Wei Ting covertly tried to circulate his Inner Strength and found it was blocked.
Ji Qingwu had vanished from the top of the high wall.
He let out a derisive laugh. ’Every ti I visit, I leave with so new poison in .’
’Truly, this is getting more and more interesting.’
Sanchuan and Si Hai watched as the renowned General Zhenbei strode away, a smile playing on his lips.
The two exchanged a look and breathed a sigh of relief.
They had no idea what kind of drug they had been dosed with.
Si Hai felt his strength being drained away and his Inner Strength dissipating. Panicked, he said, "Sanchuan, I’m burning up all over! Don’t tell we’ve been hit with so poison that drains our Inner Strength! We need to find Miss Ji and get the antidote right away."
Sanchuan tried to circulate his energy and said calmly, "Our Inner Strength is still there. It’s just temporarily sealed."
Si Hai relaxed. He picked up the short blade from the ground, wiped it with the corner of his tunic, and tucked it preciously into his robes.
"Why did Miss Ji suddenly blow up like that? She was terrifying. No wonder our predecessors always said that won and petty people are the most difficult to handle."
Sanchuan said, "Don’t bla Miss Ji. It slipped my mind for a mont that there are so precious herbs in this courtyard. We’ve destroyed them all."
Normally, they remained hidden in the shadows and often saw Fifth Miss Ji and her young maids tending to the flowers and plants, caring for them with extre diligence.
He should have rembered that. But he and his brother were considered prodigies of rare talent among the Hidden Guard. The chance to fight a powerful expert like Wei Ting had filled them with such excitent that they had completely forgotten where they were.
Si Hai started to climb back over the wall, but Sanchuan grabbed his arm.
"Don’t," he said, stopping him.
Si Hai didn’t understand. "Why not? Has Miss Ji set so kind of trap in there?"
Rembering the look on Ji Qingwu’s face when she was angry, he took a fearful step back.
Sanchuan gazed at the wall, his expression grave as he whispered, "His Majesty is here."
Si Hai imdiately fell silent.
「Within the red walls.」
Ji Qingwu was just about to climb down from the top of the wall.
She glanced down at the ladder to make sure she didn’t miss a step. As she did, she spotted a figure standing on the gravel path just a few paces away.
A single glance was all it took for her to recognize the imposing figure of Emperor Wu Su.
Ji Qingwu swayed. Fortunately, her waist was supple and her balance was excellent, and she managed to steady herself.
’She had no idea how long the Emperor had been standing there in silence.’
Ji Qingwu quickly scrambled down the ladder. She stood at the foot of the wall, her eyes flickering as she watched him.
Seeing Emperor Wu Su so unexpectedly, she didn’t know what to say.
She fidgeted with her fingers. ’What should I say first?’
This was a complete departure from the ferocious deanor she had displayed before the three n just monts ago.
Now, she was like a roaring little tiger that had retracted its claws to pretend to be a shy kitten.
Ji Qingwu didn’t have to guess; he had surely heard all her vicious words from before.
’Is it too late to start worrying about my image now?’
Her face instantly flushed scarlet, becoming as vivid as the crimson, peony-patterned gauze dress she wore.
Ji Qingwu pursed her lips before speaking first in a gentle tone.
"Your Majesty, did you co looking for ?"
Emperor Wu Su, dressed in ordinary clothes, snorted. "I didn’t co for you. I ca to admire the flowers and plants."
The ground was a complete ss; there was nothing left to admire.
Ji Qingwu could tell he was just lashing out in anger, so she took a few steps toward him.
As she walked, the red gauze of her skirt swayed.
Ji Qingwu looked down, and her eyes widened in shock.
Without a mirror, she couldn’t see her own reflection and had assud she looked the sa as always, not thinking anything was amiss.
After coming back, she hadn’t changed her clothes or washed off her flamboyant makeup.
Ji Qingwu wept internally. ’After just one night, I’ve blundered in front of the Emperor like this again.’
Having just managed to take two steps forward, she now retreated three, pressing her entire body against the wall in a prim and proper, at-attention stance.
Emperor Wu Su watched her, his eyes dark and profound, as he closed in on her step by step.
His tone wasn’t angry, but it wasn’t gentle either. "Ah Wu, you are so disobedient. You don’t listen to a word I say."
Yesterday, Emperor Wu Su hadn’t seen Ji Qingwu in such heavy, gaudy makeup. He never thought he’d get the chance to witness it today.
She was even more exquisitely powdered and bewitchingly elegant—more otherworldly and unconventional—than the image he had conjured in his mind after reading Si Hai’s letter.
As the Emperor was about to reach her, Ji Qingwu braced a hand against the wall behind her.
"Your Majesty, I had sothing I needed to do these past couple of days, that’s why I’m dressed like this."
Emperor Wu Su asked, "And what business required Ah Wu to dress in such a way?"
Ji Qingwu explained, "I went to see Madam Wei."
The Emperor had not yet read today’s secret report, as Sanchuan and Si Hai were still busy fighting Wei Ting.
Upon hearing this, his expression darkened. "You were in such a hurry to et his grandmother."
Ji Qingwu’s eyes widened. "I only went because I heard Madam Wei despises flamboyantly dressed won. I thought I’d go parade myself in front of her."
A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow. "You want to use the old madam to get out of this engagent?"
Seeing that Emperor Wu Su was finally showing a hint of a smile...
Ji Qingwu nodded eagerly. "Yes, Your Majesty, that’s exactly it! I’ve been preparing for this for a very long ti."
She then saw the curve of his lips begin to widen.
Ji Qingwu felt she had finally found the right way to handle the Emperor.
She touched the ornants in her hair and said coquettishly, "These hairpins and ornants are so heavy, they’re giving a headache."
After she spoke, she carefully observed the corners of his mouth.
She continued in a sweet, whining tone, "I got up so early this morning. I started on my makeup before the sun was even up and was busy right up until I got back. Now my back is sore, and my legs hurt too."
The Emperor, who rose earlier than the roosters every single day, listened to her complain sweetly about the hardship of waking up early.
And yet, he actually felt a surge of tenderness for her.
The coldness in his eyes had long vanished, replaced by a brilliant radiance.
Ji Qingwu pressed her advantage. "Your Majesty, I’m only like this because I don’t want to marry Wei Ting. I’m really not trying to be disobedient."
So, it turned out she knew exactly what he wanted to hear.
Ji Qingwu had only told him the truth after she had already handled the matter herself. She was a woman with a mind of her own.
Yet, Emperor Wu Su felt a deep sense of gratification.
To get out of the engagent, she hadn’t relied on anyone else. Instead, she had quietly devised a solution on her own and put so much effort into carrying it out.
Besides, it was a good plan. Madam Wei was one of the very few people who could keep Wei Ting in check.
Her actions today could be considered a two-pronged attack alongside his own efforts.
After this, Emperor Wu Su felt he had always thought of her as being too fragile.
He should have known.
He should have realized it sooner. She wasn’t so delicate flower to be kept in a greenhouse.
Nor would she be a canary he kept in the gilded cage of the Imperial Palace.
She was just as she had always been—gentle, but with a core of resilience. When she set her mind to sothing, she would stop at nothing to achieve it.
Outside of their childhood, their first true eting had not been at Mingjing Lake, nor in the army camp.
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