Chapter 250 Anything I can give, I will give!

Then, he walked step by step to stand in front of Emperor Wusu.

Ji Qingwu's shoulders slumped, his hands clenched into fists, and his lips moved slightly.

She looked back into his eyes, his dark pupils unwavering.

"What Your Majesty desires—"

The light in Ji Qingwu's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and his voice was clear and crisp, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.

"I will give you anything I can."

Ji Qingwu meant...

She was willing to give him anything she could.

In an instant, the teasing smile on Emperor Wusu's lips vanished, and his prominent Adam's apple bobbed several times.

The light in Ji Qingwu's eyes finally exploded violently in Emperor Wusu's heart.

After a while, those points of light surged from my heart to my eyes, bursting forth with intense brilliance.

She really is...

If they don't speak, they don't speak at all; but if they do, they'll say something earth-shattering, something that will shock the world.

Emperor Wusu's voice was hoarse.

"Awu, you came here by your own choice, you came to my side, didn't you?"

Ji Qingwu's throat was also very tight and hoarse. Unwilling to admit defeat, he said, "It was clearly His Majesty who tricked me into coming in."

He looked up at her and asked to confirm, "So, did I succeed in deceiving you?"

Seeing that he seemed a little hesitant, Ji Qingwu felt that actions speak louder than words.

Her hand touched the narrow corset that encircled her slender waist.

Emperor Wusu's gaze followed her hand closely: "Awu, this is not a good idea."

They may say it's bad, but their eyes tell a different story.

His ardent, burning gaze seemed to tangibly trace her waistline, as if trying to penetrate her body through her clothes.

Ji Qingwu's palms were sweating.

With trembling hands, she untied the jade pendant with a lotus and mandarin fish relief hanging from her waist.

Emperor Wusu frowned slightly.

He didn't expect her to remove the jade pendant; he thought that once she understood, she would bring him an even bigger surprise.

Ji Qingwu carefully held the jade pendant in her left hand and presented it to him.

Emperor Wusu looked down at the white jade in his soft palm.

The carved pattern is not complicated, but the details are exquisitely carved and lifelike, which is due to the craftsman's ingenuity.

The jade was of superior quality, but it was far less valuable than the jade that the emperor usually wore.

Ji Qingwu said softly and solemnly, "This is a gift for His Majesty."

Emperor Wusu neither responded nor accepted the gift, but instead took her right hand.

When he saw the newly formed calluses on her hands and fingertips, he was right, just as he had guessed.

Emperor Wusu said in a low voice, "Was it a token made by Awu himself?"

Ji Qingwu turned her head and looked at the blue and white porcelain plate on the table. Her earlobes were already red, like rubies.

Emperor Wusu took her right hand and kissed the calloused areas.

With his other hand, he grasped her left hand, interlocking their fingers, and placed the jade pendant between their palms.

The kiss was very forceful, almost like a biting or nibbling motion.

Ji Qingwu's heart contracted uncontrollably, following the sensation from his fingertips, and his heartbeat began to synchronize with the frequency of his kiss.

Her eyes were moist and bright, and she said in a soft and coquettish voice, "This is a return gift."

Seeing that Ji Qingwu still had the jade ring at his waist, the one he had given him, he sighed and said, "I will cherish Awu's kindness."

She nodded obediently and shyly withdrew her hand.

This place is, after all, still within the Empress Dowager's palace, making it inconvenient to do anything, and there are many eyes and ears around.

Emperor Wusu said with deep eyes, "I will be waiting for you at the Lotus Pavilion tonight."

What are we going to do at that remote Tibetan museum...?

Ji Qingwu quickly looked away from his waist and hips.

The two have even had children, so logically they don't need to adhere to these formalities.

However, Ji Qingwu had a significant lingering fear of doing that kind of thing, and thought he should postpone it as long as possible.

She said, "I was referring to His Majesty's birthday, when he can have anything he wants, not now."

