Ji Qingwu lowered her gaze, looking at their intertwined fingers.
She deliberately drew out her words, her fingertip brushing almost imperceptibly against the calluses on his knuckles.
"What I meant was, the past is like a passing cloud of smoke. It's long since dispersed."
Zhao Mingyan's brow twitched. He slammed the military treatise shut on the sandalwood table with a SNAP, his eyes like they were submerged in a dark pool.
"And who is this for, Ah Wu?"
Zhao Mingyan already knew exactly who Ji Qingwu could have said such things to after he left, and who she might have interacted with in the army.
Instead of answering directly, Ji Qingwu hooked her finger around his and gave it a little swing.
Her limpid eyes curved, a smile playing on her lips. "Does Your Majesty think I'm right? Things in the past should be left behind. I've already forgotten all about them."
