Chapter 43 Kissed the Golden and Precious Emperor
"It was my daughter's oversight that led to this."
The Empress Dowager was baffled by the Emperor's sudden outburst. She wondered if he was trying to use this as a warning to the Ji family...
Emperor Wusu's gaze fell on the woman's bent neck in the hall, its lines graceful, but the head above it held a very firm opinion.
When they met in the carriage that day, he ordered her to go to the princess's residence three days later, hoping she would refuse her appointment with Li Chengxun.
But the next day, she went to the Qiao family again to meet with them.
Everyone saw that Emperor Wusu's face grew increasingly grim, and the oppressive aura caused many people to break out in a cold sweat.
At this moment, the Ji family members who were kneeling all bowed their heads and waited for the emperor's judgment, but one little dumpling could no longer kneel.
Seeing her mother kneeling at the front, Qiuqiu got up and ran over to her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ji Qingwu suddenly saw the little girl pass by her. She widened her eyes in alarm and tried to reach out and grab Qiuqiu.
But this little guy is very agile, and he zipped up several steps.
Ji Qingwu disregarded etiquette, raised his head, and saw Qiuqiu rush to Emperor Wusu's seat.
Fortunately, at that moment, Qiuqiu turned around and looked at her. Ji Qingwu held her breath and shook her head at the little girl, telling her to come back quickly.
But Chiu Chiu has her own ideas.
Even worse than Ji Qingwu.
She used her little hands and feet to pull on Emperor Wu Su's dragon robe and continued to climb up, but she was too weak to climb up. So she just hung on Emperor Wu Su's legs, her little chubby legs dangling.
Ji Qingwu suddenly felt dizzy.
The Grand Eunuch Li Yuzong should have stopped the child when she climbed onto the platform, but when the girl appeared before the emperor, he noticed that the emperor looked slightly surprised but not displeased.
He even raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly.
When Li Yuzong saw the dirty little hand that had crawled on the ground touch the emperor's dragon robe, his heart tightened, but the usually fastidious Emperor Wusu did not react.
Chief Steward Li looked up and down, pondered for a while, and finally figured out the secret.
At first, he thought the little girl looked just like Prince Yuanheng, but upon closer inspection, who did Prince Yuanheng resemble?
He looks just like Emperor Wusu!
Upon closer inspection, the little girl's face, apart from her eyebrows and eyes, had an outline and chin that were exactly like the emperor's.
Li Yuzong's eyes darted around, and when he looked at Ji Qingwu kneeling in the hall, he finally understood the Emperor's unusual behavior these past few days.
He lowered his head, pretending not to see.
Here, Qiuqiu was hanging on Emperor Wusu's lap, her soft little face tilted up.
Her dark eyes stared at him as she said, "Are you His Majesty the Emperor? Why are you being so harsh with my mother?"
Emperor Wusu lowered his eyes and looked at her eyes, which were exactly the same as those of the woman kneeling in front of the palace.
"She made a mistake."
The emperor's tone was relatively calm.
Ji Qingwu, who didn't know what he had done wrong, breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Qiuqiu immediately disagreed, saying, "Mother is right!"
Her daughter dared to act like a righteous official in front of the emperor!
Ji Qingwu's breath hitched again.
These days, since Qiuqiu started going to school and began learning, she understands even more principles.
"Although the Empress Dowager is in good health, my mother wanted her to be even better, so she sent her a prescription."
"Even though Lin'an City is already very good, His Majesty still goes to bed late and gets up early every day. He works so hard so that Lin'an City can become even better."
This kind of persuasive approach makes a lot of sense.
Emperor Wusu suppressed a laugh and feigned indifference, saying, "So, it seems I misunderstood your mother?"
The little guy started shaking his head again, spouting profound truths.
"The Master said, 'Words are the voice of the heart, and speech is the expression of feelings. Communication can help people understand each other's intentions, and misunderstandings can be resolved.'"
Emperor Wusu scooped her up and sat her on his lap, asking in a deep voice, "So intelligent at such a young age, what is your name?"
Chiu Chiu wasn't shy at all; she leaned against his broad chest, following his lead.
"My name is—" she mouthed, pouting her little lips: "Chirp chirp."
Emperor Wusu asked, "Why is it called this name?"
