Chapter 173 The Empress is Displeased
Lan Wu watched as Chu Mingheng, as if possessed, clutched the phoenix crown to his chest and fell asleep. But to say he was asleep was an understatement; his eyes remained open, staring at the top of his head.
The surroundings were as quiet as an abandoned graveyard, and the joyful sounds from before seemed even more eerie.
Lan Wu sat by the bed, unsure of what to say, and simply waited quietly.
Soon, a bell rang in the dream, signaling that the dream was about to end.
Lan Wu leaned forward and placed a kiss on Chu Mingheng's lips.
It was already daylight.
Lan Wu opened her eyes and stared blankly at the light streaming in through the window. She lay on the couch for a while before getting up and, as usual, having someone come into the palace to do her makeup.
"Your Highness, Princess Yizhen sent word that she's going fishing in the pond on the mountain this afternoon. Would Your Highness like to go with her?" Danshan noticed that her mood seemed a bit off, so she thought about whether there was anything fun that could interest her recently, and actually remembered one, so she couldn't help but ask.
Lan Wu gently shook her head, reached out and pressed her dry eyes, and said, "I'm not going. Have someone prepare a carriage. We're going to Wuji Temple this afternoon."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lan Wu began to frequently travel between the villa and Wuji Temple. Every afternoon, she would chant sutras and pray for blessings at Wuji Temple, often staying until nightfall before leaving.
However, she did not dream about Chu Mingheng every day.
These dreams are irregular; sometimes they occur every three to five days, and sometimes they occur every other day.
But every time she dreamed of Chu Mingheng, it made her feel terrible. She watched helplessly as Chu Mingheng went from being a dignified and aloof emperor to becoming increasingly paranoid, even insane...
At the same time, Lan Wu became increasingly silent, occasionally staring blankly at books, not even noticing when the palace servants called her softly.
The palace maids who were close to the emperor were even more worried.
Her Majesty was fine while she was in the palace. Although she missed His Majesty on the way here, she didn't show it in a way that was too worrying. But now...
"It's only been a month, and Her Majesty isn't happy at all. What are we going to do for the remaining two months?" Lian Qiao muttered anxiously, then looked at Mu Jin beside her. "I just went to get Her Majesty some new storybooks, and I realized that Her Majesty hasn't looked at those books much these past few days. This afternoon, Her Majesty is going to Wuji Temple to copy scriptures, and Her Majesty's hands are all calloused!"
Mu Jin also had a stiff face, completely helpless.
"I see that Your Highness has lost a lot of weight. This can't go on." Lian Qiao said dejectedly, then pondered, "The kitchen has fresh beef today. I saw Your Highness eat a few extra bites last time. Why don't we ask them to make the same dish again?"
These are all temporary solutions, not permanent solutions.
Mu Jin glanced around the hall and said softly, "The letter should have reached His Majesty by now. Perhaps Your Highness will feel better once His Majesty's reply arrives."
The letters she mentioned were not only the ones Lan Wu had sent to the palace, but also the ones she had noted down about the Empress's unusual reactions.
Before leaving the palace, the Empress gave Luo Yun a few instructions, in order to take care of His Majesty's health. But how could His Majesty leave the Empress alone on the mountain?
His Majesty said that if the Empress has nothing to do, she does not need to write to him, but if there is anything amiss, she must write to him immediately.
That's where things are wrong now.
But Mu Jin thought that the Empress missed His Majesty too much and was in a bad mood because of some worries. She also told the truth in the letter and hoped that His Majesty's reply would arrive as soon as possible.
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Inside the palace, Chu Mingheng had just received a letter.
His head had been hurting more and more these past few days, and he wondered if it was just his imagination, but the timing of the awakening of the other "himself" was becoming increasingly confusing.
The day before yesterday and yesterday were his previous life, but today he has become his current life, and the boundary between the two seems to be slowly fading.
Will they completely become the same person?
The letter was opened, and Chu Mingheng read it word by word, his face gradually darkening.
What does it mean that Lan Wu is in a bad mood and often cries? What does it mean that she has a poor appetite and has lost some weight?
Lan Wu can't even take care of herself, yet she only knows how to say nice things to him in her letters, without telling him anything else.
Why is Lan Wu crying?
Are you missing him?
Chu Mingheng left the main hall with a cold face, and Chen Kang'an immediately followed.
"Your Majesty, where are we going?" Chen Kang'an asked anxiously in a low voice, then his eyes widened in surprise at Chu Mingheng's next words.
"Prepare the carriage, we're going to Changyong Mountain," Chu Mingheng ordered expressionlessly.
Where to go?
Changyong Mountain?
Isn't it still two months before His Majesty goes to fetch the Imperial Concubine? Why is His Majesty going now?
Chen Kang'an thought he had misheard, but dared not ask, so he quickly advised, "Your Majesty, the road to Changyong Mountain is long, and going like this... I'm afraid something might happen. It would be better to send someone to make preparations, and then we can go..."
Why is Your Majesty suddenly going to Changyong Mountain?
Could it be that something happened to the Imperial Concubine on the mountain?
Chen Kang'an dared not think any further and quickly followed the man. Just as His Majesty was about to board the imperial carriage, Chen Kang'an saw him slow down.
Chu Mingheng, his eyes dark, steadied himself against the imperial carriage and gritted his teeth, changing his words: "Leave the palace, go to the Southern Academy of Politics."
Visiting Nanli Temple is clearly a better choice than going to Changyong Mountain.
Upon hearing this, Chen Kang'an felt relieved and quickly ordered people to prepare a carriage and guards.
To this day, Chu Mingheng still hasn't remembered everything about his previous life, but the fragmented memories are deepening every day, and he can roughly guess how he managed to win over Lan Wu in his previous life.
Thinking of those methods, Chu Mingheng's face grew even colder.
Although Lan Wu didn't understand anything, she cared a lot about his affairs. The letter said that she went to Wuji Temple every day to pray and copy scriptures. It seemed that she didn't do anything else, but there was only Lan Wu in the hall. If something really happened to Lan Wu, he wouldn't care about any holy place.
When they arrived at Nanli Temple, Huifan was already waiting.
Chu Mingheng was too lazy to waste words with him and asked him directly upon meeting him: "What is your purpose in sending my imperial concubine to Changyong Mountain? If anything happens to her, I will take your life."
Hui Fan was not afraid of his threat, nor did she take his words to heart. She simply said, "Your Majesty, did you come here today for the Empress? If so, Your Majesty can rest assured that the Empress will be alright."
"But Your Majesty, doesn't Your Majesty feel as if you've remembered something?"
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