Chapter 161 Becoming Queen

The next day, it was time to attend the morning court session.

Lan Wu was constantly worried, wondering if Chu Mingheng would simply stop attending the morning court session and just stay by her side.

To prevent such a thing from happening, Lan Wu woke up even earlier than Chu Mingheng.

She had never woken up this early since becoming a concubine. It was winter, and it was still dark when she got up. The cold wind was biting and chilled her to the bone.

Lan Wu walked past Chu Mingheng to get off at her lodging, but hesitated and glanced back.

She moved closer to Chu Mingheng and called out to him, "Your Majesty?"

Chu Mingheng's eyelashes fluttered, as if he had been woken up.

Before he was fully awake, his mind had already recognized the person in front of him, and he wrapped his arms around Lan Wu's waist and snuggled back into the blankets.

Then he slowly hummed in agreement.

Lan Wu spoke up: "Your Majesty, do you remember that you are supposed to attend court today?"

The hot breath fell heavily on my neck, and I felt as if I had fallen asleep again.

But Chu Mingheng was clearly not asleep. After a moment, he replied to Lan Wu: "If there is nothing else, the court session is over."

Hearing this unsurprising answer, Lan Wu even felt like laughing.

She forcibly freed herself from the arm restraints and asked Chu Mingheng, "What, are you going to become a tyrant?"

"Even if you want to be a tyrant, you can't drag me down with you." After saying that, Lan Wu got off the bed to find the letter on the table.

The letter was hidden under the book. Chu Mingheng hadn't let anyone touch it last night, and Lan Wu hadn't opened it herself. Now, she took the letter and handed it to Chu Mingheng.

"For you."

Chu Mingheng got up and sat on the couch, reached out and grabbed Lan Wu's arm, pulling her into his arms again. He then opened the letter in front of her.

But then he hesitated for a moment, glanced down at Lan Wu, and covered her eyes: "Don't look yet."

If she doesn't want to look, she doesn't care.

The sound of paper unfolding reached her ears. Lan Wu's eyes were covered, and she could only feel the touch of a warm hand covering her eyes. She could faintly smell the cool fragrance of the palace from last night's bath, not too strong, but pleasant and comfortable.

She had been waiting for a long time. She had gotten up early, and once she was pinned down and made no sound, she became sleepy again. She couldn't help but ask Chu Mingheng, "Have you finished reading?"

Then came the sound of paper being folded, followed by Chu Mingheng's reply: "I've finished reading it."

As he spoke, Chu Mingheng released his hand from her eyes.

Lan Wu observed his expression and saw that he was just a little colder than usual, with some complicated emotions in his eyes, but he smiled when he looked at her.

"What's wrong? What's written in here?" Lan Wu asked curiously. "Can I read it?"

Even if this letter hadn't been given to Chu Mingheng, he would have known what he wanted to do in this life. But since the letter was left behind, it was meant to be shown to Lan Wu.

"Does Awu want to be empress?" Chu Mingheng didn't immediately hand her the letter, but instead asked a question first.

Lan Wu was stunned by his words. Her round eyes couldn't hide her surprise and bewilderment. She looked at Chu Mingheng as if he were joking.

She pointed to herself: "Me, the empress?"

Then he quickly realized, "Is that what the paper says?"

Chu Mingheng neither said yes nor no, but simply told her, "Besides you, there will be no one else. That position is reserved for you."

Lan Wu advised him to calm down. Not to mention that she had just been made a Noble Consort and hadn't even had the investiture ceremony yet, she was now being offered the position of Empress. Wasn't she afraid that Lan Wu would be overwhelmed?

"To be my empress, to share the same bed in life and the same grave in death, no one can separate us." As Chu Mingheng said this, he seemed to have thought of something. He gently stroked Lan Wu's face with his warm hand and smiled softly.

Lan Wu felt a chill for no reason, so she quickly grabbed his hand and hugged it to her chest. She leaned closer and whispered, "These things are still a long way off. I'm doing this for your own good. If the court officials find out that you're going to make me empress, they'll definitely have countless memorials piling up in front of you. You'll get angry then, and getting angry isn't good."

Chu Mingheng listened to her soft words, but only asked Lan Wu one question: "Awu, just tell me whether you want to or not, and I will take care of the rest for you."

Lan Wu bit her lip and stepped back a little.

Becoming the Empress, the mother of the nation, was something she never dared to dream of. Yet, Chu Mingheng asked her this question, as if he would bring her anything she asked if she simply nodded.

Do you want to or not?

Lan Wu could lie to Chu Mingheng, but she couldn't lie to herself at all.

Of course she wanted to.

In her past life, she only dreamed of rising to a higher social status, not wanting to be a subservient servant who could be bullied and groveled. Even a dancer was a servant, no better. She herself sought wealth and honor, and she walked no matter how difficult the road ahead was. Although she walked into a dead end, she won the emperor's heart, which is why she was able to have this extra life.

Now Chu Mingheng is asking her if she wants to be empress...

Lan Wu hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly and looked up at Chu Mingheng with unease.

Chu Mingheng pulled her closer, placed a warm kiss on her forehead, and said in a deep voice, "Okay."

He would present the throne to her if she wanted it.

Then what?

“There’s no rush…” Lan Wu looked at him hesitantly and said, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

She pinched her fingers and said softly, "I have to go to Changyong Mountain. You already promised me yesterday."

Unexpectedly, Chu Mingheng did not show a strong reaction, but simply said, "I understand."

"Then... will you agree too?"

Chu Mingheng didn't speak, but just held her tightly, as if he wanted to crush her but couldn't bear to. After a moment, his hoarse voice rang in her ear. He didn't give a reply, but just reminded Lan Wu: "Take good care of yourself. If anything happens to you, I won't listen to Hui Fan's unrealistic nonsense anymore."

"And do not try to force me to compromise with yourself, lest there be another time..."

Before Chu Mingheng could say what the result was, Lan Wu hurriedly covered his mouth and said anxiously, "Okay, okay, I understand everything."

Being scolded by Chu Mingheng was already enough; now he wants to be scolded again? That's unreasonable.

Just then, a sound came from outside the hall.

It was a palace maid who announced the time, urging His Majesty to rise and go to court.

Lan Wu stood up and said with great interest, "I haven't really helped you put on your court robes before, let me help you."

In fact, whether in her previous life or this life, Lan Wu rarely rose to serve the emperor with dressing and washing according to the rules after becoming a concubine. In her previous life, it was because Chu Mingheng always made her sore all over the night before, so she couldn't get up. In this life, it was entirely because she was spoiled by the emperor in her previous life.