A wu’s thin lips moved slightly before she timidly said, “It’s probably not something important, right?”
Emperor Jingxi lowered his brows, his deep voice carrying a trace of melancholy.
“As a man, I don’t understand these ornaments and headpieces. At that time, foreign states did send a large batch as tribute, so I ordered the Silverworks Bureau to craft some small items. Since this batch was never added to the Imperial Harem’s private treasury, they were kept under Fengtian Hall’s name—part of my own private collection. That’s why, when I remembered, I had some taken for you. Though they’re from the same batch of jade, each piece is naturally different in style and material. There’s no way she could have used them all.”
His rich voice carried a hint of explanation.
“I didn’t just casually take something used for her coming-of-age ceremony and give it to you. I gave them to you because you were young and would probably like these interesting little trinkets. And since I took them from my own private treasury, there was no need for anyone else to register or make records, so it was convenient and didn’t cause a big fuss.”
A wu hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, A wu didn’t think that way at all. You don’t have to explain.”
Emperor Jingxi lowered his head until his forehead touched hers.
From such a close distance, A wu saw that this man held none of the emperor’s usual majesty.
Instead, he seemed somewhat cautious.
His voice dropped to a soft whisper, “A wu, I admit, that day at Nanqiongzi, I truly treated it as a fleeting game, thinking it was just a one-time thing and that we would never meet again, which is why I was careless with you.”
A wu slowly lowered her gaze and said, “That’s not Your Majesty’s fault.”
Emperor Jingxi’s eyes were tender, so tender they seemed fragile.
From the first moment of breathtaking beauty, to the later teasing, provocation, and playfulness, then gradually becoming genuinely attached and addicted—breaking his own habits for her repeatedly—he finally, cruelly, abandoned her at Nanqiongzi.
In reality, that was him cutting her off.
Later, in anger, he even entertained thoughts of killing her.
Now, holding her in the palm of his hand, embracing her in his arms, he felt uneasy.
He remembered that day when he had choked her nearly to death.
She had opened her eyes wide with longing, reaching out futilely.
What was she seeing, thinking at that moment?
He didn’t dare ask.
She was a sweet fruit, but inside lay a bitter pit, possibly poisonous.
Yet he swallowed her whole.
Even if it meant eternal condemnation, he was willing.
But in the end, he was greedy, wanting more.
Half-closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead against hers, gently stroking, and softly asked, “A wu, do you remember that day I said I would treat you with a parent’s heart?”
A wu’s eyes reddened.
She closed her eyes, pressing close to him.
“I remember. A wu has always been deeply moved.”
Emperor Jingxi said, “That day was Princess Dening’s coming-of-age ceremony. You enjoyed watching the various performances but didn’t want to talk about your own ceremony. I promised to hold a grand celebration for your seventeenth birthday. Though that birthday hasn’t arrived yet, today’s bestowal ceremony is so grand. Do you like it?”
A wu nodded, her voice choked with emotion, “I do.”
Emperor Jingxi smiled softly, his knuckles gently massaging the back of her neck, his thin lips brushing lightly across her forehead.
A wu felt intoxicated, as if she were a cat being stroked and soothed in his arms.
At that moment, the man’s slightly hoarse voice suddenly whispered in her ear, “Then tell me, A wu, why don’t you want to mention this to me? Aren’t you actually feeling wronged inside?”
A wu was momentarily startled.
Emperor Jingxi lowered his brows, staring unblinkingly at her in his arms.
“Tell me.”
Under such a gaze, A wu could not hide.
She moved her lips slightly, “I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Emperor Jingxi asked, “Why not necessary?”
A wu murmured, “Because I was focused on the Crown Princess…”
Her grievance was directed at the Crown Princess.
She thought she could frustrate the Crown Princess, but Princess Dening?
Impossible to compare.
Emperor Jingxi said, “You don’t dare tell me about Princess Dening?”
His tea-colored eyes watched her closely.
A wu felt flustered, as if completely exposed.
She didn’t like this, but he seemed too perceptive.
So she muttered softly, “A wu has complained about the Crown Princess already. It has to be one by one.”
Emperor Jingxi’s gaze was gentle, but his words sharp: “It’s my fault for not giving you the confidence to bring up such grievances.”
