Chapter 384: The Edict of Empress Conferment, Personally Proclaimed by the Emperor

Eunuch Li deliberately stressed the two words, "ancestral veneration," looking directly at Ji Qingwu to ensure she heard him.

Ji Qingwu’s gaze was fixed on the bright yellow imperial edict with its red background.

Ji Bo Lian was still in shock. When he saw the red background, he nearly lost his footing while kneeling, and his eldest son had to steady him.

A complex expression crossed Ji Changlin’s face. The Emperor hadn’t just mentioned making her Empress on a whim—this had been planned for some time.

An imperial edict with such a background was used for only one kind of decree.

Ji Qingwu also recognized that this imperial edict was no ordinary one.

Previously, when Mrs. Qiao had hired a teacher to tutor her in the Six Arts at home, she had also learned some of Beili’s basic etiquette and general knowledge.

At that time, when she turned to the pages detailing the Royal Family’s ceremony for bestowing the title of Empress, a thought had crossed Ji Qingwu’s mind.

’I wonder which family’s noble daughter will ascend to that treasured position, admired by all.’

Zhao Mingyan glanced at Li Yuzong, smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles on his robe, and stood tall and imposing. Holding his head high, he said, "Announce the edict."

Li Yuzong unfurled the scroll. On its reverse side, a dragon and phoenix were depicted in gold dust, nestled closely together.

Tears welled up in Ji Qingwu’s eyes, blurring the handsome face before her.

’This meant that before Emperor Wu Su left the palace, before that assassination attempt...’

’...he had already written the edict to make her Empress.’

Li Yuzong cleared his throat and said with a smile, "Miss Ji, if you would please receive the imperial edict."

Ji Qingwu suppressed the stinging in her eyes, lifted the hem of her skirt, and prepared to kneel and receive the edict.

Zhao Mingyan raised a hand to stop her, then shot a sharp glance at Li Yuzong, his eyes filled with reproach.

Li Yuzong hunched his shoulders and clamped his mouth shut.

’Kneeling to receive an imperial edict was a custom passed down through all the dynasties, and it was his duty to enforce it...’

The mist in Ji Qingwu’s eyes cleared, and she held out her hands.

She asked, "Eunuch Li, may I take it directly from you?"

’At this moment, she didn’t want to share the contents of the edict with anyone. She just wanted to find a quiet place by herself and read the decree in detail.’

She thought this, and she acted on it.

Li Yuzong didn’t hesitate, placing the hot potato in his hands into Ji Qingwu’s.

’Emperor Wu Su was so willing to bend the rules, so why should I stick to them? Besides, this woman is the future Empress. Currying favor with her early on could never be a mistake.’

The Ji Family stared eagerly at the imperial edict, wanting to see its contents, but Ji Qingwu tucked it away and held it to her chest.

When Zhao Mingyan saw her accept it, a smile lit up his eyes.

"This one is for you to keep, Ah Wu. I will issue another to announce it to the world."

Hugging the edict to her chest, Ji Qingwu suddenly felt self-conscious and didn’t dare to look up at him.

Li Yuzong, using his talent for reading the room, said in a low voice, "Old Madam, my lords, if you would all please withdraw for a moment..."

This was Old Madam Ji’s room, and Ji Qingwu already felt out of place. To make matters worse, the very person who made her face burn and her heart race was standing right there.

No one dared to look directly at the Emperor, but they had no such reservations about staring at her.

Under the crowd’s stares, a blush rose on Ji Qingwu’s cheeks, so hot it felt like her face was on fire.

She said, "Since Your Majesty came here for this matter, and now that it’s concluded, please return to the palace. I shall be leaving as well."

Zhao Mingyan said with a straight face, "The journey here was long. I’ll go to your courtyard to rest for a bit."

No one else dared to object.

*

Ji Qingwu and the Emperor arrived at Wutong Garden one after the other.

But she was the first one through the door.

When Lan Zhi saw the man following behind her, she was just about to cry out in alarm when Si Hai leaped down from a tree, clapped a hand over her mouth, and whisked her away.

Ji Qingwu looked back, her eyes shimmering like stars reflected in a spring pool.

