Chapter 5 Go Dance

Lan Wu naturally wouldn't accept it.

Hearing Consort Li's words, which were exactly the same as in her previous life, she silently thought, "As expected." But she looked terrified and immediately knelt down after hearing Consort Li's words, almost sobbing.

"Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. It is my greatest blessing that Your Majesty has bestowed this opportunity upon me. However... however..." Lan Wu hesitated and whispered her grievances. "I entered the palace when I was young, and later I made up my mind to find my family and reunite with them after I left the palace."

Lan Wu spoke with utmost sincerity, her face etched with worry and her eyes brimming with tears. It was clear at a glance that she was concerned about her family and longed to reunite with them.

"I hope Your Majesty will have mercy on this servant's selfish thoughts."

It would be even better if we could just let her leave the palace like this.

Consort Li remained expressionless, unsure whether she felt relieved or displeased upon hearing Lan Wu's words.

"Do you really want to leave the palace?" She asked coldly, her sharp, probing gaze sweeping over Lan Wu.

Lan Wu nodded again and agreed.

Consort Li chuckled softly as she looked at her.

"In that case, Miss Lanwu, go back and think about it some more. Perhaps you'll change your mind soon."

After saying this, Consort Li ordered Lan Wu to be sent out of the palace.

Ultimately, Consort Li did not believe that anyone would be willing to give up their life of wealth and honor and single-mindedly try to escape from the palace.

I arrived in the afternoon and left near dusk.

Lan Wu returned along the same route, naturally passing by the gates of Yilan Palace along the way. As she had seen before, the gates of Yilan Palace were open, with guards and eunuchs standing outside.

Lan Wu didn't want to cause herself any trouble, and this magnificent palace was ultimately not her place.

She lowered her head, like an ant scurrying away in a corner, not wanting anyone to notice her, but someone still called out to her.

Lan Wu trembled, and hearing the footsteps of someone approaching quickly behind her, she had no choice but to turn around.

Before she could speak, the person had already spoken: "Miss Lanwu, His Majesty is waiting for you inside."

Listen to what these words are.

Lan Wu subconsciously looked to the left and right of the palace path. The long palace path, along with the high threshold, was deserted.

At this moment, she could hardly describe how she felt. She had just dealt with Consort Li and now she had to deal with Chu Mingheng.

She could fool Consort Li without a trace, but what about Chu Mingheng?

She couldn't withstand even one encounter from him.

But when His Majesty summoned her, how could a lowly palace maid like her say no?

As her blue embroidered orchid skirt brushed past the threshold of the Yilan Palace gate, the scene inside came into view.

It's so different from what I saw in my previous life.

Chu Mingheng knew she loved to dress up, so everything she wore, from gold hairpins and jade ornaments to every flower and tree in the Yilan Palace, was exquisite and beautiful, just to her liking.

But that was also the most laborious. She, a mere concubine, moved into a non-standard palace, used non-standard flowers and trees, and even had many more palace servants than other palaces.

Such an honor was bound to arouse jealousy, but she was just a concubine.

Now Lan Wu thinks that even if she was confused at first, she later knew that those things were wrong and thought it was the emperor's favoritism. Little did she know that this favoritism was also the fuse that led to her demise.

Did Chu Mingheng really not know? Or was he doing it intentionally?

Although the splendor of Yilan Palace is not as great as it was in her previous life, the palace is still cleaned and tidy every day.

She followed Luo Yun from the long corridor to the back hall. In the center between the front and back halls was a moon-shaped platform. It wasn't very big, but in her previous life, she often danced on that platform for Chu Mingheng.

And now, a person is sitting on the Moon Pool Platform.

Lan Wu's eyelids twitched. She didn't know why she felt uneasy every time she saw Chu Mingheng. Perhaps it was because the lesson Chu Mingheng taught her in her previous life was too profound.

Luo Yun led her over, but retreated to the corridor himself. The palace servants around them kept their distance, but Lan Wu, who had no choice but to walk in front of the emperor, walked with great difficulty.

She walked up to the emperor, knelt down, and respectfully greeted him.

Chu Mingheng sat to the side, his gaze lingering on the empty round platform in front of him. When Lan Wu spoke, he slowly turned his gaze downwards, staring at the top of Lan Wu's dark hair.

Lan Wu was a dancer in the music hall, but also a servant. When Consort Li asked her to go to Jinghua Palace today, she deliberately removed the extra hairpins and rings from her hair, and even took off the earrings hanging from her earlobes. The spring was cold and the dew was heavy, and her ears were red from the cold, but her fingers were slender and white. Now that she was kneeling down, Chu Mingheng could see her thin waist, which was so slender that it could be held in one hand.

"Go and dance. If you dance well, I will reward you."

Lan Wu looked at the small Moon Pool Terrace and thought to herself that Chu Mingheng really knew how to make things difficult for people. The Moon Pool Terrace was a familiar place for her, and dancing a dance was naturally not difficult for her. But if it were someone else today, they would probably have lost their manners in front of the emperor.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

She had some expectation for the reward Chu Mingheng mentioned, but reason told her it was impossible. If he could grant someone's wish so quickly, he wouldn't be Chu Mingheng.

Among so many skilled dancers in the music hall, if Lan Wu hadn't been exceptionally talented, she wouldn't have had the chance to dance in the most prominent position.

The cold wind came slowly, occasionally a wisp of it brushing past the woman's hair ribbon. As dusk approached, the sky darkened, and the reflection of people in the moonlit pond was a dark mass, indistinct and hard to discern.

Even without music, Lan Wu's dance was beautiful enough. Her figure was so supple that she didn't appear clumsy when she danced, and her slender fingers made her look charming even when they gently brushed against her cheek.

However, Chu Mingheng didn't seem to be very satisfied with this dance.

After Lan Wu finished dancing, he watched her kneel down, panting softly. As she lowered her head, her bright black eyes were also covered and could no longer be seen.

"Your Majesty, I have finished dancing."

Lan Wu really wanted the reward Chu Mingheng had mentioned, but she didn't want to dance too well and be tricked into entering the harem by Chu Mingheng. After weighing the options, she decided to give up the uncertain reward. She didn't dare to gamble, so her dance was only passable.

After the dance ended, she was left on the stage, panting softly, while Chu Mingheng's attitude remained unclear.

Even without looking up, Lan Wu could feel how intimidating those merciless eyes were when they fell upon her.

"Someone come here," Chu Mingheng finally spoke.

His voice was nonchalant as he summoned Chen Kang'an. He uttered a single sentence that was enough to send chills down Lan Wu's spine as she knelt on the ground, causing her to raise her head in a panic.

"Go and find out who taught her this dance. If they didn't teach her well, then cut off her hands and feet and banish her from the palace."

Lan Wu's breathing quickened. No matter how bad the people in the music hall were, they had been together for years. The musicians who taught her to dance had suffered because of her, how could she feel at ease?

Before Chen Kang'an could give the order, Lan Wu shuffled forward to Chu Mingheng with her knees scraping the ground, and kowtowed to him. This time she was genuinely trying to admit her mistake, and her head kowtowed loudly. However, after the first kowtow, a hand cushioned her forehead.

That hand was cool, as if the blood inside was cold and no one could warm it.

Lan Wu is still the same Lan Wu. Even if she were to live another life, she would still not be very smart and would not be able to gain any advantage over Chu Mingheng.