Chapter 355 She came to receive her punishment; I just love the mundane.

Ji Qingwu tilted his head slightly and saw a dazzling bright yellow appear before his eyes.

The rising sun shone behind him, the jade beads on his court hat swayed gently, and his whole being radiated light.

If only the cold light in his eyes could be as warm as the sunlight.

Before Ji Qingwu could react, Xiao Dongzi next to her suddenly jumped back, wishing he could be ten meters away from her, and then quickly pounced on the ground to greet her.

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

Two other people followed behind Emperor Wusu.

One was Li Yuzong, who was always by her side, and the other was Duan Mingfeng, the person she had just mentioned she was looking for.

Zhao Mingyan's gaze swept coldly over her, then he glanced sideways at Duan Mingfeng to his right before stepping into the hall.

Xiao Dongzi quickly stood up, speaking to Ji Qingwu, but shouting into the hall.

"You said you came specifically to see the Emperor! Please come in!"

Ji Qingwu had no recollection of ever saying such a thing.

But if she wanted to enter the imperial prison now and plead with Emperor Wusu, that would be the quickest and safest way. The only question was whether he would agree...

After hesitating for a moment, Ji Qingwu went inside.

She discovered that Emperor Wusu was discussing matters with Duan Mingfeng, his expression focused, and he was not distracted at all by her entering.

In this spacious hall, Ji Qingwu didn't know where to stand, so he found a spot against the wall that wouldn't be in the way.

After she lowered her head, Zhao Mingyan's gaze would occasionally drift over Duan Mingfeng's shoulder.

He spoke faster and faster, getting to the point quickly and finishing his explanation in no time.

Duan Mingfeng respectfully replied, "This humble servant obeys the order and will submit the evidence to His Majesty within three days."

Zhao Mingyan nodded. Duan Mingfeng had already understood the emperor's intention and left the hall without delay, as fast as the wind.

Hearing footsteps, Ji Qingwu looked up and opened her mouth, but Lord Duan had already disappeared. She could only close her mouth again, feeling disappointed. She would wait until she left the hall to ask Duan Mingfeng about it.

There was no one else in the Hall of Diligent Governance. Zhao Mingyan leaned back on the dragon throne, his posture somewhat languid, and looked directly at her.

It really was mother and son; Ji Qingwu was standing precisely at the spot where Yuan Heng had been punished to stand the night before.

Perhaps for convenience, she also changed into the dress of a maid from the Prince Yong's mansion. The skirt had no complicated patterns, just a simple light pink color.

Ji Qingwu stood obediently, straight and upright, like a new lotus blooming on the wall of the Qin Zheng Hall.

This "new lotus" seems a little guilty.

Ever since Duan Mingfeng left, Ji Qingwu has felt someone's gaze scrutinizing him from head to toe.

Ji Qingwu tensed up, recalling the disrespectful things she had said last night to protect Yuan Heng.

Without the little one by her side, she felt less energetic.

Ji Qingwu held on for a while, but still couldn't hold on.

She walked to the center of the hall, stopped at the foot of the steps of the imperial desk, and looked up at him.

Almost the instant she looked up, Zhao Mingyan spoke up: "What important matter could be making you waiting for me at the door so early in the morning?"

Ji Qingwu looked surprised. He hadn't been waiting expectantly; the man must have seen wrong.

She pursed her lips, putting aside other matters for the moment, and tentatively asked, "His Majesty hasn't punished Heng'er, has he?"

When she came closer, Zhao Mingyan stopped looking at her and said indifferently, "You came here for this matter."

Ji Qingwu shook her head and said, "After asking this, there's something else." Still uneasy, she asked again, "His Majesty wouldn't really punish Heng'er, would he?"

The two faces, one big and one small, overlapped in his memory. Zhao Mingyan said with emotion, "You still know how to care about Yuan Heng. He is much less troublesome than you. His attitude of admitting his mistakes after returning to the palace was excellent. I didn't punish him."

Only after receiving a positive answer did Ji Qingwu feel relieved: "That's good."

Zhao Mingyan picked up the top-of-the-line document on his right and casually said, "What's so good about it? It's hardly a good thing for you."

For her? Not a good thing?

Ji Qingwu was suspicious of his words. His eyes followed his movements and he noticed that the emperor's desk was almost covered with memorials.

Zhao Mingyan glanced down at the contents of the memorial, then slammed it on the table with a sullen face, not knowing what it contained.

These memorials were reviewed by Su Fengyue at the Secretariat some time ago. Lu Juan stayed up all night to organize them and neatly placed them on the far right of the imperial desk.

Based on the current situation, there are probably more than one hundred books, all of which need to be re-examined and re-judged.

The emperor, burdened by heavy political pressure, was bound to show signs of irritability, but a glance at the people below the steps could calm him down considerably.

Ji Qingwu was truly puzzled and asked softly, "What does Your Majesty mean? Why is Heng'er not being punished? Isn't that a good thing for me?"

Even just hearing her voice brought Zhao Mingyan a lot of peace of mind.

He picked up the memorial he had just read again and said in a cold tone, "Are you trying to protect Yuan Heng?"

Ji Qingwu blinked a few times, wondering what the connection was between his question and his answer...

She didn't understand, but still nodded: "Of course I want to protect Heng'er."

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhao Mingyan noticed that her eyes were bright and sparkling. Even though he had a sullen face, she showed no fear.

They've really gotten bolder and bolder.

“If Yuan Heng makes a mistake, it will all be attributed to you, and you will be the one to receive the punishment.”

Upon hearing this, the light in Ji Qingwu's eyes dimmed instantly, and her beautiful lips curled up slightly. It was not hard to tell that she was inwardly criticizing him.

Ji Qingwu was indeed indignant. No wonder Emperor Wusu hadn't punished the little one; he was waiting for her to be punished.

But how can a mother be punished for her son's mistake? Isn't that going against the natural order?

But the unequal treaty was too attractive to her; she had always wanted to protect Yuan Heng to make up for the regrets of so many years.

Besides, the little guy is so sensible and reasonable, what trouble could he possibly cause...?

Ji Qingwu didn't hesitate any longer, straightened her back, and said in a clear voice, "Okay! As long as Your Majesty keeps your word."

Zhao Mingyan lowered his eyes, took a wolf-hair brush from the brush holder, dipped it in vermilion ink, and a smile appeared on his lips.

He marked a few words on the folded book, tossed it to the left, and opened another book.

Ji Qingwu saw that Emperor Wusu was only focused on the affairs of state at hand and was ignoring her.

"Is this deal really going to be settled just by talking about it? Isn't Your Majesty going to write something down?"

Ji Qingwu paused, his eyes slightly evasive, and said, "Your Majesty has so many memorials to approve, so there's no need for you to write them down for me. How about... I get some kind of token?"

Zhao Mingyan raised an eyebrow in surprise, his wrist hovering as he stopped writing.

"What does A-Wu want?"

Ji Qingwu said, "Your Majesty's usual jade pendants, sachets, and the like are all acceptable."

Zhao Mingyan put down the vermilion brush and said, "Haven't I given you enough? You still want those mundane things."

Ji Qingwu thought for a moment. Emperor Wusu had given him quite a few good things, such as a string of glowing red lotus beads and a jade ring, all of which were priceless treasures.

However, no one knew that these two items belonged to the emperor, so she couldn't take them outside to "borrow the emperor's power" and they were of no use.

Ji Qingwu's eyes sparkled as she said, "I like the common stuff; the most common is the most elegant."