Chapter 136 The Banquet Ends
The New Year's Eve banquet was temporarily suspended, but no one in the hall dared to move an inch.
Until Chu Mingheng's figure disappeared from above, leaving the people below looking at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what he meant.
A short while later, Chen Kang'an came out from behind the hall and announced, "His Majesty has decreed that the New Year's Eve banquet is to end here as it is getting late. Everyone should leave the palace as soon as possible and not be late."
It's already late afternoon, and there's still about an hour before the banquet ends at dusk. Given what has happened, the banquet probably can't continue.
So everyone got up and hurriedly left the palace, though not in a panic.
Only when there were fewer people in the main hall did the concubines prepare to leave.
Chen Kang'an, however, had not yet left. He continued, "Your Highnesses, please wait. His Majesty has another decree. Please do not be late for the palace banquet tonight. His Majesty says that everyone must be present."
The concubines stopped in their tracks, looked at each other, and no one asked a question; they could only respond in hushed tones, "Yes."
It seems that staying up all night on New Year's Eve is a tradition, and even though the grand banquet is over today, the palace banquet at night still needs to be held as usual.
Lan Wu also got up to return to the palace to rest. She was so engrossed in the drama that she didn't dare to look away for a second. She just wondered how Chu Mingheng planned to deal with these people.
Will he kill King Wei?
While I was aimlessly thinking about what had just happened, someone suddenly walked up to me.
Lan Wu looked over and saw that it was Chen Kang'an.
"Your Majesty, His Majesty is waiting for you," Chen Kang'an replied softly with a smile.
Most of the concubines had left, but a few remained to listen to the commotion.
Lan Wu glanced back and nodded: "Lead the way."
There were still a few hours before the banquet began. Lan Wu thought that Chu Mingheng was going to deal with the matter of the Prince of Wei or the Lin family first, but when she arrived at the back hall, she saw Chu Mingheng resting with his eyes closed in a chair.
She had never been to the rear hall of Taiqing Palace before, and it felt somewhat unfamiliar to her. The palace doors behind her were already closed, so she could only walk forward.
Before he had taken more than a few steps closer, Chu Mingheng opened his eyes.
"Awu," he called softly, reaching out his hand towards her.
Lan Wu stopped in her tracks, hesitated for a moment, and looked at him carefully.
In that instant of hesitation, Chu Mingheng stood up and walked towards her, standing in front of her. His tall figure was extremely imposing, like a wall pressing down on her.
Not hearing Lan Wu's response, Chu Mingheng raised his voice slightly in confusion and hummed in agreement.
Fu lowered his head and kissed Lan Wu's forehead again, then picked her up as usual, turned around and went back to the chair he had been sitting in, and put Lan Wu down.
"Why is A-Wu ignoring me?" His eyes were deep and dark, concealing a hidden light. As he spoke, he reached out and fiddled with the gold hairpin in Lan Wu's hair, messing up the tassels on it.
Lan Wu's attention was immediately diverted. She reached out to touch her hair and glared at him angrily, saying, "You messed it up."
I have to meet someone tonight.
Chu Mingheng leaned down and said there was no chaos.
Their foreheads touched gently, their breaths mingling. They didn't do anything, but the atmosphere felt incredibly intimate.
It wasn't until Lan Wu straightened her expression and asked him, "Is this the important matter you told me about the other day?"
No wonder Chu Mingheng told her that he had kept it a secret for several years. Now that it has been revealed one by one, she finally understands why.
"Yes." Chu Mingheng replied, but then seemed unsatisfied. He glanced around, straightened up, and pulled her up again, saying slowly, "There are still a few hours before the banquet. Awu, lie down with me for a while."
It's possible, but...
"The palace banquet has been called off, so why is the night banquet still going on?" Lan Wu was gently pulled by him to the soft couch, where there were cushions and pillows.
Chu Mingheng lay down and then pulled Lan Wu onto his body, removing her hairpins and gold hairpins as he said, "There are other things to do tonight."
His tone sounded tired and weary. He loosened Lanwu's hair, put his arm around her waist, and pulled her to lie down on his side.
Is there anything else?
Although Lan Wu was curious, seeing that he seemed very tired, she simply stopped asking. She turned slightly and pushed away the hairpin that Chu Mingheng had just taken off, then grabbed the quilt, spread it out, and covered herself with it.
Once they were both covered with blankets, Lan Wu was satisfied and leaned against Chu Mingheng, ready to take a nap.
They were fast asleep, unaware that the atmosphere outside was rather somber.
Chu Mingheng was well-prepared. Long before the Prince of Wei entered the palace, his residence was surrounded by guards. Although the royal relatives who had attended the palace banquet had already left, no one dared to mention what had happened inside. Furthermore, the concubines' reactions were rather indifferent. Ultimately, the Prince of Wei's background had nothing to do with them; they were merely watching the spectacle.
The lively atmosphere they had been looking forward to at today's banquet did not materialize.
"What a pity for that palace maid named Panxi. My sister cultivated her so much, yet she is so ungrateful. It's truly lamentable." Consort Shu ordered someone to catch up with Consort Li's entourage, her tone laced with sarcasm.
Consort Li wanted to use Panxi to present her at the New Year's Eve banquet. Firstly, she wanted to annoy Lanwu, and secondly, she harbored a sliver of hope that she could use this dance, which was exactly the same as Lanwu's, to win His Majesty's favor.
Unexpectedly, Panxi had no such intention. To be honest, it's a real pity about that face.
Leaving the palace?
Will Consort Li really be able to let her leave the palace smoothly?
"Where are you going, little sister? This doesn't look like the way to Jinghua Palace. Could it be that you've gotten drunk and forgotten the way back to the palace?"
Consort Li made no attempt to hide her hatred. Her face was cold, but she had no choice but to bow and reply, "Your Majesty is overthinking this. I am simply heading back to the palace. It was just too stuffy in the hall earlier, so I wanted to take a detour to get some fresh air."
Consort Shu nodded and smiled knowingly, "So that's how it is. I thought you were going to find that Miss Panxi, after all, you... are the most vengeful."
After saying this, she ignored Consort Li's expression and ordered her men to leave.
Only when Consort Li and her entourage could no longer be seen behind her did Consort Shu gradually put away her expression.
Consort Li gained nothing today, nor did she.
Consort Shu frowned at the thought of Lan Wu.
"Is everything ready with Bai Xiuyi?" she suddenly asked Yun Qing in a low voice.
Yun Qing lowered her eyes slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I just saw a palace maid next to Consort Bai. If Your Majesty is worried, I will go and ask her right away."
Consort Shu was silent for a moment, then shook her head: "No, let's forget it. It would attract too much attention right now."
She said slowly, "I trust Consort Bai; she is always meticulous in her work."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"By the way, also inform Hanlu Palace that His Majesty said that no one is allowed to be absent from the banquet. Whether she comes or not is up to her."
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