Free Web NovelChapter 63: Chapter 63: Ah Wu, Do You Like It?
Ji Qingwu curiously touched it, and the red lotus unexpectedly grew even more translucent.
It went from dormant to vibrant, glowing with an increasingly fiery brilliance.
She watched these changes in astonishment.
The color of the Red Jade reflected in her limpid eyes as she said brightly, "Your Majesty, look! Quickly, look!"
Emperor Wu Su was not surprised.
The long arm wrapped around her tightened, as if holding a lost and recovered treasure.
He rested his chin lightly on her shoulder and said in a low, gentle voice, "Ah Wu, I see it."
Ji Qingwu felt a tickle on the side of her neck. When she turned her head, she met a pair of dark, inscrutable eyes that held a profound depth capable of devouring everything.
She saw that look in his eyes and thought, ’This is bad.’
She subconsciously pushed at his arm, trying to get away, but she was encircled in his broad, strong embrace. She wanted to flee, but where could she possibly run?
His hand moved slowly from her waist to her neck.
Emperor Wu Su gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing lightly against its sensitive shell.
The tips of Ji Qingwu’s ears turned red. "Your Majesty’s gift is far too precious. I cannot accept it."
But whether she could accept it or not was not for her to decide.
Hearing her words of refusal, Emperor Wu Su lowered his gaze, his long lashes casting a dark shadow.
He simply asked, "Does Ah Wu like it?"
Ji Qingwu suddenly had the distinct impression that if she said she didn’t like it, her fragile neck would be snapped in two.
This jade bracelet was not only a rare treasure but also seemed to be exceptionally compatible with her own constitution.
She gave a slight nod.
But this answer clearly did not satisfy the Emperor.
He stared at her lips, his tone cold and hard. "Say you like it."
Ji Qingwu felt as if the words themselves were scalding her tongue, making them impossible to speak.
Emperor Wu Su suddenly lifted her up and set her down on the wide desk in front of him.
Now she was directly at eye level with him. freēwebnovel.com
He lowered his voice. "Why aren’t you speaking?"
Ji Qingwu’s heart trembled. Just as she was about to open her mouth, a gasp escaped her lips.
After a dizzying spin, she found herself pressed down onto a pile of memorials by Emperor Wu Su, several of which had been swept to the floor.
Ji Qingwu gripped his upper arm tightly and stammered, "I... I like it."
He scrutinized her from above, his voice deep. "You sound hesitant. I don’t think you’re being sincere."
’I said it, but he still isn’t satisfied. What on earth does he want?’
’Ji Qingwu knew it. How could His Majesty the Emperor change his nature so easily? His previous gentleness and modesty had all been an act. He even kindly gave her a gift, and she, for a moment, had been foolishly deceived.’
Seeing that handsome face pressing closer and closer, Ji Qingwu braced her hands against his hard chest.
"Th-then, should I say it a few more times? Practice makes perfect, after all."
"Too late."
In an instant, Ji Qingwu froze as if she’d been petrified, unable to move or even blink.
The man’s breath ghosted across the sensitive skin of her neck, accompanied by an intimately wet sound.
A mixture of a sharp sting and a tingling numbness spread from her ear.
He was...
...punitively biting her ear.
Her jade-white earlobe instantly flushed as red as the Red Jade on her wrist.
The side of her ear, along with her neck and half her face, grew numb and hot.
Even more terrifying, she could clearly hear his low, husky breaths, each one entering her ear.
Ji Qingwu’s gaze went distant as she stared at the hall’s ceiling.
On the wooden beams, a ferocious, roaring dragon was carved, a Treasure Bead suspended from its mouth.
And pinned beneath her was another wicked dragon, currently nibbling on her earlobe.
In the Diligent Governance Hall, where court officials had their audiences, upon a desk piled high with imperial edicts and memorials—in such a solemn and dignified place, their posture was so wanton.
In this intimate position, she could feel every change in his body without reservation.
A tremor ran through Ji Qingwu’s eyes. She finally recognized a certain truth.
No matter how cold-hearted an Emperor was, he was still a normal man with passions and desires.
’But is a physical reaction love?’
’No, it’s lust.’
