Free Web NovelChapter 46: Chapter 46: "Stay in the Palace Tonight
His deep voice enveloped her, making Ji Qingwu feel so hot she thought she might start to steam.
’Am I getting so flustered I’m starting to hallucinate? Why does it feel like the Emperor is flirting with me?’
Before she could make sense of it, a slightly hoarse voice spoke up.
"Stay in the palace tonight."
The words stunned Ji Qingwu, and her mind went blank. She quickly looked up from his embrace.
Meeting Emperor Wu Su’s eyes, as dark and heavy as an inky haze, her senses returned, and she hurriedly gave him a push.
She immediately retorted, "That’s not possible. My family is waiting for me at home."
A flush of shame and indignation crept onto her face. ’What does the Emperor take me for? A casual dalliance? Someone he can trifle with as he pleases?’
Ji Qingwu’s eyes, which had been clouded with a watery mist moments before, were now perfectly clear. She declared loudly, "Besides, I am already engaged."
The moment Emperor Wu Su heard the word "engagement," he let go, allowing her to distance herself. The intimacy from before vanished without a trace.
Ji Qingwu pulled her outer robe closed and retreated several steps.
"What are you thinking?" Emperor Wu Su said in a low voice. "First thing tomorrow, the Empress Dowager will certainly summon you to the palace again."
’He was right.’
Tomorrow, the Empress Dowager would surely demand an accounting. Her precious princess had fallen into the water; there was no telling how she would be punished.
Even though she was from the Empress Dowager’s own clan, the Ji Family, the fact that she would do something like push Princess Qingyun into the water made it all the more detestable.
"My intentions were good. If I send people from the palace to the Ji Mansion to retrieve you tomorrow morning, your family will surely be alarmed."
’So that’s what he meant by having me stay in the palace... not... that other thing.’
If Mrs. Qiao saw her being dragged away by eunuchs, she would probably be frightened into illness on the spot.
Ji Qingwu tugged at the corners of her lips, forcing an awkward smile. "Your Majesty is wise."
Emperor Wu Su stared at her face and said nonchalantly, "Since you are unwilling to stay, you should head home. If you leave now, you can still get several hours of sleep. As soon as the palace gates open tomorrow morning, the Chief Eunuch from Cining Palace will likely be at the Ji Family’s residence to arrest you."
He paused, then added with chilling nonchalance, "Worst case, you’ll be beaten with a plank. A bit of physical suffering."
A beating with the plank... if they hit too hard, it could be fatal.
She had once seen soldiers capture a fugitive, force him to the ground, and flog him with thin bamboo planks until his skin split and his flesh was laid bare.
In the height of summer, a wound like that wouldn’t heal easily. It would fester and rot. Even if it did eventually heal, it would leave horrific scars.
Ji Qingwu couldn’t bear the thought of her own backside ending up like that.
’It would be better to just have my head lopped off. One blink and it’s all over.’ She even started to feel a phantom ache in her backside.
Ji Qingwu opened her mouth, but before she could speak...
...His Majesty the Emperor turned and walked away.
Li Yuzong, who had been waiting at a distance, saw the Emperor leave with a cold expression and hurriedly followed.
Emperor Wu Su’s gait was steady, and he covered a great distance in just a few strides.
Ji Qingwu stood frozen in place, watching his tall, imposing back, straight as a pine, as it receded into the distance.
She was beginning to understand that the Emperor meant to protect her.
’Otherwise, I would have been dragged to Cining Palace for punishment tonight, and my backside would have been beaten to a pulp by now.’
Ji Qingwu recalled what Mrs. Qiao had said: everyone in the palace has their own agenda, but only the will of His Majesty the Emperor is what truly matters. freёwebnoѵel.com
’If the Empress Dowager wants to punish me, who can stop her? Only the Emperor.’
She scurried a few steps to catch up.
Hearing the sound of hurried footsteps behind him, the corners of Emperor Wu Su’s lips lifted. Li Yuzong, ever perceptive, discreetly fell back a few steps.
Ji Qingwu, slightly out of breath from behind him, said, "Your Majesty, I was in the wrong just now. Your Majesty is magnanimous; please don’t hold it against me."
Emperor Wu Su didn’t stop walking, but his pace had slowed considerably. He reminded her, his lips pressed into a tight line, "The palace gates are about to be locked. Miss Ji was so anxious to get home. If you don’t leave now, you won’t be able to."
