Chapter 29 Who taught you that?
Lan Wu had received a good lesson in front of the bright window, but since she had already slept through it, she couldn't faint anymore. Seeing that the light coming in from outside had dimmed considerably, she desperately clung to Chu Mingheng's shoulder, begging him to spare her life.
Chu Mingheng acted as if he hadn't heard her. He stood up with his men, pinned her against the pillar by the window, and whispered to her not to fall.
As soon as she finished speaking, Lan Wu lost all her strength.
Chu Mingheng kissed the corners of her eyes one by one, and chuckled softly while biting her earlobe.
...
It was already dark by the time it was completely over.
Lan Wu was still dizzy and disoriented while soaking in the bathtub.
This bathtub is big enough, but it can't compare to the bathing pool in Taichen Palace. Yilan Palace also has a pool, which she likes very much.
On the first day of her investiture, she spent the entire afternoon with Chu Mingheng in the palace.
Lan Wu looked down at her reflection in the water. The water rippled, distorting her face.
An arm wrapped around her waist, and another person pressed against her back. As they whispered in each other's ear, she heard Chu Mingheng's voice.
"Has Awu been driven mad by me?" Chu Mingheng looked at her casually and continued, "I told you to clean her up."
What?
Lan Wu was startled, then looked down and skillfully reached out her hand.
In her previous life, she wondered why, despite being on the throne for so long, His Majesty had no other children besides the eldest princess born to the deceased Consort Liang.
Whenever he ordered her to do this, she was initially puzzled, but later she understood.
It turns out His Majesty doesn't want any offspring.
Some concubines were rumored to be pregnant, but without exception, none of them were able to give birth.
Chu Mingheng spoke these words with remarkable ruthlessness. Just a short while ago they were still entwined, yet in the blink of an eye he could utter such words.
Even though Lan Wu had gotten used to it, she still felt a little uncomfortable doing things now.
She lowered her head and silently completed what Chu Mingheng had asked her to do.
She was so exhausted today that she was too tired to deal with Chu Mingheng. She shook her hand, turned around and leaned against Chu Mingheng, and said in a hoarse voice that she wanted to sleep.
"That won't do." Chu Mingheng stroked her smooth back. "Eat something first before you go to sleep."
Lan Wu pretended not to hear, and was about to pretend to be asleep with her eyes closed when her cheek was pinched.
"Hmm—"
With lips pressed against each other, forced to endure such a not-so-gentle kiss, even a sleeping person would wake up.
Lan Wu opened her eyes, her vision blocked by shadows. She tilted her head back weakly, revealing her slender neck with bright red marks visible.
Stop kissing her! She can't breathe!
Lan Wu struggled with her hands and feet, humming softly, and was finally released.
She quickly ran away from Chu Mingheng, trembling as she leaned against the edge of the bathtub, panting.
He took a few breaths, realized something, and slowly turned his head to look behind him.
Behind her, Chu Mingheng leaned against the bathtub, his deep gaze fixed on her figure, making Lan Wu feel a little flustered.
"Awu, why are you running?" he asked.
Lan Wu gently gripped the edge of the bathtub, carefully moved back, leaned against him, rested her head on his shoulder, and whispered, "I didn't run away because I couldn't breathe... Your Majesty, let's go out."
Chu Mingheng didn't dwell on what had just happened and carried her out of the water.
The dinner was prepared to be extremely lavish, presumably because the imperial kitchen considered Lan Wu to be a promising and favored mistress. Moreover, His Majesty was also dining at the Longyu Pavilion tonight, so the preparations were even more elaborate.
Lan Wu's back ached, and sitting at the table was a struggle. The delicious food looked tempting, but her weakness left her with no energy to eat.
I picked up a fried meatball coated in sauce with my chopsticks, but just as I was about to put it in my mouth, it rolled off and tumbled away inch by inch across the table.
The palace servants serving the meal quickly stepped forward to clean the table, and the atmosphere around them was somewhat strange.
Chu Mingheng watched Lan Wu slowly eat her food with her head down. Even though she hadn't done or said anything, Chu Mingheng inexplicably felt that she had been wronged.
"I'll have someone find you a soft pillow," he suddenly said.
Lan Wu heard that these words were spoken to her, and she raised her head blankly. Not far away, the redness in her eyes from crying had not completely faded. Her face was flushed from the heat after her bath, but now that she had seen the wind, the redness had completely disappeared.
Lan Wu realized what he meant and refused in a low voice, "No."
don't want?
Chu Mingheng frowned slightly.
The palace servants inside the hall were so shocked by their master's words that they almost knelt on the ground.
To put it bluntly, this was defying an imperial decree; to put it less bluntly, their empress didn't use any self-reference and simply said "no."
"Then what do you want?" Chu Mingheng looked at her with a deep gaze.
In an instant, all the palace servants in the hall knelt down.
Lan Wu pressed her fingers on the edge of the table, pursed her lips, and before she could speak, her stomach growled.
Chu Mingheng lowered his gaze and landed on Lan Wu's hand clutching her stomach. He noticed her embarrassed and tearful expression, turned his eyes away, and waited a moment before speaking in a deep voice as if in relenting: "All of you, go down."
The palace servants looked at each other, not daring to say anything, and quickly got up from the ground, bowing and retreating one by one.
Once there was no one else in the hall, Chu Mingheng extended his hand and said, "Come here."
Lan Wu's eyes lit up. She got up from her seat and took two steps to stand in front of Chu Mingheng.
Chu Mingheng pulled her to sit on his lap, his movements so natural, as if he had done this hundreds of times before.
Lan Wu didn't feel awkward at all. She leaned back and reached for her own bowl and chopsticks.
Chu Mingheng put a few meatballs into her bowl and told her to eat them with a spoon.
"Who taught you these bad habits? You even need someone to hold you while you eat. Are you still a child?"
At the end of the dinner, Chu Mingheng couldn't help but scold her.
Lan Wu mentally branded Chu Mingheng with a smear—what did he mean by who taught him that? What bad habits? What a child!
Let Chu Mingheng and his past self tell the story.
"...Then I'll eat by myself next time." Lan Wu slightly raised her chin and said in a muffled voice, "My waist doesn't hurt at all, my buttocks don't hurt, I'm very strong, my arms don't ache, and my legs don't hurt—"
Chu Mingheng reached out and covered her mouth: "I know, I'll be gentler next time."
After thinking for a moment, he changed his mind: "I'll hold you while I eat next time too."
Why change your tune? Does it mean you won't be lenient next time either?
Lan Wu's sleepiness subsided considerably, and taking advantage of her clear mind, she pestered Chu Mingheng to ask about the Chinese medicine she had taken yesterday.
"Your Majesty, who is trying to harm me? I can't sleep at night because I think about how someone could be so cruel to me."
As she spoke, Lan Wu shrank back slightly, wishing she could wrap herself in Chu Mingheng's arms.
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