Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Did the Emperor Recognize Her?
Princess Hua Chang’s arm throbbed from his grip, and a sharp pain twisted in her heart.
Anger flared in her usually icy eyes.
She called out loudly to the driver beyond the curtain, "Xiao Chen, we’re not going back to the Princess Mansion. Take us to the flatbread stall on Nanshui Street."
The carriage turned around and headed straight for Nanshui Street.
Wei Chi Lianping looked stunned to hear their destination.
Seeing his reaction, the chill in Princess Hua Chang’s heart grew even deeper.
He frowned. "We’re in the middle of a fight. Why are we going to a flatbread stall? Did you argue yourself into an appetite? You want to eat your fill so you can keep arguing with me?"
Princess Hua Chang saw that he was still pretending to be clueless.
She tried to pull away, not wanting him to touch her, but she couldn’t shake free from his unyielding grip.
Wei Chi Lianping gripped her arm, refusing to let go. He scoffed, "You could eat all you want, and you’d still never be stronger than me. You can give up on that idea."
Rage ignited in Princess Hua Chang’s heart, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
"What’s wrong? Angry enough to kill me?"
Wei Chi Lianping offered his other arm to her mouth, taunting, "There are no swords or daggers here. How about you just bite me instead?"
Princess Hua Chang stared at the ’paw’ he offered her. Her chest heaved with anger; she truly wanted to bite a chunk of flesh out of him.
"Go ahead and bite, if you’re not afraid of breaking a tooth."
Wei Chi Lianping added smugly, "I worked up a good sweat during that fight. If you do bite, it’ll probably be a little salty."
The fastidious Eldest Princess turned her head away in disgust.
*
「After the Emperor left.」
Ji Qingwu crouched down and looked at her brother’s injuries.
Ji Changlin gently pushed her hand away. "Qingwu, I’m fine," he said softly.
This was the first time she had ever seen such a dejected expression on her eldest brother’s face.
She had known since their time at the medical clinic in Nanchu that Ji Changlin was exceptionally intelligent and handled matters with great care. Otherwise, he never would have become an envoy for Beili.
But for him to have gotten into such a major conflict with Wei Chi Lianping at the imperial banquet today... it was completely out of character.
There was so much that didn’t make sense, and only one thing could explain it: love.
Ji Qingwu didn’t press the matter. "Brother," she said gently, "the banquet is over. Mother is probably looking for us. We should hurry back."
She felt a sudden chill at the small of her back. She paused. "Brother, you go on ahead. I’ll be right there."
Then she trotted over to the Lotus Pond to look for her sash.
"Strange, it’s gone." She circled the edge of the pond a few times but couldn’t find it.
Ji Qingwu frowned. ’Could it have been washed away by the current?’
「Back at Wutong Garden.」
Lan Zhi asked in surprise, "Fifth Missy, where is the sash for your dress?"
The maid was an observant one. Ji Qingwu fudged, "I was getting some food at the banquet and fumbled, so I accidentally got it dirty and took it off."
Lan Zhi was speechless. ’What kind of food gets a sash dirty?’ she wondered, wanting to ask more.
Ji Qingwu cut in quickly, "I’m going to take a bath now. You may leave."
"I will fetch the soap and scented balms to help you wash up."
"That won’t be necessary tonight. I can manage on my own."
After Lan Zhi left, Ji Qingwu went to the bathing chamber, undid her blouse, and gasped the moment she looked down.
Angry red finger marks were imprinted on her waist, starkly clear.
One could only imagine what kind of treatment that fair, slender waist had been subjected to.
Ji Qingwu picked up her blouse and covered her face, not wanting to face the marks left by Emperor Wu Su.
She couldn’t recall being held by Li Chengxun at all. The scenes and sensations that flooded her mind were entirely of Emperor Wu Su pressing her into his embrace, his palm repeatedly kneading her waist.
Feeling suffocated, her face flushed as she threw the blouse aside. A moment later, she picked it back up and shoved it into the very bottom of a wardrobe.
She resolved to never lay eyes on it again for as long as she lived.
Soaking in the tub, enveloped by the hot water, Ji Qingwu stared at the gentle ripples on the surface.
Her thoughts slowly began to drift back.