A wu fell silent.
He treated her well, and she was deeply touched, truly fond of him.
Yet why did he ask her to compare herself with Princess Dening?
She didn’t understand why he thought that way.
Some things just are as they are.
Why poke at it?
What’s the point of being so blunt?
Emperor Jingxi’s thumb gently stroked her brow.
His gaze was sharp, but his voice was so tender it seemed coaxing, “A wu, I want to hear what you truly think.”
A wu lowered her eyes but finally said, “Princess Dening and I are not the same, and will never be the same. I would never complain about her.”
Emperor Jingxi pursed his lips, silently watching her.
A wu felt as if she were about to be seen through.
She pushed him away and turned her face.
She looked out the window.
On the sill sat the Tanghua Peony flower from the Cool Room, blooming brilliantly and filling the room with fragrance.
She said faintly, “You’re angry with Princess Dening and punish her. She feels sad but won’t be fearful because she knows you are her father. No matter how angry her own father is, what can he really do? She still has what she should.”
Emperor Jingxi stared at her somewhat indifferent profile.
“And then?”
A wu said, “I’m naturally different. If one day Your Majesty is angry with me, sends me away, kills me, or locks me in the Cold Palace, I wouldn’t be able to say anything.”
“So how could I believe the words spoken during those tender moments?”
A man’s promises are fleeting and change.
Especially since he’s no ordinary man.
How could she easily forget his cruelty when he left, and how he tried to kill her?
How could she be foolish enough to believe he would always cherish her?
Rather than rely on love between a man and a woman, she’d rather hope the Imperial Heir in her womb would bring her some security.
He shouldn’t have asked these things, and she didn’t want to say them.
She didn’t understand why he suddenly acted like this.
It even reminded her of Lu Yunjian.
Between men and women, if fate allows, they come together; if not, they part.
Why force it when it’s time to part?
Emperor Jingxi pressed his thin lips, gazing at the once-compliant young lady before him.
He held her tenderly, giving her the best of everything, spoiling and pampering her without hesitation.
Yet she spoke such words—like stabbing a blade through his heart.
How could he bear to treat her that way?
He always knew she was a poisonous fruit, yet he was addicted and greedy to swallow her whole.
Now, the bitterness inside, he seemed to have tasted but a fraction.
She had no heart—none at all.
But he was already sunk too deep to escape.
In that suffocating chamber, the two clung closely, their closeness so intimate they were the closest in the world.
Yet Emperor Jingxi knew clearly: she was distant, a mist far away, impossible to grasp.
After a long while, A wu slowly recovered and cautiously looked at Emperor Jingxi.
“Your Majesty?”
His gaze was heavy and cold, radiating a fierceness A wu had never seen before.
Completely unlike the man she knew.
An emperor’s dignity usually meant absolute control, but now, there was a ruthless disorder about him that sent chills down her spine.
She tentatively grabbed his robe and gently tugged.
“Your Majesty, A wu was just speaking casually. Don’t take it to heart. I carry Your Majesty’s Imperial Heir in my womb. From now on, we’ll… we’ll always be together.”
Her words stumbled out awkwardly, “A wu will stay in the palace with Your Majesty for life.”
Emperor Jingxi seemed to suddenly snap out of it.
His fingers gripped her shoulders tightly, pulling her into his arms, embracing her with all his might.
The embrace was so fierce it felt as if they had been apart for a hundred years.
He took her hand, pressing it against his face, half-closing his eyes, and whispered, “A wu, call my name.”
A wu looked up at him.
She didn’t understand what had come over him, but she obediently called softly, “Tianze.”
Emperor Jingxi’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He wanted to make that request again but silently restrained his desire.
He knew she would refuse once more.
Some things in this world, even imperial power cannot obtain.
Looking back, he understood the A wu before was different.
From the moment he nearly strangled her to death, and she knelt before him begging for her life, part of the original A wu had died.
Now, there was a barrier in her heart she didn’t want to mention—one he could not touch.
He looked at her and hoarsely said, “Say ‘dear.'”
A wu hesitated slightly but still called, “Dear.”
Emperor Jingxi pulled her close, his thin lips trailing kisses over her cheeks and neck, his voice tender but commanding, “Say it again.”