Free Web NovelChapter 227: Chapter 227: Deeply Concealed, Blissful Dizziness
Once someone took the lead in offering a toast, the banquet grew lively.
Tonight, Emperor Wu Su not only drank but also chatted and laughed amiably with these men. Wei Ting, in contrast, was given the cold shoulder and left to drink alone.
But after several rounds of toasts, all the men who had come to offer them were passed out drunk.
The only ones still sitting upright at the table were Emperor Wu Su and Wei Ting.
Wei Ting raised his cup first, the smile on his lips not reaching his eyes.
"Your Majesty seems to be in high spirits, enjoying your chat with my lieutenants. You also hide your tolerance for alcohol quite well, drinking a dozen or two of my men under the table."
Wei Ting raised his cup. "As long as Your Majesty is not yet satisfied, I will gladly keep you company."
The alcohol only seemed to make Emperor Wu Su’s presence more formidable.
"General Wei, are you concerned that your trusted men will drink themselves sick, or that they will want to cut ties with you once they sober up?"
Wei Ting’s fingers tightened around his cup, leaving indentations in the bronze.
"I understand what Your Majesty is implying. You want to reclaim military authority."
Emperor Wu Su remained seated, but his amiable expression had turned cold and stern.
"Since you understand my intentions, why haven’t you returned the Tiger Talisman? What is the meaning of this?"
Wei Ting stood, his gaze sweeping over a figure in the secondary seats.
He held the bronze cup aloft and declared resentfully, "Your Majesty knows the rules of military command. The two hundred thousand soldiers at the Northern Border answer only to the Tiger Talisman! Even with General Wei Chi stationed there, he can’t command a single one of my men!"
The alcohol seemed to have gone to Wei Ting’s head, and he swayed on his feet.
He continued indignantly, "Unfortunately for you, my Tiger Talisman is with the army, in a place that only I know. Unless Your Majesty allows me to return to the Northern Border, no one can mobilize those troops!"
Emperor Wu Su slammed his hand on the table, overturning all the drinks.
His face a mask of fury, he roared, "Li Yuzong, clear the room!"
The intimidating confrontation between the emperor and his subject had long since sobered everyone up. Hearing the order, they scrambled to their feet and fled, terrified that the more they heard, the sooner they would lose their heads.
However, one man dressed as a common merchant walked slowly and had to be urged along several times by the government soldiers before he finally left the Princess Mansion.
Ji Qingwu hurried toward the front hall, her steps feeling heavy and slow. All the while, she wondered, ’How am I going to talk them down?’
’Or maybe I should just flick a silver needle from the shadows, hit one of Wei Ting’s knockout points, and be done with it.’
’That way I can avoid making an appearance and attracting stares and suspicion.’
Her mind made up, Ji Qingwu’s steps grew much lighter.
But she failed to notice a large hand suddenly reaching out from the darkness beside her, yanking her into the shadows of the trees by the path.
’Who could be even more audacious than Mo Lingling during her assassination attempt, daring to accost a lady of the household during the Princess’s wedding banquet?’
The overwhelming stench of alcohol assaulted her senses, and Ji Qingwu couldn’t tell who it was.
’It must be some lecher, drunk and overcome with lust.’
However, Ji Qingwu hadn’t had time to retrieve the silver needle from her sachet. She could only assess the situation as she quietly raised a hand to pull the golden hairpin from her hair.
The man reacted faster. He enveloped her hand with his and pulled it down, placing it on his waist.
Her hand felt the smooth texture of high-quality jade...
The raised pattern was distinct under her fingers...
It was a... coiled dragon.
’This detestable dragon!’
A cold sweat broke out on Ji Qingwu’s forehead. She gritted her teeth and called out, "Your Majesty?"
Emperor Wu Su hummed a low affirmation.
Ji Qingwu had just breathed a sigh of relief, only to immediately tense up again.
Without so much as a word, his large hands began to unceremoniously untie her sash.