Chiu Chiu twisted her little fingers, as if she was very conflicted. Emperor Wu Su patiently asked her again.
The plump and beautiful little maid raised her face, wrapped her arms around the emperor's neck, and brought her pink lips close to his.
With a "smack".
It landed firmly on the emperor's precious left cheek.
Breathing in the hall became lighter.
As the little girl's kiss landed, Emperor Wusu raised his left eyebrow and his eyes brightened slightly.
Chiu Chiu explained, "My mother said that calling my name is like giving me a kiss."
Her name means "kiss," so she bestowed a sweet kiss upon His Majesty the Emperor.
The little girl continued proudly, "Mother also said that no one can resist a little chirp!"
Sweat beaded on Ji Qingwu's fair forehead.
But your mother didn't tell you to kiss people indiscriminately!
"Miss Ji."
Ji Qingwu looked up when he heard the sound.
Emperor Wusu held the little girl's chubby little body in his arms, a hint of pride on his face, and said quietly, "You have indeed given birth to a good daughter."
The matter was thus resolved after Qiuqiu's commotion. The emperor took away the prescription and did not pursue the matter further. During the banquet, he even drank a few cups of wine with Prince Yong and other relatives with great interest.
The birthday gifts sent by Emperor Wusu were quite extravagant.
Nine Amitabha Buddha statues with the sun of wisdom hanging eternally, a painting of the Avatamsaka Sutra in ink engraving with the light of the Lotus Sutra, and a Amitabha Buddha Sutra in gold lettering for longevity are all rare treasures, hard to find anywhere in the world.
The Empress Dowager was bewildered by the Emperor's actions. Just moments before, she had angrily reprimanded the Ji family, picked something up heavily, but then gently put it down.
Now that such an expensive gift has been presented, it's hard to tell what the Emperor's intentions are. The Empress Dowager didn't say much during the banquet, while Princess Qingyun kept glancing at a certain spot on the table with a shy smile on her lips.
Ji Qingwu ate his birthday banquet without tasting a thing.
Some questions, if you ask them, will cost you your head; if you don't ask them, you'll get a headache.
It wasn't until the banquet ended that Mrs. Qiao reminded her, bringing her back to her senses.
Just as he stood up and walked towards the outside of the hall, he saw two people standing at the door. The petite woman was smiling and talking to him. The person opposite her was Li Chengxun.
When Ji Qingwu got closer, he realized that the woman was Princess Qingyun.
The princess noticed her too, and whether on purpose or not, she suddenly fell against Li Chengxun, her small hands resting on the man's chest.
She said in a sweet voice, "Young Master Li, I lost my balance for a moment. Ouch, my ankle hurts so much. Could you please take me back?"
After Li Chengxun helped her to her feet, he gently declined, saying, "Your Highness, this is not proper."
Ji Qingwu: ......
She silently walked past the two of them, pretending not to see them.
"Fifth Cousin!"
Princess Qingyun called out from behind her, and she could no longer pretend to be blind, so she had to stop.
"Aunt, please go ahead. I'd like to chat with my fifth cousin. I'll have a palace servant escort her home later."
Since the princess had spoken so politely, Madam Qiao patted Ji Qingwu's hand and took Qiuqiu's hand as they left.
Even if Ji Qingwu was slow to notice, she could sense the princess's hostility towards her, because she had also taken a liking to the talented and handsome man in front of her.
Ji Qingwu was unwilling to fight, but she had made a prior agreement with Li Chengxun, and she would not give in just because the other party was a princess.
Princess Qingyun stood between her and Li Chengxun and said provocatively, "Fifth Cousin, I've recently heard a rumor that I'd like to verify with you."
Rumors? Most likely, it's about the two of them getting married.
Before Ji Qingwu could say anything, Li Chengxun cupped his hands and said, "The princess and Miss Ji have something to discuss, so I will take my leave now."
She watched his departing figure with a slightly surprised expression.
The white-clad figure had lost its dashing air and instead appeared somewhat flustered.
Princess Qingyun laughed even more triumphantly, and her foot no longer hurt.
"Fifth cousin, there are too many people and too much chatter here. Let's go for a walk by the lake."
This departure is of great importance.
Half an incense stick later, news came that someone had fallen into the water.
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