Chapter 28 The Emperor's Heart is Unfathomable; Has He Ever Had a Husband?
After a long pause, he simply said, "Step back."
Upon hearing those three words, Ji Qingwu's eyes lit up immediately.
She survived!
She suppressed her joy, hunched her shoulders, bent her back, and quickly left the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Unbeknownst to her, the emperor behind her changed his expression instantly upon seeing her blue figure disappear.
His brows and eyes were frozen, sending chills down the spine of anyone who looked at him; there was no trace of the gentle demeanor he had displayed just moments before.
As Ji Qingwu stepped out of the palace, she felt as if she had been reborn, and even the air seemed to be filled with a sweet fragrance.
Li Yuzong and Xiao Dongzi, who were outside the door, smiled at her as soon as they saw her come out.
"Miss Ji, you're out so soon. Please take care."
Ji Qingwu thought about how he had almost lost his life, but he couldn't hit a smiling face, so he could only grit his teeth and say, "Thank you so much, gentlemen."
It was almost time for school to end, so she waited in the study for a while, then came running out of the door first, all smiles.
Ji Qingwu quickly hugged the little dumpling into her arms and rubbed it for a long time before she finally felt completely at ease.
"Mother, you smell so good."
Chiu Chiu has a very sensitive nose; she nestled on her shoulder and sniffed.
Perhaps it was because we were too close in the Hall of Diligent Governance that my clothes have been tainted with that person's incense.
"It smells so good, Chirp wants to smell nice too."
Ji Qingwu sighed inwardly, "This ambergris, reserved for emperors, is not to be taken... Even if it costs my mother's life, I can't get it."
The heartwarming and joyful scene of the mother and daughter embracing also pierced the eyes of one person.
The doors of the Qin Zheng Hall remained ajar.
The light and shadow flickered, but the tall figure was no longer on the desk.
Emperor Wusu stood with his hands behind his back by the window, looking at the entrance to the Imperial Study not far away, and ordered, "Someone come here."
A figure dressed in black rushed in from outside the door, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty."
"Sanchuan, go and find out where the fifth daughter of the Ji family has lived and who she has met over the years."
Emperor Wusu narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "And, whether she has ever had a husband."
"Yes, I will take care of it right away." After accepting the order, the guard Sanchuan disappeared into the hall in a flash.
Even knowing that the guards were highly skilled in martial arts, Li Yuzong still felt dizzy when he saw the black shadow that disappeared in front of him in an instant.
The imperial guards are the emperor's moles, and they are always ruthless in their actions. Now, they have actually used the imperial guards to investigate Ji Qingwu.
But that statement was strange. If Miss Ji didn't have a husband, how could she have children? Isn't that a contradiction?
Instead of asking who her husband is, she asks whether they have been intimate? Does His Majesty already have suspicions in his heart?
Li Yuzong was puzzled, unsure whether Emperor Wusu liked or disliked this woman from the Ji family...
But one thing is certain: they took it to heart.
*
From then on, Chiu Chiu began going to school every day.
To minimize her chances of meeting Emperor Wusu, who might discover her identity at any moment, Ji Qingwu entrusted the task of picking her up and dropping her off to her elder brother, Ji Changlin.
She thought things would be much easier.
But to her surprise, the Qiao family hired several renowned teachers to teach her the six arts that a noble lady should know, including etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.
The last item, counting, she mastered with ease after only flipping through "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art," which shows who Chiu Chiu inherited her talent from.
Music and dance require early learning; she can only learn the basics now.
Therefore, Qiao did not force her, but invited the top dancer to demonstrate the dance several times in front of her, so that she could judge the quality of the dance.
Ji Qingwu was somewhat interested in archery and horsemanship. He had practiced them in the army to chase people before, and he became even more adept at them.
She learned both courses quickly and received a lot of praise from the instructors, but as a result, the courses ended very soon.
