Chapter 11 Stick
Lan Wu had been fighting with them openly and secretly for so long in her past life, how could she not understand what Bai Xiuyi was thinking? She wasn't that stupid; she wouldn't so easily let things go as she wished.
Just as Lan Wu was about to step into the entrance of the music hall and was crossing the threshold, she fell down in full view of everyone.
She already had a foot injury, and even the doctor told her to rest properly and avoid falling and putting weight on herself frequently. Now that she had fallen again, she cried out in pain.
But she didn't dare to really cripple her leg. She fell with her knees buckling, but her foot was okay; there were no obvious injuries.
She knew many people in the music hall, and by the time everyone gathered around, before they even realized who the palace maid who had helped her was, Lan Wu cried out softly in pain, trying her best to distance herself from the situation:
"I hope you will tell Consort Xiuyi that I am of lowly rank and thank Consort Xiuyi for her kindness. I just fell down by accident, it has nothing to do with you."
It wasn't that the palace maid intentionally tripped Lan Wu, but seeing how sincere Lan Wu's words were, the stunned maid was also bewildered. Thinking that she had really accidentally bumped Lan Wu's foot, she hurriedly apologized, saying that she had accidentally bumped Lan Wu. Seeing everyone around her looking at her, the maid didn't dare to say anything more, hurriedly said that she had to go back, and then turned and quickly left.
Lan Wu was helped up, and everyone saw her feet.
"Where did you get hurt? Aunt He will definitely sigh when she sees it."
Why have you been having so many misfortunes lately?
"Didn't they say Consort Shu wanted you to dance? How did you end up injured..."
Lan Wu said she was fine, but everyone else thought otherwise. Her foot injury was so serious, how could she say she was fine? But when she mentioned Consort Xiuyi, they, being of low status, dared not get involved. Moreover, Consort Shu was also involved. If Consort Shu had issued the decree to punish her, no one dared to say anything more.
After Lan Wu returned to her room, she soon saw Xia Chu running over.
Xia Chu looked guilty and anxious. Seeing her sitting on the bed with her injured leg, she quickly went over to her.
"You haven't thanked me yet—"
"Lan Wu, it's all my fault."
Lan Wu was about to thank her for calling Consort Li over, even though it wasn't very helpful, it did buy her some time.
Unexpectedly, Xia Chu rushed over to apologize to her, sobbing.
“I…I couldn’t get into Jinghua Palace. They said Consort Li wasn’t in the palace, so I went to look for her, but I couldn’t find her…” Xia Chu looked at Lan Wu’s injuries and wiped away her tears. “It’s all my fault. If I could have found Consort Li sooner, you wouldn’t have been punished by Consort Shu.”
So that's how it is.
It turns out that Consort Li wasn't someone Xia Chu found.
Who could it be?
And then there's Chu Mingheng. According to what they said, Chu Mingheng also came to the Imperial Garden specifically for this purpose. What a coincidence that the Imperial Garden is so big, yet he happened to run into Consort Shu torturing her.
Could it be that they... have planted people around her?
According to Lan Wu's own thinking, Consort Li probably wouldn't have thought of such a thorough approach, after all, she had only met her once in private, and Consort Li probably didn't care about her that much.
But Chu Mingheng...
Will Chu Mingheng stay by her side? He even knows that she went to inquire about the Wan Shu Ge.
Lan Wu subconsciously looked up at the beam, then at the door, but naturally didn't see anyone.
"Lanwu, what are you looking at?" Xia Chu wiped away her tears and noticed her strange behavior, so she couldn't help but ask.
Lan Wu then looked at her.
Will it be early summer?
No way, Xia Chu is that stupid.
-
Chen Kang'an carefully placed the prepared hot tea on the imperial table, where it landed right next to His Majesty.
On the table was the information that Miss Lanwu had gone to great lengths to gather a few days ago: in addition to the Wanshu Pavilion, there were also the Lin Heng Bureau and the Laundry Bureau.
When these messages were delivered to His Majesty a few days ago, His Majesty did not say anything. However, having been by His Majesty's side for so long, he naturally knew that the more composed the emperor was, the more profound his thoughts were.
Now, after returning from the Imperial Garden, His Majesty took out these papers again and looked at them once more.
"Chen Kang'an, tell me, I've spared her time and time again, what should she do to repay me?" The emperor casually released his grip, and the few pieces of paper he was holding floated onto the table. He leaned back in his chair, speaking leisurely, but his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.
Chen Kang'an paused for a moment, his mind racing as he thought about what to say.
“Your Majesty, Miss Lanwu must be extremely grateful for Your Majesty’s favor. Next…” He hesitated, then tentatively continued, “Perhaps she should come to express her gratitude to Your Majesty in person.”
"Favor?" Chu Mingheng's tone was flat and expressionless, then he nodded. "It is indeed favor."
After he finished speaking, he slightly raised his eyes, a faint hint of murderous intent flashing in them: "Keep a close eye on that side. I don't want to see what happened today happen again."
Chen Kang'an quickly and respectfully replied, "Yes." But as he watched the emperor pick up his teacup, he remembered something and said, "When Miss Lanwu returned to the music hall, Consort Bai ordered her palace servants to escort her back. However, the servants were clumsy and dropped Miss Lanwu when they helped her over the threshold."
"Many people saw it, and from what Miss Lanwu said, it seems that... Consort Xiuyi did it on purpose."
Chen Kang'an answered with excessive caution, without intending to distort either side. After all, since a few days before the Emperor's birthday, His Majesty had often been deep in thought. With so many newly entered concubines in the palace, he did not summon anyone to serve him in bed, but instead ordered people to bring out the portraits of the concubines one by one, clearly looking for someone among them.
On the day of the Emperor's birthday, everything was the same as in previous years.
Except for that Lan Wu girl.
Upon seeing that face, Chen Kang'an had a sudden, inexplicable guess, and he silently lowered his head.
Later, when Miss Lanwu behaved improperly before the Emperor, His Majesty showed no intention of punishing her. He then reminded Miss Lanwu, who was lying on the ground, of this.
After nightfall, His Majesty personally went to see Miss Lanwu.
Later, he made Lan Wu dance, and to this day, it is almost obvious that he has shown Lan Wu favor.
Just one place value away.
"Fell again?" Chu Mingheng asked slowly, resting his chin on his hand.
Chen Kang'an could only respond with a simple "Yes."
After waiting for a while, Chu Mingheng seemed to have figured something out and ordered, "Take the stick that I had someone find to Taichen Palace."
He looked at Chen Kang'an with a deep gaze, his tone authoritative and leaving no room for argument: "Place it properly."
Although Chen Kang'an did not understand the meaning, he knew that what His Majesty wanted should naturally be done well.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The stick will naturally have its uses, but its other owner is currently unaware of this and is preoccupied with something else.
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