Chapter 312: I Want to Sleep Well by Your Side
The moment she finished speaking, Zhao Mingyan rolled over, lifted her blanket, and slipped in beside her.
Ji Qingwu’s eyes widened.
’The Emperor, forgoing his magnificent palace to come all the way to the Wei residence just to take shelter from the rain—was that reasonable?’
’Not only was it unreasonable, but he couldn’t even be bothered to come up with a decent excuse.’
Ji Qingwu scooted further to the other side of the bed. "Not even a three-year-old would believe that story, Your Majesty."
Zhao Mingyan pulled her into his arms, trapping her limbs with his own and drawing her close.
"Ah Wu, do you believe me?"
Ji Qingwu shook her head frankly. "Of course not."
"So Ah Wu doesn’t believe me," Zhao Mingyan drawled. "Does that mean you’re only three years old, too?"
Ji Qingwu huffed in discontent and tried to move away. His body was warm, but his heat made her flustered.
Zhao Mingyan stopped teasing her, loosening his arms to let her go. He heaved a deep sigh, as if all his exhaustion and helplessness were condensed into that single breath.
"The rain outside is so heavy. I’m just staying for one night."
If Emperor Wu Su had maintained his usual domineering posture, Ji Qingwu might have found a way to resist.
But this sudden show of weakness was not something she was prepared to defend against.
Caught off guard by his sudden change in attitude, Ji Qingwu stopped trying to move away. A distance of half an arm’s length remained between them.
She turned onto her side, propping her head on her hand to look at him.
A dark glint flickered in Zhao Mingyan’s eyes. He took her hand and pressed it against the left side of his chest.
"I haven’t slept well these past two days."
Ji Qingwu looked up at his face. The shadows cast by his eyelashes resembled dark circles under his eyes, and his handsome features were etched with weariness.
Zhao Mingyan said, "I hadn’t planned on coming tonight, but when the rain started, this old wound began to throb with a piercing pain."
Ji Qingwu’s fingers on his chest stiffened. She arched her hand, not wanting to press on his injury.
She said softly, "That’s how it is when a wound is healing. It will itch and ache. Just try to bear it, and don’t touch it."
’But that has nothing to do with the rain,’ Ji Qingwu thought, though she didn’t call him out on his lie.
Zhao Mingyan said, "But I always feel so unsettled."
His broad palm enveloped her fingers, gently kneading and toying with them.
The rough calluses on his hand made her heart race and her scalp tingle. Memories of that same hand caressing her entire body flooded her mind.
Her throat tightened. "Feeling unsettled is a matter of the mind, not a physical ailment. There is nothing seriously wrong with your body, Your Majesty."
After speaking, Ji Qingwu tried to pull his hand away, but she couldn’t shake it loose. Even if she could, there was nowhere suitable to put it.
As if taking a hint, his hand obligingly found the perfect resting place on the curve of her waist.
"I..." Ji Qingwu’s lips had just formed a single word.
Zhao Mingyan’s voice was low and husky. "I have important matters to attend to tomorrow, and there can be no room for error. I just want to get a good night’s sleep here with you."
He closed his eyes, moving his hand from her waist to her back and patting it gently. A peaceful, contented smile touched his lips.
Ji Qingwu swallowed the words she had been about to say.
’She still hadn’t figured out how to explain the origin of the key to Emperor Wu Su.’
’If she just told him she’d found Prime Minister Su’s secret key on the road, would that be too preposterous? It would be as believable as the Emperor claiming he came to the Wei residence to take shelter from the rain for a night.’
As he patted her back with a gentle, steady rhythm, drowsiness began to wash over her. She struggled to keep her heavy eyelids open as she looked at his face.
’The Emperor hadn’t had it easy these past few days. What was this important matter he mentioned for tomorrow, the one that couldn’t have any mistakes?’
’He had come all this way to be with her, just to get a good night’s sleep.’
At this thought, a pang of sorrow pricked at Ji Qingwu’s heart.