The Qiao family was the most literate, and the whole family were civil officials. Under Qiao's constant guidance, she then learned the methods of character recognition and character formation, such as ideographic, phonetic, semantic, and phonetic loan characters. She was also able to recognize a few simple classical Chinese texts.
Chiu Chiu goes to school, while she miserably attends classes at home.
Ji Qingwu complained incessantly, but Qiao Shi showed no mercy and found another embroiderer from the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) to teach her needlework.
Half a month later, she had lost a lot of weight, and her eyes looked more lively and bright.
She blinked her big, watery eyes and said sweetly, "Mother, I don't have to be that outstanding."
Qiao demonstrated to her how to make incense, her hands moving gracefully up and down. She said seriously, "I know it's not easy for you, but nowadays, aristocratic families value this. A woman needs both virtue and talent to have a good marriage."
“Mother, I’m not in a hurry. Look, my eldest brother isn’t married yet. I don’t want to get married. I just want to stay by your side for a few more years.”
"Your eldest brother is..." Qiao hesitated, then stopped speaking.
She changed the subject, saying, "Don't compare yourself to him. A woman's future depends on her own efforts, unlike men who are born with an advantage. If they give birth to a noble family, they can inherit the title and everything will be fine."
Ji Qingwu remained silent for a moment.
Qiao was right. For women in this era, a promising future meant choosing a reliable husband, being a good wife and mother, and if their husband and son were successful, they could be granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree. That would make their lives worthwhile.
But she was still confined to her own little world, living as a woman confined to the inner quarters.
"Little Wu, your mother has found someone for you these days."
Ji Qingwu let out a long "Ah!" and said helplessly, "Mother, you're too impatient."
“It’s not that I’m in a hurry, it’s just that this person is too outstanding. Although his family background is not prominent, he is already a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination). I heard from your maternal grandfather that he is also a Zhuangyuan (the top scholar in the imperial examination) and is just waiting to be selected in the palace examination. Originally, his mother asked someone to find a suitable girl for him, and after a series of connections, she contacted me. The first person his mother thought of was you.”
Ji Qingwu didn't know that Madam Qiao liked to act as a matchmaker, and said with a smile, "Mother, just how handsome can this person be that you took a liking to him at first glance?"
Mrs. Qiao tapped her forehead: "Just wait and see."
A few days later, Madam Qiao took Ji Qingwu back to her parents' home.
The Qiao family had many retainers, all gathered in the front hall to discuss matters. Ji Qingwu accompanied Madam Qiao, chatting idly in the old lady's courtyard.
Madam Qiao was a lively old lady. When she saw Ji Qingwu, she immediately put her arm around her and made her sit next to her.
The old man's face crinkled with laughter. "My granddaughter looks just like me when I was young. She has fair skin and bright, sparkling eyes. She could charm a whole group of people in the blink of an eye."
Ji Qingwu couldn't help but laugh, but he didn't dare to make any jokes.
Qiao rubbed her forehead. "Mother, what are you saying in front of Xiao Wu?"
In any family, if there is an overly lively and carefree mother, there will be a mature, reserved, and worrisome daughter.
Upon seeing the young woman, Madam Qiao began to reminisce about the past, saying, "When I was young, I had many achievements. That old Li family man is now a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet. Back then, he even jumped over the West Pond for me."
Ji Qingwu opened her eyes wide and asked, "Grandmother, is it really true? Back then, it would have caused a sensation throughout the city, wouldn't it?"
Qiao pursed her lips and said, "It's more than just a sensation, it's practically a riot. The shore is packed with people, and a group of government soldiers have arrived."
Imagining this scene, Ji Qingwu chuckled, her smile bright and cheerful.
Just then, a servant came through the window and said urgently, "The master requests that Miss Wu come over quickly."
Madam Qiao raised her voice and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't finished talking yet."
"Miss Chiu Chiu is in the study, fighting with someone!"
Ji Qingwu suddenly stood up and ran outside.
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