Chapter 100 You'll Pay
Actually, Lan Wu shouldn't have said anything that contradicted Chu Mingheng's meaning at this moment, but she was spoiled. She had already experienced the consequences of being too harsh once. Being pampered by Chu Mingheng, she had no idea how to learn from her mistakes. Since Chu Mingheng wouldn't kill her anyway, she naturally wanted to make herself feel more at ease.
"What did you say?" Chu Mingheng gripped her wrist, his voice unexpectedly calm. Even his gaze towards Lan Wu was calm and undisturbed, yet this calmness felt strangely inappropriate and eerie.
Lan Wu let out a soft cry of pain, blinking as she looked at her wrist, which was being gripped. Her skin was delicate, and Chu Mingheng could easily leave red marks with just a little force.
Seeing that Lan Wu did not repeat what she had just said, Chu Mingheng lowered his head slightly, touched his forehead to Lan Wu, and then casually turned to Dan Shan: "I have already given the order that all the palace servants in Yilan Palace receive ten strokes of the cane today. Go and watch the execution."
Danshan's expression remained unchanged as he bowed his head and replied, "Yes."
Lan Wu's eyes widened, and she was breathless as she spoke, as if she had been so angry that she lost her mind. She bit her lip, somewhat anxious, and stood in front of Chu Mingheng to block his way: "I came here of my own accord, you can't be unreasonable."
Chu Mingheng touched her face and said, "I can."
After saying that, he was about to take her away.
Lan Wu refused, but she couldn't pull Chu Mingheng away. She stumbled and was caught by Chu Mingheng.
"If you do this... if you do this, I'm scared, please don't do this..." Lan Wu was held in his arms, and although she knew that his steps were very steady, she still couldn't help but tremble slightly and sobbed as she said she was scared.
The crying in the hall just now was fake, but the crying now is real.
"What are you afraid of me for?" Chu Mingheng seemed to scoff coldly, his steps unwavering. "You've never been afraid of me; it's me who's afraid of you."
Even as he said this, Lan Wu's tears still dripped down her cheeks and onto his neck.
Chu Mingheng naturally sensed it.
He looked down and turned his head to look at Lan Wu. He saw her silently biting her lip and crying with tears streaming down her face, and his face darkened slightly.
So he stopped, thought it over and over again, and changed his words: "Seven strokes of the cane, to teach him a lesson."
Lan Wu sobbed silently.
Chu Mingheng held back for a moment, then glanced at Dan Shan behind him, and his temples throbbed violently.
How could he not know what Danshan's purpose was in letting Lanwu come over? Back then, his mother had been so tolerant, day after day, that she almost drove herself to her death. That's why Danshan let Lanwu do whatever she wanted, because getting revenge was the most important thing.
Venting her anger is important, but running around without a word, not even telling him, and ending up looking so disheveled, even Consort Li has already reprimanded her and threatened to arrest her. If he doesn't come, what if Lan Wu suffers a loss...
Thinking about all this, his heart hardened even more.
Lan Wu's tearful voice whispered in his ear, sobbing and sounding especially pitiful: "Punish me, punish me anyway, you're going to punish me, waaaah..."
Chu Mingheng tightened his grip on her, his face cold: "You think you can get away with this?"
Lan Wu cried even harder, not caring that the palace servants around were watching and she felt ashamed. Chu Mingheng was holding her in public, so who would dare to gossip?
"Take three strokes of the cane, and you'll pay for the rest." Chu Mingheng changed his words for the last time, his tone even sounding somewhat fierce.
Lan Wu was still crying, and instead of feeling relieved, she was filled with anxiety.
Once on the imperial carriage, she heard Chu Mingheng instruct her to go to Taichen Palace.
She immediately tried to get up from his embrace, but he pressed her down again.
"What's all the fuss about on the carriage?" Chu Mingheng patted her back reassuringly, then gently pressed down her spine to her lower back, pulling her closer into his arms.
Lan Wu looked at him blankly, then opened her mouth and said, "Let's not go to Taichen Palace, let's go back..."
Chu Mingheng gently wiped away her tears, but said, "I'm not going back. You've already agreed to pay for it."
He pondered casually, then said softly, "You didn't like the little prince last time, but after some reflection, I think you'll like this one."
Seeing that Lan Wu was still making a fuss, he reached out and pinched the tip of her chin, then pressed the pad of his thumb against her lower lip, which sank softly and gently into it. He smiled and said, "A-Wu, you have to keep your word."
Lan Wu lowered her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering like butterflies, still trying to defend herself, stubbornly resisting: "His Majesty said I should be confined to my quarters, I won't go out, I'll stay in Yilan Palace, that's what His Majesty said."
Chu Mingheng kissed her: "I did say you were confined to your quarters, and it's the same even in Taichen Palace."
But in the end, Lan Wu felt that she was still right.
"Did you punish me because I caused trouble in Jinghua Palace?" She gritted her teeth, feeling somewhat aggrieved.
But Chu Mingheng said no.
"How could I punish you because of someone else?"
He spoke slowly, but then stopped, pressing Lan Wu's head against his chest so she could listen and think carefully.
Think about his anxious search for her, and even now his heart is still pounding with anxiety. Think about whether he is afraid that she will suddenly disappear like in that dream.
Let Lanwu, this clueless little pearl, think it over carefully.
Lan Wu couldn't think of anything, but she was exhausted from crying, her nose was slightly red, and she gradually became sleepy while lying on Chu Mingheng's body. She watched as the red wall swept past the imperial carriage inch by inch, extending behind her, getting closer and closer to Taichen Palace.
She wasn't afraid; it was only for a few days.
But she was still thinking about what Chu Mingheng had just said. She really didn't like that small palace. It was too small, the walls were too high, and the windows were too high, so she couldn't see anything. She also didn't like Taichen Palace. It was too big and too quiet, and she wasn't used to it.
The heartbeat in her ear gradually calmed down, as if the violent beating she had just experienced was an illusion.
The imperial carriage then came to a stop—we had arrived at Taichen Palace.
Chu Mingheng led her downstairs.
"Go and serve the meal."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Palace lanterns were lit everywhere in Taichen Palace, and the main hall was also very bright. The palace servants walked slowly around and unconsciously made people murmur.
But this air of solemnity and silence was broken by Lan Wu.
"I want to drink, I want to drink—" She stood there stubbornly, staring at Chu Mingheng.
The palace servants broke out in a cold sweat and all wanted to kneel down, but soon they heard His Majesty's compromise.
"Someone, go get her some wine." Chu Mingheng turned his head and ordered, "Bring over the wine that the Yuyue Clan offered earlier."
He knew without a doubt what Lan Wu was trying to do by drinking—to bolster her courage. She said she wasn't afraid, but she was actually a little scared.
If it's because he's afraid of saying something disrespectful later, then he can understand; but if it's because he's afraid of him...
Chu Mingheng closed his eyes indifferently, lost in thought. When he looked at Lan Wu again, his eyes flashed with a slightly fierce light.
Lan Wu glanced at him cautiously, then looked outside. Seeing that Dan Shan and Mu Jin hadn't followed, she completely deflated.
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