Free Web NovelChapter 213: Chapter 213: A Change of Temperament, Pillow Talk
"Let me pour a cup for Ah Wu, too."
Emperor Wu Su poured another cup of tea.
Ji Qingwu had no choice but to use his teacup as the Emperor personally held it to her lips.
The sight of her cheeks puffing out as she swallowed sparked Emperor Wu Su’s interest in feeding her. He proceeded to give her four or five pastries, one after another, along with three more cups of tea.
Ji Qingwu dared not refuse and could only go along with his wishes.
But when it looked like Emperor Wu Su intended to feed her the entire plate, Ji Qingwu patted her round belly.
She said apologetically, "Your Majesty, I can’t eat another bite."
Emperor Wu Su reached out to feel for himself. The soft flesh beneath his palm was taut, confirming that she was indeed full.
He praised her with satisfaction. "A good appetite is a blessing. Ah Wu, you have a healthy appetite. You’re a truly fortunate person."
Seeing the smile playing on his lips, Ji Qingwu felt that being stuffed to the brim was worth it.
She didn’t ask why Emperor Wu Su had demoted Wei Ting. ’Whatever the reason,’ she thought, ’he must have had his considerations.’
’If I ask, the Emperor will surely use it as an opportunity to claim I’m concerned about Wei Ting.’
In the end, Ji Qingwu returned home, her stomach completely full.
The moment she walked through the doors of Wutong Garden, she had Lan Zhi find her two honeyed hawthorn pills to aid her digestion.
Emperor Wu Su, meanwhile, returned to reviewing his memorials, feeling quite content.
He had just opened a memorial when he said, "Li Yuzong, go relay what happened in the Diligent Governance Hall to the Empress Dowager."
Li Yuzong bowed and was about to withdraw when he heard Emperor Wu Su’s cold, grim voice from the throne again.
"And while you’re at it, also let it be known that her niece was here in the Diligent Governance Hall for a long time, in disguise."
Li Yuzong looked up in astonishment, but he saw Emperor Wu Su merely picking up the Imperial Brush and dipping it in ink, his expression perfectly calm and composed.
He said worriedly, "Your Majesty, if the Empress Dowager learns that Miss Ji stayed in the hall for so long, I’m afraid there will be..."
Emperor Wu Su chuckled. "That’s precisely the point."
*
「Cining Palace.」
The Empress Dowager had just received the news. Prince Yong had only been fined half a year’s stipend by the Emperor and had not been caned. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She sighed. "If His Majesty had punished him severely, I’m afraid Ming Hong would have been heartbroken."
Shixi, who was kneeling and massaging the Empress Dowager’s legs, said, "His Majesty is mindful of their fraternal bond. They are blood brothers, after all. He wouldn’t let the Prince truly suffer."
The Empress Dowager slowly closed her eyes. "I know my own son best. I’m afraid that in his heart, Ming Hong values his older brother more than he does me."
With her eyes closed, she recalled the past, scenes replaying one by one in her mind.
"When they were children, Ming Hong was always provoking the Emperor just to get his attention and concern. He’d come back beaten black and blue every time, yet he’d go right back and do it again."
Just then, Fanghua entered from outside and placed a tonic soup on the table, interrupting the Empress Dowager’s reminiscence.
"Your Highness, the soup has just been prepared. Please drink it while it’s hot."
The Empress Dowager lifted the bowl, took a sip, and remarked with feeling, "His Majesty has truly had a change of heart recently. The last time he was in this hall, he said we were all one family."
The very thought of that scene made her heart flutter, and the soup in her hands rippled.
"I was only the second wife in the Marquis Mansion. From a young age, neither Hua Chang nor the Emperor were close to me, and I wasn’t about to humiliate myself by fawning over them just to be met with indifference." That was why their relationship had always been distant.
The Empress Dowager truly could not understand what had caused such a dramatic change in the Emperor.
This time, Emperor Wu Su had not only shown mercy to Prince Yong with a light punishment but had also come down hard on Wei Ting, demoting him by two ranks.
