Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48: "My Heart Aches Terribly, Too
The Palace Attendants took one glance before respectfully lowering their heads.
Ji Qingwu stepped down the stairs and into the pool. The water was the perfect temperature, soft and smooth. The Palace Attendants then scattered prepared flower petals to cover the surface.
A palace maid holding a white silk cloth was about to step forward to wash her, but Ji Qingwu quickly said, "I’ll take that."
This was the palace, after all, not her private washroom. She was in no mood to indulge, so after a brief soak, she took a clean, long silk cloth, dried herself off, and changed into the new set of clothes.
It was a sky-blue silk gauze dress, as fine as spring threads, worn over a lilac underskirt. The hem was wide, and with every movement, it seemed to bloom like a flower trailing on the ground.
She used a plain handkerchief to towel her hair until it was half-dry. Since she had to go out, she couldn’t leave it down messily, so she casually pinned it up with a jade hairpin.
When Ji Qingwu went out, she found that someone had arrived in the hall at some point and was kneeling before the throne.
When the person saw Ji Qingwu emerge from the side chamber—her hair still damp, her face free of makeup yet flushed—their eyes filled with shock.
Emperor Wu Su’s voice was deep and powerful.
"We have already made it clear. This matter will be discussed tomorrow." freeweɓnovel.cѳm
The Empress Dowager’s Chief Palace Maid, Shixi, knelt on the floor, her demeanor respectful and humble.
"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is worried about the Princess’s condition and has been by her side, so she could not come personally. She has therefore sent this servant to come again and convey her decree. She only requests that Fifth Missy come to Cining Palace. There is no need to trouble Your Majesty to make the trip."
The Empress Dowager had been furious to learn that Ji Qingwu had pushed Qingyun into the water. When she found out that Ji Qingwu was still in the palace, she sent Shixi again to bring her to Cining Palace for punishment.
Emperor Wu Su asked, "How is Qingyun?"
Shixi replied, "The Princess caught a chill after falling into the water and has been afflicted by the cold. The Imperial Physician has prescribed medicine to expel the cold."
She remained prostrated on the floor. "However, the Princess was badly frightened and cannot sleep peacefully. The Empress Dowager is terribly distressed. I implore Your Majesty to consider the Empress Dowager’s loving heart as a mother and allow this servant to take Fifth Missy back to Cining Palace."
This was a family matter for the Empress Dowager, so Shixi had thought her task would be easy to complete. She never expected the Emperor to refuse with such a grim expression. She could only appeal to his emotions.
Emperor Wu Su beckoned to Ji Qingwu, who was standing foolishly to the side.
She hurried forward.
But she was suddenly pulled aside, falling into a warm but uncomfortably hard embrace.
Ji Qingwu leaned against his arm, her heart pounding as she stared at the Emperor’s jaw.
Emperor Wu Su, however, used his other hand to slowly stroke her hair. His tone was exceptionally gentle, as if he were a completely different person from moments before.
"She has also suffered quite a fright and hasn’t been able to sleep yet either."
’I have indeed suffered a fright,’ Ji Qingwu thought, ’but it’s from the man right in front of me.’
’A storm is raging in my heart, and my eyes are wide with shock. How could I possibly be asleep?’
Emperor Wu Su lowered his gaze. "We are also terribly distressed."
Every word chiseled into her heart.
But it was clear that every sentence was a response to what Shixi had just said about the Empress Dowager being distressed over Princess Qingyun.
Emperor Wu Su was mimicking her words, throwing them right back...
Though his words were doting, Ji Qingwu saw no lingering affection in his eyes. Instead, they were like the sharp points of needles, pricking her skin.
Seeing this, Shixi dared not let her gaze linger. She immediately lowered her head to the cold floor, her heart trembling.
"Go. Report back to the Empress Dowager exactly what you have seen."
Shixi scrambled out of the hall.
As she left, she nearly collided with a pillar, but Li Yuzong caught her just in time, saving her from embarrassment.
Once the woman had left, Emperor Wu Su shoved Ji Qingwu away, extricated himself cleanly, parted the layers of gauze curtains, and returned to his bedchamber.
Ji Qingwu stared blankly at his retreating back.
