Chapter 428: Who Hurt You? Ordering the Emperor Around

Ji Qingwu lowered her head, trying to minimize her presence.

Li Chengxun continued, "The bandit wife is about to go into labor. The Hu Brothers are insisting on finding that midwife. They’ve rejected the midwives from Longzhou and are causing a scene."

Chunhua had a difficult birth with twins, and that woman delivered them under such terrible conditions. The mother and both children were fine, which is a testament to her skill.

The Hu Family’s Three Brothers and Qi Peiyao both trust her implicitly.

Li Chengxun said helplessly, "The bandits are demanding we find this woman who can deliver babies within three days."

Ji Qingwu pulled her Great Cloak tighter, the fabric rustling softly.

’Can’t deny it, Qi Peiyao has good judgment. When it comes to delivering babies, there really is no one better than me.’

’It’s always better to have a skill to rely on when you’re out and about. People look up to you for it. You earn your own respect.’

’In any case, neither Li Chengxun nor Wei Ting knows that woman was me.’

’The only one who could possibly see through my identity is Emperor Wu Su, but he never saw me at Black Wind Village.’

Ji Qingwu’s posture straightened.

Zhao Mingyan tapped his long fingers on the table, as if pondering something.

He asked, "They were a couple?"

Li Chengxun didn’t understand why the Emperor was concerned with this detail. He replied, "Yes. This subject sent men to investigate thoroughly. They were indeed a young, recently married couple."

Emperor Wu Su’s expression suddenly darkened. "Did you send people to look for them?"

Li Chengxun’s reply became even more cautious.

"It is this subject’s dereliction of duty. I sent additional men to search a ten-li radius, but we haven’t found them yet. That is why I have come to request Your Majesty’s instructions."

"Should we dispatch more men and expand the search area?"

Zhao Mingyan glanced at the person behind him. He saw Ji Qingwu, her neck bent, fiddling with the wolf fur trim on her Great Cloak, looking completely uninterested in their conversation.

He withdrew his gaze and said, "There’s no need to search."

Li Chengxun said, "Then..."

Zhao Mingyan said lightly, "She’s here."

The moment he spoke, Ji Qingwu yanked a tuft of wolf fur clean off. Staring at the gray hairs in her palm, a flicker of panic rose in her heart.

Her back stiffened, and she didn’t dare look up at Emperor Wu Su.

’Does he have clairvoyance and clairaudience? How does he know everything?’

Ji Qingwu’s eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think of how to explain away pretending to be married to Si Hai and getting caught in a bandits’ den.

Li Chengxun asked in surprise, "Your Majesty’s meaning is?"

Zhao Mingyan mused, "Bring them to the military camp."

From Emperor Wu Su’s expression, and Wei Ting’s uncomposed reaction, Li Chengxun had already guessed that the woman on the soft couch was Ji Qingwu.

Just a moment ago, he was still wondering what the Emperor meant by the two words "She’s here." Now, hearing the Emperor’s command, Li Chengxun’s eyes lit up.

"Yes, Your Majesty is wise! Fifth Miss Ji is a highly skilled physician, renowned in Lin’an. She is a hundred times better than the woman they are looking for. This subject will explain the situation to Hu Feng. They will surely agree."

Ji Qingwu let out a soft sigh of relief. ’Hopefully, I was just scaring myself.’

Then her brow furrowed. ’Li Chengxun recognized me too?’

Ji Qingwu didn’t have time to think about when he might have recognized her, because it didn’t matter.

She turned her head to look toward the other side of the military tent. ’No matter what, Emperor Wu Su can’t possibly conclude that the woman who escaped was me based on just a few words, right?’

She couldn’t think of a good way out of this, so she could only resolve to tough it out.

With the matter settled, Li Chengxun exited the tent.

The tent fell silent once more.

Ji Qingwu called out softly, "Your Majesty."

Zhao Mingyan was still sitting by the table. He glanced at her. "Speak." His tone implied he was giving her a chance to defend herself.

