Chapter 85 Supplementary Drawing
When Lan Wu saw Chu Mingheng arrive again, it was almost time for dinner.
Her notebook was gently pressed down, and his figure blocked Lan Wu's way.
"Your Majesty!" Lan Wu called out to him happily, "Has Your Majesty finished dealing with court affairs?"
Chu Mingheng didn't seem particularly tired, but the coldness in his expression vanished when he saw Lan Wu calling him. He gave a soft "hmm" and then picked Lan Wu up from the chair.
Where is your painting?
Speaking of the painting, Lan Wu finally found it from the corner. Seeing him spread it out, she found it somewhat amusing: "How come Your Majesty still remembers this matter? You asked your concubine to finish the painting as soon as you arrived."
Chu Mingheng said calmly, "I promised you."
The painting wasn't difficult to repair, but the winding lines were a bit abrupt, and the color wasn't the green of vines, but rather the color of the flowers painted by Lan Wu.
Lan Wu watched as he immediately picked up his brush and ink, his movements flowing smoothly, and in no time he had painted a butterfly perched on a flower.
What was originally just a painting meant for amusement suddenly gained a touch of elegance because of that butterfly.
Lan Wu was somewhat discouraged.
She glanced down at the butterfly, then at the flower she had drawn, and only after Chu Mingheng finished writing did she softly murmur, "You are not allowed to disturb my painting in the future."
She thought, even if Chu Mingheng is a genius who can do everything and is good at everything, he is not allowed to disturb her painting—she will still like her painting no matter how bad it is!
Chu Mingheng smiled, put the drawing paper away, and had someone take it down.
Lan Wu tilted her head in confusion and reached out to take it back, but halfway there, Chu Mingheng grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
"What do you mean?" Lan Wu glared at him in shame and anger. "You took all the paintings I painted, and the fabrics I ruined before. I was wondering why I couldn't find them, and when I asked Lian Qiao, she said that the people in the imperial court ordered them to be taken away."
Are you provoking me?
If the painting is to be taken away, the damaged fabric is to be taken away too. And what about the clothes she wore once? Will Chu Mingheng have them taken away as well?
Chu Mingheng raised an eyebrow slightly at Lan Wu's use of the word 'provocation'. He twitched his fingers and gently squeezed Lan Wu's soft palm, saying, "If I 'provoke' you, what will you do?"
"I—" Lan Wu began, then choked back a moment later. She looked at him, then seemed to remember something and snorted softly, "Then what can this concubine do? What can this concubine do?"
However, by evening, Chu Mingheng had learned of Lan Wu's method.
"It's hot, don't hug me." Lan Wu bent over and shifted her position.
Chu Mingheng had just touched her waist when she dodged him, and his expression changed slightly.
"Someone come here," he summoned a palace servant, "Go and fetch ice."
Lan Wu had just turned over, and upon hearing this, she mumbled something and silently looked at the ice placed under the bed.
A short while later, more ice was brought over.
"Not enough, go get some more," Chu Mingheng instructed calmly.
The palace maid responded with a "yes" and went to fetch ice.
Chu Mingheng said he had said enough once the area around the bed had cooled down noticeably.
He climbed onto the bed and saw that Lan Wu was already wrapped in a quilt. He smiled and gently pulled it off for her.
"Come here, let me hold you."
Lan Wu's nightgown hung loosely on her body, the light blue gauze barely concealing her graceful figure. Her waist was slender and soft, her skin was like white jade, her lips were like red cherries, her nose was small, and her eyes flashed with anger.
"No hugging," she said.
These words were useless. Chu Mingheng flipped over and pinned her down, quickly unbuttoning her underpants.
Are you coming again?
Lan Wu gripped her clothes tightly with anxiety, feeling that he was more terrifying than a starving jackal or tiger.
Before long, a soft, pleading voice could be heard from the bedchamber.
...
"Didn't you want to know where I put your things?" After taking another bath, Chu Mingheng held Lan Wu, who was about to fall asleep, but suddenly spoke up, arousing Lan Wu's curiosity.
Lan Wu had already drunk some water to moisten her throat. Upon hearing this, she forced herself to stay awake and wanted to tell Chu Mingheng to tell her quickly, but she couldn't overcome her fatigue and only mumbled a word before falling asleep.
The next day, Lan Wu woke up around noon.
She heard Lianxi tell her that a major event had occurred in the previous dynasty that day.
-
Inside Jinghua Palace, Consort Li paced back and forth.
It has to be said that now is the best time to take down Consort Rou and crush her in the mud. This is the best opportunity.
She slowly exhaled and sat down in the chair to listen to Yu Mei enter the hall and report.
"Your Majesty, this morning in court, Minister Wang of the Court of Judicial Review reported that the Minister of Works and the Vice Minister of Revenue conspired to steal the silver allocated by the court for the repair of the Sanzhou Canal."
"The evidence is conclusive."
"I only heard from the palace guards outside the palace today that His Majesty has ordered the confiscation of property!"
The Minister of Works came from the Zeng family. The Zeng family produced a Minister of Works, and with the help of Consort Rou in the harem, they were enjoying immense prestige.
But no matter how glorious they were, it couldn't stop them from courting their own demise.
Upon hearing this, Consort Li couldn't help but burst into laughter. Normally, Consort Rou and Consort Shu shared the power to manage the six palaces equally, and over time they actually began to think of themselves as empresses, pretending to act like a benevolent empress. Looking at them today, it was truly laughable.
"Your Majesty, what Physician Zheng mentioned..." Yu Mei whispered a reminder to her.
Consort Li, however, calmed down a bit and asked her, "Has His Majesty said how to deal with Consort Rou?"
Yu Mei shook her head: "Your Majesty, there is still no news."
"And what about Consort Rou?"
"Consort Rou is currently kneeling outside Taichen Palace, and His Majesty has not said whether he will see her."
Consort Li scoffed lightly and said, "All these women know how to do is kneel before the Emperor and cry. At least Consort Yue is a little smarter; she knows to go find—"
Her voice paused, and her expression turned sour.
It was beneath Yue Zhaorong's dignity to go to see that little slut Lan Wu, yet His Majesty actually met with Yue Zhaorong the very next day, which shows that the little slut really knows how to whisper sweet nothings in his ear.
"If Consort Rou is capable, she can also seek help from others, but now she is facing a great calamity."
Consort Li smiled slightly, casually glancing at the nail polish on her hand, and ordered someone to redo her makeup.
"Prepare yourselves, I am going to the Emperor's presence."
Yu Mei was startled, realizing what she wanted to do. She then lowered her head slightly and replied, "Yes."
In the afternoon, Consort Li went before the Emperor to plead for his decision.
"Tell me, what do you want me to decide?" Chu Mingheng seemed somewhat indifferent, glancing indifferently at Consort Li below.
Consort Li shivered, feeling a chill.
Without thinking twice, she anxiously said, "Your Majesty trusts me and has asked me to help Consort Shu manage the six palaces. I will do my best to do so. But who would have thought that I was concerned about Consort Rou's health and invited Physician Zheng from the Imperial Hospital to the palace? Physician Zheng told me that Consort Rou intended to confuse the royal bloodline and asked me to report this to Your Majesty."
"Only now do I realize... that Consort Rou's palace possesses a medicine that can induce pregnancy in women, a condition even the imperial physicians cannot diagnose... It seems Consort Rou used this method to deceive Your Majesty. I implore Your Majesty to make the judgment—"
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