharp and clear in the night air.
A young soldier, who had never seen Princess Hua Chang before, rushed forward. "Who do you think you are?!" he demanded angrily. "How dare you strike the General! You’ve got a death wish!"
Wei Chi Lianping snapped out of it and kicked the soldier. "Get lost!" he roared. "This is none of your business!"
Princess Hua Chang rubbed her arm, which still throbbed where he had struck it in the carriage. She turned to her driver. "Hand me the sword."
At her command, before the driver could even react, Wei Chi Lianping eagerly scrambled to pick up the fallen Snow Sword. He even thoughtfully wiped the dust from the blade with his sleeve before presenting it to her.
His eyes were shining with astonishing brightness.
Princess Hua Chang took the sword, and with a flick of her wrist, laid the blade of the Snow Sword against his throat.
"Bold assassin! Let our General go!"
"Who are you?! Have you got a death wish?!"
Several loyal soldiers drew their blades, ready to close in.
Wei Chi Lianping just stared, utterly besotted, at the Eldest Princess’s face, which looked even more ethereal than a goddess’s under the moonlight.
He swallowed hard and tilted his head to shout at his men.
"This is my wife! Now all of you, get the hell away from me!"
One of the young soldiers was skeptical. "What kind of wife holds a sword to her husband’s throat the second they meet..."
Wei Chi Lianping retorted, "It’s called foreplay! What the hell would a greenhorn like you know about it?"
Seeing that he still had the leisure to banter, Princess Hua Chang ignored the pain in her arm and pressed the tip of the sword harder against his neck.
But Wei Chi Lianping just tilted his head back to accommodate her, his face beaming with joy. "I’m so happy you’re here," he said.
It was as if she wasn’t trying to take his life, but was flirting with him.
Princess Hua Chang looked at him and said coldly, "I came here because you deserve to die!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Wei Chi Lianping didn’t try to defend himself. He just grinned foolishly at the Eldest Princess, who looked like a goddess under the moon.
With so many people watching, Princess Hua Chang felt her face flush under the heat of his dopey grin.
Not wanting to be gawked at like a circus animal, she furiously sheathed her sword and commanded impatiently, "Get in!"
Princess Hua Chang returned to the carriage first. Wei Chi Lianping, meanwhile, cast a triumphant, swaggering glance at his dumbfounded soldiers.