Ji Qingwu’s face flushed with embarrassment as he threw her own words back at her.
"Miss Ji isn’t familiar with the palace grounds. Li Yuzong, see her out," Emperor Wu Su said helpfully.
Eunuch Li came to Ji Qingwu’s side and gestured. "Yes. This way, please."
She skirted around him and stood before the Emperor once more, saying boldly, "I will not be leaving tonight. I beg Your Majesty to grant me shelter."
"Shelter?"
Emperor Wu Su stopped and said leisurely, "Do you know what kind of women are permitted to enter my Zhaoyang Hall?"
Ji Qingwu shook her head. "I do not."
Li Yuzong bowed. "Zhaoyang Hall is the Holy Emperor’s bedchamber. The only ones who may enter are the consorts of the rear palace."
Ji Qingwu bit her lip and offered, "I won’t go inside. I can just keep watch at the entrance to the hall."
"Oh, my," Eunuch Li exclaimed. "Miss Ji, that would be highly improper. You are the daughter of a high court official and the Empress Dowager’s niece. How could we have you perform the duties of a night duty maid?"
He shouldn’t have mentioned the Empress Dowager. Hearing her name only strengthened Ji Qingwu’s resolve. ’So what if I act as a night duty maid?’
"Eunuch Li, I can do it."
Emperor Wu Su gazed at her, a profound, knowing smile suddenly touching his lips.
"And do you know what a night duty maid’s tasks are?"
Ji Qingwu shook her head again. She truly had no idea.
Li Yuzong stepped forward to explain, his head bowed. "Night duty maids are divided into first and second watches. You must wait outside the entrance to the bedchamber and constantly listen for any sound or movement from within."
Ji Qingwu nodded. It sounded similar to the duties of a servant in an ordinary household.
Eunuch Li elaborated, "You must record whether the Holy Emperor is sleeping soundly, how many times he coughs, how many times he wakes during the night, and how many sips of water he takes. The next day, you report this to the supervising eunuch for the official record."
Ji Qingwu hadn’t realized that "night duty" was so regimented.
But that wasn’t all. Li Yuzong continued, "If one of the consorts comes to attend to His Majesty at night, you must be especially attentive. When they call for water, you must ensure the stove used to heat it does not go out."
While they are... occupied inside, the night duty maid must listen at the door. When they are finished, she must hurry to the bathing chamber to add hot water for the Emperor and the consort to wash.
At the thought of having to eavesdrop on Emperor Wu Su being with another woman, a tumultuous mix of emotions churned within Ji Qingwu.
She wrung her hands and stole a glance at Emperor Wu Su. ’He isn’t planning on choosing a consort for tonight, is he?’
’Then again, he might sleep alone.’
Ji Qingwu decided to take the risk. She nodded at Eunuch Li, indicating that she could accept these terms as well.
Li Yuzong silently glanced at the Emperor’s expression and let out a soft "tsk."
"This servant forgot to mention one more rule," he said. "If the Holy Emperor is so inclined, the night duty maid may also be called into the hall to attend to him."
However, this was an outrageous practice of Emperor Liang from the previous dynasty; Emperor Wu Su had never done such a thing.
No matter how adaptable Ji Qingwu tried to be, this was a step too far.
’Why is being a night duty maid so difficult?’ She abandoned the idea.
Ji Qingwu lowered her head, her gaze falling on the court boots beneath the hem of his bamboo-green, dragon-patterned brocade robe. He was still standing before her, showing no intention of leaving.
’When dealing with someone so powerful and inscrutable, the best strategy is to be utterly sincere.’
’No lies, no excuses. Just tell him what I truly want.’
Ji Qingwu stopped beating around the bush. She looked straight at Emperor Wu Su and asked, "Your Majesty, can you save me?"
Emperor Wu Su gazed down at the top of her head. "When you pulled Qingyun into the water, did you not consider the consequences? You made an impulsive mistake, and only now you think to ask for my help?"
His voice betrayed no emotion.
"But I did save the Princess in the end. Though my mistake was great, I also performed a small service."
Ji Qingwu looked up, tilting her delicate chin to study the Emperor’s expression.
Then, in a soft, wheedling tone, she added, "Wouldn’t you agree, Your Majesty?"
