Chapter 52 Receiving the Imperial Decree

Lan Wu was woken up.

When she opened her eyes, she felt exhausted. She had only slept for a short while and was now woken up again. She wanted to go back to sleep.

But it wouldn't work. Lianxi whispered to her from the side that His Majesty had already arrived.

"Where is it?" Lan Wu mumbled a reply, then closed her eyes again.

The soft sound of a teacup being set down came from outside the curtain, followed by Chu Mingheng's reply: "Where do you think it is?"

Lan Wu suddenly opened her eyes wide, forced herself to sit up, chuckled awkwardly, and said, "Your Majesty, why didn't you have someone announce your arrival... If you had, I would have woken up long ago."

He never announces his arrival, which is why he caught her reading a storybook last time. Could he have done it on purpose?

Lan Wu was somewhat suspicious.

Chu Mingheng turned his head and saw only a screen, where Lan Wu was making a slight noise.

"Notify them?" He seemed to chuckle lightly. "If they notify them, how will they find out if you've done anything wrong?"

He did it on purpose!

Lan Wu put on her shoes and went out, where she saw Chu Mingheng sitting on a soft couch, looking quite relaxed and at ease.

"I would never do anything bad..." she muttered softly, denying Chu Mingheng's words, her eyes darting around Chu Mingheng's side as if searching for something.

Where is the imperial edict? It granted her the rank of Shuyi.

Could it be in the hands of an eunuch outside?

Chu Mingheng knew exactly what she was looking for. He found it both infuriating and amusing. A single imperial edict had so quickly made Lan Wu forgive him. His coaxing words and admonitions were not as effective as an imperial edict.

"Go out and receive the imperial decree, Consort Zhen." Chu Mingheng said, then got up and headed towards the main hall without looking at her.

Lan Wu was overjoyed. As she was about to leave the inner hall with Chu Mingheng, she tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek. She left behind a few words, her breath like a wisp of smoke lingering in Chu Mingheng's ears and before his eyes.

"Your Majesty, I thank you."

After finishing her speech, Lan Wu was about to leave, looking quite cheerful.

Chu Mingheng reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back.

Lan Wu stared blankly at him, meeting his calm and unwavering gaze, and her heart skipped a beat—was Chu Mingheng going to back out?

That's impossible!

"Have someone announce the decree outside, and you can listen inside."

He led Lan Wu to the main seat in the main hall, the part of her wrist he held in his hand was exceptionally soft and slender.

Chen Kang'an held the imperial edict outside, facing the main hall entrance, his forehead beaded with sweat.

He had never witnessed such a strange thing before.

The imperial decree was announced without waiting for anyone to arrive. The empress inside did not kneel to receive the decree. She waited until the decree was finished being read and then the imperial decree was presented inside. Consort Zhen even took a look at it for a while.

His Majesty, standing to the side, did not utter a word.

However, having witnessed His Majesty's special treatment of this empress many times, Chen Kang'an is now becoming increasingly calm and composed.

As Lan Wu looked down at the imperial edict with a puzzled expression, Chu Mingheng suddenly interrupted her thoughts: "Is there anything different from what you've seen before?"

Lan Wu was mesmerized. The imperial edict in her hand was also an edict bestowing upon her the title of Shuyi, but it was completely different from the edict in her previous life. The timing of the edict's issuance was also much earlier. No wonder she almost forgot to continue crying when she heard Chu Mingheng say that he was going to be promoted two ranks.

Hearing Chu Mingheng's words, she instinctively opened her mouth and replied, "Nowhere..."

He quickly stopped talking.

Lan Wu put the imperial edict away, turned to look at Chu Mingheng, and hurriedly shook her head to change her words: "It is completely different from the imperial edict that I received last time."

Chu Mingheng lowered his gaze slightly, staring at her clenched hand, and said slowly, "Is that so? I thought the titles should be the same."

title?

Lan Wu nodded, her expression slightly stiff as she looked at him: "Yes, the titles are the same."

"Have you finished looking?" Chu Mingheng seemed to be asking casually, not intending to interrogate her, so he glanced away indifferently. "Would you like to eat?"

"We need it." Lan Wu breathed a slight sigh of relief and quickly ordered someone to take the imperial edict away.

The lunch was exceptionally lavish. Although Lanwu had specifically asked someone to speak with the imperial kitchen yesterday, the delicious dishes on the table were not limited to just that fresh fish.

The stir-fried beef was a bit spicy, but it was also very tender. Lan Wu took several bites, and her lips and tongue turned bright red from the spiciness.

The nobles in the palace were very particular about their meals, and Lanwu had learned this lesson in her previous life after a long time: not to eat too fast and to take it slowly.

However, after the meal, the palace servants brought hot tea. Lan Wu drank it and felt that her mouth was even hotter and spicier, so she couldn't help but breathe out softly.

She sat in the chair, fanning herself, and after a while, she held the teacup and sipped the tea slowly.

Perhaps it was still too hot. From Chu Mingheng's perspective, he could see her lowered eyes, her eyelashes curved and tightly curled, her skin fair and pink. Her lips were burned when they touched the tea and pulled away, but she stubbornly opened her mouth slightly, trying to swallow the tea that was too hot for her.

He brought trouble upon himself.

Chu Mingheng put down his teacup and slightly raised his eyes.

Luo Yun, who was still in the hall, seemed to understand something and led the rest of the palace staff to leave.

Although the palace servants had all retreated outside the palace, the palace doors were still open in broad daylight.

Lan Wu was completely unaware, only glancing out of the corner of her eye that Chu Mingheng was getting up and heading in her direction.

What's wrong?

She raised her head.

As soon as I raised my head, my chin was grabbed by a hand, and a forceful and burning kiss landed on me.

Lan Wu's mouth was burning hot, and for her, Chu Mingheng, who barged in so forcefully, was the only thing that could relieve the heat.

Her reaction was more anxious than usual.

Chu Mingheng kissed her, and naturally accepted her offer with fervor.

However, after kissing for a while, Lan Wu's eyes welled up with tears from the surging, burning heat, and she reached out to push Chu Mingheng away.

Her wrists were thus captured by someone else, gripped and pressed down, her body pushed deep into the back of the seat.

Lan Wu had no choice but to bend her knees and try to push Chu Mingheng away.

It was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

He bit Chu Mingheng's tongue while taking a breath, but even so, he lingered there.

When she was finally released, Lan Wu turned her head and breathed deeply. Her lips were red and moist. Not only her lips, but her face and even her eyes were filled with tender affection.

Lan Wu's face was too alluring; even if it wasn't intentional, her current delicate and weak state made people misunderstand.

"You're seducing me again." Chu Mingheng pinched her cheek, disrupting her amorous expression, making her look excessively cute and innocent.

Lan Wu frowned, struggling to defend herself: "...I have no such talent..."

Listen to that, even her way of speaking is so adorable.

She even said she wasn't seducing him.

"When I wanted to kiss you, I even told the palace servants to leave."

Chu Mingheng's high nose bridge brushed against her nose tip, his breathing slow and gentle, his tone calm yet coaxing: "Shouldn't you thank me?"