Emperor Wu Su said, "What I want is not for you to enter the Imperial Palace."
"If it were as simple as wanting you to enter the palace, do you think you would still be enjoying your freedom in Lin'an, free to open your clinic?"
Ji Qingwu's heart sank.
In recent days, the Emperor had seen everything she was doing, yet he had allowed her to act as she pleased.
This indulgence and freedom had long made her forget her own predicament. If the Emperor insisted she enter the palace, she would have no choice.
The light in Ji Qingwu's eyes shifted. "Your Majesty," she asked, "what is it that you truly want?"
Emperor Wu Su looked at her, standing two steps away, his eyes half-lidded.
"What I want," he said, "is very precious."
Ji Qingwu looked up abruptly, but all she could see were his lowered lashes, which concealed most of the emotion in his eyes.
Yet, a sliver of emotion—dangerous, almost pathological—still managed to escape.
