Chapter 442: He Is the Wushan Beyond the Yun Yan

"Please, Miss Ji, put in a good word for them with His Majesty and spare their lives."

Qi Peiyao’s voice was thick with tears, and her shoulders trembled slightly.

Hu Chen shed tears along with her, promising, "Yao Yao, I will definitely make something of myself so you’ll never have to suffer again."

Hu Lie stared blankly. "It’s rare to see my wife so tender and gentle."

Qi Peiyao disliked the sentimental atmosphere and snapped at Hu Lie, "Are you itching for a beating? If you don’t come back with military honors, I won’t let our kid call you ’daddy’!"

The brawny Hu Lie stammered, unable to explain himself, and the two started bickering again.

Hu Feng smiled helplessly. "That’s just her personality. Whenever she gets embarrassed, she talks loudly. Please don’t take offense, Miss Ji."

Ji Qingwu nodded, took out a clean handkerchief, and offered it to her.

Qi Peiyao looked at the fragrant, soft handkerchief. One glance at the glossy, smooth fabric told her it was a genuine article from Lin’an. She hesitated for a moment, then, instead of taking it, she wiped away the tears about to fall with her hand.

"Miss Ji, I’m fine. I just cry easily during pregnancy. It’s so annoying. I’m never getting pregnant again."

Ji Qingwu said nothing, putting the handkerchief away with a small smile as she reached out to help her up.

"You haven’t even given birth to this one yet. Don’t think about the next."

After pulling Qi Peiyao steadily to her feet, Ji Qingwu’s hand moved to her wrist.

Qi Peiyao and the three Hu Brothers all fell silent...

Wei Ting walked out of the military tent. A full, bright sun hung in the sky, dazzlingly brilliant.

He stood outside and let out a long breath.

He had expected the Emperor to fly into a rage upon hearing what Qi Peiyao said, but the Emperor hadn’t reacted at all.

With the Hu Brothers’ natural military talent, it was only a matter of time before they rose through the ranks. Becoming regional commanders wouldn’t be difficult.

Emperor Wu Su had sent him to persuade them to surrender precisely because he had already investigated the whole affair and had come to value their talent. He never intended to punish the Hu Brothers severely in the first place.

Emperor Wu Su had long since mastered the imperial tactic of balancing favor and might.

Wei Ting was very surprised. Today, the Emperor had credited Ji Qingwu with all the grace of this favor.

From now on, the Hu Family’s three brothers would likely serve Ji Qingwu with utmost devotion.

’Not only does he want to make her Empress, but he’s also willing to share his power with her and cultivate her own trusted followers...’

Wei Ting’s gaze gradually dimmed and sank, like a relentlessly surging river that had been dammed, turning into a pool of stagnant water.

At this moment, Wei Ting clearly realized that the depth of Emperor Wu Su’s feelings for Ji Qingwu was unparalleled.

This was how Emperor Wu Su advanced step by step, winning over the heart she was unwilling to open to others.

This was true, profound love—to plan for her far into the future.

A small bird had somehow gotten caught in the tent’s guy rope. It was struggling desperately, but its frantic efforts only tangled its wings tighter, trapping it completely.

The sound of its fluttering pulled Wei Ting from his thoughts.

He quirked his lips into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and murmured, "Silly little bird."

He reached out, freed the unlucky bird, and sent it flying.

As Wei Ting watched the bird flap its wings freely, his mood lightened slightly.

But the bird had barely flown half a meter high when a silver-gray wolf leaped up and snatched it from the air. In an instant, it was in the wolf’s belly.

Wei Ting stared wordlessly at the she-wolf that had appeared out of nowhere.

The she-wolf crunched down with a SNAP, its eerie green eyes fixed on him.

When Ji Qingwu emerged from the military tent, she saw the strange scene of a man and a wolf staring each other down, neither willing to back off.

The moment the she-wolf saw Ji Qingwu, it immediately bounded over to her, frolicking and rubbing its head against her shoes.

Ji Qingwu stroked its head. "Little wolf, have you been waiting for me at the entrance this whole time? Such a good girl."

She had already taken Qi Peiyao’s pulse. It seemed the baby would be born in the next few days. She had instructed the Hu family to keep someone by Qi Peiyao’s side and to come get her if anything happened.

Hu Lie, ever the blockhead, asked where he should go to find her, which made her ears burn.

Wei Ting gazed at the elegant and fragrant woman before him, as if looking at her, and yet also at the person in his memory.

Just as she was about to leave, his lips parted, and he murmured something in a low voice.

Ji Qingwu’s steps faltered. She frowned but turned around nonetheless.

What Wei Ting had said was—"You used to wait for me at the entrance of my military tent, too."

Ji Qingwu called out, "General Wei."

Wei Ting seemed not to have heard. He didn’t look at her, but his tightly clenched right fist betrayed his nervousness.

Ji Qingwu sighed softly. "Everything in the past is like a passing cloud. In my heart, it has already drifted away."

"If I am a passing cloud, then what is he?" Wei Ting gritted his teeth. "One day, he will become a passing cloud, too."

Ji Qingwu’s expression was serene. "He is Mount Wushan, not the passing mist."

A mountain built stone by stone in her heart, something to lean on when she walked, something to rely on when she was tired—a mountain that had taken root in her very soul.

After Ji Qingwu left, Wei Ting murmured to himself.

"Wushan..."

*

Ji Qingwu gently parted the flap of the main tent. Li Yuzong was waiting just inside. Their eyes met, and his old face looked like a crumpled ball of paper.

Li Yuzong tiptoed over and whispered, "Aiyo, Miss Ji, what took you so long to return?"

Ji Qingwu poked her head through the tent flap, blinked, and asked softly, "How is His Majesty’s mood?"

Li Yuzong’s face was grim. "The Holy Emperor just called Si Hai out for questioning."

Ji Qingwu’s eyes darted around. She planned to get their stories straight with Eunuch Li first.

"What all did Si Hai say?"

Li Yuzong said, "That you delivered twins for a farmer’s wife, were captured and taken to Black Wind Village, and that you two pretended to be a young married couple... the Holy Emperor knows everything."

’Isn’t that the same as telling him everything? Why couldn’t Si Hai be more flexible? These Hidden Guards are just too rigid.’

A silver-gray wolf head poked out from under Ji Qingwu’s skirt, as if wanting to join their conversation.

Emperor Wu Su’s cold voice came from within the tent.

"Are you afraid We can’t hear your plotting clearly?"

The she-wolf quickly retracted its head and then scurried away, sticking close to the hem of her skirt.

Ji Qingwu, however, couldn’t run.

She put on a sweet smile and walked over to Emperor Wu Su, who was sitting behind a sandalwood desk.

"Your Majesty."

The military treatise in Zhao Mingyan’s hands was so well-read its edges were frayed. He lifted his gaze, glanced at her, and asked, "To what do I owe this fawning?"

"I did no such thing!" Ji Qingwu said, feigning surprise.

Seeing his expression was relatively normal, she scooted a little closer, leaned over, and propped her elbows on the desk, cupping her cheeks in her hands.

"Is smiling at you considered fawning? I didn’t know it was so easy."

Zhao Mingyan could feel that she was different from usual. It could be said that from their separation in the Imperial City to their reunion at the Northern Border, her words and actions had become more uninhibited, and more... endearing.

Zhao Mingyan deliberately put on a stern face, forcing the corners of his mouth downward.

Seeing him remain silent, Ji Qingwu spoke again, "Your Majesty, I said something to someone today."

"What was it?" Zhao Mingyan said flatly.

Ji Qingwu tilted her head, her right hand inching closer until her pinky finger hooked around his.