Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Karma Fire Red Lotus, Your Majesty, Did You See It?
The first time she entered the palace, she saved a drowning Yuan Heng. He rewarded her with a walnut screen.
Along with it came a secret decree.
Emperor Wu Su hesitated for a moment. Recalling the contents of that verbal edict, the corner of his mouth twitched.
With a hint of displeasure, he asked, "Have you told anyone else?"
"Your Majesty said I was the only one who could hear this verbal edict. I haven’t told anyone."
Emperor Wu Su nodded, a trace of satisfaction appearing in his eyes. He said nonchalantly, "Forget it."
’Forget it? The Holy Emperor’s verbal edict is so casual...’
Ji Qingwu blinked her watery eyes, saying in confusion, "But I still remember."
This edict was not a good thing for the Ji Family, but for her, it was a heavenly grace.
Emperor Wu Su raised an eyebrow, mocking her. "You don’t remember what you should, yet you have a good memory for what you should forget."
"I wouldn’t dare forget Your Majesty’s words."
Hearing those exceptionally obedient words from her crimson lips, Emperor Wu Su pulled her arm in front of him. A five-color rope was tied around her slender wrist, accentuating its cold, pale white.
Ji Qingwu’s gaze followed his, landing on her own wrist.
’What’s so interesting about it?’
Emperor Wu Su kept his grip on her arm and mused, "Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. I must go worship the gods and my ancestors, but I’m still missing an item for prayer and good fortune."
’Within the Emperor’s line of sight, this item for good fortune... it couldn’t be my arm... right?’
If she wasn’t mistaken, he meant the five-color thread.
"Shall I go and ask Eunuch Li to prepare one?" She tried to pull her wrist away, but his grip only tightened.
Emperor Wu Su looked at her and said, "You will prepare it."
When the Emperor went to worship the gods and ancestors, any ornaments he wore were custom-made by the Imperial Household according to tradition. It was hardly her turn to prepare one.
Ji Qingwu demurred, "Your Majesty, that would be against protocol, wouldn’t it?"
Emperor Wu Su’s fingers caressed the tender skin on the inside of her wrist, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"It was fine to give one to Yuan Heng, but it’s against protocol to give one to me? Aren’t you being a little too obvious with your double standards?"
She was at a loss for words and could only concede. "I will go home and weave it, then have someone deliver it to the palace tonight."
"Who knows if you’ll just find a ready-made one to fool me. You will weave it right here in the Diligent Governance Hall. You may only leave after you’ve made something that I find satisfactory."
Ji Qingwu’s eyes darted about guiltily. She had indeed planned to do just that. ’Could it be the Emperor has planted a spy in my mind?’
Emperor Wu Su called for Li Yuzong to come in.
In a short while, all the necessary silk threads of various colors were prepared.
Ji Qingwu was holding the silk threads, about to move to a chair in the lower part of the hall, when an arm wrapped around her waist from behind and pressed her down onto the lacquered and gilded Dragon Chair.
Emperor Wu Su said coolly, "Weave it right here."
The back of the chair had four round posts supporting the armrests, coiled with gleaming golden dragons that made Ji Qingwu feel dizzy.
’To be able to sit on the Dragon Chair even once... my ancestors must be burning incense for me.’
The seat of the chair was wide, large enough for one person to lie down on, and more than enough for two to sit.
Beneath the chair, the hem of Ji Qingwu’s jade smoke Luo Yi Yun skirt drifted over the Yellow Silk Embroidered Golden Dragon Robe of the man beside her.
The coral branches embroidered on the hem of her skirt overlapped with the winding patterns on his Dragon Robe.
It was a magnificent and opulent sight.
Seeing this scene, Li Yuzong hastily retreated from the hall, feeling as if the shock would be the death of him. He tugged at his collar, gasping for air.
Sharing the Dragon Chair with the Emperor... such an honor was second to none in the Phoenix Palace.
「Inside the hall.」
Emperor Wu Su was right in front of her. He nonchalantly picked up the Imperial Brush and began reviewing memorials.
Ji Qingwu secretly tilted her head to peek at his steady profile, his features deep and defined.
