Chapter 322: Good Brother, Hide for a Little While
...to avoid any unexpected complications.
She called out, "Nong Ying."
Wei Tongyou walked over to Ji Qingwu’s side, her eyes secretly scanning the man standing across from them. He was plain-looking, and his clothes marked him as a servant.
But for some reason, his presence made Wei Tongyou tense up. She swallowed hard.
She leaned in and whispered in Ji Qingwu’s ear, "Who is this man?"
Ji Qingwu broke into a magnanimous and open smile.
"Nong Ying, have you forgotten?"
She gestured to introduce him. "This is the one I mentioned to you before—"
Zhao Mingyan’s brow twitched. ’She’s mentioned me to Wei Ting’s sister?’
Ji Qingwu thought for a moment, picking a simple, unassuming name in her head.
"Brother Ah Niu."
Even through the human-skin mask, one could see "Brother Ah Niu’s" expression shifting rapidly.
Wei Tongyou had no idea who this "Brother Ah Niu" was. She whispered, "What is he here for?"
A man dressed as a servant appearing in his master’s chambers in the middle of the night was highly suspicious.
Ji Qingwu blinked. "Brother Ah Niu has been in love with me for a long time. Even though I have an arranged childhood betrothal, he still pursues me relentlessly. He came to work for the Su family just for my sake."
"Just to see me more often, he’s always coming to the front courtyard to find me. I’ve told him off so many times, but he won’t listen. And look, now that the master is away, he’s come looking for me again."
Ji Qingwu pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.
Zhao Mingyan raised an eyebrow. ’So she’s taken what I said earlier and added a few embellishments.’
The more Wei Tongyou listened, the graver her expression became.
As a martial artist, she could sense the man’s powerful aura far more intuitively than Ji Qingwu.
’This man is definitely no simple country bumpkin.’
Noticing her tense posture, Ji Qingwu hinted, "He’s here for me. You don’t need to worry."
But Wei Tongyou was torn. Hearing Ji Qingwu’s words, she immediately assumed her future sister-in-law had been completely fooled by this man.
’The man before her had unfathomable power. He was clearly a great figure, someone at the Grandmaster Level who could roam the martial world.’
’Should I draw my Soft Sword and risk a fight?’
But sometimes, even before a fight begins, a single glance is enough to know the outcome.
Wei Tongyou recognized with stark clarity that she had no chance of winning, but she was absolutely certain she would lose.
Ji Qingwu noticed Wei Tongyou’s hand was trembling. She took it in hers and patted it gently.
"It’s chilly at night. If you’re cold, you can go wait inside."
Wei Tongyou’s hand trembled as it reached for her waist. ’My sister-in-law is so gentle. I have to protect her.’
She reached for her Soft Sword, preparing to fight.
Zhao Mingyan said coolly, "I have something to discuss with your Sister Han Zhang."
That one simple sentence was enough to make Wei Tongyou abandon all thoughts of fighting him. Moving stiffly, she pushed open the door and walked out.
’Every extra moment I stay alive is a win.’
The antechamber by the entrance fell silent once more.
Ji Qingwu said softly, "Don’t frighten her."
After all, Wei Tongyou is still young and has never witnessed the might of an Emperor. Besides, she came here to help me.
Zhao Mingyan no longer bothered to hide his identity, saying with displeasure, "So now you’re all protective of Wei Ting’s sister."
It had only been a few days, yet the Wei family’s young miss was already so close to her that she would follow her on a perilous mission like breaking into the Su Mansion.
Ji Qingwu’s dark lashes fluttered, her eyes glinting as she said, "Wei Ting? Who’s that?"
Zhao Mingyan tilted his head and took a step toward her.
Playing dumb, Ji Qingwu took half a step back. "Brother Ah Niu, what are you talking about? I don’t understand."
Zhao Mingyan reached out and hooked her chin with his finger.
"It’s fine if you don’t understand, but you have to say a few things I want to hear. When are you going to call off that childhood betrothal?"
Ji Qingwu shook her head, the touch of his finger tickling her. "Now is not the time for that."
She turned to look at the inner room, covering half her face with her hand as she whispered, "Can we please focus on the task at hand? We can talk later."
’Su Fengyue could be back any minute. It’ll be much harder to act then.’
Zhao Mingyan crossed his arms and said unhurriedly, "Call me something pleasant."
’Isn’t Brother Ah Niu pleasant enough?’
Ji Qingwu silently grumbled at how leisurely the Emperor was, sneaking into someone else’s home as if he were strolling through his own garden.
She pondered for a moment, then looked up and leaned close to his ear.
Her sweet, fresh scent enveloped him, and Zhao Mingyan found himself breathing a little easier. His eyes lifted slightly, waiting for her to speak.
"Dear Brother Ah Niu."
Her voice, deliberately pitched high, was exceptionally sweet—like the sugar glaze on a candied hawthorn, crisp, sweet, and sticky.
’If only I could have a taste...’
The moment she finished speaking, Ji Qingwu tried to run, but Zhao Mingyan grabbed her by the collar with one hand and, with a slight tug, hauled her back.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Her back slammed into his chest, and a voice spoke right beside her ear.
"I’m not satisfied. Say it again."
Ji Qingwu looked troubled, her tone utterly sincere. "With the face you’re wearing now, that’s the only name you deserve."
’With that broad face and those small eyes, he looks exactly like a simple, honest farmer who could plow acres of land on his own.’
’Calling him Brother Ah Niu is perfectly fitting.’
"You can’t say it while looking at this face?" Zhao Mingyan seemed to let out a derisive snort. "I’m far more generous than you are."
His fingers traced her collar before closing around the nape of her neck.
"Mistress Su Daiyue’s room is in the Elegant Residence in the southeast corner of the rear courtyard. It’s the second room from the end."
Ji Qingwu’s eyes lit up.
This information would save her a lot of trouble.
Ji Qingwu had been anxious that Emperor Wu Su would try to stop her, but now it seemed he not only knew why she was here but was also willing to offer a little help.
But that wasn’t her only reason for being here.
He saw that Ji Qingwu didn’t leave, but instead turned back to look at him with a hesitant expression.
A smirk played on Zhao Mingyan’s lips. "Why don’t you take your ’good little sister’ with you?"
’The Emperor even knows about the crack on the scroll jar in Su Fengyue’s room. He’s obviously searched this place already.’
Ji Qingwu figured she should still ask, just to avoid wasting her efforts.
Besides, now that he was here, she didn’t want to be separated from him—if only for her own safety.
She asked softly, "Did you find anything amiss in this room?"
"No," Zhao Mingyan said. "What are you looking for?"
Ji Qingwu said, "I learned from Madam Song that Prime Minister Su has been engaging in misconduct. I came hoping to find some concrete evidence of his wrongdoing."
She told him half the truth, holding the other half back.
She still hadn’t found the right opportunity to give him the key.
Zhao Mingyan said, "There’s nothing in this room. We’ll have to look elsewhere."
Ji Qingwu nodded. "Then let’s go to the rear courtyard and find Mistress Su Daiyue." He raised no objection.
Suddenly, Wei Tongyou’s voice rang out from outside the door. "Master, you’re back!"
’This girl from the Wei family isn’t so foolish after all. She knows how to keep watch.’
Zhao Mingyan glanced at the door and warned, "Find an excuse to leave. Don’t get tangled up with him."
But Ji Qingwu ignored him. As the Emperor was about to slip out the back window, she shoved him straight into a storage cabinet at the side of the antechamber.
"Be a dear and hide for a moment."