Chapter 387: Does the Empress Want to Control Even This?

Ji Qingwu lowered her head as well, pretending she hadn’t seen a thing.

Ji Bo Lian lifted his head, a hint of pride in his expression, and continued, "But you can’t blame her for that. Her temper is just like mine, after all."

Zhao Mingyan had to admit that in some ways, the father-daughter pair were indeed alike.

Ji Bo Lian sighed again. "I know Your Majesty is magnanimous and has never faulted me for my repeated transgressions. I am willing to go through hell and high water for you, to lay down my life for you."

Zhao Mingyan twirled the porcelain cup in his hands.

’This Mr. Ji was not one for such high-flown, empty words.’

’The real point was coming next.’

"I only hope Your Majesty..." Ji Bo Lian said slowly, "...will show my young daughter a bit more favor and patience."

’Ji Bo Lian knew he couldn’t be like an ordinary father, who could simply bring his beloved daughter home if her husband’s family was displeased.’

’Once she entered the palace gates, there was no turning back. If she were to incur the Emperor’s displeasure, she would be confined to the Cold Palace or forced to live out her days in a desolate temple. Worse yet, she could be deposed, or even sentenced to death.’

’When Ji Bo Lian had first heard the news of her becoming Empress, these were the first things that had come to his mind after his initial shock subsided...’

’And when that time came, who would be there to save his Xiao Wu?’

Having said his piece, he rose only to kneel on the floor once more. After years of serving as an official in distant posts, exhausting himself for the people and his sovereign, the hair behind his ears was already streaked with white.

Ji Qingwu felt a complex mix of emotions at Ji Bo Lian’s words.

’She finally understood what it felt like to be truly cherished. He wasn’t happy that she had attained the enviable position of Empress; instead, he was fraught with worry over it.’

’She also understood in that instant why her father had been so strict with her the other day...’

Ji Qingwu went to Ji Bo Lian’s side, squatting down to take hold of his arm.

"Father."

Her voice was soft and clear.

’In truth, she had long since accepted him as her father in her heart.’

"Father, please get up."

Hearing her call him "Father" twice in a row, Ji Bo Lian’s eyes welled with tears.

’He hadn’t said all that in front of the Emperor just to hear her call him ’Father’; he had done it out of genuine concern for her future.’

The more obedient and gentle Ji Qingwu acted, the more reluctant Ji Bo Lian was to part with his youngest daughter, and the more his judgment became clouded.

’In the end, his love for his daughter triumphed over his loyalty to his emperor and country.’

Ji Bo Lian looked at Ji Qingwu, shielded his mouth with his hand, and whispered, "Xiao Wu, are you unwilling to enter the palace?"

Seeing her father acting like a common thief, a sense of helplessness flickered in Ji Qingwu’s eyes.

’They were so close. No matter how quietly he spoke, the Emperor could still hear him. And with that man’s petty, grudge-holding nature, who knew when he’d decide to retaliate.’

Ji Qingwu put some strength into her arms and pulled Ji Bo Lian directly to his feet.

"Father, don’t say such things. Of course I’m willing."

’If he said any more, the icy daggers in Emperor Wu Su’s eyes would be flying right at her.’

Ji Bo Lian turned his head and wiped the dampness from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve.

"That’s good. That’s good."

After getting to his feet, Ji Bo Lian didn’t offer to take his leave. He just stood there stiffly to the side.

Ji Qingwu didn’t sit back down either, choosing to stand quietly beside her father.

At that moment, Zhao Mingyan came to the clear realization that he was the outsider here.

"Is there something else, Mr. Ji?"

"I have no other business," Ji Bo Lian replied, acting as if he hadn’t heard the dismissal in the Emperor’s tone.

Ji Qingwu’s eyes darted back and forth.

’Even she could sense that her father’s attitude toward Emperor Wu Su had taken on a resistant edge, though it wasn’t openly displayed.’

Zhao Mingyan said, "I still have matters to discuss with Ah Wu."

Ji Bo Lian stood ramrod straight. "I must ask Your Majesty to consider my daughter’s reputation. This matter has not yet been officially announced. Only the Ji Family knows of your intention to make her Empress; the public is still unaware."

