Free Web NovelChapter 250: Chapter 250: All That I Can Give, I Will Give
Then, she walked step by step until she stood before Emperor Wu Su.
Ji Qingwu’s shoulders slumped. Her hands tightened into fists, and her lips parted and closed a few times.
She met his gaze, her dark eyes not wavering in the slightest.
"What Your Majesty desires—"
The light in Ji Qingwu’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, and her voice was as crisp as pearls rolling onto a jade plate.
"Whatever I can give, I will give."
Ji Qingwu’s meaning was...
Whatever she could give, she was willing to hand over to him.
In an instant, the teasing smile on Emperor Wu Su’s lips vanished. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed a few times.
The light in Ji Qingwu’s eyes finally exploded in brilliant clusters within Emperor Wu Su’s heart.
After a long moment, those points of light surged from his heart to his eyes, bursting forth in a passionate radiance.
’She really is something else...’
’She’s either silent or she says something earth-shattering, never resting until her words are utterly shocking.’
Emperor Wu Su’s voice was hoarse.
"Ah Wu, you’re the one who chose to walk in here, to walk to my side, aren’t you?"
Ji Qingwu’s throat was also tight, but she refused to back down. "Your Majesty was clearly the one who tricked me into coming in."
He looked up at her and confirmed, "Then did my trick succeed?"
Seeing the slight hesitation in his tone, Ji Qingwu decided actions spoke louder than words.
Her hand reached for the narrow sash tied around her slender waist.
Emperor Wu Su’s gaze followed her hand intently. "Ah Wu, that’s not a good idea."
He said it wasn’t a good idea, but his eyes said otherwise.
His fervent, searing gaze was so tangible it seemed to trace the lines of her waist, as if trying to bore through the fabric and into her body.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on Ji Qingwu’s palms.
With trembling hands, she untied the Jade Pendant with Carved Lotus and Catfish from her waist.
Emperor Wu Su frowned slightly.
’That jade pendant wasn’t what he’d been hoping she’d remove. He thought that after her epiphany, she was going to give him an even bigger surprise.’
Ji Qingwu carefully cupped the jade pendant in her left hand and presented it to him.
Emperor Wu Su lowered his gaze to the white jade resting in her soft palm.
The carved pattern was not complex, but the details were exquisitely rendered and lifelike. Its true value lay in the master-level craftsmanship.
The quality of the jade was superior, but it was nowhere near as priceless as the pieces the Emperor usually wore.
Ji Qingwu said softly, her tone reverent, "This is for Your Majesty."
Emperor Wu Su didn’t respond or take it. Instead, he took her right hand.
When he saw the fresh calluses on the web of her thumb and her fingertips, he knew his guess had been correct.
Emperor Wu Su asked in a low voice, "Is this a keepsake that Ah Wu made herself?"
Ji Qingwu turned her head away, her gaze falling on a blue-and-white plate on the table. Her earlobes had long since turned crimson, like red jade.
Emperor Wu Su pulled her right hand closer and placed kisses on all the callused spots.
With his other hand, he took her left hand and intertwined their fingers, clasping the jade pendant between their joined palms.
The kisses were forceful, almost carrying the weight of a devouring bite.
A feeling traveled from Ji Qingwu’s fingertips to the bottom of her heart, causing it to contract unbearably. Her heartbeat began to synchronize with the rhythm of his kisses.
Her eyes grew moist and bright, and her voice was soft and delicate. "This is a gift in return."
Seeing that the green jade ring—the very one he had given her—was still at her waist, he sighed softly. "I will treasure Ah Wu’s sentiment."
She nodded obediently and shyly pulled her hand back.
’After all, this is still the Empress Dowager’s palace. It’s inconvenient to do anything here, and there are eyes and ears everywhere.’
The look in Emperor Wu Su’s eyes deepened. "I will wait for you at Handan Hall tonight."
’What would we be doing at that remote hall...’
Ji Qingwu hastily averted her eyes from his hips.
They had even had a child together. Logically, they shouldn’t need to observe such empty formalities.
However, Ji Qingwu had a considerable trauma associated with *that*, so she figured she would put it off for as long as she could.
She said, "I said Your Majesty could have anything you desire on your birthday, not now."
