Chapter 266 The Most Powerful Minister: Who Will Be the Emperor?
Just like before, it was so weak it seemed like it would stop at any moment.
The noise from the meeting in the side hall was so loud it sounded like the roof was about to be blown off.
Ji Qingwu frowned, gently pulled the blanket up, and put his large hand back under the quilt.
She dared not touch him with her fingertips again, but traced his outline with her eyes.
After watching for a while, Ji Qingwu pursed her lips and walked out of Zhaoyang Palace.
Xiao Dongzi stood guard at the door, his eyes bloodshot. When he saw her come out, he perked up again.
"Miss Ji, is there anything you need?"
Ji Qingwu caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye and whispered, "Eunuch, please ask Lord Duan to come over for me."
Someone standing in the shadows under the eaves said, "Would it have been any use inviting him?"
He stepped out from under the eaves, his face turning from dark to light.
"The person you should be looking for is me."
Ji Qingwu didn't look up at him. She knew all too well that he was the one she should be looking for.
Since Emperor Wusu was cooperating with Wei Ting to mislead the people of the previous dynasty and Xijin, it meant that Wei Ting was someone he trusted.
However, Wei Ting would definitely help Consort Wei. What she needed to do was find a third person to counterbalance the Empress Dowager and Wei Ting.
Wei Ting walked down the steps where she was standing.
The voice slowly said, "This assassination attempt was expected by both the Emperor and me. The two thousand assassins sent by Xijinjia have all been wiped out."
"But an unexpected incident still occurred. First, Yuwen Tianqing was cunning and split his forces into two groups, also wanting to kill the prince. However, the emperor had already entrusted me with the defense of the palace, so there were no major problems."
"Secondly, the Emperor fell into a trap."
Wei Ting still couldn't understand it, and sighed, "The Emperor put himself into the game, and at the very moment when he was about to win a great victory, he was willing to die for Li Ru."
Ji Qingwu kept her eyes downcast, revealing no emotion whatsoever, and clenched her little finger.
What is General Wei trying to say?
A few steps away, Wei Ting looked up at her.
"I know you are deeply in love with the Emperor."
Earlier, in the Qian Yuan Hall, when Ji Qingwu learned of Emperor Wu Su's serious injury, his behavior was unmistakable.
“Actually, I know you very well.” Wei Ting continued, “When you want to cry, you blink frantically. Do you know how many times you’ve blinked since you entered the palace?”
Ji Qingwu's trembling eyelashes stopped fluttering.
She said coldly, "General Wei still has such leisure time? At a time like this, you should be in the side hall protecting Consort Wei."
"Consort Wei doesn't need my protection. The imperial edict and the tiger tally in my hands are her source of confidence, especially when Xijin raises troops to invade."
Ji Qingwu's eyes flashed; the situation had changed again because of Xijin's military intervention.
The country was in peril, and Wei Ting, who held military power and had an imperial edict written by the emperor himself, was a highly favored minister.
He was the most powerful minister in Northern Li.
Even the Empress Dowager would probably be unable to resist, and a third person would be hard to find.
Wei Ting said, "If you don't want to hear it, I won't say anything more. Let's talk about what we should do about the slap you gave me before."
Ji Qingwu finally raised her eyelashes and looked at him directly. Her dark pupils were filled with stubbornness, and the strands of hair that were blown by the wind looked like they had thorns.
A dirty silk skirt and a pink sash, in the night, exuded a breathtaking beauty.
Wei Ting's expression froze for a moment, and he said coldly, "I have something I want to say to Miss Ji alone. Please excuse me, sir."
Xiao Dongzi stood in front of Ji Qingwu as if he were risking everything, his voice trembling.
"General Wei, Miss Ji still needs to treat the Emperor's injuries."
Wei Ting went up a step, lifted Xiao Dongzi aside with one hand, and threw him to the side.
Ji Qingwu helped the man up and said, "Eunuch, you go in first to serve His Majesty, I will go in shortly."
Xiao Dongzi's lips turned white with fright, and he stumbled back into the hall.
