Chapter 140 This person's strength should not be underestimated!

Lotus Pavilion.

The night breeze was refreshing, but the room grew increasingly hot, and the intense heat didn't just come from him.

And her too.

Her mind was in turmoil from the overwhelming surge of emotions. She was in great pain, but her body did not reject his intimacy. In fact, she even shamelessly wanted to be close to him.

When his hand reached under her skirt, Ji Qingwu's eyes instantly cleared, and she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand.

They stared intently into each other's dark eyes, which seemed capable of devouring everything.

Emperor Wusu called her name in a voice so low it could barely be heard.

“Ah Wu.”

Their tenderness was so intense, it seemed to contain a hint of prayer.

Ji Qingwu did not hesitate. She pressed her forehead against his chest and moved her waist away from his touch, ending the conversation with a silent yet clear rejection.

Before she could figure it out...

no.

She understood the relative importance of fleeting pleasure versus lasting freedom. She could no longer allow physical intimacy to cloud her judgment of their relationship.

Moreover, Ji Qingwu still harbored a lingering fear of that night, the memory of being cleaved in two by a sharp blade.

She clenched her fingers.

It hurts so much, it's not just a little bit of pain.

Thanks to the birthing system, she had never experienced such pain during childbirth.

Ji Qingwu frowned and glanced at his crotch. Her body, which had been tempted by his male beauty, had completely calmed down.

No, no, no.

Her attitude became even more resolute because of this incident. Under his murderous gaze, she pushed him away and fled as if her life depended on it.

A short while later.

The emperor's hoarse voice rang out.

"Li Yuzong".

Li Yuzong, who had been guarding the door, quickly led the palace servants in to attend to him.

Twelve palace lanterns with jade hook cloud patterns slowly lit up.

The two people inside the room sat on either side of the table, their expressions different.

Emperor Wusu's brows were furrowed, a gloomy atmosphere lingering between his eyebrows, revealing an air of sullen displeasure.

Li Yuzong had entered the room with a cheerful expression, but after glancing at his master's expression, he quickly lowered his head, his smile vanishing as he pondered the situation.

Li Yuzong, who had served the emperor for over ten years, had never seen such a strange expression on his master's face.

This was actually... the look of unsatisfied desire.

But just now, he was listening to the noise inside from the doorway, and something was wrong!

His heart trembled at the sound of her soft moans and sobs.

Although he was a rootless eunuch, he wasn't born a castrated man; he had been a man before and knew what that voice represented.

Li Yuzong sighed inwardly, thinking that the emperor was indeed the emperor, able to endure things that ordinary people could not, and even in this situation, he was able to stop it.

But because of this, he admired the troublesome Miss Ji even more, and it was quite an achievement to anger the Emperor.

But it also allows the emperor to suppress his anger.

This guy is not to be underestimated!

When he looked up again, Li Yuzong had switched to a bitter and resentful expression, his eyes filled with deep worry as he looked at his master, who was burning with desire.

Emperor Wusu remained stern-faced.

Ji Qingwu inadvertently met the eyes of this Chief Steward Li and received a variety of emotions in his eyes, including incomprehension, surprise, and admiration.

There was even silent condemnation.

That look in her eyes made it seem as if she had bullied his noble emperor.

Does she have it?

She's the one who was bullied, isn't she?

Ji Qingwu silently turned her head away, avoiding eye contact.

After the lights in the building were turned on, Ji Qingwu was able to see clearly what was in the room.

The gold and jade vases on the antique shelves are incredibly precious, and the calligraphy and paintings covering the walls are all masterpieces by renowned artists; any one of them could be a timeless classic.

On the wall directly opposite the desk hangs a number of portraits of ancient sages, painted so lifelike that one can imagine the splendor of these famous figures in their lifetime.

However, when Ji Qingwu thought about what they had done in front of these portraits, as if they had been doing something inappropriate under the gaze of these people, her face couldn't stop burning. The heat that had just subsided came back up, and her fair and tender ears turned bright red.

This was her first time entering the hall, while the emperor was a regular visitor, yet he still acted without any restraint.

The "culprit" was still calming down by drinking tea.

The tea stove had long been turned off, and the teapot had been cold for a long time. Li Yuzong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this tea has gone cold. Drinking too much is not good for your health. This servant will get you a new teapot."

Emperor Wusu was still furious, and his voice was still hoarse.

He said sullenly, "What's all the noise about? No matter how cold the tea is, can it be as cold as my heart?"

My heart is cold, but my body is burning with heat.

This is the epitome of extreme contrasts between fire and ice.

This statement is clearly pointed at, but as for who it refers to...

Li Yuzong quickly lowered his head and quietly retreated to the side, intending to continue to remain invisible.

Ji Qingwu blinked, pretending not to understand the meaning behind the emperor's words. Then, she lowered her head and followed Eunuch Li to the pillar.

The two stood together, and Li Yuzong gasped.

His narrow old eyes widened more than twice their normal size, and he quickly urged in a low voice, "Miss Ji, what are you doing here? Why don't you go and serve her?"

Ji Qingwu covered her lips with her finger and said softly, "Eunuch Li, His Majesty does not need anyone to serve him. He is calming down. If I go over now, it will only disturb His Majesty."

Li Yuzong's approach was noisy and annoyed the emperor.

Having Ji Qingwu by his side ignited a different kind of anger in the emperor.

Emperor Wusu glanced at the two men standing in a row, his fingers tightening around his teacup, his eyes seeming to shoot out swift, hidden arrows.

With Eunuch Li by her side, Ji Qingwu was no longer so afraid of his cold face, and could even manage a smile for the emperor.

Upon seeing her gentle smile, as soft as a lotus flower after rain, the emperor raised his eyebrows slightly, and his complexion didn't look so bad anymore.

Li Yuzong, who was beside her, followed suit and imitated Miss Ji, squeezing out a wrinkled, fawning smile on his old face, also trying to please his master.

Emperor Wusu's complexion, which had just cleared up, immediately turned gloomy again.

He frowned and said, "What are you laughing at? Your laughter is uglier than your crying. Don't laugh in front of me again."

Seeing Li Yuzong's smile freeze, Ji Qingwu smiled even more brightly.

Night had fallen.

Above the Lotus Pavilion is a pavilion, where a screen inlaid with green jade and carved with kui dragon patterns divides the space into two parts, and the bedding inside is complete.

Li Yuzong had previously sent someone to the Ji family to inform them that Ji Qingwu wanted to stay overnight in the palace. However, by appearing in a separate palace under the guise of the Empress Dowager, it would be more troublesome to explain.

Staying at the Lotus Pavilion would be a good place.

Ji Qingwu stood in front of the jade screen, looking at the furnishings in the room, while Emperor Wusu stood at the door of the pavilion, watching her back.

Seeing that he didn't intend to come in, Ji Qingwu turned around and asked, "Your Majesty, are you leaving?"

Although it was a question, the tone was filled with undisguised joy, showing no reluctance whatsoever.

Emperor Wusu, unwilling to give up, tentatively asked, "Do you want me to stay here?"

Ji Qingwu opened her lips, then closed them again, suppressing the words "I don't want to" that were about to escape her lips.