Chapter 160 Wrong Posture, Take a Bite to Vent Anger

The more unknown something is, the more dangerous it is.

When the emperor got angry, even Li Yuzong, who had always been by his side and was very familiar with his temper, couldn't handle it.

Ji Qingwu had doubts in her heart. Could she do it?

Her foot hovered on the step, and she whispered, "Going in won't solve anything, maybe we should—"

Fearing she might change her mind, Li Yuzong shouted in a high-pitched voice, "Your Majesty, the Fifth Miss of the Ji family requests an audience!"

As expected of an old servant who served the emperor, his reaction speed is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Ji Qingwu could only wait for the emperor inside to speak.

Before there was any movement in the hall, Li Yuzong hurriedly said to her, "His Majesty summons you to an audience, Miss Ji, please go in quickly."

Ji Qingwu: ......

Why couldn't she hear anything?

The Qin Zheng Hall was noticeably quiet, as still as stagnant water.

The next moment, she heard it.

Four words came from inside the hall.

"Close the palace doors."

The emperor's voice was magnetic and husky.

Ji Qingwu's heart trembled. The anger contained in that tone was so intense that even though she was standing at the door, she felt as if she was about to be ignited by that strong emotion.

She finally understood why Eunuch Li and Xiao Dongzi were so afraid.

Ji Qingwu was also afraid, and she quickly said, "Eunuch Li, His Majesty means he will not summon me, so I'd better go back first."

After saying that, she tried to run away, but Li Yuzong quickly blocked her way.

If Miss Ji is really let go, the next few days will be unbearable for these servants as they face the Emperor's stern and intimidating demeanor.

Ji Qingwu said, "Eunuch Li, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's that His Majesty wants to close the palace gates and refuses to see me."

Li Yuzong scratched his head, but decided to tell the truth.

He spoke in a low voice, "Miss Ji, you are the one who ignited His Majesty's anger, and it is up to you to extinguish it."

"I lured it?" Ji Qingwu pointed to himself, saying incredulously.

She recalled what she had done since entering the palace. She hadn't even seen Emperor Wusu's face. How could she have ever angered him?

A cough came from inside.

Li Yuzong's eyes darted around: "Miss Ji, I apologize for any offense."

Ji Qingwu was suddenly pushed by him, but the force was not great, just enough to push her into the palace.

Then, he swiftly closed the vermilion door of the Hall of Diligent Governance, and Ji Qingwu was also locked inside.

The heavy door panel almost hit Ji Qingwu's nose, and she took a small step back.

Is this what it means when they say "close the palace gates"?

Before she could even turn around, the feeling of being watched and targeted from behind grew stronger, making her hesitant to make any rash moves.

Emperor Wusu coldly replied, "You didn't come to see me, so why don't you look at me? Why do I have to look at your back?"

Ji Qingwu stiffly turned his head, mustered his courage, and looked up at the person in the hall.

For some reason, the palace lanterns in the hall were all turned off. The sun outside was already setting in the west, and the only light coming in was from the windows.

Emperor Wusu's face was shrouded in shadow.

His eyes were pitch black, devoid of any light.

Even the moment he saw her face clearly, his expression turned as dark as the landscape inkstone on the large table.

Ji Qingwu didn't know where things went wrong; this was completely different from the scene she had imagined while getting ready.

She thought he would be happy, moved, and that he would have a smile as bright as the sun reflecting on snow, just like he did at the Star-Picking Tower.

Why does it seem like the anger is even greater...?

Could it be that Li Yuzong wasn't lying to her, and the emperor's anger was really because of her?

Ji Qingwu frowned slightly, unable to understand why he was angry. Her change in expression did not escape the emperor's notice.

Emperor Wusu said with a cold expression, "Why don't you bow to me?"

Ji Qingwu frowned even more deeply.

It wasn't because the emperor asked her to bow.

Instead, she discovered that, at some point, when she met Emperor Wusu in private, she no longer bowed or referred to herself as "your subject."

Recently, Emperor Wusu has not displayed his imperial authority in front of her. Although his attitude is assertive, it is not without gentle persuasion.

He had always indulged her recklessness.

Now, after being coldly reminded by the emperor, Ji Qingwu realized that she had already overstepped her bounds far.

Looking into his dark eyes, she realized with absolute certainty that even if he doted on her, it wasn't enough to allow her to do whatever she wanted in front of him.

Once the emperor wanted to take back this favor, there was nothing she could do.

Ji Qingwu was about to perform the proper kowtow to the emperor, lifting her skirt with her hand, her knees just bending down.

"Your posture is wrong."

Emperor Wusu rebuked him in a sullen tone.

Ji Qingwu was startled by his sudden voice and knelt down on the ground with a thud.

She hissed.

These gold bricks on the ground are truly genuine; they hit her knees and made them hurt terribly.

She couldn't kneel down; her body lurched forward, barely managing to support herself with her hands, almost ending up in a prostrate position.

A pair of dark satin boots with cloud and dragon patterns appeared before her, and the hem of his bright yellow court robe was still swaying in front of her eyes, showing that he was in a hurry.

Ji Qingwu silently gazed at the colorful clouds on the bright yellow brocade.

He told her to kneel, and she did. What more could he want?

Seeing her kneeling on the cold bricks, Emperor Wusu became even angrier, his chest heaving, his voice filled with undisguised rebuke.

"Is this how you bow?"

What else can be done?

She chose the most foolproof form of bowing, not the usual half-squatting bow or the cupped-hands-and-bowing greeting.

Ji Qingwu began to complain, "It was His Majesty who asked me to perform the ceremony, but he was so picky."

Seeing that she still dared to contradict him, Emperor Wusu tightened his jaw.

"Is your head made of elm wood and your heart made of stone?"

After being refuted by him one after another, Ji Qingwu not only had knee pain, but now his chest also felt throbbing with pain, as if he couldn't breathe.

Ji Qingwu's eyes were red, and she knelt on the ground like a delicate little rabbit.

The emperor said rather irritably, "Get up first."

Not only does she look like a rabbit, but her personality is also just like a rabbit's; when she gets angry, she'll start biting people.

She met his gaze defiantly and said, "Your Majesty, I will not rise. You may punish me as you wish. I only have this one head. If Your Majesty cannot bear to look at it and finds it troublesome, you may simply cut it off."

Emperor Wusu was so angry at her unbridled behavior that he let out a long sigh, feeling frustrated and unable to express his feelings.

After a while...

He then said, "Do you think I don't want to? Sometimes I really want to split it open and see who's inside."

Although the words were harsh, the tone was one of helplessness.

Ji Qingwu stubbornly sat on the ground, refusing to get up, though her tears stubbornly refused to fall, her lips already pursed until they were bloodless.

She looked away first, blinking her eyes which were starting to ache from staring for too long.

Then, she said in a muffled voice, "Your Majesty asked me who's in my head? Anyway, I'm not a capricious person."

Emperor Wusu was caught between anger and resentment.

The woman's eyes were bright and her cheeks, flushed with anger, were as beautiful as peach blossoms in spring.

It's so infuriating that I want to bite it to vent my anger.