Chapter 438 Where is the tea tasting? It's clearly drunkenness!

Chi Rui lowered his voice and said cautiously, "There are people here, and they are old acquaintances of the general."

Before coming, Wei Ting had already mentally prepared himself for the possibility of encountering Ji Qingwu.

Wei Ting's fingers tightened suddenly beneath his wrist guard, but a mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Wouldn't that be even better?"

*

Before half a cup of tea, inside the tent.

Following behind Emperor Wusu, Ji Qingwu asked as soon as he entered, "Your Majesty, how exactly do the people of Xijin use poison on wild beasts?"

Zhao Mingyan's black dragon-patterned wide sleeves swept across the table, and after sitting down, he said, "I'm thirsty."

Just as Li Yuzong was about to serve tea, Ji Qingwu quickly took over the task, picked up the teapot, poured a cup of hot tea, and handed it to him.

The emerald-green soup rippled gently in the celadon cup. Zhao Mingyan took a sip and raised an eyebrow.

"Excellent, good tea."

Li Yuzong felt a pang of bitterness. He had served her for so long, yet he had never received such praise. The same tea leaves and teapot, handled by a different person, transformed into fragrant tea.

This is hardly tea tasting.

He was clearly drunk! Drunk on the tenderness of a beautiful woman holding his cup.

Li Yuzong was filled with emotion, but he dared not show it on his face. He presented a letter with both hands, raising it above his eyebrows.

"Your Majesty, this is a confidential letter sent by Lord Lu. Please take a look."

Ji Qingwu stepped aside; since it concerned state affairs, she could only swallow her curiosity for now.

Zhao Mingyan opened the memorial, his expression unchanged, and the vermilion brush moved across the Xuan paper.

He said calmly, "Grind the ink."

Even the ink ground by this beautiful woman smells sweet. To keep His Majesty in a good mood, Li Yuzong whispered a reminder: "Miss Ji, the inkstone is here."

Li Yuzong quickly gave a signal, but saw Ji Qingwu's slender hand slip into her sleeve.

"My hand still hurts."

Zhao Mingyan paused slightly with his pen and said, "Come here."

Ji Qingwu simply didn't want to get too close and see the contents of the secret report.

She shuffled over and slowly stood beside him, staring intently at the tent door.

Zhao Mingyan's right hand continued to write with flowing strokes, while his left hand rose up and kneaded her fingers inch by inch.

Where does it still hurt?

His palm was warm, and Ji Qingwu's ears turned slightly red as she whispered, "It doesn't hurt anymore."

It didn't actually hurt; it was just an excuse. But now she felt a little guilty that the emperor, who was reviewing memorials, had to massage her fingers.

Ji Qingwu tried to pull her hand away, but he held it even tighter, rubbing it from time to time and stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

Zhao Mingyan suddenly spoke.

"Yuwen Tianqing's mother was a member of a different race. It is said that her flute music could bewitch people, and she may have been involved in the matter of beast taming."

Ji Qingwu turned her head to look at his profile, her eyes widening in astonishment. How could he possibly be Yuwen Tianqing's mother?

Yuwen Tianqing's mother was Gao Zhaoyue, the woman Su Fengyue was willing to betray his country for and who still remembered until his death.

Ji Qingwu said, "Isn't she already dead?"

Zhao Mingyan said, "The news of Gao Zhaoyue's death was released by the Xijin royal family, and outsiders have no way to verify it."

Ji Qingwu stared intently at him and asked, "Does Your Majesty know that she is not dead?"

Zhao Mingyan slightly curled his lips and said, "There are spies from Xijin in the Beili Imperial Palace, and there are also my people in Xijin."

The old emperor of Xijin is in poor health and bedridden all day. Crown Prince Yuwen Tiancheng is overseeing the country. Gao Zhaoyue, who had faked her death for some unknown reason, has now been resurrected and is joining forces with the Crown Prince to deal with Beili.