’Emperor Wu Su really knows how to torment a person. This is even more stressful than being in the Imperial Palace.’
Ji Qingwu said, "Does Your Majesty know what you are doing?"
Emperor Wu Su patted her soft hand where it rested on his waist, even giving it a few extra caresses for good measure.
"To be fair, I’ll allow you to untie mine as well."
’Does this have to be a trade?’
Ji Qingwu reached out to touch the side of his neck. His skin was burning hot, and his pulse, usually slow and steady, was now racing.
Her sash today was fastened with hidden clasps on both sides, and in the darkness, Emperor Wu Su fumbled with it.
As if losing patience, he moved to simply rip it off. Ji Qingwu, anticipating this, quickly stopped his hand, saving this sash from suffering the same fate as its predecessors.
Ji Qingwu said, "Your Majesty, this is improper. We are at Princess Qingyun’s estate, not your Imperial Palace."
Emperor Wu Su paused and asked seriously, "So it would be alright if we went back to the Imperial Palace?"
Ji Qingwu shook her head vigorously.
"That’s not alright either."
Emperor Wu Su’s chest rose and fell sharply as he said in frustration, "Not this, not that. Then what is it you want?"
Standing in the dense shadows of the trees, Ji Qingwu widened her eyes, trying to get a clear look at his expression.
The man’s eyes were not the least bit hazy; instead, they shone with a dazzling light.
For a moment, Ji Qingwu couldn’t tell whether Emperor Wu Su was actually drunk.
She asked, "How much did Your Majesty drink?"
Emperor Wu Su made a gesture. Ji Qingwu guessed, "Twenty-two cups?"
"Twenty-two men went down."
Emperor Wu Su added, "Including Wei Ting."
The moment Wei Ting’s name was mentioned, before Ji Qingwu could even react, Emperor Wu Su’s brow furrowed deeply.
"Has he sought you out again?"
Ji Qingwu immediately shook her head and raised two fingers, swearing, "As heaven is my witness, absolutely not."
Emperor Wu Su smiled in satisfaction, the light in his eyes growing even brighter. "And you are not to seek him out, either."
’Since returning to Lin’an, I haven’t actively sought out Wei Ting. He must be talking about the past.’
At this moment, the tender warmth in his eyes seemed ready to overflow.
Ji Qingwu looked into his eyes. "Whatever was between Wei Ting and me is in the past. What’s done is done, but the future holds memories yet to be made."
Emperor Wu Su said, "Indeed. The future is for making memories."
In the darkness, Ji Qingwu suddenly felt herself being lifted, and the shadows of the trees spun endlessly before her.
He had suddenly swept her into his arms, his palms firmly cupping her bottom as he spun her around several times in the clearing.
She pressed her lips together to stifle a cry of surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck.
This feeling of flight, of freedom, made Ji Qingwu dizzy with joy.
Her head was spinning, and so was her heart.
Ji Qingwu lowered her gaze. Though her thick lashes hid the light in her eyes, the corners of her mouth curled up in an irrepressible smile. Her radiant expression seemed to shimmer and glow in the dark night.
Just then, Emperor Wu Su tilted his head up to kiss her.
With a slight tilt of her head, Ji Qingwu deftly dodged him, a triumphant smile playing on her lips.
The kiss landed on her chin, sending a ticklish sensation straight to her heart.
He seemed more approachable when drunk. Feeling bold, Ji Qingwu tapped his lips with her finger.
"If you want a kiss," she said haughtily, "you have to ask for it."
Emperor Wu Su didn’t answer, merely fixing his gaze on her.
The next instant, he spun her again.
He parted her two slender legs and, with an effortless lift, settled them on either side of his powerful waist.
Her back was pressed against the rough tree trunk, leaving her with no leverage. To keep from falling, she had no choice but to grip his waist tightly with her legs.
The position brought with it a unique intimacy, as well as a strange sense of shame.
He was the cleaver and the block; she was the fish, laid out for the cutting.
