Free Web NovelChapter 198: Chapter 198: Inside the Rockery, I Miss You So Much
Ji Qingwu slowly raised her arms and placed them on his shoulders.
Emperor Wu Su’s arms tightened like an iron vise, holding her firmly within his embrace.
He refused to give her any room to push him away.
’The political game at court is already shifting because of her...’
Yesterday, at Wutong Garden, he had watched her squatting before the medicinal herbs, tending to them with intense focus. It was then that he secretly made his decision.
’If Ji Qingwu enters the palace, it would be impossible to stop others from discovering my true feelings for her.’
’The dangers lurking in the shadows would be like venomous snakes, waiting for the right moment to strike.’
’So, before that can happen, I have to present them with an opportunity myself, forcing them to make their move. Even if I can’t wipe them out in one fell swoop, I have to at least clip their wings so they can no longer pose a threat.’
She didn’t know what he was thinking, but she felt as if his grip would snap her waist in two.
Her hand moved to his neck, her fingertips cool against his skin. The silent touch seemed to convey the unspoken emotions in her heart.
Emperor Wu Su glanced down, his gaze locking onto her face.
Suddenly, Ji Qingwu wrapped her arms firmly around his neck and pulled him down toward her.
Her voice was tight and hoarse.
"I miss you."
The moment the words left her mouth, Ji Qingwu tried to look away in a panic, but he easily cupped her face in his hands and forced her to look at him.
Emperor Wu Su’s pupils constricted, his tone allowing no refusal.
"Say it again."
It had taken everything she had just to say it once.
And yet, in the dim light, his eyes flashed with a peculiar brilliance.
"Whatever the reason, for you to say those three words, Ah Wu... I am truly happy."
As if fearing she couldn’t sense his joy and excitement, he poured all of it out, expressing himself with the most primal of appetites.
The fierce force of it threw Ji Qingwu’s thoughts into chaos, and the base of her tongue began to ache.
Inside the rockery, there was not only the sound of dripping water, but also the ragged breathing of two people.
And a voice from outside the rockery.
"Strange... I heard she came to the Imperial Garden, but there’s no sign of her. You all, split up and search!"
’Who’s looking for me?’
Ji Qingwu’s legs went weak, and she had to lean on Emperor Wu Su’s shoulder just to catch her breath. The glistening sheen in her eyes was more beautiful than any fractured crystal or shattered jade.
The footsteps drew closer.
The grotto had a winding passage, but it was a dead end. They could only leave the way they came in.
From the sound of it, the person was standing right at the entrance to the grotto, peering inside.
Ji Qingwu’s breath quickened.
’The man before me is Emperor Wu Su, so I’m in no real danger... but if I’m discovered in here with the Emperor...’
’If word of this gets out, my already precarious reputation would be saddled with a new label: the vixen who bewitches and seduces her sovereign.’
’After that, Old Madam Ji and the Empress Dowager would surely join forces to pack me up and send me into the palace to solidify the Ji Family’s imperial favor.’
Ji Qingwu clutched his sleeve in a silent plea, her eyes speaking volumes.
Emperor Wu Su gazed back at her, feigning ignorance of her panic. He leaned his handsome face closer, stopping just inches away. His meaning was unspoken, but perfectly clear.
The voice from outside drifted in. "Is anyone in there? If you don’t answer, I’m coming in."
Clearly, the person outside had noticed something.
Ji Qingwu hurriedly stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the right cheek. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Emperor Wu Su grinned and offered his left cheek. ’This man has so many demands!’ Ji Qingwu thought, steeling herself...
A man’s muffled groan echoed from within the rockery, sounding partly of pain, and partly of pleasure.
Prince Yong, who had been about to enter and investigate, froze at the sound. He recognized the man’s voice—it was his Imperial Brother.
Prince Yong was a strange one. He loved to stir up trouble and act recklessly, yet he never seemed to learn his lesson.
But he had one saving grace: he didn’t hold grudges.
Prince Yong had been on the receiving end of the Emperor’s beatings many times since they were children. Logically, he should have felt mostly jealousy or fear toward his older half-brother.
But he wasn’t like that. The day after a beating, he would be back as if nothing had happened, shamelessly sidling up to him again.
Realizing Emperor Wu Su was inside, Prince Yong didn’t retreat. Instead, he said in a low voice, "Imperial Brother, I’ll keep watch for you at the entrance."
’Ji Qingwu gritted her teeth. She could just imagine that lecher, Prince Yong, standing guard at the entrance and the look on his face as he said that.’
Seeing she looked as if she were about to cry, Emperor Wu Su knew it would be bad for her if anyone found out about this.
He didn’t want the censors from the Imperial Censorate to submit a memorial denouncing his Ah Wu before he could even bring her into the palace.
He coaxed her softly, "I’ll go out first and lead him away. You can sneak out afterward."
Ji Qingwu nodded eagerly. There was no better solution.
A moment later, Prince Yong saw Emperor Wu Su emerge from the entrance. He bowed and said, "This subject greets Your Majesty."
The Emperor’s brow was furrowed. "Why have you come to the palace?"
Prince Yong kept his head down, hesitating slightly. "Imperial Brother, this subject... came to visit the Empress Dowager."
Emperor Wu Su knew full well why he had come to the palace. Prince Yong had been running to the palace every other day lately.
He rarely visited the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace, but he never failed to stand vigil at the entrance of Anle Hall like a pining statue.
Both he and Tao Wanxin were reaping what they had sown.
Emperor Wu Su said icily, "From now on, stay in your Prince Yong’s Mansion. Do not come to the palace unless you have reason to."
Prince Yong looked up, wanting to explain himself.
But when he got a clear look at the Emperor’s grim face, his eyes widened.
On the august Emperor’s left cheek was a clear bite mark. The woman must have had a fine set of teeth, for the impression left by her pearly whites was neat and distinct. freёweɓnovel.com
Instantly, Prince Yong’s gaze shot toward the inside of the grotto.
’He was inwardly stunned. Which of the Concubines could it be? Who would have the gall to actually bite the Emperor?’
’She had done what he’d always wanted to do as a child. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration.’
Seeing Prince Yong’s expression, Emperor Wu Su knew exactly what he was thinking. "Get back to your Prince Mansion," he said, incensed.
Banished by the Emperor, Prince Yong could only lower his head and walk away in disappointment.
Once Prince Yong’s back had disappeared from view, Emperor Wu Su turned, coughed once toward the grotto’s entrance, and then departed.
Inside the grotto, Ji Qingwu slowly came back to her senses.
’Just now, I told him I missed him... but the Emperor said that no matter my reason, he was happy I said it.’
’Of course, I only said it because I wanted to, not for any other reason.’
’Now that my head was clearing, I realized the timing of my confession had been terrible.’
’The Emperor had just solved a massive problem for the Ji Family, saving my father, and I immediately say I miss him, as if I’m returning the favor.’
’Emperor Wu Su was the type to sulk if I so much as tugged on his sleeve over someone else’s affairs.’
’This time, he was bound to read too much into it.’
Ji Qingwu sighed softly.
Hearing that all was quiet outside, Ji Qingwu straightened her hair and clothes inside the grotto, then waited a good while longer.
She crept out stealthily. After peeking out from the entrance and seeing no one, she quickly walked away.
Only to run right into someone who darted out from beside the grotto.