She urged, "Your Majesty, you should hurry back."

’Right now, all she wanted was to unroll the scroll and read what was written inside, word by word, line by line.’

She was clutching the edict that would make her Empress like a precious treasure, yet she was trying to kick out the Emperor himself.

It was a bit like prizing the beautiful casket but returning the pearls inside.

Zhao Mingyan held back a laugh. "Is that all it takes to win you over, Ah Wu? It’s just an imperial edict."

"’Just’ an edict?" Ji Qingwu said seriously. "Doesn’t Your Majesty know? A person is judged by their actions, not their intentions. This edict is more useful than any words of tender affection."

Zhao Mingyan hadn’t expected her to care so much about this.

But upon further reflection, he realized he had given her so little that she would naturally treasure this edict so dearly.

Fortunately, he had brought the edict with him on this trip. But as for what would come next...

The look in his eyes shifted subtly.

Zhao Mingyan stepped closer to her and said, "Now that you have this, am I no longer needed?"

’At this moment, that was indeed the case.’

Ji Qingwu hadn’t forgotten what a bombshell Emperor Wu Su had dropped on the Ji Family today, stunning everyone into silence.

He hadn’t revealed the slightest hint of this to her beforehand.

The imperial edict, filled to the brim with his intentions, seemed to bring her more joy than the man himself.

Seeing that she only curved her lips into a sugary sweet smile without answering, Zhao Mingyan wrapped his arm around her waist, lifted her up, and pulled her into his arms.

Fearing she would crush the edict, Ji Qingwu let out a small cry and quickly pulled it out from between their chests.

Zhao Mingyan carried her all the way to the daybed beneath the window and sat down. He didn’t put her down, but instead turned her around so he could hold her tightly from behind.

Ji Qingwu felt his hands begin to roam upwards from her lower abdomen, squeezing here and pinching there.

The window was still wide open. She turned her head to look at him.

"I-It’s still broad daylight..."

"What did you think I was going to do?" Zhao Mingyan tapped her on the forehead. "What sort of lovely thoughts are going on in that head of yours?"

His question made some images flash through Ji Qingwu’s mind. Her gaze flickered as she said, "I wasn’t. I wasn’t thinking of anything."

Zhao Mingyan took hold of the hand she was using to clutch the scroll and said unhurriedly, "Weren’t you? I thought Ah Wu wanted to see what was written inside this edict."

Ji Qingwu nodded. "Well, I’m thinking about it now."

Seeing his hand move to the black ribbon tying the scroll, Ji Qingwu asked, "Does Your Majesty want to read it again?"

’She had thought she would get to savor the contents of the edict all by herself.’

’Emperor Wu Su wrote the edict himself. What was the point of him reading it?’

Zhao Mingyan asked as if seeking her permission, "Can’t I?"

Ji Qingwu pouted. She knew his temperament well enough to ask, "Would it matter if I said no?"

Zhao Mingyan said decisively, "Not at all."

Annoyed, Ji Qingwu let out a little huff through her nose and shifted unconsciously in his arms.

Holding the scroll in one hand, Zhao Mingyan gave her bottom a light swat. "What’s with the huffing? Make another one of those suggestive noises, and I won’t care that it’s broad daylight. I’ll give you a real reason to make them."

Ji Qingwu’s eyes widened in disbelief as she covered her backside with her left hand.

’She wasn’t even the Empress yet, and she’d already been spanked with the very edict meant to instate her.’

But she did quiet down, her eyes fixed eagerly on him as he untied the ribbon and unfurled the jade scroll. The damask silk of the scroll was embroidered with auspicious clouds and cranes.

The two ends of the edict featured soaring golden dragons, and the moment it was opened, it gave off an air of immense splendor.

Ji Qingwu’s eyes had just landed on the strong, vigorous characters written in gold ink.

At the same time, Zhao Mingyan’s deep, clear voice rang out.

"I have heard that when Heaven and Earth are in order, the grand design of the world is made manifest. When the sun and moon follow their orbits, the magnificent spectacle of ascendance and eternity is displayed."

An imperial edict to name an Empress, proclaimed by the Emperor himself...