Free Web NovelChapter 210: Chapter 210: Heart Pounding Like a Drum, Implicated and Punished by Kneeling
Ji Qingwu’s breathing fell into complete disarray.
She opened her eyes and glanced toward the hall entrance.
Light streamed in through the crack of the slightly ajar door, casting a golden glow on the line of flagstones outside.
’Someone could burst in at any moment.’ Ji Qingwu struggled anxiously.
But his kiss only grew more intense, stealing her very breath away.
The back of her head rested in his palm, held firmly under his control.
To punish her inattentiveness, Emperor Wu Su’s hand moved from her scapulae, her "butterfly bones," gradually closing around the soft warmth of her front and giving a gentle, yet firm, squeeze.
Ji Qingwu’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly.
The mere thought of Wei Ting and Prince Yong just outside the door made her grow even more tense, heightening all her physical sensations.
His breath ghosting over her skin made her tremble.
The rough pads of his fingers on her skin created a peculiar sensation, a mix of pain and pleasure.
Not only was Ji Qingwu’s face flushed, but her ears and exposed neck were also blushing crimson.
He had long since tugged open the ties at her collar.
Her own heart was pounding in her ears like a drum, drowning out all external sounds.
Emperor Wu Su looked down, taking in the entire view, and said in a husky voice, "They’re all red."
Ji Qingwu’s reaction was a bit slow. Not understanding what he meant, she followed his gaze downward and saw...
Feeling it was one thing, but seeing it with her own eyes was another matter entirely.
Her pearly skin peeked through the gaps between his well-defined fingers.
Her entire body began to visibly flush a deep shade of pink.
「Outside the Diligent Governance Hall.」
After Tao Wanxin came out, she said nothing and knelt down directly to Prince Yong’s left.
Zhao Minghong didn’t mind kneeling here himself, but having her kneel beside him made him as restless as a monkey with its tail on fire.
Zhao Minghong’s face darkened. "Did Imperial Brother punish you by making you kneel out here?"
Tao Wanxin shook her head and simply continued to kneel in silence.
Her small, thin frame knelt on the gray-white flagstones, looking as if a gust of wind could blow her over. Her face was so pale she seemed on the verge of ascending to the heavens.
Zhao Minghong watched, his heart pounding with fear, terrified she would collapse right before his eyes.
His face was ashen, but he didn’t hesitate for a second. Planting his palms on the ground, he immediately began to kowtow and admit his fault.
But after the time it took to drink half a cup of tea, not a single sound came from within the Diligent Governance Hall.
Li Yuzong stood at the entrance, able to hear the sounds from within the hall perfectly clearly. He, too, kept his head bowed, his plumed hat obscuring his expression.
Little Dongzi, however, was not yet so composed, his small eyes darting back and forth.
’Originally,’ Zhao Minghong had thought, ’the longer I have to kneel, the longer Wei Ting has to kneel with me. This is much better than fighting. At least it’s a battle of equals.’
’The longer we kneel, the more my grudge-holding Fifth Cousin might be appeased, and the more effort she’ll put into treating Tao Wanxin.’
But now, Zhao Minghong worried that he had angered Emperor Wu Su so badly that the Emperor would punish Tao Wanxin as well.
His eyes shifted to the man on the other side. "General Wei," he said, taking the initiative.
Wei Ting ignored him, his gaze fixed on the vermilion doors of the hall as if trying to see through the panels to the scene inside.
Zhao Minghong pinched his thigh hard, his attitude toward Wei Ting taking a complete one-eighty.
"General Wei, today’s incident was a moment of rashness on my part, not intentional. We’re both men; once a fight is over, the anger should be too. I ask that you be the bigger man and plead with His Majesty alongside me."
"Oh, is that so?"
A smile played on Wei Ting’s lips. "I seem to recall that just a few hours ago, Your Highness was telling me in no uncertain terms that the two of us would kneel here until one of us dropped dead, that it wouldn’t be over until one of us was carried out of the palace gates."
