Chapter 287: How Long Must We Wait? Bringing Out the Trump Card
Ji Qingwu chose to stay.
Having agreed to Le Xi’s request, she had already braced herself for what was to come.
Ji Qingwu met the gaze of the man on the throne and strode forward, her presence commanding.
Her eyes held no shyness; instead, they shone with the heroic spirit of one making a noble sacrifice for her country.
Zhao Mingyan’s brow arched, and he parted his lips to speak.
But a fair, delicate hand suddenly slammed down on the grand desk before him. The sound wasn’t loud, but the force was considerable, sending a spray of tea splashing from the spout of a nearby teapot.
Droplets of water stained the polished surface of the desk.
It also made the Emperor swallow the words he was about to say.
Ji Qingwu’s emotions were in turmoil, and she hadn’t held back her strength. She had only meant to tap the desk lightly to build her courage. Leaning on her hands, she bent down, her clear, watery eyes staring straight at him.
Zhao Mingyan couldn’t resist raising an arm to touch her face. Just as his calloused fingertips brushed against her cheek...
"Are you certain about this?" His voice was hoarse, yet unbelievably gentle.
The moment he finished speaking, Ji Qingwu straightened up.
Her distance from Emperor Wu Su was tantalizingly ambiguous—neither close nor far.
He murmured softly, "Ah Wu."
His tone was tinged with helplessness. He was already on the verge of madness; if she tried to leave now, he wouldn’t let her go.
Ji Qingwu had no intention of backing down. Things had come to this, and the Emperor’s current condition was partly her fault.
Le Xi had told her the method of relief.
Zhao Mingyan tried to stand, but Ji Qingwu pressed down on his broad, sturdy shoulders, forcing him back down.
"Ah Wu, how long must I wait?"
Ji Qingwu’s hand moved from his shoulder to caress his right cheek, her gaze meeting his, which were as dark and deep as ink.
She once again bent her supple waist and whispered in his ear, "Go to the bed and wait for me."
Her orchid-like breath brushed against his earlobe.
The rise and fall of Zhao Mingyan’s chest quickened.
After speaking, Ji Qingwu drifted away like a soft cloud, slipping into the bath chamber in the side hall.
Steam rose languidly from the water in the pool.
The water had already been prepared, and Li Yuzong had dismissed all the Palace Attendants from the hall.
Ji Qingwu slipped into the warm bath, submerging her entire body. Her face flushed and her heart wouldn’t stop racing.
’Le Xi’s method...’
’I’m not *that* foolish.’ she thought.
’But in truth, I wasn’t the one who injured Emperor Wu Su, and he never told me a single thing about the Breath Avoiding Elixir.’
’For that, I butchered an entire courtyard of my beloved rare medicinal herbs.’
’Only I know what it felt like to be roasted over a fire those few days.’
A wicked thought sparked in Ji Qingwu’s mind: now it was his body’s turn to be roasted for a while.
’At worst, my good intentions just led to a bad outcome.’
’But now that I’ve agreed, I still have to help him solve this. As for the solution...’
Ji Qingwu emerged from the bath, hot water soaking her dark hair. She blinked, and a string of crystalline water droplets slid from her lashes. She wiped the water from her face.
"Peanuts, Peanuts, Peanuts..."
The system responded quickly this time.
[Dearest Host, I’m here! Why did it take you so long to remember me? I’ve been waiting for you for ages!]
The tone was no longer cold but a mechanical voice that sounded deliberately cutesy.
Ji Qingwu said, "Your customer service attitude has suddenly gotten so good. I’m not used to it."
[Dearest Host, if you like it...]
Ji Qingwu cut it off bluntly. "I don’t. It makes my stomach turn."
A BZZT of static sounded, and the system’s tone returned to normal.
[Understood. Restoring previous voice pack now.]
Today, it seemed to be responding to her every command instantly.
Before she could speak again, the system’s voice proactively sounded in her mind.
[Dearest Host, are you perhaps worried about the target’s abnormal physical condition?]
Ji Qingwu furrowed her brow. "Are you spying on me? Shamelessly eavesdropping on my thoughts?"
’I haven’t even stated my purpose, and Peanuts has already learned to jump the gun.’
[Dearest Host, this is merely intelligent monitoring. There is no intention to violate your privacy.]
Ji Qingwu leaned her head back against the white jade rim of the bath, her exposed shoulders and back even more delicate and lustrous than the jade itself.
She asked, "Since you already know, do you have a solution?"
[Yes. The system store has been updated with the latest, highest-quality, most comprehensive, all-encompassing Bedroom Technique, available for your selection.]
For some reason, the system’s mechanical voice sounded somewhat cheerful.
Ji Qingwu had reason to suspect this secret technique was either an unpopular, slow-selling item or a scam product that cost a huge number of points.
"You don’t have any other way? Do I really have to rely on... on *that*?"
Towards the end, her tongue began to tie in knots, and a blush once again crept across her face.
The system’s reply was even more direct, cutting off any path of retreat.
[Host, after analysis, the only solution is sex.]
Ji Qingwu’s hopes were completely dashed.
’I was overconfident,’ she thought. ’I assumed the system could solve it.’
The thought of what Le Xi had said—that the slightest mistake could cause his body to explode and kill him—made her panic.
Frustrated, Ji Qingwu said, "I get it. I don’t need you anymore. You can go."
However, the system was being unusually proactive today, remaining active in her mind, unwilling to leave.
[Dearest Host, although your conquest mission is complete, it can be restarted.]
Ji Qingwu’s back slipped, and she nearly tumbled into the water.
She said in astonishment, "Restart what? Are you crazy or am I? You want me to go through everything I’ve already experienced all over again?"
[Host, you have already completed the childbirth mission. You can choose to accept a new mission.]
Ji Qingwu covered her palm-sized face with her hands, rubbing her cheeks.
Extremely vexed, she said, "Just stop adding to my troubles. I’m in no mood to think about this."
’This situation is no different from when he forced himself on me back then.’
The system persisted, continuing its sales pitch.
[Are you sure you don’t want to hear about the new mission? Because you are Peanuts’s first host, it is being offered to you first.]
Ji Qingwu peeked through a gap in her fingers, her curiosity piqued.
"What kind of mission? What’s in it for me?"
Changing her appearance, extending her lifespan, gaining wealth—Ji Qingwu had no interest in any of it.
She had previously traded childbirth for her health. And although her current life had its share of minor troubles, she was generally satisfied.
[The mission is: for every intimate contact with the conquest target, you will receive a bonus to the nation’s destiny.]
Ji Qingwu’s mind went blank for a moment. ’What in the world is that?’
The system began to explain the mission in detail.
[After the bonus is applied to Beili Country’s destiny, it can mitigate natural disasters and avert man-made calamities to varying degrees.]
A flicker appeared in Ji Qingwu’s eyes.
’I’m willing to trust in Emperor Wu Su’s strategies,’ she thought. ’He played everyone for a fool during this assassination attempt; when it comes to the art of being an Emperor, he has no problems.’
’As for the nation’s destiny, it’s better to earn it through one’s own efforts.’
[The succeeding heir—that is, the Host’s children—will be able to enjoy an era of peace, prosperity, and good health.]
Yuan Heng and Jiu Jiu were indeed the two most vulnerable parts of Ji Qingwu’s armor.
Her fingers couldn’t help but tighten. A mother always wants her children to experience fewer storms in life.
Sensing the wavering in its Host’s resolve, the system played its trump card.