Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Three Words, Cold Yet Scorching
Ji Qingwu wore a two-piece set with a wide-sleeved blouse, its hem tucked into her skirt.
Without a sash, the blouse hung loosely and wasn’t form-fitting.
Emperor Wu Su asked, his face expressionless, "He touched you here?"
The moment he spoke, Ji Qingwu’s stomach clenched.
Emperor Wu Su’s hand had slipped under the hem of her blouse, his palm landing directly on her waist.
His calloused fingertips brushed against the most sensitive part of her waist.
Her skin felt delicate and smooth against his palm, even finer than the most polished jade. Emperor Wu Su’s hand slid up her slender waist.
"Did he touch here, too?"
Seeing her pitiful state—lips parted, too shocked to react or even speak—he slid his hand even higher.
"Hmm?" Emperor Wu Su pressed, his voice low.
He seemed poised to continue all the way up if she didn’t answer.
Ji Qingwu frantically shook her head. "No, he didn’t."
"Didn’t what?"
Emperor Wu Su asked casually, but his gaze was dangerously dark.
"He didn’t... touch... me here."
Unfortunately, even though she had answered, the man had no intention of letting her off the hook.
"Did you pick this outfit specifically to see him? The neckline is so low."
’That’s it. He just had to find some fault to pin on me.’
Ji Qingwu, on the verge of tears, said, "No, this blouse is just designed this way. It’s the latest fashion in Lin’an City."
"And the front is open."
Emperor Wu Su’s gaze fell on her neckline.
The moment he had entered the banquet, he’d noticed her attire. The wide, low neckline revealed an eye-catching expanse of pale skin across her chest. Her collarbones were delicate, their lines alluring.
He’d seen how many men were staring, yet she had seemed oblivious, pouring herself drink after drink until her snow-white complexion flushed a pale pink.
Ji Qingwu didn’t know what the man behind her was thinking. When she glanced down, she could see the outline of his large hand under her blouse, poised as if to move.
She grabbed his hand through the fabric and urgently pointed.
"It has buttons! Your Majesty, look! It has buttons, it’s not an open-front blouse."
She shouldn’t have said a word. Emperor Wu Su raised his other hand and rested his fingers on the first of a single row of red agate buttons.
"Let go of my hand, or shall I undo the buttons myself?"
’How could he say something so provocative so matter-of-factly?’
’It seemed like a choice, but in reality, the outcome would be nearly the same either way.’
She deeply regretted choosing this low-cut, wide-sleeved, button-front blouse from her wardrobe.
She gripped his hand through the thin fabric, biting her lip in silence.
"Did you see the note I left for you?"
She nodded obediently. "I saw it."
His voice turned stern. "And since you saw it, what did you do?"
Ji Qingwu’s reply was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
"Louder."
The Emperor had given her a clear way out, telling her to sever ties, but she had instead gone to confront the Empress Dowager head-on.
She said softly, "I didn’t listen."
Emperor Wu Su was so frustrated he could have ground his teeth to dust.
He both loved and hated this part of her nature.
She seemed soft and weak, but when backed into a corner, she became impossibly stubborn.
And to think that before morning court, he had specifically arranged for the Eldest Princess to come and provide her with an escape route.
She truly hadn’t "disappointed" him.
Emperor Wu Su said coolly, "What is the crime for defying the imperial will?"
Ji Qingwu flinched.
’She hadn’t considered that. The Emperor’s spoken words were as good as law, which meant a written note from him was worth more than gold.’
’This had suddenly become the high crime of deceiving the sovereign. Her head was now one step closer to leaving her shoulders...’
’Could a major crime be reduced to a minor punishment? Was that even possible?’
Ji Qingwu weighed her options—letting go or unbuttoning her blouse. She was more afraid of being left disheveled.
So, she hesitantly released his hand and asked with pleading eyes.
"Is there to be a punishment?"
He took that as an invitation to proceed. Emperor Wu Su raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by her words.
Ji Qingwu could sense the source of his displeasure and hurried to explain, "I wasn’t the one who asked him to meet me here."
’Just moments ago, when Emperor Wu Su appeared, his first words had been a poetic line about a lover’s rendezvous—*the moon rises above the willows*. But she had certainly not arranged to meet Li Chengxun after dusk.’
’The memory of her once solemnly swearing to Emperor Wu Su that she would honor her verbal agreement, that she trusted Li Chengxun—such foolish words—filled her with immense regret.’
’What would she do if the Emperor thought she was "unable to forget an old flame" and trying to sabotage the imperially decreed marriage of Princess Qingyun?’
Listening to her explanation, Emperor Wu Su merely gave a cold hum, leaving her unsure if he believed her.
Unsure of how much he had overheard, Ji Qingwu explained more earnestly, "Everything I said is true. I was just feeling a little dizzy and came out for some air."
Those fingers, accustomed to wielding a sword and drawing a bow, now roamed along a soft curve. As if he had discovered a new plaything, Emperor Wu Su prodded it curiously, paying no mind to her words.
The sensation made Ji Qingwu’s skin crawl.
She was on the verge of swearing a solemn oath. "Your Majesty," she said urgently, "I truly have no improper feelings for Li Chengxun."
At the sound of another man’s name from her lips, Emperor Wu Su’s hand tightened around her waist.
The plain gauze of his black outer robe rubbed against her snow-white skin.
A low question followed.
"Every other word out of your mouth is his name. Are you afraid I’ll take my anger out on him?"
Ji Qingwu had just shot herself in the foot. That wasn’t what she meant at all. She shook her head vigorously.
"I won’t mention him again."
But once she fell silent, Emperor Wu Su brought him up again.
"Before the banquet, why were you smiling at him? And so seductively."
’Smile? Had she smiled?’
Ji Qingwu thought for a moment. She supposed she had smiled.
’But the Emperor hadn’t even arrived at the banquet then. How could he have known? Had the man grown eyes in the back of his head, or did he have the power of clairvoyance...?’
Seeing her bright, dark eyes darting about, Emperor Wu Su knew she was scheming.
"The truth."
Ji Qingwu had no choice but to answer honestly. "I heard someone mention a story from Your Majesty’s past."
"Go on."
"Today, during the top scholar’s celebratory parade, it was incredibly lively. There were many young women throwing fruit to fill his carriage..."
Before she could finish, she felt Emperor Wu Su suddenly pinch her.
It didn’t hurt, but it startled her.
Ji Qingwu cautiously turned her head to glance at his expression. As expected, it was frosty, and a cold light glinted in his deep eyes.
’What did I say wrong?’
Ji Qingwu braced herself and continued, "I heard that when Your Majesty returned to the capital in triumph, the scene was even more spectacular. There were even more women throwing fruit and flowers... and even throwing *that other thing*. I just thought it was an amusing image, so I smiled."
Emperor Wu Su pondered for a moment, seizing on the key part of her sentence. "Throwing what?"
"Just... that."
It was such an intimate item that women were shy even discussing it among themselves, let alone mentioning it in front of Emperor Wu Su.
Ji Qingwu truly couldn’t bring herself to say it and tried to mumble her way past the topic.
"It’s nothing. Nothing important."
Seeing her bashful reaction, Emperor Wu Su raised a brow. He had guessed.
’When he had returned in triumph all those years ago, masters of ceremony had cleared the path ahead. Those items would never have gotten close to him; the vanguard of the imperial guard would have blocked them all.’
"This?"
The single word was spoken coldly, yet it felt scalding hot.
Because his large hand was no longer exploring the edge, but had covered her completely.
Ji Qingwu’s ears instantly began to burn.
"Is it this that I’m touching, Ah Wu?"
