Emperor Wu Su was truly stunned.

Holding the soft, pliant woman in his arms, his breath caught. He slowly lowered his gaze to stare at Ji Qingwu’s face.

The silence of that moment made Ji Qingwu nervous. ’Will he like this?’

She figured that since Emperor Wu Su always liked to get handsy with her, it must be a sign of how much he adored her body.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have initially misunderstood that the Emperor only desired her body, teasing her endlessly simply because she was the woman who would bear his heirs.

But later, Ji Qingwu gradually came to understand his feelings, though she couldn’t give him an equal response.

Although she didn’t know what the future held, for now, Ji Qingwu wanted to see his handsome face relaxed and happy whenever she saw him.

She just didn’t know if this would be enough to appease his anger and make that gloomy expression disappear.

Emperor Wu Su’s hands didn’t wrap around her waist as they had before. He just sat there, his reaction flat.

’Was what I did not enough?’

Ji Qingwu suppressed her shyness. Her raven-black eyelashes trembled gently, like a black swallowtail butterfly perched on a crabapple blossom, its wings aquiver, ready for flight.

The butterfly fluttered toward the dazzling imperial yellow, having found its destination.

Ji Qingwu wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her breath as fragrant as an orchid.

Even the most luxurious Yaoguang brocade couldn’t compare to the loveliness and luster of her skin. Though she had already removed her seductive makeup, at this moment, she exuded a natural, soul-stealing allure.

Finally, he moved.

Her wrist, as pale as frost and whiter than snow, was seized in a powerful grip and forcefully torn away from him.

Emperor Wu Su didn’t want her to touch him.

Realizing this, Ji Qingwu felt both mortified and embarrassed. She scrambled to stand up and move aside, the hurt and helplessness in her eyes obvious.

But as their eyes met, she saw the gloom that had gathered in his features gradually fade until it vanished completely.

In the dark depths of his eyes, another kind of darkness began to churn.

In the end, Ji Qingwu couldn’t escape his embrace. He pressed a hand to the back of her neck, preventing her from fleeing but making no further move.

Emperor Wu Su’s voice was hoarse, as if filled with sand.

"Ah Wu, what are you trying to do?"

Ji Qingwu reached out with her free hand and gently stroked his brows, which were as dark and sharp as halberds.

She said softly, "I want to make Your Majesty happy."

Before her words had even faded, Emperor Wu Su jolted as if struck by lightning, and his grip loosened.

As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Qingwu buried her face in his chest.

Soon, a large, warm hand cupped her bottom and lifted her straight up.

He stood, and Ji Qingwu frantically wrapped her arms around his neck, not knowing where he was taking her.

Ji Qingwu was about to find out.

He pressed her down onto the large desk. Memorials were stacked high on one side, and when she looked up, she once again saw the fierce dragon head carved into the ceiling beam.

This time, though, it seemed rather endearingly clumsy.

Emperor Wu Su noticed the smile playing on her lips.

His long fingers twirled a lock of her hair as he asked, "Ah Wu, what are you smiling at?"

Lying on her back on the jet-black desk, her skin looked pale and translucent, and her beautiful eyes shone brightly.

She raised a hand and pointed upward.

"That dragon head is very handsome," she said, her voice musical.

Emperor Wu Su didn’t follow her finger with his gaze. Instead, he snatched her hand from the air and bit down viciously on her index finger.

"No matter how handsome it is, you’re not allowed to look," he threatened.

The ten fingers are connected to the heart; the sensation shot straight to hers.

The gnawing and biting gradually changed in nature as they moved from her fingertip, to her palm, and then to her wrist.

The long dress Ji Qingwu wore had wide sleeves. When she lifted her arm, a long section of it was exposed, smooth and pale as a lotus root.

The mere thought of her running around the streets today in this dress and garish makeup, attracting who knows how many stares, infuriated Emperor Wu Su.

He channeled his strength into his palm, and the dress tore to pieces beneath his hand.

Her magnificent dress now reduced to strips of cloth, Ji Qingwu had no idea what part of herself she should cover.

After a moment of stunned silence, she decided to just cover her face with her hands.

Her voice, on the verge of tears, came from between her fingers. "Your Majesty... aren’t you... aren’t you not angry anymore? Why did you still have to ruin this dress?"

Emperor Wu Su said, "Business is business. Things that displease me must still be dealt with. But since Ah Wu did something that pleased me, I will reward you later."

"Your Majesty doesn’t need to be so clear-cut about it—Ah!" Ji Qingwu’s voice suddenly trembled.

"I don’t wish to see again what others have already seen."

Emperor Wu Su’s tone was calm, but his actions were anything but.

The scenery beneath her skirt was something countless men coveted but could never obtain. Yet for Emperor Wu Su, it was all on display, well within his reach.

Low, heavy panting sounded in her ear.

Ji Qingwu could almost feel the lines on his roaming palm. He pressed down so hard, as if trying to sear a brand into her body.

After a short while, low sobs once again echoed in the vast, empty hall.

Ji Qingwu blindly grabbed onto something.

Emperor Wu Su caught sight of her crumpling a piece of stationery on the desk. "Daring to destroy the evidence? That’s another offense."

The consequence of this additional offense was her soft sobs turning into melodious wails.

She didn’t dare grab anything else, afraid he would find another excuse to punish her. She could only clutch tightly at the fabric of his robes.

But he enveloped her hand with his own and pressed it against the Golden Dragon on his imperial yellow Dragon Robe.

The embroidery of the dragon was exquisite, rendering the divine creature’s fierce, unyielding form with lifelike detail.

An old saying goes that the dragon is long like a snake but has scales and claws. It can be hidden or revealed, grow massive or shrink, fly through the sky or dive into the water, and summon rain and clouds.

Ji Qingwu was personally tutored by the Emperor, learning much knowledge she had never experienced firsthand before.

By the time it was over, she was completely spent.

Emperor Wu Su massaged her wrist. Her once-pale palm had been rubbed until it was the color of red jade.

On the way home with Jiu Jiu, Ji Qingwu was still in a daze.

That evening, as she lay drowsily on her bed in Wutong Garden, she suddenly remembered something.

The dream she had that night in the yurt on the grasslands, and the sensation in her palm when she woke up... wasn’t it exactly the same as today!

Since she had important matters to attend to the next day, Ji Qingwu fell asleep in a fit of pique. She slept soundly through the night, fortunate that the dragon did not disturb her dreams again.

*

「The next morning」

Sunlight streamed through the lattice window as Ji Qingwu sat before her carved vanity, her gaze as placid as water.

"Lan Zhi, do my makeup the same way you did yesterday."

She added, "Make it even more bewitching!"

Lan Zhi didn’t understand where the Fifth Missy’s vexation came from, assuming she hadn’t been satisfied with yesterday’s makeup.

So today, she took even greater care in styling Ji Qingwu.

When the makeup was done and the clothes were changed, the mistress and maid looked at the woman in the bronze mirror.

She was truly a heart-stopping, bewitching vixen.

Ji Qingwu smiled faintly. "Have you taken care of the matter I entrusted to you?"

Lan Zhi hurriedly replied, "Fifth Missy, it’s all been taken care of."

Ji Qingwu’s lips curled in satisfaction. "Let’s go. We’ll head to Hanshan Temple now."