Chapter 257 One Thing Subdues Another, Leaving the Palace to Worship Ancestors
Ji Qingwu deliberately chose to do it at night, deliberately performed the Jade Curtain Shadow Dance, and deliberately disappeared in front of him.
The curtain in front of Emperor Wusu was shattered into pieces by a powerful internal force and fell to the ground.
Li Yuzong, who was following behind the emperor, lowered his head.
It's true that everything has its counter.
I thought this Miss Ji would leave the palace heartbroken, but she came up with this trick instead.
The effectiveness of this can be seen from the frustrated and unrelieved expression on Emperor Wusu's face.
Emperor Wusu turned around and glanced at him sideways.
"Laugh if you want to."
Li Yuzong's lips tightened: "Your Majesty has misunderstood this old servant. This old servant is born with a smiling face."
Soon, Chief Eunuch Li's smile vanished, and Emperor Wusu returned to his palace, becoming agitated by everything he saw.
The bed curtains were too similar to the curtains used when Ji Qingwu danced earlier, so they were removed and replaced with several new ones before the emperor was satisfied.
Then, finding the palace too hot, he added several basins of ice to the floor of his sleeping quarters before he felt at ease.
After a period of dancing, Ji Qingwu lay contentedly on her canopy bed and soon drifted off to sleep.
However, the lights in Zhaoyang Palace burned until late into the night before finally going out.
Early the next morning.
The news that the fifth young lady of the Ji family performed a shadow dance in front of the emperor's bedroom, and that Emperor Wusu was so angry that he destroyed the curtain, spread throughout the palaces.
After Ji Qingwu got up, he heard the eunuchs who were sweeping and cleaning talking in hushed tones.
"Have you heard that the Emperor was so angry last night that he couldn't sleep until the early hours of the morning?"
"What happened?"
"It's all because of this Miss Ji. Yesterday she was hanging around the Emperor again, and I heard she even danced a seductive dance. Our Emperor is the most abstinent and doesn't even visit the harem often. Now, he gets annoyed just seeing her."
Upon hearing that Emperor Wusu had not slept well last night, Ji Qingwu felt even more refreshed as he stood under the eaves.
"Fifth Miss." Someone hurriedly walked up to her.
Ji Qingwu called out, "Aunt Shixi."
Shi Xi said, "Fifth Miss, the Empress Dowager requests your presence in the front hall."
Ji Qingwu followed behind Shi Xi and asked, "Does Aunt know what happened that made the Empress Dowager summon me so early in the morning?"
In recent days, the Empress Dowager has become increasingly fond of Ji Qingwu. As long as she is willing to spend time and effort on the Emperor, she is the Empress Dowager's closest person.
Shi Xi treated her even more warmly than before, and gave her some advance notice, whispering, "It's a message from the Emperor."
After a night, there was new news from Emperor Wusu's side?
Judging from Shi Xi's expression, it's highly likely that something bad is going on.
As soon as Ji Qingwu reached the entrance of the palace, he heard sighs and lamentations coming from inside.
"I thought His Majesty valued Qingwu, but now it seems that His Majesty truly dislikes her."
Ji Qingwu paused slightly before stepping in, his expression composed as he greeted her with a smile.
"Qingwu greets Aunt."
The Empress Dowager said, "Please sit down first."
Ji Qingwu sat at the lower end of the table. After the palace servants served tea, the Empress Dowager dismissed all the attendants around her, leaving only Shixi and Fanghua.
Ji Qingwu then asked, "Aunt, what exactly happened?"
The Empress Dowager glanced at her and sighed, "Because the Emperor's birthday is approaching, he plans to leave the palace tomorrow to go to the Imperial Temple outside the city to worship his ancestors."
Ji Qingwu nodded and asked, "This is normal; it's just ancestor worship. Why is Aunt so worried?"
The Empress Dowager said, "When the Emperor goes to worship his ancestors, those who accompany him, whether they are close ministers or concubines, are all people who have received the Emperor's favor. The Emperor should choose them himself."
It seems the list of people to accompany Emperor Wusu to the ancestral temple outside the palace has been finalized.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's deeply furrowed brows, Ji Qingwu was not surprised by the outcome.
She said, "I shouldn't be among them."
Looking at Ji Qingwu's face, the Empress Dowager shook her head and said regretfully, "It's not just that you weren't there, it's that every concubine in the harem except you was gone."
Ji Qingwu's eyes darted around as he pondered the meaning of those words.
She wasn't an imperial concubine, so it's understandable that she wasn't included in the ancestral worship ceremony.
The Empress Dowager said, "That's not all, Qingyuan is also on the list."
Ji Qingwu frowned. Emperor Wusu had called out Ji Qingyuan's name, but not hers.
this......
This is too deliberate.
When Ji Qingwu looked up again and saw the Empress Dowager's face full of regret and sorrow, he immediately understood.
She knew in her heart the feelings between them, but no one else knew.
This action will only make others think that the emperor is annoyed with her.
Sending Ji Qingyuan along to the ancestral worship ceremony was also a signal to the Empress Dowager: stop helping her behind the scenes and instead focus your efforts on another niece.
On these occasions, Ji Qingwu was able to set up a stage near the emperor because the Empress Dowager was supporting him behind the scenes.
The Empress Dowager asked, "Qingwu, what are your thoughts?"
Emperor Wusu saw right through the Empress Dowager's thoughts; what else could she possibly be thinking?
Ji Qingwu said, "...I will listen to my aunt."
The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "You've worked hard these past few days. You should rest first. We'll discuss this matter at length."
Thinking it over in the long run, Ji Qingwu figured he could pack his bags and prepare to leave the palace.
Because this ancestral worship ceremony was proposed on short notice, the Empress Dowager was also to go.
I need to stay there for another day before returning, and there are quite a few things to prepare, so I didn't chat with her for too long.
Most of the people in the palace were busy, making Ji Qingwu seem like a very idle person.
On the day of the ancestral worship ceremony.
The sky was still barely light when Ji Qingwu was awakened by the sound of bells and drums outside.
She sat up, the thin blanket slipping down to her legs. She put on her clothes and walked to the window. Outside, a pale crescent moon hung faintly in the sky.
Ji Qingwu's heart seemed to be captivated as well.
Suddenly I really want to see him.
Just one meeting is enough.
Once the thought took hold, she could no longer suppress it. She quickly put on her outer garment, pushed open the door, and went outside.
The sky was still cold at dawn, and Ji Qingwu shivered as the breeze blew through him.
The roads within the inner palace were mostly empty. The empresses accompanied the emperor to worship their ancestors, and they also brought their attendants. The usual busy palace servants were nowhere to be seen in the morning.
Seeing such a desolate scene, Ji Qingwu felt uneasy, and she walked faster and faster.
She stopped when she reached the vicinity of Zhaoyang Palace.
Several feet away, Ji Qingwu gazed at the magnificent palace. At this moment, there were no lights lit inside, and no one could be seen.
The people inside have already left.
Ji Qingwu had walked hurriedly on his way here, and sweat had already appeared on his forehead and the tip of his nose.
She thought for a moment, then turned around and started walking again. Finding walking too slow, she started running.
When she caught up to the palace gate, she could only see the very end of the grand procession and the dust kicked up by the carriages.
I still haven't seen him.
Ji Qingwu leaned against the gilded door frame, panting slightly.
It's okay if I can't see him... I'll just wait for him to come back.
Ji Qingwu stood at the door for a while longer. As she turned to leave, she looked down and saw a figure standing with her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
