Chapter 173, Let me repeat myself, and try to respond.

Ji Qingwu's palm was brushed by his burning lips, and she was about to pull her hand back.

Then I heard him say in a muffled voice, "Say it again."

Ji Qingwu's breathing was still unsteady, and she said with a slight pant, "I don't want to marry Wei Ting."

The coolness of her fingertips and the sincerity in her words successfully dispelled all the gloom in his heart.

Emperor Wusu grasped her hand tightly, holding it in his own palm.

With tears in her eyes and her lips moist, Ji Qingwu continued, "I don't know why Wei Ting suddenly brought up the matter of proposing marriage. I was also very surprised. When Wei Ting came today, I refused him in person."

Emperor Wusu's expression changed.

The secret reports sent back from all corners of the world only mentioned that the two of them had intimate behavior, but did not mention that she had actually rejected the marriage proposal.

"really?"

He asked again.

Although his tone was indifferent, his eyes had already transformed from dark to an uncontrollable brilliance.

Ji Qingwu understood why he was so depressed; it turned out that the biggest problem lay within himself.

He had seen all the embarrassing things she did in her attempts to win over Wei Ting.

She had deliberately hidden herself in front of a secluded lake to practice the konghou, but she really had no talent for music theory, and her playing sounded like a ghost wailing.

Ji Qingwu couldn't bear to hurt Wei Ting's ears, and worried that it might lower her impression score, so she never played for Wei Ting.

How did Emperor Wusu find out? Did he hear her seductive whispers?

"Why aren't you saying anything?" He noticed she was lost in thought, her eyes darting around, her expression lively.

Ji Qingwu looked at him and said, "It's absolutely true, Your Majesty. Don't you believe me?"

He rubbed her hand and said, "You're just a little liar."

"What did I lie about?"

As soon as the words were spoken, a cool breeze arose, swirling up the fallen leaves and flower buds at their feet.

Emperor Wusu placed her soft hand on his chest.

But Ji Qingwu suddenly felt an itch in his nose and, spoiling the mood, sneezed.

The two went inside.

Ji Qingwu sat anxiously on the couch, his hands supporting him on the edge, his body ramrod straight, as if he were not at home.

Emperor Wusu pulled up a chair and sat down near the edge of the couch.

Ji Qingwu sat reservedly in the main seat, while the emperor sat to her left, but the majesty of a superior does not need to be demonstrated by position.

The emperor sat facing her, his long legs spread apart, his posture even more relaxed and casual than hers.

He calmly asked, "What did you say during the day?"

Emperor Wusu was very interested in the process by which she rejected Wei Ting.

Ji Qingwu stated bluntly, "That means I don't want to marry him."

However, Wei Ting didn't care about her wishes, and even if she said she didn't want to, he didn't intend to let her go.

Thinking of this, Ji Qingwu had an idea for some reason.

If the emperor disregards her wishes and forces her to enter the palace as a concubine, what other options does she have?

This idea is terrifying.

Ji Qingwu shook his head, trying to shake the thought away.

Emperor Wusu saw her all night, and she repeatedly lost focus in front of him.

He used his open legs to trap her knees, and Ji Qingwu instantly felt the strong, long legs emanating a powerful masculine strength.

She immediately snapped out of her daze and realized she had been thinking too far ahead.

Even if Emperor Wusu wanted to force her into the palace, she couldn't escape or avoid him if he wanted to do something to her right now.

Ji Qingwu pursed her lips and looked at him.

Tonight, Emperor Wusu was particularly persistent on this question: "If you don't want to marry Wei Ting, then who do you want to marry?"

Ji Qingwu already had the answer.

His angry words, spoken in her ear, "You are not allowed to marry me," are still deeply etched in her mind.

She wanted to marry someone else, but how could the emperor agree?

She now strongly suspects that Emperor Wusu might have been behind Princess Qingyun's earlier interference in her and Li Chengxun's affairs.

Ji Qingwu said softly, "Can't I just not get married?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Wusu frowned; the answer was completely different from what he had expected.

She didn't want to marry anyone, and she treated everyone the same. In fact, none of them were as good as Li Chengxun, at least he had once made her consider marriage.

The emperor retorted, "Don't you want to marry every single woman you meet?"

This was an attempt to dredge up old grievances. Ji Qingwu was provoked and said angrily, "If that's the case, then I've seen His Majesty the most, so I don't want to marry His Majesty."

Like striking a snake at its vital spot, Ji Qingwu accurately hit the nail on the head.

Emperor Wusu's expression hardened, and his gaze fell deeply on her face, at which point she felt a lingering fear.

After giving the tiger a hard slap on the rump, Ji Qingwu finally thought about smoothing its fur, and she hurriedly explained a few things.

"What I mean is, not wanting to marry Wei Ting doesn't mean I want to marry anyone else."

She added weakly, "At least, I don't want to right now."

Emperor Wusu, who was categorized as one of the "others," couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

At this moment, she was hugging her arms, and her gaze towards him held a hint of timidity, a sign of insecurity.

Although he didn't gain anything more, hearing from her that she didn't want to marry Wei Ting was enough to dispel most of the gloom in his heart.

In any case, this means that Wei Ting is not as important to her as he thought.

Seeing that Emperor Wusu remained silent.

Ji Qingwu's little schemes started to stir again.

The lights flickered, and she had never felt that the lights in her room had ever been so dazzling and magnificent.

Her gaze fell on his robe, the fabric of which seemed to shimmer with tiny sparkles, making her unsure where to look.

Ji Qingwu's posture, which was originally quite upright, has now become crooked and unsteady. She seems unsure of where to put her hands; she wants to place them on her knees, but his thighs are right next to her.

She could only touch her earlobe for a moment, and then fiddle with her hair.

Being in the same room with Emperor Wusu, even the rhythm of his breathing seemed to become disordered.

Ji Qingwu's restless state did not escape the other party's notice.

"you......"

The emperor suddenly frowned and looked at her.

He pulled her hand away from her ear and asked with concern, "Is it an allergic reaction?"

Ji Qingwu was stunned: "No, I haven't eaten anything that I'm allergic to."

Emperor Wusu's eyes crinkled with amusement as he said, "Otherwise, why are you blushing and scratching your head like that?"

Ji Qingwu tried to take her hand back, but he used the momentum to pull her back. He stood up slightly, placed his long legs under her knees, and pulled her directly onto him.

"Let me take a closer look and see if it's really an allergic reaction?"

Ji Qingwu felt embarrassed and wanted to bury her face, but all she could see was his firm chest.

As if sensing her thoughts, he raised his hand to stroke her long hair, pressed his large hand against the back of her neck, and pulled her into his arms.

“Ah Wu.”

Ji Qingwu tried to lift her head from his embrace, but he held her neck down, refusing to let her move.

He called out softly again, "Awu."

As Ji Qingwu smelled the ambergris scent tinged with his body heat, she gradually felt at ease and tried to respond.