Emperor Wusu looked at her fair face and felt a strong urge to kill her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

After waiting for so long, what's another ten days?

Emperor Wusu sighed and said, "Very well, I'll wait."

But his eyes clearly told Ji Qingwu that when the Emperor's birthday arrived...

She won't have an easy time.

*

Ji Qingwu lived a more comfortable life than anyone else in Cining Palace.

Ever since Emperor Wusu had lunch at the Empress Dowager's place, the Empress Dowager's attitude towards Ji Qingwu has changed dramatically.

If Princess Qingyun were to enter the palace now, she might not even have the same respect as the Empress Dowager.

Ji Qingwu knew perfectly well the reason behind this; the Empress Dowager wouldn't be kind to her without a reason.

The Empress Dowager wanted to create more opportunities for Ji Qingwu to see the Emperor, so she sent her to deliver soup one moment and to the Imperial Garden the next, hoping for a chance encounter.

Not wanting the Empress Dowager to notice too much, Ji Qingwu remained submissive and obsequious when meeting Emperor Wusu in public.

Therefore, everyone in the palace knew that two girls had come from the Empress Dowager's maternal family, one of whom was always hanging around the Emperor.

But the emperor remained indifferent and showed little affection for her.

Only Ji Qingwu herself knew that when Emperor Wusu saw her, his eyes gleamed like a wolf eyeing a lamb.

It's getting greener every day.

As a result, Ji Qingwu has not dared to show his face in front of Emperor Wusu in recent days.

Today, she had just gotten up when the Empress Dowager assigned her a new task.

Everything that needs to be prepared for the Emperor's birthday celebration has been almost done, except that the guest lists for some banquets have not yet been finalized.

The Imperial Household Department and the Court of State Ceremonies were responsible for planning the banquets for the court officials, while the Empress Dowager was responsible for arranging the banquets for the concubines and female relatives.

The Empress Dowager intended for Ji Qingwu to interact more with the concubines in the harem in preparation for her entry into the palace, so she entrusted this task to her.

Ji Qingyuan was assigned to check the forms with the Imperial Household Department. When she passed by Ji Qingwu, she rolled her eyes.

Ji Qingwu was sitting in a pavilion near Cining Palace when three waves of concubines arrived.

It was simply a matter of wanting to arrange more seats for family members on the Emperor's birthday, so that the family could have more opportunities to appear in front of the Emperor.

She had just seen off one group when someone she never expected arrived.

Wei Liru, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, walked up to the stone table in front of her and said, "We meet again, Miss Ji."

Ji Qingwu stood up and said, "Greetings, Consort Wei."

Wei Liru was dressed as brightly as ever, but a closer look revealed the weariness in her eyes.

When she saw Ji Qingwu's radiant and spirited appearance, she found it irritating.

"Miss Ji is really riding high lately."

Ji Qingwu smiled, not taking her words to heart, and asked, "Did Consort Wei come here specifically to congratulate me?"

Wei Liru sat on the stone bench opposite her.

"You can still laugh? You have absolutely no affection for my brother."

Ji Qingwu has heard a lot of rumors circulating in the palace lately.

Wei Ting was demoted to a city gatekeeper, and as a result, Consort Wei was also treated coldly in the palace.

Ji Qingwu tidied up the list on the table and said, "If Your Highness is dissatisfied with the Emperor's decision, you are free to go and see him."

Wei Liru raised her voice and said, "Do you think I wanted to come looking for you! If the Emperor were willing to see me, I wouldn't be here."

Everyone knows that among all the people in the palace, she has seen the emperor the most.

They were all saying that this Fifth Miss Ji only got to show her face in front of Emperor Wusu because of the Empress Dowager's influence. But Wei Liru knew in her heart that it was the Empress Dowager who wanted to use her as a stepping stone.

Ji Qingwu said something that made Wei Liru so angry that her eyes turned red.