Chapter 197 Kindness
"You sent the concubines out of the palace?" Lan Wu couldn't help but ask when she saw Chu Mingheng enter the hall and be pulled into the inner room by him.
Chu Mingheng hummed in agreement, then, seeing the dried fruit laid out to the side, picked one up and fed it to Lan Wu.
Lan Wu subconsciously opened her mouth to eat, listening to him say:
"Before you went to Changyong Mountain, there were rumors in the palace that I was dying. I don't spread these kinds of messages casually."
"The matter concerning the late emperor, Lady Wen, and Prince Wei has caused me great distress. After much thought, I have concluded that it was ultimately due to the excessive number of concubines."
"That's how I came up with such a good idea."
Lan Wu's eyes widened, as if to say he was cunning.
The court officials never expected that His Majesty would actually be able to spread such rumors. After that, things went exceptionally smoothly, so much so that Lan Wu noticed there weren't many people at the greeting ceremony today.
“There are fewer people in the palace, so there’s less scheming. You won’t have to work too hard managing the harem.” With that, Chu Mingheng pulled her to sit down at the table. Then, looking at Lan Wu, he changed his words, “If you don’t want to manage it, that’s fine too. You can leave it to the people below. I don’t want you to be overworked.”
Lan Wu felt a surge of warmth in her heart as he looked at her. She slowly looked away, but after a moment she looked back and stared intently at him.
In reality, Chu Mingheng was overthinking things. Lan Wu initially found the palace affairs unfamiliar and difficult to handle, but after being taught a few times, she became proficient.
Moreover, with Danshan watching over them, nothing bad is likely to happen.
April has passed, May is approaching, and early summer is here.
At this point, the Ministry of Rites finally selected the date for the grand ceremony.
Needless to say, everyone knows that His Majesty values this Empress highly, so the date of this grand ceremony had to be chosen cleverly.
We can't rush things. After all, there are still many preparations to be made before the ceremony, and rushing can easily lead to mistakes.
They couldn't be too slow either. They had previously submitted a date for the end of next year, but it was immediately rejected by His Majesty. His Majesty's stern expression made them jump, so they quickly went down and changed the date.
That's why the date was changed to the end of this year.
"The seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, there are still more than half a year to go."
Lian Qiao told Lan Wu the dates set by the Ministry of Rites, but Dan Shan, who was standing nearby, said, "It sounds like a lot, but the time is actually quite tight. In the next six months, we need to make auspicious clothes and imperial edicts..."
"However, these are not things Your Majesty needs to worry about. Your Majesty only needs to wait for the seventh day of the twelfth month to arrive."
After he finished speaking, the palace servants all smiled.
Half a month after returning to the palace, Lan Wu and Chu Mingheng went to Nanli Temple to see Master Huifan.
On the carriage to Nanli Temple, Chu Mingheng learned something from Lan Wu.
"You said he saw you?" he blurted out abruptly, sounding quite angry.
Well, that old monk Huifan, in his past life he almost strangled someone to death but never said a word about being able to see Lan Wu. It seems that he could see Lan Wu all along, or that he could only see her on the day he died.
Seeing his unfriendly expression, Lan Wu quickly patted his hand and said seriously, "Master Huifan must have meant well. Isn't it said that heavenly secrets cannot be revealed? There must be a reason for it."
Chu Mingheng grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, whispering, "I didn't even see you, so why should he?"
After hearing this, Lan Wu reached out and cupped his face in her hands: "Then take a good look now, look carefully, look for a lifetime."
The two met eyes, and Chu Mingheng laughed first: "Then I'll listen to you, Awu, don't block the way."
Knowing that he was becoming increasingly shameless, Lan Wu quickly let go of his hand and glared at him angrily.
Inside Nanli Temple, Master Huifan was still waiting for them at the entrance of the hall.
Upon seeing the person arrive, he first bowed.
The three entered the main hall, and Lan Wu spoke first: "Thank you, Master, for your trouble regarding my affairs with His Majesty."
Lan Wu's thanks were sincere. In her opinion, this Master Huifan was really mysterious, and she respected him very much.
"The Empress and His Majesty are a perfect match, and no one else can interfere. This humble monk is merely going along with it."
No matter what Lan Wu said, Hui Fan acted as if he knew nothing, as if he hadn't helped at all.
"Then what will happen between His Majesty and me afterward?" Lan Wu lowered her voice, and as she spoke, she gently squeezed Chu Mingheng's fingers with some unease. "What I mean is, will His Majesty die again, just like you said before—wouldn't that be better?"
When Lan Wu said that word, she felt a lingering fear and subconsciously changed her words.
Hui Fan answered the question readily, giving Lan Wu a definite and reassuring answer: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the calamity has passed. As long as His Majesty and Your Majesty relax, everything will naturally be alright."
Upon hearing these words, Lan Wu felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart. A sense of relief gradually spread throughout her body, and she no longer had any worries. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on Chu Mingheng's hand, turned her head to look at him, and couldn't help but smile at him: "That's wonderful, Your Majesty."
Chu Mingheng met her gaze, and his expression gradually softened.
After Lan Wu finished meeting the people and speaking, Chu Mingheng took her to visit the Nanli Temple and pay respects to the gods and Buddhas before returning to the palace.
Summer had arrived, and on the day of Lan Wu's birthday, Chu Mingheng took her out of the palace.
Lanwu's birthday falls just as the summer heat begins, and the only way to cool off at this time of year is to go to the mountains and forests.
However, Lan Wu was carried away from Yi Lan Palace in the middle of the night, and when she opened her eyes, she was in a different place, where she could still hear the sound of mountain streams.
Fortunately, Chu Mingheng opened the door before Lan Wu regained consciousness, otherwise Lan Wu would probably have thought she had been kidnapped in the middle of the night.
It's so cool here...
Lan Wu looked at the bamboo house with surprise and suspicion.
Calling them bamboo houses isn't entirely accurate, though most of these houses are built with bamboo, with some supported by wood and walls. The furnishings and decorations inside are quite exquisite and luxurious.
Chu Mingheng saw her get off the bed and walk towards him. He was about to go up to her and say something when he saw Lan Wu walk past him without hesitation, running happily towards the door like a little sparrow.
When Lan Wu arrived at the door, she saw a wide-open space outside, covered with blooming flowers. Not far away was a dense bamboo forest, with a wide path running through it...
Lan Wu hadn't finished reading and was about to step out to take a few more glances when an arm grabbed her waist and pulled her back forcefully, closing the door behind her.
Chu Mingheng's gentle, smiling voice rang in her ears: "Awu, you don't want to stay here these next few days, do you?"
He ignored him to his face and ran outside in his pajamas. It was only because there was no one else in the room besides them that he made Lan Wu realize his mistake.
Lan Wu had already figured out his temper. Besides, today was her birthday, and she was the one who decided what to do on her birthday. Chu Mingheng shouldn't try to scare her with those words.
"Where is this, Your Majesty? Your Majesty, where have we come from?" She opened her mouth, put her arm around Chu Mingheng's shoulder, and her eyes were full of excitement. "Did Your Majesty bring me here to play?"
She spoke with undisguised certainty, and if Chu Mingheng hadn't been holding her, she probably would have happily wandered around.
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