Zhao Minghong frowned, pretending he had forgotten any such thing.
"Did I say that?"
The little eunuch chimed in, "You did indeed say that, Your Highness."
Prince Yong turned and swatted him.
Just then, a gust of wind made Tao Wanxin shiver, and a muscle in Zhao Minghong’s temple twitched.
He took a deep breath. "It was I who spoke without thinking. Please..." He cupped his hands in a salute. "Please, forgive me, General Wei."
The same gust of wind lifted Wei Ting’s sleeves, yet he remained as steady as Mount Tai while he knelt.
He said calmly, "Doesn’t Your Highness think those words come a little too easily? You start a fight when you want, and you end it when you want."
"Is my time so easily wasted?"
Zhao Minghong glared at him. "You don’t even have a family. What’s the harm in sparring with me for a bit? Don’t be so petty."
Seeing him remain unmoved, Zhao Minghong tried a more earnest tone. "If we keep this up, we both lose. I don’t want the Empress Dowager to worry. And look, your sister, Princess Wei, has already sent her maid to check on you several times."
This appeal to both emotion and reason had an effect.
Wei Ting said, "It’s still better than Your Highness dragging your Princess Consort down to be punished with you."
But it was the opposite of the desired effect.
Zhao Minghong slammed his fist on the ground, barely restraining himself from punching Wei Ting’s handsome, eminently punchable face.
He retorted, "No matter how you look at it, it’s better than General Wei proposing to Fifth Cousin only to be rejected, and still being single to this day."
Wei Ting’s expression twisted for a moment. "I prefer quality over quantity. A quiet and empty rear court is, naturally, no match for the liveliness of Prince Yong’s Mansion."
Wei Ting’s words were more painful to him than any punch.
Zhao Minghong quickly turned his head to gauge Tao Wanxin’s reaction.
When he saw no trace of discomfort on her face, as if the words had nothing to do with her, he frowned and fell silent.
Li Yuzong’s ears twitched.
The sound of two people talking began to emerge from the hall.
There was the sound of a woman’s coquettish, tearful complaint, and the Holy Emperor’s low, gentle coaxing.
Ji Qingwu had transformed from a crabapple blossom in full, dazzling bloom to a delicious, tempting crabapple fruit.
The amorous flush on her lovely face made it obvious what "good deeds" had been done, making it impossible for her to be seen by anyone for a while.
An Emperor in this state was at his most compliant. Ji Qingwu petulantly ordered Emperor Wu Su to fetch her the set of coarse clothes that he so disdained.
Not only did he obey, but he even helped her dress again.
Emperor Wu Su then planted another kiss on her cheek, full and plump like a spring peach. "Ah Wu, you rest here for a bit."
"Li Yuzong."
Eunuch Li led a few people in, bowing their heads as they awaited the Holy Emperor’s command.
Emperor Wu Su said, "Lower the curtain."
An apricot-white curtain descended, separating the inner chamber from the main hall.
Li Yuzong stepped forward to straighten the Emperor’s coronet and court robes.
Ji Qingwu shifted into a more comfortable position on the couch. Through the curtain, she could only make out his silhouette.
She gave a slight smile, only to find her lips were still swollen and hot. She felt a momentary daze. ’How can he detach himself so quickly?’
He was seated upright on his throne, having resumed the majestic aura of an Emperor whose might awed the world. It was as if he were a different person from the man who had just been leaning over her, teasing her with a smile.
Li Yuzong served fresh tea and snacks, not forgetting to instruct a palace maid to bring a portion for Ji Qingwu as well.
Emperor Wu Su said coolly, "Have them come in."
Li Yuzong hurried out to summon them.
Prince Yong and Wei Ting entered the hall one after the other, first bowing and then kneeling.
Emperor Wu Su’s heavy gaze fell upon them, and their heads felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds, not daring to look up.
