Chapter 106: Chapter 106: Serving Him, A Deft Undressing

She was extremely adept at these tasks, and every button yielded smoothly in her hands.

Li Yuzong watched from the side, thinking she was even better at serving than the Palace Attendants in Zhaoyang Hall. He was quite surprised. In truth, all her experience came from taking care of a child.

Emperor Wu Su lowered his eyes to watch her hands. With a few deft movements of her slender fingers, the whole row of buttons came undone.

He was reminded of something.

It had also been in a large tent, with this same person before him, unfastening his armor and outer robe. Though her hands had trembled and her body had quaked back then, her movements had also been remarkably swift.

Emperor Wu Su’s gaze turned dark and inscrutable. "You have nimble hands."

Ji Qingwu, completely focused, replied without looking up, "Your Majesty should have known that already. I wove that five-color thread very well."

"I’m not talking about the five-color thread," he said. "I’m talking about your skill at undoing buttons. It’s not bad."

Reminded by his deep voice, Ji Qingwu also recalled the last time she had undressed him. Her hands trembled, and she lowered her head further, a sense of guilt washing over her.

But how could she have possibly imagined back then that they would one day share such a warm and natural moment like this?

’Warm...’

Ji Qingwu was surprised at herself for using such a word to describe this moment. She shook her head, trying to quickly banish the thought.

Then, she quickened her pace and removed his outer robe.

Beneath his inner tunic was a lean, powerful physique—broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The masculine scent of Agarwood and his body heat washed over her.

Ji Qingwu’s heart began to beat a little faster. She was very careful to avoid touching him, but her fingertips still brushed against his skin inadvertently.

Emperor Wu Su’s breathing deepened.

She picked up the slate-blue long robe from the tray, held it up, and found herself in a predicament.

Changing a man’s clothes wasn’t like dressing a child. Taking them off was easy, but putting them on was quite difficult for her.

The biggest problem was his height and broad shoulders. As soon as Ji Qingwu got one sleeve on, she had to hurry around behind him to get to the other side.

After finally draping the outer robe over him, she moved to his front to fasten the top button.

Emperor Wu Su seemed oblivious, keeping his back ramrod straight, refusing to bend even slightly.

Ji Qingwu scurried back and forth like a newlywed wife, lifting his arms and standing on her tiptoes, working until beads of sweat formed on her nose.

By the time she picked up the gold-inlaid topaz belt, her face was already flushed red.

But His Majesty the Emperor, now changed into fresh clothes, looked clean, refreshed, and utterly at ease.

Ji Qingwu’s hand, wrapping the belt around his waist, couldn’t help but tighten forcefully.

Feeling the sudden pressure from her hand, Emperor Wu Su finally revealed his first smile since returning to the tent.

He chuckled. "Did Miss Ji not eat enough meat just now? Why is your strength so lacking?"

Feeling belittled, Ji Qingwu gave a fierce tug. But the Emperor suddenly tensed his abdomen, and the force jarred the jade belt from her grasp.

She quickly bent down to pick it up, but misjudged the distance and bumped her head against him.

There was a low, muffled grunt, followed by a sharp intake of breath.

Emperor Wu Su’s expression was complicated. ’He really hadn’t been wrong—the hardest part of her entire body was her head.’

Even Li Yuzong, a man without roots, felt a phantom pain in his groin just from watching.

Ji Qingwu didn’t know what she had just hit. It was hard and springy. She felt her head get knocked, but it didn’t hurt that much.

She looked at him hesitantly, but the Emperor took the belt from her hand and tied it himself in a few swift motions.

’If he could do it that easily, why did he make me serve him in the first place?’

Ji Qingwu pouted behind his back. The whole ordeal had made her break out in a sweat.

Just then, Li Yuzong presented another tray, on which lay a set of light green flowered smoke gauze clothes.

"Miss Ji, a bath has been prepared in the adjacent tent. You may go and freshen up."

’He only let me go change after I finished serving the Emperor. Li Yuzong is so shrewd, truly the Emperor’s loyal subordinate.’

Ji Qingwu picked up the clothes and glanced at Emperor Wu Su, who had sat back down and was flipping through a military strategy book.

He sat before the table with his long legs spread, his posture stiff. His expression wasn’t great as he said, "Go on."

Bathing in a tub inside a tent couldn’t compare to the bath pools at Zhaoyang Hall, but it was still far more luxurious than the bathing rooms in an ordinary home.

Although Black Armor Guards were patrolling outside, they were all men, so Ji Qingwu didn’t dare to soak for long. She quickly washed her body and hair with hot water and got out.

She toweled her hair until it was half-dry, simply coiled up her black tresses, and changed into the gauze clothes. The fabric felt like soft silk, very comfortable against her skin.

Even though she was quick, a good hour had passed.

Just as Ji Qingwu stepped out of the tent, she heard two people arguing up ahead.

The moonlight was hazy, but she peered closely for a few moments.

The woman in a long, white pleated skirt looked like Princess Hua Chang, and the tall, sturdy man standing opposite her in the shadows must be the Prince Consort.

"Did the Eldest Princess come all this way just to see her husband? Did you miss me that much after just a few days?"

Princess Hua Chang irritably slapped his hand away.

Wei Chi Lianping immediately feigned injury, crying out, "HISS! Ouch! That hurts!"

"You’re thick-skinned and tough as leather. How could one slap hurt?"

"Who says? This General was gravely injured today! I lost a lot of blood, and I’m very weak right now."

Princess Hua Chang had rushed over from the Princess Mansion after one of Wei Chi Lianping’s subordinates reported that he had been seriously injured while fighting his prey.

But the moment she saw him, she knew she had been tricked by this brute.

When she arrived, the man had been full of life, boasting to the Black Armor Guards of the Imperial City Department about the black bear in the cage, vividly recounting his glorious achievement of "defeating" the enemy in five punches.

Just as Wei Chi Lianping was basking in his glory, someone slapped him on the back.

He had just turned around when he saw Princess Hua Chang’s face, her features frosted with cold anger.

Wei Chi Lianping immediately became unsteady on his feet. He leaned against a nearby tree as if he were about to faint, his voice incredibly weak. "Eldest Princess, you’ve finally arrived."

The Black Armor Guards: "..."

They now knew what it felt like to watch the Black Whirlwind Li Kui try to act like the sickly Lin Daiyu.

The Black Armor Guards scattered in an instant. A few of the guards who worshipped the garrison general suddenly felt the heroic image in their hearts crumble, and they were dragged away by their comrades in disbelief.

Once everyone else was gone, Princess Hua Chang said coldly, "It seems I’ve come at an inconvenient time."

Wei Chi Lianping nodded, his breath shallow. "No, you’ve come too late."

Princess Hua Chang looked him up and down. "I should have come even later. That way, your wound would have already healed over and you’d be fully recovered."

Wei Chi Lianping knew he couldn’t keep up the act, but he remained leaning against the tree.

He pouted. "Your words truly wound me, Eldest Princess. Fighting a black bear is incredibly dangerous. This General was thinking of the Princess the entire time. My death would be a small matter, but the thought of you becoming a widow was something I couldn’t bear. That’s what gave me the strength to subdue the beast in one go."

His eyes gleamed in the dark. "However, this General has no strength left to serve the Eldest Princess tonight."

All that could be heard was a sharp SLAP.