Chapter 383: All in One Go, the Prince’s Empress Mother

Old Madam Ji’s mind had gone blank, save for a single thought.

’I’ve thoroughly enraged the Emperor. This old life of mine is forfeit.’

Seeing her whole family utterly terrified by Emperor Wu Su, so much so that even Mrs. Qiao was trembling, Ji Qingwu shifted slightly to block his frigid gaze.

In a deliberately soft, coaxing voice, she said, "I’m perfectly fine. See? I’m right here."

Everyone present could hear the light, coaxing tone in Ji Qingwu’s voice, a tone even gentler than when she spoke to Jiu Jiu.

Ji Qingwu had no other choice. She was inwardly surprised. ’How long has it been? And Emperor Wu Su is still holding onto this old grudge.’

Zhao Mingyan’s eyebrows shot up. He clearly enjoyed her soft, sweet words, but the anger that had been simmering all this time wouldn’t dissipate so easily.

Unmoved, he said, "Ah Wu, you are kind-hearted. I am the opposite—"

However, the Emperor stopped abruptly, his sentence half-finished.

No one dared to raise their heads. They could only listen intently, hearing what sounded like a noise they couldn’t quite comprehend.

"Mmph..."

It was a low, masculine sound. No one knew what had happened to the Emperor.

In an instant, Ji Qingwu shot to her feet. Throwing etiquette to the wind, she brazenly reached out and clamped a hand over his lips.

’Things have gotten to this point. If I don’t do something now, it’ll be too late.’

Emperor Wu Su’s word was law; once uttered, it could never be retracted.

If he really took the old madam’s life, there would be no coming back from it.

Ji Qingwu frowned, asking in a harsh whisper, "Your Majesty, what exactly did you come here for?"

Zhao Mingyan lowered his gaze to her delicate hand, an unusual emotion swirling in his ink-black eyes.

It was the first time in his life anyone had ever covered his mouth to stop him from speaking. Not even before he ascended the throne had anyone dared to do such a thing.

If it had been anyone else, their arm would have long been useless.

But if it was Ji Qingwu...

Beneath her palm, Zhao Mingyan soundlessly curved his lips into a smile.

Her scent filled his nostrils as her sleeve slid down, revealing a luminous, slender wrist.

’The experience is novel,’ he thought, ’and not without a certain flirtatious appeal.’

"GASP..."

Another sound reached everyone’s ears.

It was high-pitched—a woman’s voice.

Ji Qingwu sucked in a sharp breath, her clear eyes going wide as saucers, his image reflected within them.

Just a moment before, Zhao Mingyan had suddenly raised his own hand, enveloping hers. When she tried to pull back, he had pressed it even more tightly, holding her palm flush against his lips.

He had caught her completely off guard and nipped her palm.

Ji Qingwu was left suffering in silence. Every time she thought she was being bold, Emperor Wu Su would be there to teach her a lesson.

She pulled her hand back, a tingling, itching sensation on her palm along with a dampness that wouldn’t go away.

Only the two of them were privy to this little interaction. As a result, Zhao Mingyan’s mood improved considerably, and he no longer dwelled on the matter of the old madam.

"Thanks to Ah Wu’s reminder, I almost forgot why I came here."

Mr. Ji and his son were both officials at court; there was no way they believed the Emperor could be forgetful.

But Ji Qingwu was willing to believe him. As long as Emperor Wu Su stopped scowling at the Ji Family and spoke kindly, everything would be fine.

She didn’t kneel again, remaining standing before him. "Your Majesty, why not let everyone rise? We can talk while seated."

Zhao Mingyan’s lips curved slightly. "There’s no rush."

He wasn’t in a rush, but when Ji Qingwu glanced around, she saw that the white hair at the nape of Old Madam Ji’s neck was drenched in sweat.

Ji Changlin was young, so it wasn’t a problem for him, but Mr. and Mrs. Ji were older. Kneeling any longer would surely damage their knees.

Ji Qingwu could only play her last resort. Swallowing her pride, she braced herself and said in a coquettish tone, "But I *am* in a rush! Your Majesty must have come especially to see me, isn’t that right?"