Too much had happened too quickly today. Li Chengxun had been pestering her, and then fled as soon as he heard Princess Qingyun was coming.
But Princess Qingyun never showed up after that.
The person who appeared was the Emperor.
That guard in black had appeared and vanished so abruptly—he was almost certainly one of Emperor Wu Su’s men.
’He’s been trying to keep me and Li Chengxun apart... Is it for Princess Qingyun’s sake?’
Her few encounters with Emperor Wu Su had left her both frightened and bewildered.
’Every time he says he’ll punish me, he never really does... No, that’s not right. He did.’
’It’s just... his temper is so unpredictable.’ Her gaze flickered down to her side. ’His Majesty’s intentions are truly impossible to fathom.’
The steam from the hot water made her eyelids grow heavy. ’What on earth was in that wine today?’ An unfamiliar heat coursed through her body.
She suddenly had a terrible thought.
She whispered, "Peanuts? Peanuts, are you there?"
[Respected Host, I am here. What can I do for you?]
"Check for me—was I drugged with the Yin Yang Harmony Powder?"
[Please wait. Commencing a full-body scan.]
Ji Qingwu felt her body’s reaction was just like someone who had been given an aphrodisiac.
’Did the Emperor recognize me?!’
’An eye for an eye—he drugged me, too!’
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious the Emperor’s actions seemed. ’He was deliberately fanning the flames, trying to make me experience that same loss of control.’
[Scan complete. Your body is healthy, with no traces of drugs. Special notice: The Yin Yang Harmony Powder is an exclusive product of this system and is not available elsewhere. Please be assured, Host.]
"But my body was flushed, my heart was racing, and I felt like all the blood was rushing to my head."
Ji Qingwu described her sensations, her delicate brows furrowed.
"There was a hot, tight feeling in my lower abdomen. My legs went so weak I could barely stand, and I just wanted to hold onto something cool."
[Dear Host, is it possible that you were experiencing a normal physiological reaction?]
Ji Qingwu slapped the surface of the water, sending droplets flying. "Absolutely not," she declared righteously.
[Ignorant Host, why would it be impossible? Desire is a part of human nature. It’s perfectly normal.]
"Do you have any idea who that man was? He’s General Dingbei! He’s Emperor Wu Su! For me to react to *him*... have I lost my mind, or have you?!"
The system knew how terrified Ji Qingwu was of this man. Every time she woke up startled from a nightmare, it was of being caught by him and suffering all sorts of unspeakable deaths.
[Brilliant Host, your point is valid. Upon re-examination, it has been determined that you consumed wine containing natural aphrodisiac properties.]
"No wonder... so it was because of the wine."
’That makes sense. It couldn’t possibly be my fault.’
Ji Qingwu asked, "I still feel hot and restless. Is there any way to calm it down?"
[Warning: This is a childbirth system. Extinguishing libido is a violation of this system’s terms of service.]
She ground her teeth. "Go away. Just go away."
Ji Qingwu’s body was exhausted, but her mind was wide awake. That night, she counted thirteen thousand, two hundred and eighty-one sheep.
*
The night was deep, and she wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep.
A carriage stopped opposite the flatbread stall.
Princess Hua Chang lifted the carriage curtain and stared for a long time.
Wei Chi Lianping said, "Didn’t you say you wanted flatbread? Xiao Chen, go buy some."
Princess Hua Chang’s gaze immediately fell upon the female owner, who was laughing and chatting with several customers. The princess raised a finger as slender as a scallion and pointed.
"See for yourself. Do you recognize her?"
Wei Chi Lianping followed her gesture and looked over. "Isn’t that Yu Niang?" he exclaimed in surprise. "How did you know she was selling bread here?"
He hadn’t been here in a long time, and had forgotten her stall was over here.
"What a terrible memory you have, Great General. Is there a single man under your command who doesn’t know that you take *special* care of this little lady?"
Seeing the princess’s frosty expression, Wei Chi Lianping scratched his head. "Someone asked me to look after her," he said, looking troubled.
’Someone?’
’And that someone is him, isn’t it.’
Princess Hua Chang shot him a sidelong glance. "Are you still going to play dumb? Isn’t this the precious darling of your heart?"