A mix of complicated feelings churned within her. ’The Emperor’s actions were clearly meant to help me, since Shixi had come bearing the Empress Dowager’s imperial decree. Even the Emperor can’t directly stop the Empress Dowager from handling matters of the inner palace. His actions, though a bit extreme, were remarkably effective. The effect is that the Empress Dowager has always wanted to place a woman from the Ji Family into the Emperor’s bed but has never succeeded. Now, there’s finally someone the Emperor seems to favor. But that person just had to be me, the one who pushed Princess Qingyun into Taiye Pool. Shixi will have to hurry back to Cining Palace and report this special situation to the Empress Dowager.’
Ji Qingwu pondered.
’This only solves the immediate problem. I can’t just stay in Zhaoyang Hall forever.’
Li Yuzong led a line of Palace Attendants inside to help the Emperor prepare for bed. Ji Qingwu stood before the desk, not knowing whether to go or stay, though she knew she couldn’t remain for long.
When the sounds from within quieted down, Li Yuzong bowed and backed out of the room. He came to her side and whispered, "Miss Ji, you mentioned earlier that you could temporarily take the place of a night duty maid. However, the night is late and the dew is heavy; it wouldn’t be right to have you stand outside."
"There is a soft couch in the antechamber of the bedchamber. You can rest there. If the Holy Emperor wants water or anything else during the night, you can just hand it to him."
After speaking, he saw her frown as if to protest. Without waiting for her agreement, Chief Li hurried away as if his feet were on the wind.
Ji Qingwu...
’What’s he running for? I just wanted to ask if there was a thick quilt and bedding for me...’
The light in the bedchamber was already dim.
Ji Qingwu quietly parted the two layers of gauze curtains and walked over to the soft couch in the antechamber.
It was an old mahogany daybed inlaid with marble, with a carved design of a hornless dragon in the center. It had soft cushions and a bolster on one side. Ji Qingwu reclined on it.
Her gaze fell upon the Dragon Bed, visible through a layer of gauze.
The person on the bed had changed into thin sleepwear and seemed to be fast asleep, lying perfectly still on his back.
His physique was well-built and his shoulders broad, but he wasn’t burly like a typical military general; rather, he possessed a refined, elegant form.
’Remembering that night duty maids also had to be prepared to serve in bed,’ Ji Qingwu’s gaze slid to his waist. The sleepwear was a little loose there, and she couldn’t help but look further down...
He possessed the formidable power of a valiant man; his thighs were long, yet firm and strong.
The scent of ambergris was deep and mellow.
Ji Qingwu had thought she would toss and turn all night, but as soon as her head hit the couch cushion and she gazed at the man, her breathing soon grew long and even, and she fell asleep.
Meanwhile, listening to her soft, shallow breathing and the faint, sweet fragrance that was neither floral nor fruity wafting over from time to time, the man on the Dragon Bed suddenly opened his eyes, his mind in turmoil.
...
When Ji Qingwu awoke, she was still on the soft couch.
Although the couch was so narrow that she would fall off if she turned over, she didn’t feel tired at all. On the contrary, she had slept very comfortably.
Forget about hearing the Emperor cough in the night so she could get up and serve him; she had slept like the dead all night.
So she didn’t even know that the Emperor had called for water once during the night.
She looked toward the Dragon Bed. The figure that had been lying there was gone.
’The sky outside is just beginning to brighten. He must have gone to the morning court assembly,’ she mused. ’Being an emperor is no easy task. He has to work day and night for the sake of the empire.’
The Palace Attendants came in to make the bed and discovered that the bedding on the Dragon Bed was imbued with that same faint, sweet scent.
But the young woman had clearly slept on the soft couch.
The Palace Attendants glanced in surprise at the woman who had spent the night in Zhaoyang Hall.
A little of the early morning light shone in from the window, falling on Ji Qingwu’s profile and her clear, translucent eyes.
The palace had never seen such a pure color.
Suddenly, Ji Qingwu’s brow furrowed.
’It’s over. The sun is up, which means my caning is coming.’
’The Emperor isn’t here now. My butt is in grave danger.’
A nearby palace maid said softly, "Miss Ji, His Majesty left a note for you on the desk before he left for the morning assembly."
Her eyes lit up. She hurried over to the desk, picked up the paper held down by the inkstone, and had just glanced at it—
—when a eunuch’s shrill voice cut through from outside the doors.
"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