"Actually, I’ve missed Your Majesty a great deal, too. Why don’t we head back to Wutong Garden together?"

Even though Zhao Mingyan knew perfectly well why she was saying these things, his expression softened anyway.

To Ji Qingwu’s expectant look, he nodded and arched a brow. "You only miss me? Yuan Heng hasn’t even been enjoying his meals these last few days. He misses you very much, too."

The smile on Ji Qingwu’s lips froze.

She was happy to hear the little fellow missed her, but at a time like this... ’Bringing up Yuan Heng now? Is he afraid we haven’t exposed enough secrets for one day?’

Ji Qingwu wrung her hands and bit her lower lip. She finally understood exactly why Emperor Wu Su had come.

’He plans to settle everything in one fell swoop, giving me no more opportunities to hide my identity.’

Ji Qingwu had no time to worry about her family’s state of shock. She quickly replied, "I will enter the palace to see Young Master Yuan Heng another day."

Meeting his seemingly dissatisfied gaze, she immediately changed her tune, "I will go to the palace tomorrow."

Zhao Mingyan gazed at her, his eyes dark and profound, his tone unprecedentedly solemn.

"Yuan Heng also asked me a question. A very difficult one."

Ji Qingwu’s heart skipped a beat. Parting her lips, she asked, "Is there a problem even Your Majesty can’t solve?"

"Yuan Heng asked me when I would be welcoming his mother, the Empress, back to the palace."

Zhao Mingyan took her hand, his voice low. "I couldn’t answer him, so I can only ask you."

This time, a tingling numbness shot from her palms all the way to the soles of her feet.

She stomped her foot, bringing it down squarely on the Emperor’s boot.

Upon hearing those words, everyone present forgot all about etiquette and looked up in shock.

Ji Bo Lian was frozen solid, his eyes unblinking, unable to comprehend why Young Master Yuan Heng would call Xiao Wu "mother, the Empress."

Ji Changlin first looked to Ji Qingwu for her reaction. Seeing his sister’s embroidered shoe still firmly planted on the Emperor’s boot, he took several deep breaths, struggling to accept this reality.

Even though Mrs. Qiao had known the truth beforehand, she was still left completely stunned.

’What did His Majesty just say?’

’The Prince’s mother... the Empress...’

’Emperor Wu Su is going to make our Xiao Wu the Empress!’

This wasn’t about entering the palace to become a concubine, as she had previously imagined. The rank of concubine, no matter how beautifully it was named, couldn’t escape the reality that it was a secondary, subordinate position.

What Emperor Wu Su was offering was the position of Empress, who could sit by his side with full legitimacy and rule over the Six Palaces.

The heavy stone in Mrs. Qiao’s heart finally fell, and she let out a sigh of relief.

Kneeling by the bed, Old Madam Ji was so dizzy she felt she was about to pass out. But when she suddenly heard the Emperor utter those words—"his mother, the Empress"—she almost thought she had died and arrived in paradise.

For so long, hadn’t she and the Empress Dowager been scheming for this very thing—for the Ji Family to produce an Empress?

Yet not only had Qingwu secured the position of Empress with ease, but from the look of things, the Emperor had delivered it to her doorstep of his own volition.

The old madam’s gaze landed on Ji Qingwu’s back, sharp as thorns.

Not even in her wildest dreams could Ji Qingwu have imagined this scene.

’A forced marriage proposal... He came all the way to my home, in front of my entire family, to do it.’

’He’s using Yuan Heng as leverage, making it impossible for me to refuse. And to top it off, he’s offering the position of Empress. How... sincere.’

"Well? What do you say, Ah Wu?"

Zhao Mingyan gently pried her balled-up fists open, giving her fingers a light squeeze to remind her to answer. A rare hint of urgency crept into his tone.

’He’s asking for my answer, but what other choice do I have?’

Li Yuzong, who had been standing guard at the doorway, saw his chance and stepped forward, presenting a scroll with both hands.

His old eyes crinkled with a smile as he said respectfully, "Holy Emperor, this is the imperial edict you had prepared before the ancestral worship ceremony."