The slight tension at the corners of his lips made him look noble and aloof.
His long fingers held the brush, making a few strokes on the paper. As he contemplated, much of his domineering aura dissipated, but an air of coldness that kept others at a distance still remained.
She had never dared to look at him in such detail before.
’So a man’s features could be as powerful and solid as iron strokes and silver hooks—sharp edges exposed, yet tall and broad, capable of holding a million acres of green waves and containing the wind soughing through ten thousand ravines.’
"Don’t slack off."
Emperor Wu Su’s eyes lifted slightly. He clearly wasn’t looking at her, yet he knew she was distracted.
Ji Qingwu quickly lowered her head, swallowed, and went back to the task at hand.
For the first time, the scent of ambergris in the hall gave her a sense of peace, no longer of timidity and fear.
The silk threads looped and wound around her nimble fingertips.
After a few flurries of her hands, she had tied a series of knots. But being a novice, she made a mistake. She studied it for a moment before pursing her lips in annoyance and undoing it.
Emperor Wu Su glimpsed her puffed, fair cheeks.
They looked more lustrous than the porcelain from the Jingde tribute. As for how they felt to the touch, he had tested that himself.
Ji Qingwu was so absorbed in her weaving that she had no idea the man beside her had long since put down his Imperial Brush and was gazing at her intently.
When she finished the last knot, she tilted her stiff and sore neck.
A large, masculine hand immediately appeared before her—a hand with well-defined knuckles, capable of holding both a sword and a brush. Its palm was facing up.
He was asking her for the five-color thread.
How could Ji Qingwu dare to make His Majesty the Emperor wait? She quickly offered up the newly woven thread and placed it in his palm.
Almost at the same time, that long, clean hand closed over hers, trapping the five-color thread between their palms.
Their palms pressed together, and a dry, warm heat spread from his.
Ji Qingwu’s eyelashes trembled, her breathing becoming shallow.
They had done far more intimate things.
But never had it been like this.
His calloused hand brushed faintly against her fingertips, sending a tingling itch straight to her heart.
Her heart was no longer pounding in alarm but was beginning to speed up, little by little.
It was like a sparrow waking from the depths of winter, entering the warmth of spring, and beginning to chirp and hop without end.
The unfamiliar feeling made Ji Qingwu uncomfortable. She quickly pulled her hand back, her eyes lowered to the five-color thread in his palm.
"Your Majesty, the five-color thread is finished. If you have no other orders, I will take my leave."
But her hand was caught again, this time enveloped completely within his palm.
Emperor Wu Su said, his expression unchanged, "But I haven’t thanked Miss Ji yet."
Ji Qingwu replied tepidly, "You’re welcome."
A smile touched his lips, and his voice was low and pleasant. "I haven’t even said how I’ll thank you, and you’ve accepted so easily? It is only right and proper that I express my gratitude."
At some point, a red bracelet had appeared in Emperor Wu Su’s hand.
With a slight exertion of his arm, Ji Qingwu fell into his lap. He locked a hand around her waist, holding her in place.
With his other hand, he slipped the bracelet onto her delicate wrist, which was bare of any nail polish.
Leaning against his warm chest, Ji Qingwu watched the beaded bracelet slide onto her wrist, a flash of wonder in her eyes.
Dazzlingly bright Red Jade was carved into lotus blossoms.
They looked just like Karma Fire Red Lotuses.
The *Jade Classification* states that jade has five colors. While white, yellow, and green are all precious, Red Jade is the most precious of all, a rare sight in the world.
’This thank-you gift is far too valuable.’
Her attention captivated by the Red Jade, Ji Qingwu temporarily forgot how intimate their position was.
The largest red lotus bead at the center suddenly flashed with light.
Seeing this strange phenomenon, Ji Qingwu turned to look for the Emperor’s reaction, her own expression lively and bright.
Her eyes shining, she said, "Your Majesty, did you see that!"
Emperor Wu Su hadn’t looked at her hand at all. His gaze, deep and dark, was fixed on her face.
He said in a husky voice, "I did."
