IF Line 6: To flirt, you must first have feelings.
Ji Qingwu's delicate eyebrows were furrowed because the military treatise contained many terms she couldn't understand.
It wasn't until her lips accidentally touched his ear cartilage that Ji Qingwu realized how close they were.
Although getting close to him was intentional on her part, this touch was not something she planned.
Ji Qingwu wanted to stand up straight, but was drawn to his gaze as he turned his head. The candlelight reflected in his deep eyes, like molten lava surging beneath the ice.
Zhao Mingyan said, "If you understand it, then turn the page?"
Ji Qingwu resisted the urge to back away, tucked her half-dry hair behind her ear, and honestly shook her head.
"I don't understand. General, would you like to teach me?"
Zhao Mingyan said, "I won't teach that."
Just as Ji Qingwu was about to ask what he wanted to teach, he lowered his gaze and scanned down her neck. She immediately tensed up, as if her gaze had actually touched her.
Then, he took a dagger engraved with cloud patterns from his waist and threw it on the long table with a clang.
Ji Qingwu's gaze was fixed on the dagger.
She knew that this seemingly cold and aloof man couldn't be won over by throwing herself at him; doing so would only provoke him.
She nervously explained, "I didn't mean to offend the general!"
Ji Qingwu's eyes welled up with tears as he said, "It was an accident just now. I... I was just watching intently and didn't know the general would turn around, or that this would happen."
Zhao Mingyan raised an eyebrow and asked, "You don't know?"
Just as Ji Qingwu was about to make a solemn oath to prove his innocence, his waist suddenly tightened, and when he looked down, he found that he was being held by the man's long arm.
Then, with a light pull, Ji Qingwu fell onto his lap, her long scarf falling to the ground. Through her wet clothes, the calluses on his palms seemed to be branded onto her lower back.
Zhao Mingyan said in a cold voice, "You don't know what will happen, yet you dare to enter my tent?"
Ji Qingwu was caught off guard by such a sudden and significant "change".
Zhao Mingyan continued, "Who sent you?"
Ji Qingwu lowered her eyes and said softly, "It was me, I did it voluntarily..."
Her last words were abruptly cut off by a cold, hard object pressed against her chin.
Ji Qingwu's breath hitched, and the cold glint of the dagger reflected the sudden contraction of her pupils.
Zhao Mingyan used the dagger to lift her chin and said, "No matter why you came here, has anyone ever taught you how to seduce a man?"
Her eyelashes trembled slightly as the back of the knife traced a path along her trembling throat.
He twirled his wrist, using the blade to pry open the first button on her collar, and the small brass button fell to the ground.
Ji Qingwu's heart trembled as well.
Because the front of her shirt was wet, it didn't come undone and still clung to her body, revealing only a glimpse of her fair and smooth skin, which was as white as jade.
Her chest heaved rapidly, and her lips were tightly pressed together, as if she were frightened.
Zhao Mingyan didn't continue. He casually tossed the dagger back onto the table, let go of it, and leaned back in his chair.
"Go back now."
Ji Qingwu did not stand up. She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering with tears but not overflowing.
There was still fear, but more than that, there was a refusal to admit defeat after being underestimated.
She said eloquently, "I don't know how to seduce men, but I think the general must be different from ordinary men, so even if I knew, it wouldn't make a difference."
Zhao Mingyan raised a long eyebrow.
Ji Qingwu sat on his lap and said softly, "The general hasn't taught me yet."
"What do you want to learn?" His voice carried a hint of surprise.
"Study..."
Ji Qingwu pulled his hand over and placed it on the second brass button under her arm. She leaned forward and stared straight at him.
"How to provoke the general."
How to seduce him is something he has to teach you himself.
Their eyes met, and the atmosphere should have been romantic, but Ji Qingwu's gaze was firm, as if she were ready to risk her life.
Looking at her like this, Zhao Mingyan's eyes sparkled with a hint of golden light.
"If you picked up a dagger now, you'd look more like an assassin."
Ji Qingwu was stunned by such a comment. Was she really that fierce?
She made a move to move forward, but Zhao Mingyan pushed her away and adjusted the hem of his robe with a strange expression.
Ji Qingwu stood blankly in front of him, at a loss. How could it not work?
Zhao Mingyan said, "If you want to flirt, you have to have feelings for each other first."
On this matter, Ji Qingwu shared his thoughts, and her eyes lit up again.
"Then I'll come to the general's tent every day, and maybe we'll develop feelings for each other over time, okay?"
Zhao Mingyan remained silent.
Ji Qingwu, holding onto the edge of the table, bent down and asked again.
"I will appear every morning to deliver breakfast to the general, and I will not disturb the general at other times. Is that alright?"
Zhao Mingyan's eyes darkened as if he had seen something, but after a moment he turned away and said indifferently, "Whatever you say."
Ji Qingwu felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders; it was wonderful to receive those words from him.
She said with a smile, "General, please go practice your martial arts in the morning. I will wait for you in the tent. See you tomorrow!"
She was smiling and about to turn around when a cloak was thrown at her.
Ji Qingwu hugged the thick, dark blue cloak, thinking to herself that this soldier was quite kind, afraid that she would catch a cold.
When she looked down, she saw a patch of white skin in front of her collar. Her ears turned red, and she quickly fastened her cloak.
"This humble woman takes her leave."
As Zhao Mingyan watched her cheerful figure leave, a slight smile appeared on his lips. After a moment's thought, he took out a few sheets of paper and wrote something down.
Fifteen minutes later, Zhao Mingyan called Li Yuzong in and handed him two handwritten letters.
"Send it to the Marquis's residence."
After taking it, Li Yuzong asked in surprise, "Is the Crown Prince going to send a family letter?"
The old Marquis of Yong'an's household was in poor health, and his second wife managed all the affairs of the household. However, the young master and his stepmother had never been close, so why would he think of writing a letter home?
Zhao Mingyan said, "Give this letter to my elder sister."
Li Yuzong said, "Your Highness, our informant just reported that we have ascertained Doctor Ji's background."
Zhao Mingyan nodded: "Speak."
Li Yuzong frowned and said with difficulty, "Your Highness, she is also from Lin'an, and she is related to you."
Is it related to him?
Zhao Mingyan's expression turned cold and stern. He asked, "Is he a member of the Cui family or a member of the Zhao family?"
Li Yuzong couldn't help but feel regretful and replied, "It's the fifth young lady from the Ji family who went missing."
Zhao Mingyan tapped his long fingers lightly on the table and said, "Stop writing the family letter for now."
The next day.
Ji Qingwu got up very early and went to the kitchen with Aunt Bai.
She had already decided what to eat before going to bed. While preparing the ingredients, she noticed that Aunt Bai was drinking herbal medicine. She was sensitive to the smell of medicine and wrinkled her nose.
He asked, "Who prescribed this medicine for you?"
Aunt Bai pinched her throat and said hoarsely, "It's a folk remedy I found."
Ji Qingwu picked up the dregs of the medicine and glanced at them; it was for treating fever.
Then, under the pretense of asking Aunt Bai how to make fancy shapes for noodles, she affectionately put her hand on Aunt Bai's wrist.
Aunt Bai did indeed have a fever.
But Ji Qingwu still frowned. This medicine should have made him fully better after half a month of drinking it, so why hadn't he improved yet?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