That makes sense.

Ji Qingwu said, "Xijin also controls ferocious beasts such as jackals, tigers, and leopards. We need to find a way to break the spider gu as soon as possible."

After saying that, she fell into deep thought. She decided to try her medicine powder first, and if all else failed, she could use the national fortune she held.

Zhao Mingyan put down his pen and waited for the ink on the memorial to dry before pushing it to Li Yuzong.

"The message was sent back to Lin'an by fast horse."

Li Yuzong respectfully replied, "Yes."

He had just stepped out of the tent with a beaming smile on his old face.

Who said their emperor was cold and aloof and wouldn't care for anyone? Once this little hand is held, it's never let go.

Li Yuzong bumped into the two men standing outside the tent.

Chi Rui didn't dare to announce it, so he could only keep persuading Wei Ting at the door to wait before going in. If he stumbled upon something that displeased Emperor Wusu, all his military achievements would be for nothing.

As he tried to persuade her, Chi Rui's eyes filled with tears, and he even uttered phrases like "the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked," as if he were foreseeing Wei Ting's tragic future.

Wei Ting had long been annoyed by Chi Rui's nagging. This young deputy general was good in every way, except that he had too much imagination and talked too much.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Li Yuzong.

"Please inform His Majesty, Eunuch Li, that I request an audience with the Emperor."

Li Yuzong's eyes darted around. He was even happier for Wei Ting to see the loving scene between the two masters inside, so that he could face reality sooner.

"General, please don't worry, this old servant will inform them for you immediately."

Li Yuzong called out loudly, "Your Majesty, the General of Zhenbei requests an audience!"

Upon hearing Eunuch Li's shout, Ji Qingwu tried to withdraw her hand, but Zhao Mingyan held onto her wrist tightly.

With a quick pull, Ji Qingwu was skillfully dragged onto his thigh.

She said softly, "Your Majesty, someone is about to come in."

Holding the warm, soft body in his arms, Zhao Mingyan said, "I won't allow it. No one will dare to come in."

Both of them knew who the General Who Guards the North was.

Ji Qingwu pleaded, "Your Majesty, he must have come on important business."

Zhao Mingyan moved his hand down her waist and said, "Isn't this the important matter?"

Ji Qingwu glared and said, "How can this be a serious matter? Put me down quickly."

Zhao Mingyan said in a serious tone, "To ensure the continuation of the nation's lineage is the most important matter for an emperor or ruler."

Ji Qingwu, with a clear mind, said, "This is the most important matter for a tyrannical ruler."

Then, she pushed him forcefully. Zhao Mingyan sensed that she was genuinely unwilling, so he released his grip, but still gently held her with his long arm.

Zhao Mingyan poked her chest with his long finger and said softly, "So, in Awu's heart, the greater good of the country comes first."

It felt soft to the touch, so he poked at it a few more times.

Ji Qingwu said, "Is that not what His Majesty thinks?"

Zhao Mingyan twitched the corner of his lips, neither confirming nor denying. Sometimes he really wanted to be a tyrant.

He lowered his head, his gaze lingering on her neckline, where he saw a patch of fair and smooth skin, and a dark glint flashed in his eyes.

Ji Qingwu suddenly gasped for breath.

When Wei Ting entered the tent, Ji Qingwu was grinding ink at the sandalwood table, while Emperor Wusu was reading military books.

The beautiful scene of the emperor holding a scroll and a beautiful woman grinding ink and adding fragrance to his sleeves made Wei Ting's eyes redden.

He quickly composed himself and stepped forward, saying, "This humble general greets Your Majesty."

Zhao Mingyan said, "General Zhenbei is still injured. Please sit down and answer our questions."

Wei Ting clasped his hands in agreement and sat down on a chair to the side.

"Your Majesty, Lord Li has already sent men to escort the Black Wind Stronghold members here. The three Hu brothers are currently clamoring to see him..."