Ji Qingwu said with a completely innocent face, "Speak about what? Is there anything I’ve done that Your Majesty doesn’t already know about?"

Zhao Mingyan took off his Xuan Armor and asked, "Why don’t you tell me what happened on your journey after you shook off the Hidden Guards."

Ji Qingwu saw the obvious water stains on his collar, and her thoughts drifted to his earlier gentleness.

"I feel like Your Majesty is interrogating a criminal."

Zhao Mingyan said calmly, "If I were interrogating a criminal, I would have to bind her hands and feet with shackles and whip her relentlessly..."

He described it so vividly that an image formed in Ji Qingwu’s mind.

"No, no, no."

Ji Qingwu shook her head like a pellet drum. With dewy eyes, she said, "I was quite safe the whole way. I didn’t run into any trouble. The carriage ride just made me dizzy, that’s all. There’s really nothing worth telling."

Zhao Mingyan said, "Really?"

Ji Qingwu’s gaze flickered. The word "Liar" was practically written on her forehead.

She chose to avoid the question. Looking at the area behind his ear, she asked, "Your Majesty, who was it that injured you?"

The concern in her tone was so thick it was practically overflowing. As a result, even though Ji Qingwu’s attempt to change the subject was clumsy, Zhao Mingyan didn’t call her out on it.

The corner of his mouth twitched. He said casually, "It’s just a minor injury."

Just then, Li Yuzong’s low voice was heard reporting from outside the tent.

"Holy Emperor, the hot water is ready. Will you be using it now?"

Zhao Mingyan said, "Bring it in."

Steaming buckets of water were carried to the back of the main tent, into a simple washing room partitioned off by a thick curtain.

Li Yuzong snuck a peek at the woman on the soft couch. She was still wearing the Emperor’s Great Cloak. He took a sharp, quiet breath.

Ji Qingwu met Eunuch Li’s assessing gaze. Seeing an old acquaintance, she even gave him a friendly smile.

But Li Yuzong’s old face wrinkled, his mind racing. ’I’m not so easily won over or bribed.’

Zhao Mingyan said, "Go take a bath first. Change out of those wet clothes."

Ji Qingwu’s eyes filled with surprise. She thought he had taken off his armor intending to bathe himself, but it turned out the hot water had been prepared for her.

Meanwhile, ever since following Emperor Wu Su to the Northern Border, Li Yuzong had never heard him speak in such a gentle tone.

His eyebrows furrowed into a worried slant. Based on his past, worldly-wise experience, ’A demon concubine is about to emerge!’

The moment Ji Qingwu turned her head, she saw the indignant and resentful look in Li Yuzong’s eyes. Although Eunuch Li’s expression changed quickly, she still caught it.

She suddenly called out, "Your Majesty."

Her voice was soft and gentle, like a feather carried by a soft breeze, brushing against one’s heart.

Zhao Mingyan raised an eyebrow slightly. "What is it?"

Ji Qingwu’s eyes were like spring waters. She said coquettishly, "Your Majesty just applied the medicine for me. If I take a bath, won’t it all wash away?"

Zhao Mingyan smiled. "After you get out, I will help you apply it again. Go on."

Li Yuzong tutted to himself several times. ’Just look at her methods, so brilliant. She’s already coaxed the Holy Emperor into applying medicine for him personally.’

Ji Qingwu tilted her head up, looked at the Emperor, and said, "My knee hurts."

The implication was that she couldn’t move.

Li Yuzong’s old eyes filled with a bit of anger as his heart ached for his master. ’This is the Emperor who just came off the battlefield, who hasn’t even had a sip of water!’

’But not only is she ordering the Emperor to apply medicine, she now wants the Emperor to carry her to the washroom!’

’This ointment is the best secret medicine from the Imperial Palace! Unless you’ve broken a leg, there’s no flesh wound it can’t heal.’

’The pain disappears just moments after you apply it.’

’But there’s no way Emperor Wu Su doesn’t know this.’

Li Yuzong heaved a long, worried sigh.