Free Web NovelChapter 56: Chapter 56: She Pulled More Than Just a Belt
A sudden, swelling heat bloomed over Ji Qingwu’s heart. She couldn’t tell if it was from the scorching warmth of his palm, or from his unrestrained yet tender call of "Ah Wu."
"Am I right? Did I guess correctly? Why aren’t you answering?"
Ji Qingwu flushed red from head to toe. Her face was a picture of soft, bashful beauty, and she stared without blinking.
When she didn’t answer, Emperor Wu Su didn’t get angry. Instead, a smile played in his eyes.
He said magnanimously, "I’ll give you one more chance."
Ji Qingwu’s voice was impossibly soft as she asked, her thoughts moving sluggishly.
"What chance?"
Emperor Wu Su finally broke into a smile. The corners of his lips quirked up in a casual, devil-may-care grin.
"Ah Wu can follow their example."
’Follow what example?’
’He was just talking about the admirers who filled his carriage with fruit, and about the girl who threw her bodice at him.’
She closed her eyes, then opened them again. ’I could never do something like that.’
Ji Qingwu turned around, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. She looked at him with a proud air and said, "If I had been there, I certainly wouldn’t have done that. I wouldn’t have thrown... that."
The warm, soft woman slipped from his grasp, but the supple feeling lingered on his palm. Emperor Wu Su teased her, asking with a smile, "Then what would Ah Wu do?"
’Ah Wu.’
’There it is again. Ah Wu.’
’He says it in a way that sends my heart into a panic.’
Ji Qingwu glanced up at Emperor Wu Su. A faint smile played on his thin lips, and his gaze was searing.
She was the kind of person who, when pushed past a certain point of shyness, would adopt an air of reckless abandon.
Overcome with emotion and in a moment of heat, she said crisply, "If it’s to express admiration, I wouldn’t take off my own clothes. I’d just pull down Your Majesty’s pants."
At this completely unexpected answer, a low chuckle rumbled from deep in Emperor Wu Su’s throat.
’Still, that does sound like something she would do.’
Ji Qingwu’s heart beat faster and faster.
It was as if she were back in that scene. The streets were filled with a clamoring crowd, all craning to see the Great General admired by countless women. He sat high on his horse, his expression cold and stern. She would gaze up at him, and then, when the moment was right, she would burst through the throng of people.
And then... yank off his belt.
Her vision blurred as she looked at the man before her. His handsome face gradually superimposed itself over her memory of him from that night in the military tent.
’And it wasn’t just his belt she’d pulled off...’
Ji Qingwu blinked slowly. The full force of the alcohol was starting to hit her.
Emperor Wu Su wrapped an arm around her pliant body and smiled knowingly. That wasn’t ordinary wine; it was mixed with deer blood.
Never mind a full cup—even a single sip was potent. If he hadn’t sent someone to stop her from drinking more, she would probably be having a massive nosebleed by now.
Ji Qingwu’s body felt hot, and she desperately wanted something to lean against, to press herself close to.
There was a perfect one right in front of her. Like a little animal, she burrowed against his chest.
"What are you doing?" Emperor Wu Su looked at her flushing cheeks and teased, "Has the little rascal caught up, ready to pull my pants down now?"
He was clearly teasing her.
Ji Qingwu rested her head against his firm chest. In her peripheral vision, her light turquoise silk ribbon was still floating in the pond, looking lonely.
’She really wanted to snatch his ribbon and toss it into the water to join hers.’ frёewebnoѵēl.com
Liquid courage emboldened her. Ji Qingwu actually reached out and grabbed his narrow, crimson silk sash.
Emperor Wu Su’s gaze dropped, watching her movements from above.
The crimson sash looked dangerously alluring in her delicate hands.
She tugged at it, but it wouldn’t budge. ’Why is his tied so securely when he undid mine so easily?’
Drunkenness robs one of reason. Ji Qingwu lifted her chin and ordered petulantly, "Your Majesty, untie it yourself."
Emperor Wu Su couldn’t suppress a smile. He cradled the back of her head with one hand.
