Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Don’t Let Your Hands Wander, Close Your Eyes
The inside of the carriage was dim, and the curtains were so thick that no light could pass through.
Ji Qingwu remained bent over, her eyes wide as she tried to see if anyone was inside.
It seemed to be empty.
The carriage was surprisingly warm, but having mistakenly entered someone else’s vehicle, she knew she shouldn’t linger. She was just about to back out when something at her feet suddenly tripped her.
In the moment she lost her balance, she was still thinking, ’I didn’t notice anything on the floor when I came in...’
But the expected pain never came. She didn’t fall to the floor; instead, she tumbled onto someone.
More precisely, she landed on a man’s firm, well-proportioned lap.
’There’s someone in here!’
Ji Qingwu frantically tried to find something to push off of to get up, but unable to see, she could only grope around with her hands.
She didn’t know what she had touched, but she heard a low, slightly hoarse grunt.
In the dark, enclosed space, the sound was exceptionally clear—and provocative.
"Keep your hands to yourself," the man reprimanded in a low voice.
Ji Qingwu felt the awkwardness too. She explained weakly, "I didn’t mean to touch anything. I can’t see, I was just trying to get up."
The moment she finished speaking, the carriage suddenly lit up.
The man had produced a Luminous Pearl from somewhere.
By its light, Ji Qingwu could finally see the carriage’s interior. The walls were lined with luxurious silk and embroidery, and the ceiling was carved with exquisite dragon and phoenix patterns.
She abruptly lifted her head and was met with a peerlessly handsome face.
Gone was the sharp, cold demeanor from the daytime. In the glow of the Luminous Pearl, his features were as smooth and lustrous as jade.
The tall man was leaning against a couch in the center of the carriage, quietly gazing at her.
Ji Qingwu was dumbfounded.
She racked her brain but couldn’t understand why she would find the Emperor in a carriage parked outside Duke Zhongyong’s Mansion!
Emperor Wu Su also got a clear look at her.
The woman’s head was tilted up, her rosy lips slightly parted in surprise. Her shimmering eyes were filled with a bright light, and a few mischievous strands of hair had slipped down to frame her ear.
Her soft, delicate body was sprawled across his lap, her breathing a little ragged.
A mix of innocence and allure, enough to instantly spark improper thoughts.
Emperor Wu Su’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He commanded in a deep voice, "Are you not getting up?"
Ji Qingwu also realized how indecent her position was. She quickly moved her hands, not daring to touch his legs again, and pushed herself up from the couch. Face flushed, she retreated to a corner of the carriage.
With the warmth and softness gone from his lap, Emperor Wu Su frowned again.
Seeing his expression, Ji Qingwu assumed she had offended the Emperor. Given that she had a "prior record" with him, she shrank back even further, pressing her back flat against the carriage wall.
She was eager to prove her innocence. "Your Majesty, it’s all my fault for not seeing you were here. Otherwise, even if I were crippled from a fall, I would never have fallen on you."
Emperor Wu Su shot her a cold glance.
’So if it had been someone else, she could have thrown herself into their arms justifiably?’
Unsure if it was his cold gaze or the chill from the wall, Ji Qingwu shivered.
"Sit over here."
Ji Qingwu hunched her shoulders and cautiously scooted over, sitting to his right, leaving enough space for at least one more person between them.
As long as the Emperor didn’t speak, she didn’t dare make a sound.
The atmosphere in the carriage was heavy. A faint, thread-like fragrance drifted past Ji Qingwu’s nose. She tilted her head slightly and looked at Emperor Wu Su.
The man’s brows were furrowed in impatience, as if he were trying hard to suppress something. He was dressed only in a simple, dark cyan brocade robe. He wore no jade ornaments at his waist, only a sachet from which a faint scent emanated.
Seeing her gaze fixed on his waist and hips, Emperor Wu Su’s voice turned sharp.
"Close your eyes."
Ji Qingwu didn’t know why he wanted her to close her eyes, but rank had its privileges, and this was the Emperor who stood above all officials. She had no choice but to obey.
She obediently closed her eyes. Her long, black-feather-like lashes trembled, betraying her unease. She heard the rustle of fabric and the soft clink of a teacup.
Emperor Wu Su downed a cup of cold tea. After the liquid soothed his throat and his composure returned, he looked at the person beside him.
’With those soft, bright eyes closed, her face is no longer so bewitching.’
’The ages have seen countless beauties.’
He came from a noble family and had been a decorated general on the battlefield since his youth. Countless stunning beauties had thrown themselves at him. Her face alone wasn’t enough to unsettle him this much.
’Know the person, know the face, but not the heart.’ The first thing an Emperor must learn is to see into people’s hearts.
By observing the eyes, one can perceive the heart. The eyes are the palace of the soul; a single glance can reveal good and evil, clarity and corruption.
Ji Qingwu’s eyes were simply too perfect. A casual, shimmering glance from them was like a water-sleeve dance, flicking straight into one’s heart.
Emperor Wu Su held a white jade cup, a mocking curve on his lips.
’If I couldn’t see through a Disguise Technique like hers, I would have been assassinated by traitors countless times by now.’
’Those eyes are one of a kind, unique in all the world.’
’How could I not recognize them?’
’Besides, I’ve seen the captivating charm of those eyes when they were filled with affection—only, the person they were looking at was not me.’
"Open your eyes," the man’s voice was heavy.
Ji Qingwu had kept her eyes closed for so long that her eyelids felt heavy when she opened them. She blinked, her feathery lashes fluttering, her gaze flickering brighter than the Luminous Pearl itself.
It was just starting to dawn on her. ’Did I accidentally touch the Emperor, making him find me an eyesore and a nuisance?’
’He reacted with such annoyance to just a little touch.’
’Back then, I...’
The thought was a dangerous one; the more she dwelled on it, the harder it was to stop. Ji Qingwu’s face began to burn. When a person’s thoughts are in turmoil, they start making small talk just to fill the silence.
She broke the silence, asking, "Your Majesty, why are you here?"
Emperor Wu Su retorted, "Am I not allowed?"
"You are, of course. ’Under all heaven, there is no land that is not the king’s.’" Ji Qingwu then asked dryly, "Your Majesty, have you seen the Marquis Mansion’s carriage? I couldn’t find it when I came out, which is why I mistakenly boarded yours."
That coachman had already been taken by Li Yuzong for a cup of tea.
"I have not," Emperor Wu Su said coolly.
Seeing he had no desire to speak with her, she thought it made sense. She had barged into the Emperor’s carriage and disturbed his peace. If she were resting, she wouldn’t want to be disturbed either.
Ji Qingwu spoke up, "Your Majesty, it is getting late. I will take my leave and return home. You should also return to the palace to rest soon. I bid you farewell."
Just as she finished speaking and was about to leave, the man behind her suddenly spoke.
His tone was even chillier than the biting evening wind.
"Is he that good-looking?"
Ji Qingwu stopped and turned back to look at him, confused. The question was completely out of the blue and unrelated to anything they had discussed. ’What’s good-looking?’
Seeing that she didn’t understand after a long moment, her clear eyes filled with bewilderment as she tilted her head and looked at him, completely lost.
Emperor Wu Su put down his teacup, crossed his arms, and kindly offered her a hint.
"Staring from six rows away."
"Craning your neck to look even while performing."
The man’s tone was leisurely, but his expression was bone-chillingly cold.
