Chapter 356 Why Do You Like It? Don't Get Distracted

Zhao Mingyan asked, "Want something common?"

Ji Qingwu nodded: "Yes, the more vulgar the better." This time, her eyes were truly pleading.

Jade ornaments or gold tokens that you carry with you are fine.

Zhao Mingyan stared at her for a long time with unpredictable changes in his eyes, until Ji Qingwu almost thought that the emperor had seen through her intentions and was about to blurt out that she didn't want it anymore.

Then he heard Emperor Wusu speak and summon Li Yuzong in.

Ji Qingwu let out a soft breath.

It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it can be verified that it belongs to the emperor.

Li Yuzong quickly retrieved the items the emperor needed and even packed them in a long, narrow box.

This long huanghuali box, which opens and closes from top to bottom, also has drawers inside, divided into upper and lower compartments.

Ji Qingwu opened his eyes wide, trying to see what it was, and took a few more steps forward.

She also moved closer to Li Yuzong, and Zhao Mingyan glanced at her indifferently.

Li Yuzong opened the box gently and carefully, then moved the folding book aside to give it enough space.

Ji Qingwu squeezed forward a little more and looked into the box, when someone said something in a deep voice.

"Why are you getting so close? Stay away."

She could only reluctantly take a step back.

Li Yuzong said, "Your Majesty, this is a piece of pink wax paper that was presented as tribute from Jiangnan. There is only one sheet left."

Once the box was fully opened, Li Yuzong turned to the side so she could see what was inside. Ji Qingwu smiled at Eunuch Li and expressed her gratitude.

The upper layer was originally imperial wax-coated Xuan paper with cloud and dragon patterns, and the lower layer was lacquer ink with a purplish-jade luster.

Ji Qingwu was a little disappointed.

She didn't know what Emperor Wusu wanted to write, but she knew that her plan had failed and what she had obtained was Emperor Wusu's "calligraphy".

But amidst her disheartened state, she was also somewhat curious about what kind of "common things" he could produce.

After arranging everything, Li Yuzong quietly withdrew from the hall.

"come over."

Ji Qingwu did not move.

Zhao Mingyan looked up at her and said, "What are you standing there for? Come here."

One minute they tell him to stay away, the next they tell him to come closer. His Majesty the Emperor is really hard to please.

Ji Qingwu's dissatisfaction was clearly written in her eyes, without any attempt to hide it. Her feet seemed to be rooted to the ground, refusing to budge.

Zhao Mingyan said with a half-smile, "When did you become so familiar with the eunuchs in front of the emperor, putting your arms around each other's shoulders? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were on duty in front of the emperor."

Ji Qingwu understood his meaning and said with a sudden realization, "Your Majesty wants me to stay away from Eunuch Li?"

Was it because they were afraid she would have too much contact with the palace servants in the Hall of Diligent Governance and thus try to find out information about the Emperor?

Ji Qingwu said, "I will keep my distance from them from now on."

Zhao Mingyan didn't need to look at her; just by listening to her tone, he knew that this unenlightened blockhead of hers had misunderstood again.

"What do you want with Duan Mingfeng?"

Ji Qingwu immediately replied, "I am looking for Lord Duan because something happened at the clinic, and Miss Mo asked me to find him."

She had prepared her excuses in advance, and her answers were incredibly fluent.

While she was standing in the corner, she had already thought about how she would answer if the emperor asked.

Zhao Mingyan said, "Do you even know when you're saying one thing and meaning another...?"

Ji Qingwu met his gaze without looking away, trying her best to prove her "innocence".

Zhao Mingyan said, enunciating each word clearly, "Your eyes will keep blinking, your eyelashes will flutter, and you'll bite your lower lip."

Ji Qingwu quickly released his tightly bitten lip, his eyes darting around nervously, clearly feeling guilty after being hit where it was.

Zhao Mingyan did not delve into the matter, but instead said, "Grind the ink."

Ji Qingwu walked to the side of the imperial desk, placed the ink block of lacquer soot ink on the inkstone, held the ink stick in his hand, and slowly ground it with force.

As the rich ink gradually flowed out, its fragrance filled the air, mingling with the scent of sandalwood in the hall, and Ji Qingwu's heart began to calm down.

When Zhao Mingyan looked up, he saw her with her head bowed, grinding ink with a peaceful expression, and a few strands of hair slipping from her shoulders to her chest, swaying with her movements.

It makes you want to hold it in your hand and wrap it around your fingertips.

Ji Qingwu was completely unaware of the emperor's distraction; she discovered that grinding ink was a really good job.

As she worked on it, she became completely absorbed, as if all she could hear and see was the inkstone and ink stick in her hand.

Until a large, bony hand appeared before her eyes.

"That's fine."

The ink in the inkstone had long since thickened, so Ji Qingwu reluctantly put the ink stick down and placed it on the shelf beside the table.

"Do you like this ink?"

Zhao Mingyan held the imperial brush, dipped it in ink, and lightly dabbed it on the Xuan paper.

Ji Qingwu nodded, the scent of ink still lingering on his hands.

Zhao Mingyan raised her eyebrows slightly. The ink she ground was as smooth and delicate as oil, flowing smoothly on the paper without damaging the brush. The thick ink also had rich colors, just like her, pure and colorful.

He asked gently, "Why do you like it?"

Ji Qingwu briefly forgot where she was and who the person in front of her was, and said with a smile, "Because grinding ink and grinding Eucommia bark feel very similar."

Only she could connect this priceless ink with tree bark.

Ji Qingwu looked up, trying to see what the emperor was writing, but was pulled in front of him. What he could see was a piece of wax paper with a stroke of thick ink.

The imperial brush was suddenly handed to her, and he used it to trace a few strokes in her hand.

When Ji Qingwu stood before the imperial desk, he realized that Emperor Wusu was not writing, but painting.

His hand moved with the strokes of his brush, and with a few strokes, the outline of the scenery appeared. It looked like there was a pavilion in the corner of the alley.

As the description of the scenery became more detailed, Ji Qingwu felt that the scene looked somewhat familiar.

She turned around as if to ask something, but he suddenly pressed himself against her, his strong chest squeezing her body against the edge of the table, leaving no gap between them.

Not only was the back of his hand, which was being held, burning hot, but Ji Qingwu's back also felt warm and cozy, with a warm current flowing through his blood and into his heart.

Whether she admits it or not, the feeling of being moved is never fake.

A deep voice reminded her in her ear: "Don't get distracted."

Ji Qingwu's palms were still sweating. She took a deep breath and focused her gaze back on the wax paper on the table.

The surrounding scenery has been completely drawn.

There were three or four tea tables in the pavilion, but the tables were dilapidated, the teaware was broken on the ground, and the guests were not sitting in chairs, but...

They were all lying on the ground, some with their heads covered.

Ji Qingwu seemed to have experienced that suffocating feeling before, and his heart felt heavy.

His pen tip was still moving, beginning to draw the outline of a girl, who was kneeling.

Ji Qingwu had an indescribable feeling. Emperor Wusu held her hand as he painted, and a woman appeared in the painting.

He meticulously described the details of her body: her slender waist and delicate back, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

Ji Qingwu quietly turned her head to look at him and saw that his expression was gentle and his cold aura had been withdrawn.