Chapter 122: Chapter 122: The Emperor Treats You Differently From Others
"You didn’t sleep well either?"
The graceful Princess Hua Chang asked, resting her head on her hand as she reclined on a chaise lounge.
Ji Qingwu sat obediently on the other side, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She offered an explanation that only drew more attention to itself. "After I returned from the riding and archery event yesterday, my back and legs started to ache as soon as I lay down, so I didn’t sleep well."
From their recent interactions, Princess Hua Chang had discerned Qingwu’s gentle, unassertive nature. She was the type to be easily bullied, so the princess offered her a few words of advice.
"You needn’t pay too much mind to Princess Consort Wei’s words and actions. She has always conducted herself with propriety—no one who reaches her position is a fool. But she isn’t a bad person at heart. She was just a little provoked yesterday. Don’t take her jealous remarks to heart."
’Princess Consort Wei’s words were born of jealousy? But what is she jealous of?’ Ji Qingwu wondered, surprised.
Princess Hua Chang ordered a Maid to light the Jade Dew Fragrance Pear Tent Incense.
She continued, "There are, admittedly, reasons for Princess Consort Wei to target you like this."
Ji Qingwu inhaled the sweet fragrance spreading through the room. "Is it because my final arrow yesterday caused Princess Consort Wei to lose face?" she asked.
She hadn’t intended to challenge her, but Princess Consort Wei’s comment about being "utterly convinced" had provoked her into shooting her arrow at the other woman’s target.
A look of resignation colored Princess Hua Chang’s eyes. ’This Miss Ji Wu and Wei Chi Lianping are so alike in some ways.’
She shook her head. "Of course, it’s because the Emperor treats you differently from everyone else."
An outsider’s perspective always offers more clarity.
’Different, is it...’
Deep down, Ji Qingwu felt it was different, too.
She and Emperor Wu Su had been forcibly bound together four years ago. They shared a bloodline.
As the only woman who could bear him an heir, Ji Qingwu was already special enough. This special status had created many entanglements between her and the Emperor.
But as the one caught in the middle of it all, Ji Qingwu simply felt that for a man like Emperor Wu Su, whose looks and power were unparalleled, it was no difficult feat to make a young woman’s heart flutter.
’So, it’s only natural that I’ve developed feelings for him.’
’I try to suppress them, but I can’t. What else can I do but let them run wild?’
But Ji Qingwu had never believed in fleeting physical desire, nor in the sweet nothings whispered in her ear during the heat of passion.
After all, she herself was the perfect example.
To complete her "conquest mission," she had said plenty of sweet nothings to Wei Ting. She’d said them so many times that even she had started to believe them.
Ji Qingwu sighed softly.
Seeing her wistful expression, Princess Hua Chang said, "Sometimes, what you see isn’t necessarily the truth. You need to feel it with your heart."
Those words served as a reminder for Ji Qingwu.
’I didn’t come here to sigh and mope. I have important business to attend to.’
She asked, "Your Highness, have there been any recent changes to the Prince Consort’s diet?"
The topic shifted so abruptly that Princess Hua Chang was taken aback for a moment before calling a Maid in to question her.
The Maid answered, "The Prince Consort’s daily meals are the same as always. He still favors dishes like the Assorted Suzhou Platter, Chicken with Chestnuts, Oil-Splashed Pork, Stir-fried Kidney, Braised Pork Knuckle, and Duck Stuffed with Glutinous Rice."
Just hearing the names of those dishes made Princess Hua Chang feel queasy.
She waved the fan made of Cicada Wing Gauze in her hand and dismissed the Maid.
Once the door was shut, she looked up and asked, "Qingwu, have you noticed something amiss? What do you suspect? You can speak freely with me."
Ever since she had allowed Ji Qingwu to take her pulse, touching the skin of her wrist, she considered it a form of "skin-to-skin contact."
Princess Hua Chang now considered her one of her own.
Ji Qingwu looked steadily into the other woman’s eyes, which were as clear as crystal.
’Truthfully, I know that as the Great General, Wei Chi Lianping’s meals must be prepared by a dedicated staff. He wouldn’t ingest medicine by accident. Besides, with his formidable build, no one could force him to take anything unless they tied him down.’
’It’s highly likely he’s taking it voluntarily.’
’But that’s the worst-case scenario...’
Ji Qingwu said, "Your Highness, you are in perfect health. The reason you have been unable to conceive is that the Prince Consort has been secretly taking medicine. When I took his pulse the other day, I detected signs that he has likely been using an herb called Mountain Tiger."
The hand in which Princess Hua Chang held her round fan froze, and her expression darkened.
"What did you say?"
Ji Qingwu felt a chill crawl up her neck. Fortunately, she had come prepared, wearing a high-collared blouse today.
She tightened her collar. "I mean that the Prince Consort has been taking Contraceptive Medicine."
"Him?"
Princess Hua Chang scoffed, her elegant brows arching high. "He would never resort to such tricks with me," she retorted.
They met each other’s gaze. Ji Qingwu’s eyes were so resolute that Princess Hua Chang’s certainty began to waver.
She started to recall his unusual behavior of late.
For instance, the night before last in the yurt on the plains, she had arrived unexpectedly. They hadn’t gone all the way, ostensibly because his leg wound had split open. But now that she thought about it, he had rolled off her the moment she gave him a slight push.
’If that’s really the case...’
Princess Hua Chang’s throat tightened. She clenched her jaw, unable to utter a single word for a long moment.
Ji Qingwu spoke softly, "Your Highness, I’ve actually been wanting to ask... why do you wish to conceive? Have you discussed it with General Wei Chi? A child is a matter for two people, after all. What are his thoughts on it?"
Princess Hua Chang froze. The last few times she had invited Ji Qingwu to the estate for a consultation, Wei Chi Lianping had seemed enthusiastic, showing no sign of resistance. She had simply ignored his own feelings on the matter.
’So, does he not want a child? Or does he just not want *my* child?’
The fan’s Jade Handle dug into Princess Hua Chang’s palm, leaving an imprint.
She said, "Qingwu, why did you decide to have your child? Did you discuss it with your husband?"
’Why did I have my child?’
A thought flashed through Ji Qingwu’s mind. ’Because his father’s family has an imperial throne to inherit.’
’And as it happens, he was fated to be heirless.’
’And by sheer coincidence, I was the only one who could bear his child.’
’I had no choice.’
Ji Qingwu couldn’t tell the truth, so she could only say lamely, "He left for the army before he even knew I was pregnant."
Princess Hua Chang stared at the mottled tiger skin draped over a chair.
They had been married for seven years without children. Regardless of the rumors that circulated outside, neither of them had ever brought the matter up with the other.
Princess Hua Chang usually avoided children, finding them a nuisance. She felt no envy for the joy other families found with children gathered at their knees. The only exception was the little prince in the palace, whom she could bear to look at for more than a moment.
Princess Hua Chang didn’t want to get entangled with too many people; she was quite comfortable with her quiet life.
But that day, for some reason, the Emperor had a strange notion.
He suddenly sent over this Fifth Missy of the Ji Family, who had only just been welcomed back home, claiming she was to diagnose the princess’s condition. If the eunuch delivering the message hadn’t also brought a manuscript by Mr. Yan—hailed as the second-greatest work of semi-cursive script in the world—
—then, given Princess Hua Chang’s temperament, she would never have allowed Ji Qingwu through her gates.
As it happened, this Miss Ji was as clean and fresh as a summer lotus, and her voice was soft and pleasant to the ear. The princess had reluctantly found her tolerable to look at.
