Chapter 200 is fun
After returning to the palace from the mountain, Lanwu was still worried about the peach tree. She kept saying that if no one watered it, what if the tree died, or what if insects bit its leaves?
Hearing such concerns, Chu Mingheng's heart softened. He hugged the person and explained that the house was being looked after and that no one dared to let the tree die.
He wasn't oblivious to the reluctance in Lan Wu's words. Compared to that magnificent palace, perhaps Lan Wu preferred the life with just the two of them.
But he was the emperor, and she was about to become his empress; there were some things they had to do.
Not long after returning to the palace, Lan Wu seemed to have cheered up again, because people kept coming to visit her these past few days.
Although Lan Wu is young, she has indeed experienced a lot, including a life-or-death experience, and still doesn't know when to stop when she's having fun.
Chu Mingheng came over but couldn't find anyone. When he asked, he learned that the person had gone to the lakeside.
"What can you do by the lake on such a hot day?" he asked with a stern face.
The palace maids who answered exchanged glances and replied cautiously, "It was Consort Mu Zhaorong. She said she had a flower boat decorated and invited the Consort to go boating on the lake and enjoy the scenery."
"Her Highness also brought Consort Yun Gao along..."
Oh, and that fat cat too.
Chu Mingheng thought for a moment, then left Yilan Palace without saying a word.
Chen Kang'an pondered where His Majesty was going and immediately suggested, "Your Majesty, there's a gentle breeze today, and it's not too hot. The lake must be extremely cool. Why don't we go to the lakeside and enjoy the breeze?"
Chu Mingheng glanced at him and nodded slightly: "Then let's go."
-
The flower boat that Mu Zhaorong mentioned was quite large, with three people sitting inside. Yun Gao was lying next to Lan Wu, her deep blue eyes looking around.
Lan Wu chatted and laughed with them as the boat slowly circled the lake twice before docking.
As soon as I got off the boat, I saw people standing in front of me.
Lan Wu was taken aback. She handed the cloud cake to the person behind her and took a few steps forward towards Chu Mingheng.
"Why has Your Majesty come here?" What are you doing standing here? When did you arrive?
Chu Mingheng glanced at the people behind her and said calmly, "It's nothing. I came to find you. The palace servants said you came to enjoy the lake."
"Isn't it hot? Why are you running around everywhere?"
Mu Zhaorong subconsciously felt that the words had a hidden meaning, and she always felt that His Majesty was saying that she had taken Lan Wu around everywhere.
Lan Wu shook her head: "It's cool today, not hot at all."
"It's getting late, come back with me." Chu Mingheng didn't say anything more and was about to take her away.
Lan Wu hummed in agreement, then turned to Consort Liang and Consort Mu: "Then we'll play again next time."
The two bowed and watched Lan Wu walk away with Chu Mingheng before they breathed a sigh of relief.
"What are you playing?" Chu Mingheng asked her softly, holding her hand.
Lan Wu felt a little hot, and tried to move her fingers a few times, but couldn't break free, so she simply let Chu Mingheng hold her.
"Just go boating on the lake, tell me some fun things. You're not a girl, you definitely wouldn't understand."
She answered naturally, and Chu Mingheng didn't insist on getting Lan Wu to explain herself.
However, she didn't have an attack then, but when Lan Wu was being tossed around in the middle of the night, she heard Chu Mingheng asking her in her ear.
"Tell me in detail what the joys of being a young lady are. If you want to play, I can play with you."
Lan Wu couldn't utter a single word, and it wasn't until the next day that she understood the implied meaning behind Chu Mingheng's words.
...
"Is Your Majesty jealous?" Lan Wu's soft body bumped into Chu Mingheng's arms, her bright eyes filled with laughter as she looked up at him.
"Just because I played with them and didn't go to see His Majesty?"
Chu Mingheng looked down and saw a red hickey hidden under her peach-pink gauze dress. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was slightly hoarse: "What's so fun about that? I think the most fun is when A-Wu is with me."
Lan Wu assured that the two of them meant "fun" in different ways.
"Your Majesty is so stingy."
Having reached this conclusion, Chu Mingheng showed no anger and did not deny her words. He simply turned around while holding Lan Wu in his arms and quietly dealt with the unfinished memorials on the table.
Knowing that he was unhappy that she hadn't come to keep him company, Lan Wu came to his door herself today to stay with him.
However, it was the afternoon when she was feeling sleepy, and soon she wearily closed her eyes, feeling uncomfortable sleeping on Chu Mingheng's body. She tugged at his clothes and mumbled softly that she wanted to sleep in the inner room.
Chu Mingheng put down the memorial in his hand, gently carried her to the inner room, took off her outer robe and put her on the couch, and covered her with a thin quilt.
Lan Wu fell asleep quickly, while Chu Mingheng watched her for a long time.
Perhaps others cannot understand the sense of satisfaction he felt at this moment. He placed Lan Wu beside him, in a place where she could be seen through a curtain or a screen. Lan Wu was sleeping peacefully inside, soundly asleep in his territory, where no one could take her away or disturb her.
There is nothing more satisfying than this.
Chu Mingheng stood up, placed a kiss on Lan Wu's hair, and walked out.
-
As the sweltering heat of summer passed and autumn approached, Lan Wu worried that the peach tree might die, and begged Chu Mingheng to take her to see it.
It turned out that the two of them stayed on the mountain for another two days.
Fortunately, this hilltop is not far from the palace, so it's not troublesome to go back and forth.
Lan Wu finally saw the peach tree.
After a summer, the tree has grown quite a bit. Although some leaves have fallen, the branches and trunk are visibly much thicker.
These weren't seedlings to begin with, but judging by how they're growing, they might bear fruit in a couple of years.
The autumn colors are strong, but they are not clearly felt in the palace; however, they are very obvious in the mountains.
The water in the pool was so cold that Lan Wu didn't dare to go in and play.
She felt it was a bit of a pity.
"Will we come again in winter?"
“Winter…” Chu Mingheng pondered, adopting a thoughtful posture.
"Isn't winter coming?" Lan Wu shook his shoulder.
Chu Mingheng smiled and grasped her wrist: "Awu, do you see the path up the mountain?"
“The road is flat, but if it snows in winter, the snow will be thick and the carriage may not be able to get up. How are we going to get here? Walk over? And this house is very cold in winter. Are you sure you want to come? You are the one who is most afraid of the cold.”
Lan Wu was somewhat dejected upon hearing this.
"Come back in the spring. We still have important things to do this winter."
The major event Chu Mingheng mentioned is only a little over two months away.
Although Lan Wu was a key figure in this important event, she didn't feel anything special. After all, several months had passed since the imperial edict establishing the empress. Chu Mingheng didn't want her to learn those complicated rules too early, only saying that she could learn them in a haphazard way before the ceremony began.
Now that Chu Mingheng brought it up, she belatedly felt a sense of urgency.
She tensed up, but Chu Mingheng laughed.
He smiled and gently stroked Lan Wu's nose, saying, "It's just a formality, something to show to outsiders. Don't take it to heart or worry about it. I will always be with you."
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