Chapter 321 Caught in the Act? I Miss You So Much

Who is it?

Ji Qingwu walked along the carved sandalwood walls to the door and asked in a low voice.

There was only the howling wind outside, and no one answered.

She held her breath and pressed her ear close to the door, trying to distinguish the noise.

The man at the door noticed her caution and said, "I am a farmhand in the backyard. The scroll jar in the master's room has cracked, and some scrolls are damp. They need to be taken out to air them."

The voice sounded like that of a young man, but his throat was hoarse and extremely dry when he spoke.

Are you here to retrieve the scrolls from the scroll container?

Ji Qingwu remembered seeing it in the room just now; there was a scroll-shaped jar with a design of a moon palace and a laurel tree, and there was indeed a clear crack on the right side.

A glint flashed in her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

She braced her wrist against the doorframe, and as soon as the person peeked out, a cloud of silvery-white powder, hidden beneath her wide sleeves, was thrown out.

Coming to pick up books and air them out late at night? Are you going to dry them in the moonlight?

This statement is riddled with errors and sounds suspicious.

As the medicinal powder still glowed under the room's lamplight, Ji Qingwu looked up at the person who had entered.

At first glance, the man was tall, but his appearance was average.

Just then, a strange gust of wind suddenly blew the powder out the door, perfectly avoiding the person, and the powder did not stick to his body at all.

The wind blew on and on, causing her white sleeves and skirt to sway, but the man's gray shirt remained completely still.

Seeing that the powder had no effect, Ji Qingwu tried to run inside and called for Wei Tongyou to come out and help, but Wei Tongyou quickly covered his mouth and nose with his large hand.

Being held hostage, Ji Qingwu's eyes darted back and forth, wondering how her disguise had been seen through so quickly.

He kicked the door shut with his long leg and it closed easily.

Ji Qingwu calmly considered how to deal with the situation.

Seeing that she was quiet and not struggling, he let go of her.

The man's gaze lingered on her face for a long time before he whispered in her ear, "Miss Hanzhang, it's only been a few days since we last met, and we've already become so unfamiliar with each other."

Ji Qingwu's eyes widened in shock. Could this man be Hanzhang's lover?

They didn't encounter anyone else along the way, but upon entering the house, they ran into the person who knew this maid best.

The sounds of washing hands in the inner room gradually subsided. Wei Tongyou should be coming out soon. Could the two of them work together to subdue this farmhand who does rough work?

But this man was strong and didn't look like someone who could be easily defeated...

Ji Qingwu made up her mind to keep the person in front of her calm and not reveal herself yet.

The man pressed himself even closer to her, passionately pushing her against the wooden frame separating the flower hall from the main room.

Don't you miss me at all?

The close proximity made Ji Qingwu wary, and she turned her head away, unwilling to meet his gaze.

He lowered his voice deliberately and said, "I miss you so much."

Soon, Ji Qingwu's delicate eyebrows furrowed, not because the intimacy and ambiguity in the words made her uncomfortable.

Instead, she suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity with this person.

Ji Qingwu raised his chin, sniffed a few times, his eyebrows relaxed and then furrowed again.

He didn't have a familiar scent on him, only a damp smell of wood shavings, as if he had been working as a carpenter outside for a long time.

It doesn't have the unattainable fragrance of ambergris.

Ji Qingwu pursed her lips, annoyed that she had thought of him in such a critical moment.

Zhao Mingyan saw her nostrils flaring as she sniffed his scent, and his eyes were full of smiles.

He deliberately concealed his presence today, making it impossible for him to reveal his identity in such a subtle way.

However, judging from her actions, her attempt to identify him by smell suggests that she has begun to suspect him.

Based on just a short time together, I could vaguely guess his identity. Rather than saying I had keen observation skills, it would be more accurate to say that I was already quite familiar with him.

Zhao Mingyan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling from the top of her head to her hands hanging at her sides.

Something shiny flashed by.

Their awareness of vigilance and precautions is also quite good.

Ji Qingwu noticed that the man in front of her was slightly distracted, so she nimbly slipped out from the gap under his upper arm, which was supporting him on the wooden frame.

Then, she turned her back to him, and in a high-pitched voice, tried to imitate the voice she heard Hanzhang speaking in the kitchen.

"Master will be back soon, you'd better hurry up and get out of here, what if someone sees you?"

Not only did she speak in a coquettish tone, but Ji Qingwu also stomped her foot.

But she was trying to conceal her hand movements.

Her hand rested on her waist, the needles at her fingertips gleaming silver.

Zhao Mingyan stood behind her, a smile playing on his lips, his thick, rugged eyebrows softening into a gentle curve.

He played along with her act, saying, "Master won't be back for a while; he's still holding a funeral at the Song family's house. It's rare for us to have time to meet, and I just want to spend a little more time with you."

His voice was still hoarse, as if it contained sand, but his tone carried a tender and pleasant emotion.

For some reason, Ji Qingwu's heart started pounding as he listened.

She said, "See you tomorrow night, okay?"

“No.” He refused decisively.

Ji Qingwu also neatly added two more silver needles to her fingertips. This lecherous fellow was too troublesome; she would deal with him in her own way first.

Then the man hesitated before speaking, "Unless..."

Ji Qingwu's ears perked up, and he temporarily hid the silver needle back in his sleeve.

He asked, "Unless what?"

"Unless you spend the whole night with me tomorrow to ease my longing."

Ji Qingwu immediately replied, "No problem!"

Since she won't be at the Su family's house tomorrow night anyway, it's the right thing to do now that she's casually agreed and persuade this person to leave.

She turned around, her eyes smiling, and said, "We'll meet again tomorrow night. You should go back to your room and get some sleep; you must be tired after a long day."

As she spoke, she walked to the door frame and gestured with her eyes for him to leave quickly.

He urged again, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

Zhao Mingyan looked at her calmly for a while, then said, "Come here."

Ji Qingwu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

A person's appearance may change, their voice may change, but their commanding tone and unquestionable aura of authority will not change.

If it were anyone else, she wouldn't have been able to recognize the person in front of her.

But she had heard those two words far too many times.

In the Hall of Diligent Governance, in the Wutong Garden, in the Zhaoyang Hall...

Ji Qingwu shuffled his feet toward him, his scalp tingling with unease as he walked. This man was definitely the emperor.

She trusted her intuition; her heart had just settled down when it started racing again.

Why did Emperor Wusu appear at the Su family's residence in the middle of the night, and even disguise himself?

At that moment, the sound of the bamboo curtain being lifted caught their attention.

Wei Tongyou rubbed her hands as she came out of the inner room. Through the openwork wooden panel, she saw that there was an extra man in the flower hall and was stunned for a moment.

Ji Qingwu met her gaze, raised his left eyebrow at her, and then gently shook his head, telling her not to act rashly.

Wei Tongyou nodded solemnly, seemingly unsure whether she understood.

With a third person present, Ji Qingwu was even less able to reveal Emperor Wusu's identity...