Emperor Wu Su looked at her peach-blossom-like face, feeling a strong urge to do her in right then and there, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
’I’ve waited this long; what’s another dozen or so days?’
Emperor Wu Su heaved a long sigh. "Fine. I will wait."
But his gaze told Ji Qingwu in no uncertain terms that when the day of the Longevity Festival finally arrived...
...she would not have an easy time.
*
Ji Qingwu’s days in Cining Palace were more comfortable than anyone else’s.
Ever since Emperor Wu Su had come to have lunch with the Empress Dowager that day, the Empress Dowager’s attitude toward Ji Qingwu had taken a sharp turn for the better.
It was possible that even Princess Qingyun wouldn’t receive as much favor from the Empress Dowager as she did now if the princess were to visit the palace.
Ji Qingwu knew perfectly well what the reason was. The Empress Dowager wouldn’t be so good to her for no reason.
The Empress Dowager wanted to create more opportunities for Ji Qingwu to see the Emperor, one moment sending her to deliver some soup, the next sending her to the Imperial Garden to orchestrate a chance encounter.
Not wanting the Empress Dowager to notice too much, Ji Qingwu still acted timid and deferential whenever she met Emperor Wu Su in front of others.
Thus, everyone in the palace knew that two young ladies from the Empress Dowager’s maternal family had arrived, and one of them spent all day trying to get close to His Majesty.
But His Majesty remained cold and distant, showing no signs of growing closer to her.
Only Ji Qingwu herself knew that when Emperor Wu Su looked at her, his eyes glowed green like a wild wolf spotting a little lamb.
And they got greener every day.
As a result, Ji Qingwu hadn’t dared to show her face before Emperor Wu Su for the past few days.
Today, just after she woke up, she was assigned a new task by the Empress Dowager.
The preparations for the Longevity Festival were almost complete, but some of the guest lists for the banquet had yet to be finalized.
The guest list for the court officials was being drafted by the Imperial Household and the Honglu Temple, while the Empress Dowager was in charge of arranging the seating for the concubines and other female family members.
The Empress Dowager, intending for Ji Qingwu to interact more with the palace concubines and plan for her future after entering the palace, entrusted this task to her.
Ji Qingyuan, on the other hand, was assigned to check lists with the Imperial Household. As she passed by Ji Qingwu, she rolled her eyes so hard they could have touched the heavens.
Ji Qingwu was sitting in a pavilion near Cining Palace, and already three waves of concubines had come to see her.
Without exception, they all wanted to arrange a few more seats for their relatives at the Longevity Festival, giving their families more opportunities to appear before the Emperor.
Just as she sent one group off, an unexpected person arrived.
Wei Liru, dressed in a magnificent palace gown of gold and pink, walked up to the stone table before her. "We meet again, Miss Ji."
Ji Qingwu rose and said, "Greetings, Princess Wei."
Wei Liru was as dazzlingly dressed as ever, but up close, the haggardness in her eyes was visible.
Seeing Ji Qingwu’s radiant and lively appearance was like a thorn in her side.
"Miss Ji seems to be riding a wave of success lately."
Ji Qingwu smiled, unbothered by her words, and asked, "Did Princess Wei come here specifically to congratulate me?"
Wei Liru sat on the stone stool opposite her.
"How can you still smile? You don’t have a shred of affection for my brother."
Ji Qingwu had heard many of the recent rumors in the palace.
Wei Ting had been demoted to a City Gate Officer, and as a result, Princess Consort Wei was being given the cold shoulder in the palace.
Ji Qingwu tidied up the lists on the table and said, "Your Highness, if you are dissatisfied with His Majesty’s decision, you are free to take it up with him."
Wei Liru raised her voice. "Do you think I wanted to come find you?! If His Majesty were willing to see me, I wouldn’t be here!"
Everyone knew that of everyone in the entire palace, she was the one who saw the Emperor most often.
The rumors all said that this Fifth Miss Ji only got to appear before Emperor Wu Su by relying on the Empress Dowager’s power. But Wei Liru knew in her heart that it was the Empress Dowager who was trying to ride *her* coattails.
A single sentence from Ji Qingwu had been enough to make Wei Liru’s eyes redden with anger.