Nowadays, no one can afford to offend Wei Ting.
Wei Ting didn't step forward again, his eyes fixed on her, and said, "What do you want with Duan Mingfeng? It's no use looking for him, you might as well come to me."
Ji Qingwu asked, "Do you know what I'm going to do?"
Wei Ting narrowed his left eye and said, "Yuwen Tianqing asked a very good question: Why are you so protective of the Emperor's youngest son?"
Ji Qingwu replied simply, "We click."
Wei Ting chuckled and strode over the two steps, whispering in her ear, "Because you are the little prince's birth mother."
Ji Qingwu suddenly turned to look at him, the jade pendant by her ear hitting Wei Ting's face, and a fire ignited in her bright eyes.
He also witnessed Yuan Heng's closeness with her in Zhaoyang Palace.
Wei Ting smiled and raised his hand to touch his face, which had been rubbed by the jade pendant.
"But why don't you dare tell anyone?"
He pretended to think and said, "Actually, if you tell the Empress Dowager that you are the birth mother of a prince, she will not only be willing to give you a title and position, but will also support Prince Yuanheng to ascend to the throne."
Ji Qingwu turned her head away, unwilling to see his smug face.
They both knew that if the Empress Dowager found out, it would be tantamount to sending the seriously injured emperor to his death.
In the face of power, people's hearts are most vulnerable to temptation, especially the Empress Dowager who has been blinded by lust for power.
Wei Ting suddenly reached out and pinched her chin.
Ji Qingwu was about to slap him, but he stopped her and grabbed her right hand instead.
"One hit is enough, do you want to hit me twice?"
Ji Qingwu said, "Let go of my hand."
"Let go so you can keep hitting?"
Wei Ting said meaningfully, "If you want to fight, you can, but not here."
Exhausted and unwilling to get entangled with him, Ji Qingwu asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Wei Ting said, "Someone just sent me a message saying they want to invite me to Xijin to be the Grand General King. They promised me gold, silver, jewels, and a vast fortune, and they'll let me name my terms."
Ji Qingwu gritted his teeth. Xijin was indeed a bunch of wolves with ulterior motives.
Taking advantage of the chaos within the Northern Li royal family, they dared to do anything.
Wei Ting raised an eyebrow and said, "Don't look at me like that. You should have faith in me. Of course I won't agree."
Ji Qingwu turned her head and said angrily, "Then why did you say that!"
Seeing that she was angry, Wei Ting became even more relaxed and said, "I also want to make a deal with you. Whatever your conditions are, I can accept them."
Since he knew about his relationship with Yuan Heng, he should have understood what her conditions were.
There's no such thing as a free lunch. Ji Qingwu asked, "What do you want?"
Wei Ting grasped her hand and pulled it to his chest.
"Don't you know what I want? I've been fighting for many years and I'm tired. I haven't started a family for so many years. I want to get married."
Ji Qingwu forcefully pulled her hand back, the skin on the back of her hand turning red from the pull.
"With so many unmarried women in Lin'an, it would be easy for you to find a wife, given your status."
Wei Ting asked directly, "Qingwu, even if I can wait, are you sure the Empress Dowager can wait?"
The discussions in the adjacent side hall were even more heated, with the Empress Dowager displaying the prowess of engaging in a verbal battle with a group of scholars.
At this moment, a palace servant came out to invite Wei Ting back. Upon seeing the scene before him, he quickly lowered his head and dared not breathe.
Wei Ting released his grip and asked, "What is it?"
The palace attendant said, "General Wei, Prime Minister Su is looking for you. He needs your approval to make a decision regarding the selection of an heir."
Wei Ting waved his hand and said, "I'll be right there."
After the palace servants left quickly, Wei Ting said, "However, no matter what the Empress Dowager says, I don't want to wait now."
Wei Ting pressed down on Ji Qingwu's thin shoulder.
He whispered, "If the world is destined to be in chaos, then it doesn't matter who becomes emperor."
Ji Qingwu's eyes suddenly widened.
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