’People always say it’s not easy to be an official, but she had always felt it was even harder to be a ruler. To be a good emperor was the hardest of all.’
’Having to deal with so many troublesome affairs every day... just thinking about it made Ji Qingwu’s head feel like it was about to explode.’
The hand on her back gradually stilled. His breathing became long and even; he was fast asleep.
Ji Qingwu couldn’t hold on any longer and finally let her own drowsy eyes drift shut.
’Whatever. I’ll just sleep for now...’
When Ji Qingwu woke up, there was no sign of the Emperor beside her.
Only a slight indentation in the bedding remained as proof that someone had been there.
Ji Qingwu felt as if the bedding was now imbued with his scent. As Xuemei came in to tidy the bed, she sat at her dressing table, unable to stop herself from casting a few self-conscious glances.
Xuemei said, "Madam, it rained heavily last night, even harder than yesterday afternoon. Did you sleep well?"
Ji Qingwu nodded. "I slept very well."
Xuemei said, "A nanny from Madam Wei’s side sent a message early this morning, requesting you to make a trip to Yiyang Pavilion."
Ji Qingwu asked, "Did she say what it’s about?"
Xuemei said, "The nanny didn’t say, and I didn’t dare to ask."
Ji Qingwu put down her comb. "I understand. I’ll head over in a little while."
Due to the Emperor’s grave injury, the entire Imperial Palace was under lockdown, and lessons in the Upper Study Room had been suspended.
Ji Qingwu had breakfast with Jiu Jiu, then left the child in Lan Zhi’s care before heading toward Yiyang Pavilion, where Madam Wei resided.
It had rained last night, and the potholes in the path were still filled with water.
Ji Qingwu carefully avoided the puddles, but her shoes were still splattered with a bit of muddy water.
Nanny Cao was standing at the entrance. When Ji Qingwu approached, she said, "Madam, the matriarch is in her room. Please follow me."
Ji Qingwu followed Nanny Cao to a room in the west wing.
The moment she stepped inside, she was overwhelmed by the thick scent of burning incense. She wrinkled her nose, fighting the urge to sneeze.
Madam Wei was kneeling on a prayer cushion, slowly turning a string of lustrous Buddha Beads in her hands. Her brow was tightly furrowed as if she were praying about some difficult matter.
Nanny Cao approached the matriarch with light steps. "Your Ladyship, she is here."
Madam Wei respectfully pressed her palms together and made one final bow before allowing Nanny Cao to help her to her feet.
Without looking at Ji Qingwu, she said, "Let’s go to the tea room next door."
A Zisha clay tea caddy sat on a neatly arranged tea table, and a guqin rested in the corner.
The body of the instrument was of a classic, simple design, but its strings were slack, looking as if it hadn’t been played in a very long time.
Nanny Cao poured two cups of tea before excusing herself.
Madam Wei sat down on the side of the table near the guqin. "Do you know why I’ve summoned you?"
Ji Qingwu slowly sat down opposite her.
"I do not."
Hearing Ji Qingwu’s formal mode of address, the wrinkles around Madam Wei’s mouth deepened. She held her head high and said, "I know you were unwilling to marry Ting’er. Even now, you don’t consider yourself his wife, and you have no intention of staying long in the Wei Family."
’Those two sentences hit the nail right on the head.’
Ji Qingwu’s expression remained neutral. "What makes you so sure I was unwilling, Madam Wei?"
Madam Wei said, "You married into the Wei Family, yet the dowry chests you brought with you are still sitting in the storeroom, unopened. It’s clear you’re just planning to have them carried back out the same way they came in."
’I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead,’ Ji Qingwu mused. ’I just haven’t had the time to deal with them.’
Madam Wei noted her calm expression; she showed no sign of panic at having her intentions exposed.
She continued, "You didn’t want this marriage, and I didn’t want you in this family. We have a mutual dislike for one another."
A hint of delight touched Ji Qingwu’s eyes.
"Then in that case..."