The mood was perfect.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
A faint cry came from the distance.
The person called out several more times, their voice laced with urgency.
Emperor Wu Su’s brows furrowed, his annoyance at being interrupted clear on his face as he glanced in the direction of the voice.
The voice sobered Ji Qingwu up slightly. Realizing what she had been doing, she took a step back. Using his tall frame to shield her from view, she quickly turned and tucked her disheveled blouse back in.
Li Yuzong had no wish to disturb the Emperor, but an emergency had occurred that required His Majesty’s immediate attention.
He approached with his head bowed, walking quickly.
Emperor Wu Su said, "Speak. What is it?"
"Your Majesty, something major has happened at the banquet. General Wei Chi and Mr. Ji have started a fight."
Having just straightened her clothes, Ji Qingwu was startled by the news.
She peeked her head out from behind the Emperor and asked, "Mr. Ji? Eunuch Li, are you talking about my older brother?"
Li Yuzong glanced at the Emperor, then nodded.
’Ji Qingwu thought of Wei Chi Lianping’s formidable build. He was a man who could not only fight but could slay enemies on the battlefield and take on ten men at once without breaking a sweat.’
’But her brother was a civil servant! If those two fought, one punch from Wei Chi Lianping could beat half the life out of Ji Changlin.’
Emperor Wu Su stood frozen, neither moving nor speaking.
Ji Qingwu was so anxious to check on her brother that she was practically spinning in place. She grabbed the Emperor’s wrist and pleaded, "Your Majesty, shouldn’t we go see?"
The Emperor stared at her hand, then, for some reason, shook it off again.
Near the Lotus Pond, there was a pavilion.
It was named Handan Hall.
It was right in front of this hall’s doors that Ji Changlin and Wei Chi Lianping had come to blows.
When Emperor Wu Su and his party arrived, the two men were still grappling like caged beasts that had just broken free.
Ji Qingwu gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in terror.
Ji Changlin narrowly dodged a punch from the Prince Consort, his face already bruised. But he was quicker, lashing out with a kick that grazed past Wei Chi Lianping’s crotch.
Neither man was giving an inch.
What surprised Ji Qingwu was that her brother was actually holding his own against Wei Chi Lianping.
Ji Changlin had sharp eyes. While dodging another of Wei Chi Lianping’s punches, he caught sight of the Emperor out of the corner of his eye and immediately pulled back.
Wei Chi Lianping’s fist, however, landed squarely on his ribs, the pain making him see stars.
"Finally run out of steam, you damn fox? Don’t blame me for paying you back with interest!"
Ji Changlin couldn’t match his strength, but he had plenty of dirty tricks. Wei Chi Lianping had never been in such a frustrating fight. His anger unquenched, he drew back his arm for another punch.
The punch whistled through the air with the force of a pouncing tiger.
Suddenly, a hand gripped his right arm, stopping it dead.
Wei Chi Lianping struggled, but couldn’t break free. He turned, ready to curse, but the sight of who was holding him instantly extinguished his rage.
The man who had been raging moments before dropped to his knees. "This general greets Your Majesty," he said respectfully.
Emperor Wu Su glanced at the two of them, his tone devoid of emotion. "A Standard Second-Grade Central Judge and a garrison general. The two of you... are doing very well."
Ji Changlin, still coughing from the blow, wheezed, "I was at fault. I ask Your Majesty to quell his anger."
"I should be asking the two of you to quell *your* anger." fгeewebnovёl.com
Emperor Wu Su showed no anger, his expression serene, but his words sent a chill down their spines.
No one dared to utter a sound, and all heads remained bowed.
’Ji Qingwu looked at Emperor Wu Su. He was a natural-born ruler, radiating an oppressive authority that commanded respect without any show of anger. He was long accustomed to having the world kneel at his feet.’
’And yet,’ she suddenly thought, ’compared to this, he’s actually been quite gentle with me.’
’But why would her brother be fighting with General Wei Chi?’
’Ji Changlin was so refined and easygoing. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have assumed any story of him fighting was a wild fabrication.’
