Chapter 165: Chapter 165: A Love Letter Pours Out the Heart, Your Majesty, Calm Your Anger
Wei Ting produced a yellowed, frayed sheet of paper from within his robes, clearly something he had preserved for a long time.
Prince Yong was the first to snatch it.
"General Wei Ting, you must be joking. My cousin is not some frivolous woman."
He would have believed it if someone called Ji Qingwu cruel and ruthless, but he refused to believe she was flighty and licentious.
Prince Yong looked it over, his expression normal at first.
But then his eyes landed on something, and Prince Yong, a man accustomed to the pleasure quarters, shuddered as if he had seen something truly shocking.
The sheet of Huanhua Paper, a little over four inches long, began to circulate among the dozen or so men who wished to marry Ji Qingwu. After reading it, they all wore the exact same, peculiar expression.
Somehow, the note also found its way into the hands of Lu Juan, who was standing off to the side.
He glanced down and knew at once the handwriting was Ji Qingwu’s. He had seen a prescription his fifth sister had written for Qingrong before. Her penmanship was... hard to critique.
Simply put, it was unforgettable.
He read it silently to himself. ’As the General rides to war, I wish to be the moon by your side. Its light crosses a thousand miles, as in dreams we share this life. Hand in hand, let us admire the moon before the flowers, and not waste our youth, drunk on the soft breeze.’
It was a heartfelt love poem, but that alone wasn’t enough to explain everyone’s peculiar reactions.
Lu Juan’s gaze drifted upward, and the hand holding the sheet of Huanhua Paper froze.
At the top of the paper was a plump, heart-shaped mark in vivid red.
Though it had faded slightly, it was still clearly a woman’s overlapping lip prints.
He had never seen, nor even heard of, such a clever, romantic gesture from a woman so besotted.
Finally, Li Chengxun took the note. After he finished reading, the hand holding his court tablet tightened unnaturally.
His mind raced. Realizing something, he frowned and asked, "Fifth Miss Ji’s child... is it General Wei’s?"
This time, a peculiar look flickered across Wei Ting’s face. He clenched his jaw, forcing a smile as he nodded, striving to maintain his composure.
"Lord Li has guessed correctly. The child is mine."
Wei Ting added, "We have shared a bond for a long time, but with war breaking out all around, it was not an opportune time to marry."
Wu Bo, standing behind him, frowned and said, "But why did Miss Ji claim her former husband was dead? If, as the General says, your bond was so deep, why did she run off to live in a small town in Nanchu?"
Wei Ting clenched his jaw. "That is a private matter between the two of us. I do not wish to discuss it with outsiders."
Seeing them begin to bicker back and forth again, Emperor Wu Su, clad in a black imperial robe, rose to his feet. He descended the high dais step by step, each slow, heavy footfall seeming to land on everyone’s hearts.
In an instant, the Emperor’s majestic presence stunned the entire hall into silence. Everyone stopped talking, lowering their heads and daring not to utter another word.
Emperor Wu Su walked up to them, his eyes cast down upon the two rows of men kneeling in the hall.
To these men, his glacial gaze felt like a dark cloud hanging right over their heads.
Lu Juan, standing on the left, discreetly shuffled away, trying to put some distance between himself and the Emperor to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
But this time, Emperor Wu Su’s fury was immense, and his voice rose considerably.
"What do you think the Golden Throne Hall is? A matchmaker’s temple?"
Faced with the Emperor’s fury, all the officials in the hall fell to their knees.
"Your Majesty, please quell your anger!" they cried out in unison.
Emperor Wu Su glimpsed the note clutched in Wei Ting’s hand, and his towering figure seemed to sway for a moment.
"You wish to marry Miss Ji, so why are you all begging me? Go and ask her."
Leaving them with this sentence, the Emperor stormed away, his face a mask of fury, flicking his sleeves as he went.
Li Yuzong trotted after the Emperor, shooting Lu Juan a meaningful glance as he passed.
