Chapter 53 Whom Do You Think Of?
Lan Wu hadn't heard such shameless words in a long time, and for a moment she even felt a little nostalgic.
She looked dazed, her bright black eyes staring at him as if she were looking at someone else.
Chu Mingheng didn't receive Lan Wu's thanks; instead, he saw her staring at his face in a daze.
With such an obvious line of sight, it's hard not to notice.
This was the first time Chu Mingheng had been so obviously treated as an "outsider," and a hint of displeasure rose in his heart.
Before he could say anything, Lan Wu had already wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned forward to kiss his cheek, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Did you really think you could get rid of him with just a perfunctory kiss?
Chu Mingheng's expression remained unchanged as he asked Lan Wu, "Who were you thinking about just now?"
just?
Lan Wu blinked, her face serious: "I was thinking about His Majesty."
Since Chu Mingheng was both around, she didn't lie.
Lan Wu leaned in and kissed the other half of his face, saying, "Your Majesty, I'm sleepy. Please stay with me for a while."
Chu Mingheng frowned slightly, wanting to ask for clarification, which resulted in Lan Wu almost collapsing onto him.
"Your Majesty, please keep me company," Lan Wu pleaded.
"Who are you thinking about?" Chu Mingheng asked her again.
Lan Wu got angry first.
She released Chu Mingheng's hand, leaned back in her chair, and said in a wronged tone, "I was clearly thinking of Your Majesty, yet Your Majesty still doubts me."
"Does Your Majesty not know that I grew up in the music hall and have never seen anyone else before?
"I wasn't thinking about Your Majesty. Just pretend I was thinking about some cat or dog. As long as it wasn't Your Majesty, Your Majesty will be satisfied."
She spoke with a hint of temper, and by the end, Lan Wu even picked up a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, stared intently at Chu Mingheng with wide eyes, and finally gave him a disgruntled snort.
Chu Mingheng had witnessed her little tricks and was now marveling at them.
It's easy to imagine that back then, Lan Wu was so afraid of him that she would tremble at the mere sight of him.
Knowing that he was in the wrong today, she put on a show of bravado and had a terrible temper.
Chu Mingheng composed himself, casually brushing the matter aside. He picked up Lan Wu from the chair and carried her inside, as if he hadn't heard her words at all. He only responded to the previous sentence: "I'll sleep with you for a while."
Lan Wu knew when to stop. When she reached the bedside, she pointed to the inside of the bed and said softly, "This concubine wants to sleep inside."
Chu Mingheng put her down and let her take off her outer robe herself, saying, "When have I ever let you sleep outside?"
The concubines slept on the outer side to make it easier to serve the emperor, but Lan Wu was an exception; she was unaware of the palace rules and unwilling to learn them.
Chu Mingheng had a premonition that if Lan Wu really slept outside, no one would have any peace.
-
The palace is a square, and although the palace walls are high, they can't stop gossips from spreading news. Not to mention that no one stopped them from spreading today's news, and quite a few people know about it.
Early in the morning, everyone heard that Granny Gu, who had served Empress Dowager Jingwen, was going to Longyu Pavilion to teach etiquette, and everyone was waiting to see Lan Wu make a fool of herself.
Unexpectedly, before noon even arrived, instead of witnessing a joke, they saw His Majesty protecting Lan Wu.
At noon, it was heard that an imperial edict had been sent, and Consort Zhen was renamed Consort Zhen.
It just so happened that Rong Shuyi had just miscarried.
Consort Shu claimed that she had recovered long ago after being ill for so long, and she did not show any unusual reaction when she heard the news from the palace servants in the afternoon.
As the weather gets hotter in June, the heat can make people feel irritable.
"It's really pitiful for Consort Rong. She lost her child and didn't even gain the Emperor's favor."
Ice was placed in the hall; although not much, it was still quite cool.
Consort Shu glanced down at the tea leaves that had sunk to the bottom of her teacup. Upon hearing this, she slowly said, "What's there to pity about her? If anyone's to blame, it's her own fault for being so restless and wandering around."
Consort Wen immediately echoed, "Your Majesty is right."
"It's just that the accident happened while boating on the lake. In the end, it was Consort Rou who invited the other concubines to go together, and His Majesty didn't say a word about Consort Rou's fault."
"Your Majesty, do you think... His Majesty intends to make Consort Rou..." Consort Wen frowned, her voice strained, as if she could hardly speak.
When Consort Liu plotted against Lan Wu, even though His Majesty didn't say anything to her face, he still didn't give Consort Shu a kind look. And when Consort Rou sent someone to go boating on the lake, Consort Rong miscarried. Wasn't that even more serious?
His Majesty casually dismissed the matter with a single, seemingly accidental remark, and forbade anyone from discussing it further.
It seems to him that His Majesty is intentionally protecting Consort Rou.
Bai Xiuyi glanced at Wen Zhaoyi, her eyes slightly shifting to signal her to stop talking.
Without her saying anything, Consort Wen had said all she needed to say; if she said any more, she feared she would be kicked out by Consort Shu.
"Your Majesty is very good at recognizing people. Consort Rou is a woman who is very good at hiding her true colors, but sooner or later she will reveal her true colors."
"Let's wait and see."
Having said that, Consort Shu saw Yun Qing entering through the door and waiting to one side. She gently rubbed her temples and gave the order to leave:
"Alright, it's getting late, you should all go back now."
Consort Wen and Consort Bai exchanged a glance, then both rose to take their leave.
Not long after they left, Consort Shu asked Yunqing to bring out a fresh pot of tea.
When the new tea was brought back, a little palace maid followed behind Yun Qing.
"This servant, Zizhu, greets Consort Shu." The young palace maid knelt down and bowed.
Consort Shu looked at her but didn't tell her to get up. Instead, she asked, "How has your mistress been lately?"
Upon hearing this, Zizhu smiled but replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, the mistress is doing well. She just keeps thinking about Consort Rong from Qiushui Pavilion and says she needs to see her before she can feel at ease."
Consort Shu looked puzzled and said slowly, "Your master is a good person. If you want to take a look, you should."
After a moment of silence in the hall, Zizhu stepped forward and whispered to Consort Shu, "Your Highness, the mistress said that Qiushui Pavilion is under tight guard, and no one else can get in. The palace servants she placed in Qiushui Pavilion can't send out any messages either, but at dusk, white smoke can occasionally be seen drifting out from the direction of Qiushui Pavilion."
Upon hearing this, Consort Shu's expression became somewhat solemn.
There's white smoke; does that mean something's burning?
Since Qiushui Pavilion doesn't have a small kitchen, it's impossible that they were preparing food; the most likely scenario is that they were burning clothes.
Occasionally, there will be signs of bleeding after a miscarriage. This is a symptom that Consort Shu had seen in other concubines in the palace after a miscarriage. Bloodstains on clothes were considered an ominous sign, so clothes stained with blood were usually burned.
But it's been almost a month, why is Yung Suk-yee still bleeding?
Thinking of this, Consort Shu gripped the armrest of her chair tightly. She looked at Zizhu and asked her if she had anything else.
Zizhu gently shook her head: "My mistress said that's all she knows. She can't enter Qiushui Pavilion, so she has no way of knowing anything more."
After a moment of silence and contemplation, Consort Shu spoke slowly: "Go back and tell your mistress that I will find a way to get her into Qiushui Pavilion. I hope she won't disappoint me too much."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
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