Chapter 55 Fear

The fact that Yun Qing is here means that Consort Shu is in the palace.

Lan Wu finally calmed down and turned to look at Lian Qiao: "You can recognize her from this far away, you have good eyesight."

Lian Qiao felt a little embarrassed, and remembering that Consort Shu and her own lady did not get along, she carefully said, "Your Majesty, I used to work in the inner palace and met Yun Qing a few times and we talked, so we became more familiar with each other."

“You…” Lan Wu frowned, about to ask something, but then she saw Chen Kang’an had already come out.

Chen Kang'an approached and bowed respectfully to Lan Wu: "Your Majesty, you have been waiting for a long time. His Majesty said that you may enter."

On the other side, Consort Shu also came out from the palace gate.

As soon as she came out, she saw Lan Wu, but she seemed too lazy to look at her again. She turned her head away and led Yun Qing to the side hall of the Imperial Study.

With such heavy rain, it was naturally impossible to walk. Only by virtue of her favor could Consort Shu stay a little longer in the side hall until the rain stopped before returning to the palace.

If it weren't for Lan Wu, she could have had more time to talk with His Majesty in the main hall. She wondered if this tactless woman had come specifically to make her uncomfortable.

Consort Shu felt annoyed just looking at Lan Wu, so she simply ignored her.

In this heavy rain, I wonder what that little slut is doing here.

Lan Wu entered the Imperial Study.

She was already familiar with this place, and soon she found herself at the spot where Chu Mingheng was.

Chu Mingheng was looking for something on a bookshelf with his back turned when he heard footsteps. Without turning his head, he asked Lan Wu, "In such heavy rain, who told you to run here..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lan Wu ran over and hugged him.

"Your Majesty..." She wrapped her arms tightly around Chu Mingheng's waist, pressed close to his back, and her voice was low and aggrieved, clearly indicating that she was afraid.

Chu Mingheng stuffed the half-finished book back into the bookshelf, squeezed Lan Wu's tightly wrapped wrist to loosen her grip slightly, and turned to look at the top of Lan Wu's head.

A rumble of thunder sounded outside, and Lan Wu flinched. When Chu Mingheng lifted her face, tears rolled down her cheeks at just the right moment.

Chu Mingheng instantly recalled the day after she was conferred her title, when she had a nightmare and asked, "Is it raining?" as soon as she woke up.

However, it had rained several times during those months, and Lan Wu's reaction was not as frightened as it was today.

Could it be... thunder?

Lightning flashed across the sky, even illuminating the tightly closed window frames, followed by Lan Wu's pupils constricting sharply.

The thunderclap fell just then.

Chu Mingheng lowered his head, his fingertips brushing against the corner of Lan Wu's eye, as if kissing her eye, exceptionally gently.

He didn't speak. After Lan Wu called out "Your Majesty," she didn't say anything else. She was held in Chu Mingheng's arms and sat on the dragon throne.

The sound of rain outside the window did not stop. Chu Mingheng held her, reached out to touch her dress, and then touched her hair.

As if knowing what he was doing, Lan Wu gently told him, "You didn't get wet. I arrived just as I started to get up."

"Hmm." Chu Mingheng touched her palm. His hand was even colder than hers, but he pulled away after a brief touch.

Instead, Lan Wu took Chu Mingheng's hand and placed it against her neck, soothingly whispering to him, "This concubine will warm Your Majesty's hand."

Chu Mingheng's hand did not move, letting her touch the warm skin on the side of her neck.

His gaze drifted downwards, fixed on the scene for a moment. The tranquility of the hall was particularly reassuring. With each clap of thunder outside the window, Chu Mingheng would gently pinch the back of Lan Wu's neck to signal that he was there.

The lightning couldn't strike Lan Wu directly through the house, so she had nothing to fear.

Lan Wu pretended to be serious. Only when she heard the rain outside the palace gradually subside did she raise her head, only to see Chu Mingheng taking a nap with his eyes closed.

“Your Majesty…?” she called softly.

Chu Mingheng opened his eyes, and his gaze, taken from the side, appeared somewhat cold and indifferent at this angle.

Lan Wu wasn't afraid at all. She turned her head to look at the rain outside the window, swallowed hard, and said, "Your Majesty, this rain is so heavy... Will it break through the palace walls?"

The palace walls are so high, how could they be breached by a single rainstorm?

Chu Mingheng didn't laugh at her; instead, he brought his teacup closer and offered her some water.

"If it breaks, you'll be the one to fix it." He brushed Lan Wu's lips with his warm hand and continued, "You're not allowed to eat until you fix it."

Lan Wu was stunned for a moment, then angrily thought to herself that Chu Mingheng didn't know what was good for him.

But the goal was not yet achieved. Lan Wu ignored his words and continued drinking her tea, "If the palace walls can't be breached, what about the dikes?"

"Your Majesty, if the dikes collapse, won't many people be left homeless? Will the people become refugees?"

Where should they go?

"Your Majesty, that's scary! Ugh—"

Before she could finish speaking, Lan Wu's face was pinched, causing her voice to suddenly change tone.

Chu Mingheng looked at her with a strange expression: "Which storybook have you been reading lately? Making irresponsible remarks about the world and spreading rumors, I will find the person who wrote this and beat him to death with sticks."

The bewilderment and sincerity in Lan Wu's eyes made her seem even more like a mischievous little devil who thrives on chaos.

At least that's how Chu Mingheng sees it.

What are you even talking about? Did a heavy rain and a few claps of thunder stun her mind?

"I didn't see it." Lan Wu blinked and said to him seriously, "It was a dream I had."

As soon as she said it was a dream, Chu Mingheng loosened his grip.

After a long silence, he leaned back in his chair.

Tell me, what kind of dream did you have?

Lan Wu pursed her lips, looked up at the carvings above her head, and recalled, "It was like a place with water, fields, streets, and all kinds of blooming flowers. It was raining all the time, and after a long, long time, a very loud sound was heard."

“Louder than thunder.” She looked at Chu Mingheng again and emphasized this point.

"A lot of water rushed forward at once, and some people said that the dam had collapsed."

"They even washed away the concubines..." she secretly added details, emphasizing that it was just a dream.

Chu Mingheng nodded: "Continue."

Lan Wu nodded guiltily and continued, "I saw many people crying, many people soaking in the water, and many people coughing."

"When I woke up, I thought it was just a nightmare, but today when I saw the heavy rain, I was frightened, so I came to see Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, won't the heavy rain break through the dikes? If... if they break through, what will happen to me? Will I be swept away too?"

Chu Mingheng tapped her brow with his finger and said slowly, "Where are there any dikes around the imperial city? Don't overthink things. You should really find something to do."

Lan Wu had been waiting for him to say this. She looked up in a panic and threw herself into his arms: "Where is the dike? How far is it from the palace, Your Majesty? Will it be washed away?"

Chu Mingheng did not answer her immediately, but instead scrutinized her expression and suddenly smiled: "You mean the Sanzhou Canal in Qiunan?"