The content of his verbal decree was to allow her to marry whomever she pleased outside the palace, permitting her to request an imperial marriage edict at any time.
The key part was the phrase "outside the palace"—a warning to her not to entertain any foolish ideas about entering the palace to become a concubine.
’But the Emperor told her to forget it. Did he no longer want her to marry as she pleased? Or had he changed his mind and now wanted her to enter the palace?’
She didn’t know why Emperor Wu Su had gone back on his word.
But she was certain that if she didn’t push him away now, she would truly be trapped in the palace forever.
Ji Qingwu began to struggle, twisting and pushing at him with all her might. He finally lifted his head, but not to release her. Instead, he forcefully seized both of her wrists, raising them above her head and pinning them in the air just off the edge of the desk.
"If you keep struggling, I can’t guarantee..."
’Guarantee what! He’s already planning to go back on his verbal decree!’
Ji Qingwu grew frantic and threw caution to the wind. She didn’t care if he was the Emperor or the Jade Emperor himself—she raised her leg and kicked.
She wasn’t sure where she’d kicked him, but she heard a muffled grunt.
Although she wasn’t weak, trying to match Emperor Wu Su in strength and stamina was like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree.
Emperor Wu Su easily subdued her thrashing legs with his knee.
With her arms and legs restrained, Ji Qingwu still had her mouth. She said indignantly, "Does Your Majesty enjoy forcing people against their will so much?"
Forcing her against her will. She was not willing.
This realization successfully caused the emotion in Emperor Wu Su’s eyes to slowly fade until the flame was completely extinguished.
The sharp corners of his eyes lifted slightly, his tone laced with an indescribable meaning.
"Forcing people against their will? I’d say Miss Ji is the one who is an expert at that."
Ji Qingwu bit her lip. And yet, she couldn’t refute his words.
She turned her head away, pressing her cheek against the cool surface of the desk, and closed her eyes with a frown.
But Emperor Wu Su silently pulled back and walked out of the hall, his entire body tense.
*
Ji Qingwu returned home like a wandering soul.
Only when she saw the little girl did her mind regain its peace.
Jiu Jiu had thrown a huge tantrum because a little eunuch from the palace had brought her home, and she hadn’t even caught a glimpse of her mother.
The little girl pouted and said, "Mama, you broke your promise! You didn’t come to get me. Our pinky swear is broken now."
Ji Qingwu felt wronged herself and pouted her own lips.
"I swear, I did come! Something just came up and delayed me."
Jiu Jiu didn’t believe her. Pouting so much her lip stuck out, she asked, "Who could be more important than your precious little darling?"
Ji Qingwu said resentfully, "That person isn’t important at all! Not even comparable to my baby." ’He just bullies me every chance he gets.’
"Then Mama should stay far away from him in the future."
Ji Qingwu nodded, deeply agreeing. "Okay."
Then she remembered something. "But... I heard today that your teacher punished you with writing lines?"
"Who said that? I just... I just love studying so much that I did some extra homework before leaving." The little girl scrambled onto the bed and scurried to the far side.
Ji Qingwu tilted her head, a gratified look on her face. "My Jiu Jiu is so diligent. How impressive! So, how many ducks did you draw in total?"
"Thirty-five. I could have drawn five more, but it’s all because of..." The little girl clamped her hand over her mouth, her grape-like black eyes darting around.
Ji Qingwu thought for a moment and said, "If Jiu Jiu likes to draw, you can take a painting class. If you don’t like calligraphy, you don’t have to do it." freeweɓnøvel.com
The little girl said gleefully, "Really?"
"Really. Of course you can, if Jiu Jiu doesn’t mind people making fun of her ugly handwriting when she writes letters in the future."
The little girl was already developing a sense of aesthetics and couldn’t bear to hear the word "ugly."
Even having ugly handwriting was unacceptable.
Jiu Jiu twisted her fingers and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mama, I’ll be good in my calligraphy class. And I want to learn painting too."
Sleepiness comes quickly for children. One moment she was talking, the next she was fast asleep.
Ji Qingwu tucked the thin blanket around her, then lay down on the bed herself.
She let out a sharp hiss.
’My back hurts so much.’
