Chapter 17 Awakening
However, the music and dance didn't last long after that incident, and no one was in the mood to watch anymore.
Princess Yizhen glanced at the sky and said she was leaving the palace.
Soon, the concubines also took their leave.
When Consort Shu returned to the palace, she was arranging the tamarisk tree, thinking it would be good to place it in a prominent position in the hall, when someone walked in at the hall entrance.
"Your Highness, I went to ask around and they said that they discovered one of her clothes was missing, so Miss Lanwu went back to the music hall to get it and didn't have time to come back."
That's why I didn't see her when she was dancing.
Consort Shu gently touched the leaves of the tamarisk tree and repeated the question in surprise: "But her clothes are missing?"
"That's the strange thing, the only thing missing is Miss Lanwu's clothes."
Consort Shu withdrew her hand, frowning slightly. She noticed the palace servant's hesitant expression, as if he still had something to say.
"what else."
The palace maid stammered, "In theory, Miss Lanwu should have returned to the music hall, but I just went there to ask... and they said she hadn't gone back. I overheard the palace servants in the Imperial Garden saying..."
The palace maid cautiously glanced up at Consort Shu, but was so frightened by her cold gaze that she knelt on the ground, bowing her head and saying, "The palace servants said that His Majesty came to the Imperial Garden this afternoon and happened to meet Miss Lanwu. Miss Lanwu seems to be ill, and His Majesty... His Majesty took her back to Taichen Palace..."
"What did you say!" Consort Shu grabbed the maid's clothes, forcing her to raise her head.
The palace maid nodded hastily, trembling slightly, and repeated what she had said.
The moment the words were spoken, the palace maid was released.
Consort Shu wasn't a brainless fool. Now that she knew Lan Wu had been lured away, the one who should be angry at this situation was the one who was more trouble than she was worth.
But who could it be?
"Is she still in Taichen Palace?" Consort Shu frowned slightly and asked her servants.
"The music hall said that Miss Lanwu has not returned yet; she should still be at Taichen Palace."
"Go to the Imperial Hospital and find out what illness she has."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Consort Shu turned her head to look at the pot of tamarisk again, and her displeasure grew. She ordered someone to carry it out.
Two eunuchs entered, exchanged glances, and asked Consort Shu, "Your Highness, where should we carry these imperial gifts to?"
Consort Shu was furious, and their words only fueled her anger. "The backyard of Yifang Palace is such a large place, how could you not find a suitable spot—a bunch of idiots!"
The two eunuchs hurriedly knelt down and begged for forgiveness from the Empress, then carried the bonsai to the backyard.
She hadn't originally planned to cause any trouble for Lan Wu at this flower-viewing banquet. She didn't even need to lift a finger; if Lan Wu simply showed herself before the other concubines, things would get interesting. She knew Lan Wu had come to dance hoping to see the Emperor, but the Emperor wouldn't be coming. Lan Wu's hopes were naturally dashed, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, there was no guarantee she wouldn't make a mistake. Then there would be plenty of ways to punish her.
But she didn't expect that Lan Wu wouldn't appear at the banquet and would be taken away by His Majesty halfway through.
Now that she knows about this, it's likely that soon all the concubines in the harem will know that a beautiful dancer has moved into His Majesty's Taichen Palace.
-
"Are you joking with me?" Consort Wu said, covering her face with her fan and chuckling softly.
But after she laughed, she didn't see any change in the other person's expression. Her face also darkened: "That's Taichen Palace, His Majesty's bedroom. Where did she come from, a servant girl, to be allowed to live there?"
Sitting below, Yun Zhaorong gently shook her head, correcting her: "She is not an ordinary servant, but a dancer."
"A dancer?" Consort Wu thought for a moment, then remembered something and asked her, "Is it the dancer who danced at the Emperor's birthday celebration last time?"
"yes."
The main seat in Qiwen Palace belongs to Consort Wu. She has already reached the rank of Consort, and the next step is the rank of Imperial Concubine. She has no intention of siding with either Consort Shu or Consort Rou. However, she is not usually favored by the Emperor. The reason she has reached this rank is simply because she has spent a long time by His Majesty's side and is clear-headed enough.
"She's the dancer who offended Consort Shu last time and received His Majesty's favor by having the imperial physician come to treat her injuries," Consort Yun said slowly, taking a sip of tea.
Consort Wu had also heard about this matter, but she didn't pay attention to it at first. The palace servants were spreading rumors about it so much, but in fact, it might just be that His Majesty casually mentioned it.
They had all seen how beautiful and alluring the dancer was; with that kind of appearance, who knew if she had seduced His Majesty?
"Did His Majesty bestow a title upon her?" she asked after a moment's thought.
Yun Zhaorong shook her head: "Not yet, His Majesty seems to... have other plans."
It's almost dusk. Could it be that the dancer will stay at Taichen Palace for the night, and after serving the emperor, she will be rewarded the next day?
It's not impossible.
As night fell, there was still no movement from Taichen Palace.
No one dared to look directly at Taichen Palace, so they could only keep their eyes on the music hall, hoping to see if Lan Wu would be released.
-
When Chu Mingheng returned to Taichen Palace, Lan Wu had just woken up. She drank the medicine and stopped making a fuss. Perhaps because of the familiar scent, she slept exceptionally well, so much so that when she woke up, she thought she had no idea what had happened before.
Lan Wu woke up but didn't make a sound. No one outside knew she was awake. It was only when Luo Yun checked on her every now and then that they discovered she had sat up on the soft couch, wearing a thin inner garment. Her gaze was blank, and she didn't say a word.
Luo Yun then gave a brief instruction to the outside, saying that the young lady had woken up, and then quickly walked over to Lan Wu to inquire about her condition.
"Miss? Are you alright?" Luo Yun asked in a very soft voice, afraid of startling Lan Wu, but when she met Lan Wu's blank gaze, she was shocked—could Miss Lan Wu have gone mad?
Lan Wu was not stupid, of course; she was just feeling dizzy and her mind was blank. She was still slowly sorting out her thoughts.
She nodded to Luo Yun, then reached out and pressed her temples. Looking around, she realized it was already dark, and she was still there.
This is Taichen Palace.
"Does the young lady have a headache?" Luo Yun reached out to press her head and said softly, "The imperial physician said that it is normal for the young lady to have a throbbing headache and weakness in her limbs when she woke up. This is a side effect of the medicine and she will gradually feel better in a while."
Post-drug effects.
These words forcefully pierced a hole in my blank mind, and memories gradually flooded in.
Oh right, she was drugged and climbed a tree to hide on her way to the music hall. Then she saw Chu Mingheng coming... and then...
How did she get down there?
Did you fall?
She's so tall, won't she hurt her face?
Lan Wu subconsciously reached out to cover her face. One hand wasn't enough, so she had to use both hands to cover her face, carefully searching for any wounds.
"What are you touching?" Before they could find it, a familiar yet cold voice rang out from not far away, and footsteps approached.
At the same time, Luo Yun stopped pressing his hand on Lan Wu's head and quietly stepped back.
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