Ji Qingwu recalled what the two of them had been up to before her father entered, and her head drooped.

Zhao Mingyan replied, calm and unruffled, "You are mistaken, Mr. Ji. Ah Wu and I already have two children. Isn’t it a bit late to be discussing this now?"

’That was far too blunt.’ Ji Qingwu peeked at her father’s reaction, hoping he wouldn’t be angered.

Ji Bo Lian took a deep breath. "In the past, Xiao Wu was living on her own, and Your Majesty was not yet the Emperor. But now, our circumstances have changed. Things should be done according to propriety."

"Your Majesty rules by the Mandate of Heaven and is a model for all people. The Empress, in turn, is a mother to the realm, a paragon for the edification of your subjects. From this day forward, your every word and action must not be arbitrary. Your Majesty must uphold the traditions passed down by our ancestors."

Ji Qingwu’s glistening eyes stopped darting about. She gazed at her father, her eyes filled with admiration.

Ji Bo Lian’s every word was resonant and reasonable, and he remained completely unfazed even as the Emperor’s face began to turn livid with anger.

This was the bearing of the minister who had once successfully impeached and rejected all of Emperor Wu Su’s new policies.

’I should take this opportunity to learn from him,’ Ji Qingwu thought.

Zhao Mingyan said, "Passed down by ancestors? Has Mr. Ji forgotten that the Liang Dynasty has long since fallen? Beili is a new dynasty. Are you asking me to abide by the rules of a bygone era?"

Ji Bo Lian bowed his head. "I would not dare. It is merely that..."

As the atmosphere between the two men grew heavy, Ji Qingwu felt her scalp tingle. This back-and-forth confrontation between emperor and subject...

’I could never learn to do this. It’s not good for my poor, wildly-beating heart.’

’This is going to be the death of me...’

Ji Qingwu said gently, "Father, His Majesty and I still have a few things to discuss. Just give us the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea. The doors and windows are open, and there are guards outside. It won’t affect anything."

Ji Bo Lian’s attention fixated on the "half a cup of tea." While he hesitated, Ji Qingwu took his arm and escorted him out the door.

When Ji Qingwu turned back, she saw Zhao Mingyan’s lips curled into a smug smile, as if he’d just won a great victory. It exuded a sense of...

...childishness.

"What are you smiling at, Your Majesty?"

Zhao Mingyan replied, "Nothing. I’m just smiling because I feel like it. Does the Empress intend to manage that as well?"

With no one else around, Ji Qingwu sat down beside him.

"A friendly reminder: I’m not the Empress yet. And in the Ji Family, we all have to listen to my father and follow the rules."

Zhao Mingyan nodded nonchalantly. "I’ll listen to Ah Wu." With a sweep of his long arm, he pulled her onto his lap.

The doors were still wide open, and Ji Qingwu worried her father might be waiting just outside. She struggled to get off his lap.

Zhao Mingyan pinned her hands down. "Don’t move. I have something important to tell you."

Ji Qingwu had assumed he was just making up an excuse out of impatience with her father. Surprised, she asked, "You really have something serious to discuss with me, Your Majesty?"

Zhao Mingyan smoothed her hair, tucking a few stray strands behind her ear to reveal her fair face.

"Ah Wu."

Ji Qingwu nodded, showing she was listening.

"Ah Wu."

Ji Qingwu nodded emphatically. "I’m here. Go on."

Zhao Mingyan gazed at her and called out again, "Ah Wu."

Her patience holding, Ji Qingwu stared at his face and replied, "Please speak, Your Majesty."

"Ah Wu."

Ji Qingwu couldn’t take his incessant, ghost-like chanting of her name. She pushed his arms away, slid off his lap, and stood before the round table, glaring at him with her glistening eyes.

"Are you going to say it or not? If you don’t, I’m leaving."

Zhao Mingyan wrapped his arms around her slender waist again.

"This is your home. Where could you possibly go?"

’Emperor Wu Su was acting so strangely.’ she thought. ’He was rarely this hesitant, fumbling for words as if he had something difficult to say...’