Super-Fertile Darling: Forced to Marry the Heirless Tyrant

The greater the unknown, the greater the danger.

When the Emperor was angry, not even Li Yuzong—who was always by his side and knew his temper better than anyone—could handle him.

Ji Qingwu hesitated. ’Can I really do this?’

Her feet froze on the steps. She whispered, "Even if I go in, I won’t be able to solve anything. Maybe I should just—"

Fearing she would change her mind, Li Yuzong shrieked, "Reporting to the Holy Emperor! Fifth Missy of the Ji Family requests an audience!"

As expected of a veteran of the imperial court. His reflexes were beyond those of any ordinary person.

Ji Qingwu could only wait for the Emperor inside to speak.

But before any sound came from the hall, Li Yuzong said to her in a frantic rush, "The Holy Emperor has summoned you for an audience! Miss Ji, please hurry inside."

Ji Qingwu was speechless.

’My ears... I didn’t hear a thing, did I?’

The Diligent Governance Hall was as silent as a stagnant pool.

The next moment, she heard it.

Four words drifted from the hall.

"Close the hall doors."

The Emperor’s voice was magnetic and husky.

A shiver ran through Ji Qingwu. The sheer fury contained in his tone was so immense that even standing at the entrance, she felt as if she were about to be consumed by it.

She was starting to understand why Eunuch Li and Little Dongzi had been so terrified.

Fear gripped Ji Qingwu’s heart as well. She said quickly, "Eunuch Li, His Majesty meant that he won’t see me. I should head back now."

With that, she turned to flee, but Li Yuzong quickly blocked her path.

If he actually let Miss Ji go, he and the other servants would have to endure the Holy Emperor’s Yama-like wrath for days to come. It would be unbearable.

Ji Qingwu said, "Eunuch Li, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. His Majesty wants the doors closed. He refuses to see me."

Li Yuzong fretted, scratching his head in frustration, before finally deciding to tell her the truth.

He whispered, his voice barely a breath, "Miss Ji, you are the one who ignited the Holy Emperor’s anger. You must be the one to extinguish it."

"I caused it?" Ji Qingwu pointed to herself in disbelief.

She tried to recall everything she had done since entering the palace. She hadn’t even seen Emperor Wu Su’s face. How could she possibly have angered him?

A cough came from inside.

An idea sparked in Li Yuzong’s eyes. "Miss Ji, please forgive my impertinence."

He suddenly gave Ji Qingwu a push. It wasn’t forceful, just enough to shove her inside the hall.

Then, with a swift movement, he shut the great red gate of the Diligent Governance Hall, sealing Ji Qingwu inside.

The heavy door nearly slammed into her nose. She took a small step back.

’So that’s what "close the hall doors" meant?’

Before she could even turn around, the feeling of a piercing gaze fixed on her back grew stronger, pinning her in place.

Emperor Wu Su said coldly, "You came seeking an audience with me. Why are you not looking at me? Do you expect me to stare at your back?"

Ji Qingwu turned around stiffly, mustering her courage to look up at the man on the high seat.

For some reason, the palace lanterns in the hall were all unlit. The sun was already setting, so the only light came from the windows.

Emperor Wu Su’s face was shrouded in shadow.

His eyes were pitch-black, devoid of any light.

The moment he saw her face clearly, his expression turned as black as the landscape-carved inkstone on his grand desk.

Ji Qingwu had no idea what had gone wrong. This was nothing like the scene she had imagined while getting ready.

She had thought he would be happy, that he would be moved. She thought he would smile like he did at the Star-Picking Tower—a smile like sunshine on fresh snow.

’Why does he look even angrier...?’

’Could it be that Li Yuzong wasn’t lying? Was the Emperor’s anger really because of me?’

Ji Qingwu frowned slightly, unable to fathom why he was so angry. The change in her expression did not escape the Emperor’s notice.

Emperor Wu Su said with a grim expression, "Why do you not salute upon seeing me?"

Ji Qingwu’s frown deepened.

It wasn’t because the Emperor was demanding she bow.

It was because she realized that, for some time now, she had stopped bowing or referring to herself as ’this subject’ when they met in private.

Recently, Emperor Wu Su hadn’t carried himself with imperial dignity around her. Though his attitude was domineering, it was often tempered with gentle persuasion.

He had always indulged her insolence.

Now, with the Emperor’s cold reminder, Ji Qingwu realized she had long been overstepping her bounds.

Staring into his dark eyes, she came to a crystal-clear realization: even if he did dote on her, it wasn’t enough to allow her to do as she pleased in his presence.

If the Emperor ever decided to retract that affection, there would be nothing she could do.

Ji Qingwu was about to perform the full, formal kowtow to the Emperor. She lifted her skirts with her hands, just beginning to bend her knees.

"Your form is wrong."

Emperor Wu Su snapped, his voice filled with vexation.

Startled by his sudden outburst, Ji Qingwu lost her balance and knelt straight onto the floor with a THUD.

She hissed in pain.

These golden floor tiles were the real deal; the impact made her knees ache terribly.

She couldn’t maintain her kneeling position and pitched forward, barely catching herself with her hands, nearly ending up in a full prostration on the floor.

A pair of black satin court boots, embroidered with a cloud-and-dragon motif, appeared before her. The hem of a bright yellow court robe still swayed in front of her eyes, a sign of his hurried approach.

Ji Qingwu stared wordlessly at the colorful clouds on the bright yellow brocade.

’He wanted me to kneel, and I knelt. What more could he possibly be unsatisfied with?’

Seeing her kneeling on the cold stone tiles, Emperor Wu Su grew even more furious. His chest heaved, and his voice was thick with undisguised reprimand.

"Is that how you pay your respects?!"

’Then how am I supposed to do it?’

She had chosen the most formal kowtow, the one least open to criticism, not a common curtsy or a simple bow with clasped hands.

Ji Qingwu began to feel wronged. "Your Majesty was the one who demanded this subject bow, and now you’re finding fault with it."

Seeing she still had the audacity to talk back, Emperor Wu Su’s jaw tightened.

"Is your head made of wood? Is your heart made of stone?"

Rebuked by him again and again, it wasn’t just her knees that hurt anymore. Now her chest ached, too, as if she couldn’t breathe.

Her eyes rimmed with red, Ji Qingwu remained kneeling on the floor like a soft, vulnerable little rabbit.

The Emperor said gruffly, "Get up."

’She didn’t just look like a rabbit; her personality was just like one, too. Once provoked, she was ready to bite.’

She met his gaze stubbornly and said, "This subject will not rise. If Your Majesty wishes to punish me, then do so. I only have one head. If Your Majesty finds it so unsightly and bothersome, then you might as well just chop it off."

Her utter recklessness made Emperor Wu Su suck in a long, sharp breath, a knot of frustration tightening in his chest.

After a long moment.

He finally said, "You think I don’t want to? Sometimes I really do want to crack that head open and see just who is inside it."

Though the words were harsh, his tone was laced with helplessness.

Ji Qingwu remained petulantly on the floor, refusing to get up. She stubbornly held back her tears, her lips pressed into a bloodless line.

She was the first to look away, blinking her stinging eyes.

Then, she mumbled sullenly, "Your Majesty asks who is on my mind? Well, it’s certainly not someone who’s capricious and unpredictable."

At this, Emperor Wu Su didn’t know whether to be angry or exasperated.

The girl’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and her cheeks, flushed with indignation, were as lovely as peaches in the spring.

’So lovely it makes you want to bite her out of sheer frustration.’