Free Web NovelChapter 82: Chapter 82: Night Intrusion into the Boudoir (2)
Ji Qingrong had wanted Ji Qingwu to stay for dinner, but she declined.
The thought of eating at the same table with the inseparable couple, forcing her way into their private world, made Ji Qingwu feel inexplicably awkward.
「After leaving Duke Zhongyong’s Mansion.」
As she sat in the carriage, Ji Qingwu began to ponder the events of the morrow.
Upon returning to Wutong Garden, she changed into a casual, light blue, wide-sleeved dress. She then sat by the low kang table near the window, resting her chin on her hand in contemplation.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice when someone else entered the room.
Her expression was solemn. The lamplight didn’t cast a soft, hazy glow upon her; instead, it made her look like a soldier about to march into battle.
"What are you thinking about so intently?" freēwebnovel.com
Someone suddenly caressed her face, and Ji Qingwu shrank back toward the window in alarm.
But when she looked into Emperor Wu Su’s ink-black eyes, she blinked. The man before her didn’t vanish. He wasn’t a figment of her imagination.
’The Emperor has snuck into Wutong Garden again. The guards at the Ji Mansion are utterly useless.’
This proximity was clearly not safe. Ji Qingwu edged back a little more before asking, "When did Your Majesty arrive?"
’He’s getting far too comfortable barging into a maiden’s chambers at night.’
"Just as you were taking off this Smoke Luo Shirt."
Emperor Wu Su’s finger hooked the silver-red scarf of the dress she had just changed out of.
He was dressed today in a Moon White Embroidered Red Dragon Pearl Round Collar Robe, his hair bound by a Purple Gold Crown. As he looked down at her, he gave off the air of someone looking down from the heavens.
Yet his gaze was frivolous and lazy.
His gaze made the tips of Ji Qingwu’s ears burn.
She hastily snatched it away, balled up the dress, and tossed it to the far end of the daybed.
When Ji Qingwu first returned, the room had been empty and the doors and windows shut tight. Too lazy to walk to the changing room, she had simply drawn the screen and changed right there.
’But His Majesty the Emperor had been here the whole time and hadn’t made a sound to alert her, just watching her undress.’
At this thought, Ji Qingwu grew a little irritated.
She shifted to the inner side of the soft daybed, refusing to look at Emperor Wu Su or speak, and stared fixedly at a brocade box of fruit on the table.
Emperor Wu Su sat down across from her at the kang table. He picked up a celadon teapot painted with lotuses and their leaves, poured himself a cup of tea, and leisurely skimmed the floating leaves with the lid.
He offered it to her, saying good-naturedly, "I offer this tea as an apology."
Ji Qingwu glanced at the teacup, then turned her head away.
’In their previous encounters, she had only felt fear. She had returned home each time feeling as though she’d just survived a disaster.’
’But after last night, something seemed to have shifted.’
’She had sobbed her heart out in front of him without a care for her appearance, they had been pressed so intimately together, and she had received his fervent, scorching kisses.’
Ji Qingwu didn’t know what to make of her own feelings, but she just didn’t want to acknowledge him.
The root of it was still his barging into her room at night and watching her change without the slightest compunction.
Had she read enough romance novels, she would have known this was a sign of a burgeoning crush—the desire to appear modest and dignified before the man who had captured her heart.
Emperor Wu Su did not find her behavior defiant. He simply picked up the teacup, took a sip, and set it down again.
With a serious expression, he said, "I didn’t expect you to start untying your sash the moment you walked in. By the time I could react, you were already down to your under-robe. It would not have been appropriate to call out to you at that point."
’Ji Qingwu found his explanation hard to believe.’
’The material of the gold-dusted dress she had been wearing was stiff. It was beautiful, to be sure, but it was also uncomfortably tight.’
’That’s why the first thing she did upon entering was get changed. Distracted by her thoughts, she had been undressing as she walked, much faster than usual.’ frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
’Fortunately, she hadn’t changed directly into her nightclothes, but into another light dress instead.’
’But he still had ample opportunity to stop her. He had clearly done it on purpose.’
Seeing her little face set stubbornly as she ignored him, the amusement in Emperor Wu Su’s eyes deepened. In a low voice, he said, "If an apology won’t do, how about I undress for you as well?"
’Undress? Who would want to see that...’
Ji Qingwu finally looked at him, her heart pounding with embarrassment.
But as if her mouth had a will of its own, she said defiantly, "An excellent proposal, Your Majesty."
This was an unexpected boon. Emperor Wu Su’s eyes brightened. He took her hand and placed it on his jeweled belt, which was embroidered with auspicious clouds. "Ah Wu," he smiled, "why don’t you do the honors?"
Ji Qingwu had not seen him in three days.
The sudden touch of his hand on hers sent the heat from her ears flushing across her entire face, turning it crimson.
She tried to pull her hand back, but he pressed it more firmly against his waist.
Emperor Wu Su said magnanimously, "Why have you stopped? Didn’t you once say you wanted to rip my trousers off? I’m giving you the chance now."
Ji Qingwu was so mortified she wished the ground would swallow her whole. He had even brought up the nonsense she had spouted while drunk.
Seeing she was about to spontaneously combust from embarrassment, Emperor Wu Su stopped teasing her. With a slight pull of his long arm, he scooped her onto his lap and held her in his embrace.
He asked unhurriedly, "What have you been doing at home these past few days?"
"Didn’t Your Majesty dispatch guards to keep watch? Have they not reported to you?"
His fingers stroked her long hair as he said gently, "But I want to hear it from you."
Ji Qingwu replied softly, "Unlike Your Majesty, who is occupied with countless state affairs, I have nothing to do all day. My time is spent simply eating and sleeping."
"Are you complaining that I didn’t come to see you sooner?"
Ji Qingwu froze. ’So that’s how he interpreted my words.’
She said, "I have not even had the chance to thank Your Majesty. How would I dare to complain?"
"Then tell me, what do you have to thank me for?" Emperor Wu Su pressed.
She silently lowered her gaze and murmured, "There are many things to thank Your Majesty for."
’Ji Qingwu suddenly realized that the Emperor had helped her in many ways, both seen and unseen.’
’He taught her how to draw a bow at the palace banquet, helped her escape blame after Princess Qingyun fell into the water, saved her from peril on the dragon boat...’
She turned to face him directly, her expression earnest. "Your Majesty, whatever you wish for as thanks, so long as it is within my power, I will do it."
The lamplight in the room was bright, yet his gaze was incredibly dark.
He said in a low voice, "I am not one to demand repayment for my kindness."
Then, Emperor Wu Su’s arms around her tightened, and tightened again, as if he meant to cage her in his embrace and never let go.
His chest was warm and hot, pressing against her as if weighing down her very heart.
Ji Qingwu nestled in his arms obediently, not daring to move.
After a moment, he lowered his head and chuckled. "However, if Ah Wu wishes to repay me with her body, I suppose I could be persuaded to accept."
’That was not the kind of "repayment" Ji Qingwu had in mind.’
She tilted her head up, her clear eyes wide, and clarified, "I am not the sort of person who would promise herself to a man simply out of gratitude."
Her breath ghosted across his chin and the side of his neck. Emperor Wu Su stared down at her for a long moment before suddenly raising a hand to cup her face.
’Ji Qingwu knew what was about to happen. But her body was no longer under her control, acting only on instinct.’
She reached up, her arms hooking around his neck as she pressed her soft body closer into his warm embrace.
Emperor Wu Su shuddered, leaning down to find her lips.
But Ji Qingwu turned her head, resting her chin in the crook of his neck and drawing close to his ear.