Lu Juan rose slowly, pretending he hadn’t seen a thing. ’Best to play it safe.’
’He couldn’t reason with Wei Ting, and he absolutely didn’t dare provoke the Emperor.’
’But I have to get a message to my fifth sister right away...’
The court officials, who had been watching from the sidelines, waited until Emperor Wu Su’s figure had vanished completely before cautiously standing up, patting their chests in relief.
They wondered to themselves, ’His Majesty isn’t a man who loses his temper without reason. Why was he even more furious than General Wei, whose gambit had just been thwarted?’
*
「The morning court had been dismissed for some time.」
Ji Qingwu, oblivious to all this, was still in a private room at the restaurant, meeting with several matrons Mi Zhenchuan had brought for her to interview.
She was quite satisfied with one of them, a matron surnamed Sun, who was the very same one who had once worked for the Wei Family.
Ji Qingwu handed her a token. "Nanny Sun, according to the schedule, you can start at the clinic next month. Please get your household affairs in order first."
She had just finished speaking when a young servant from Mrs. Qiao’s household appeared at the door.
"Fifth Missy, please hurry home! The First Madam is looking for you."
’Why would Mrs. Qiao summon me home in such a hurry?’ Ji Qingwu dared not delay. She entrusted the remaining matters to Manager Mi and followed the young servant out.
Ji Qingwu had just reached the entrance of Anju Garden as Mrs. Qiao was coming out. The moment Mrs. Qiao saw her, she pulled her through the gate.
Mrs. Qiao said anxiously, "If you hadn’t come back any sooner, I was about to go looking for you in the streets!"
Ji Qingwu had rarely seen Mrs. Qiao so flustered.
She helped Mrs. Qiao back into the room by the arm and asked softly, "What is it? Mother, take your time. Don’t be anxious."
"You child, you’re really..."
After sitting down, Mrs. Qiao said with a frown, "Why won’t you tell your mother the truth? You’ve been home for so long, yet you still treat us like strangers."
Ji Qingwu was rarely scolded by Mrs. Qiao. She offered a placating smile.
But Mrs. Qiao wasn’t having any of it today.
She looked at her daughter’s glowing face, which had become even more vibrant and lovely than before.
Mrs. Qiao said sternly, "Your eldest brother mentioned to me when he returned that you knew the art of disguise. I just assumed you were wary when you first came home. These past few days, you finally removed it, and I thought you had finally let your guard down for good."
"Mother, I’m not on guard against you," Ji Qingwu stammered.
Mrs. Qiao pulled her arm from Ji Qingwu’s grasp. "But who would have known you were hiding such a massive secret!"
’A massive secret...’
Ji Qingwu’s smile froze. ’Could it be that Mrs. Qiao already knows the truth?’
"Who is Jiu Jiu’s father?" Mrs. Qiao demanded. "Tell me."
Looking at Mrs. Qiao’s reproachful eyes, she lowered her head, her throat tight. "How... did you find out, Mother?"
"How did I find out? Wei Ting announced it publicly today."
Ji Qingwu’s head snapped up. ’Wei Ting knows?’
Mrs. Qiao said, "He claimed you are both in love and even acknowledged Jiu Jiu as his daughter."
Ji Qingwu was speechless for a long moment, her gaze flickering nonstop.
This was so different from what she had imagined. It wasn’t that her relationship with the Emperor had been discovered—instead, Wei Ting had come forward.
At this moment, Ji Qingwu had only one thought.
’Wei Ting has gone mad!’
Five years ago, he had been like the pure, untouchable moon in the sky. She had tried everything in her power, but she could never get him to open his heart and accept her.
Besides, what did the child have to do with him? Why was he willing to claim her?
None of this made any sense. The only explanation was that he had either lost his mind or had an ulterior motive.
Ji Qingwu asked urgently, "Mother, do you know when and where Wei Ting said this?"