With Princess Consort Wei’s backing no longer secure, the Empress Dowager’s prominence in the inner palace would be unrivaled.
This display of "favoritism" left the Empress Dowager feeling overwhelmed.
Fanghua took the empty soup bowl and handed the Empress Dowager a silk handkerchief.
"Your Highness, when I went to the Imperial Kitchen to retrieve the tureen, I overheard the servants there talking."
The Empress Dowager knew Fanghua was not one to gossip, so she asked, "What did you hear?"
"This afternoon, a woman spent nearly four hours in the Diligent Governance Hall before leaving. What’s more, she snuck in disguised as a palace attendant."
The Empress Dowager sat up straight. She recalled how she had gone to the Diligent Governance Hall to plead for Prince Yong, but since it was where the Emperor handled state affairs, she could not stay long without breaching ancestral protocol.
’For that woman to be so bold!’
She frowned and asked, "I recall the Emperor was in the Diligent Governance Hall all afternoon. Did you find out who that woman was?"
Fanghua hesitated for a moment before saying, "It was our family’s Fifth Missy."
The Empress Dowager’s furrowed brow smoothed out as she asked in astonishment, "Qingwu?!"
A moment later, a look of realization dawned in her eyes. "No wonder His Majesty has been acting so strangely. So, it’s a matter of pillow talk."
’That day, when Emperor Wu Su said everyone present was family, he must have been saying it for Qingwu’s benefit.’
The Empress Dowager struck her palm with her fist, saying with regret, "When did this start? Mother never mentioned a word of it to me. And she’s still trying to marry Qingwu off to that third son of the Li family. She must be getting senile."
At this thought, the Empress Dowager gave an urgent order, "Fanghua, first thing tomorrow morning, send someone to tell the Old Madam to stop arranging matches with those unsuitable families for Qingwu."
’Once Qingwu enters the palace, my status and that of the Ji Family will be more secure than ever. Now, I just need to wait for the opportune moment to give things a little push from behind.’
The Empress Dowager then said, "No, I won’t be at ease sending someone else. Fanghua, you must go yourself."
Fanghua said, "Yes, Your Highness."
「The next day.」
Ji Qingwu didn’t get to wake up on her own; she was shaken awake by Lan Zhi.
"Fifth Missy! Fifth Missy!"
The voice in her ear was jarring. Ji Qingwu kept her eyes squeezed shut and asked groggily, "What’s going on?"
Lan Zhi said urgently, "Fifth Missy, the Old Madam is waiting for you!"
Ji Qingwu cracked her eyes open, her voice thick with sleep. "Lan Zhi, you must be mistaken. I don’t have to pay my respects every morning and evening like Fourth Sister."
Lan Zhi said, "The Old Madam has come to Wutong Garden."
Ji Qingwu said, "Grandmother is here?"
She was about to scramble out of bed when the voice of Old Madam Ji’s attendant, Nanny Feng, came from the outer room.
"Lan Zhi, don’t disturb the Fifth Missy. The Old Madam said she will wait in the hall for her to wake."
At that, any trace of sleepiness vanished from Ji Qingwu. She stared fixedly toward the window.
"Lan Zhi, open the curtains."
Lan Zhi walked to the window and pulled back the gauze curtains, letting the morning sunlight stream in.
Ji Qingwu said, "Do me a favor and check which direction the sun rose from today."
Lan Zhi said, "Fifth Missy, are you still half-asleep? It rose in the east, of course."
Regardless, she couldn’t make her own grandmother wait on a junior like her.
Ji Qingwu quickly washed up and dressed, then appeared in the main hall.
The moment Old Madam Ji saw her, she smiled kindly. "A young lady needs her beauty sleep; it keeps her complexion radiant. Just look at this face, as lovely as a flower bud."
Ji Qingwu stood in the doorway, momentarily unsure if she should step inside.
Old Madam Ji beckoned to her. "Qingwu, come sit by your grandmother."
Ji Qingwu gave Lan Zhi, who was beside her, a sharp pinch.
