Chapter 67 Watching Fireworks
He said "again".
Lan Wu wouldn't admit it.
She turned closer to him, pointed to a group of people dancing below, and asked in a low voice, "Does Your Majesty enjoy watching dancing?"
"A-Wu wants to dance for me?" Chu Mingheng didn't look down, but kept looking at Lan Wu.
Lan Wu grabbed his sleeve and shook it, somewhat annoyed: "You tell me first, whether you like it or not."
She was incredibly clingy, and because she was seated in the main seat and no concubine dared to openly criticize her, her actions were so natural and intimate that they made people grit their teeth in anger.
Chu Mingheng pushed a wine cup towards him, his voice tinged with a smile: "If Awu drinks it, then I will speak."
The wine in that glass wasn't the plum wine she had been drinking before; it was clear and looked much more intoxicating than the wine in her glass.
Lan Wu slowly straightened herself, took the glass of wine, and took a tentative sip. It was fragrant and mellow, but the aftertaste was spicy, which she didn't really like.
She slowly drank half of it, then put down her glass and stared intently at Chu Mingheng, determined to get an answer from him.
Chu Mingheng then approached her and whispered something in her ear, which made Lan Wu blush.
"I...I drank too much wine and need to get some fresh air." With that, Lan Wu stood up abruptly, not daring to look at the expression on the face of the person next to her, and hurriedly left her seat.
Once outside the hall, she walked a little further away and soon saw Lianxi following her from another direction.
"You may all leave now."
The two palace maids who followed hesitated upon hearing this, but then they saw that Consort Zhen's personal maid had arrived, so they said "Yes" and quietly withdrew.
Once the person had gone far away, Lianxi looked around to make sure no one was there, then approached Lanwu and whispered, "Your Majesty, everything has been arranged for Zhang Mu."
Hearing this, Lan Wu smiled and said, "Well, let's go back and watch the show."
The hall was brightly lit, and the music and dancing continued when we returned.
As soon as Lan Wu sat down, a palace servant came up to the hall to deliver her meal.
Fearing that someone would notice something amiss, she didn't show anything unusual and just sat quietly next to Chu Mingheng until she heard someone below ask about the newly served fruit on the table.
Before she could speak, a palace maid serving the meal explained, "Your Majesty, this is a new fruit that arrived this year. It's called Anluo fruit, and it has a unique flavor. The kitchen prepared it specially."
The fruit had been processed, and the orange-yellow flesh emitted a unique fragrance, which was indeed different from any fruit I had ever seen before.
Upon hearing the palace servants say this, everyone below wanted to try this novel fruit.
Lan Wu was no exception.
Although she had already eaten it, she didn't really like the taste of the Anluo fruit, but now she had to pretend that it was her first time eating it and that it was a novel experience.
However, before she ate it, she curiously asked Chu Mingheng if he had eaten the fruit before.
"I've tried it once," Chu Mingheng said calmly, then looked at Lan Wu, "You might not like it."
Lan Wu nodded knowingly, knowing that the Imperial Hospital had to confirm whether the emperor could eat the food before testing it, and Chu Mingheng had naturally tasted it.
She put the piece of fruit in her mouth, chewed it a few times, and her expression became a little strange, but it didn't look like she liked it at all.
"It doesn't taste good, it tastes weird." She took a sip of tea to cleanse her mouth.
The concubines reacted differently; some disliked it, while others certainly liked it.
At least Lan Wu knew that Consort Rou quite liked to eat this Anluo fruit.
She glanced down and saw that nearly a third of the fruit in Consort Rou's plate had disappeared.
Just then, all the dancers in the hall withdrew, the music gradually faded away, and the palace servants extinguished some of the candles and lanterns in the hall, making the hall much darker.
Lan Wu subconsciously gripped Chu Mingheng's sleeve, glancing around in a slightly flustered manner.
"What are you afraid of? I'll take you out to see the fireworks."
As he spoke, Chu Mingheng pulled her up, protecting her soft waist with one hand, and led her down the steps towards the outside of the hall.
Lan Wu then realized that a celebratory fireworks display had been prepared for her at the end of the banquet.
She was somewhat bewildered, and was almost carried to stand in the open space outside the palace. Behind her were the other concubines who had followed her out. The night was deep, but the moonlight was bright enough to cast shadows on the trees.
"Let's begin."
Lan Wu was staring blankly at the sky and her surroundings when she suddenly heard him say those words to the eunuchs below. Her eyes gradually lit up with anticipation as she moved closer to Chu Mingheng, looking up at him.
The night sky was so vast, and the venue was so spacious. It wasn't that she hadn't seen fireworks before, but this was indeed the first time someone had set off a fireworks display just for her.
Everyone heard a loud bang in the distance. As the sound traveled back, the fireworks in the sky had already scattered, like a silver-white flower that had suddenly bloomed, beautiful but fleeting.
Then, fireworks exploded one after another.
Lan Wu was undoubtedly excited, but the sound was so loud that her ears couldn't take it. The fireworks that scattered and disappeared in mid-air seemed to be about to fall on her head, so she couldn't help but shield her head, afraid that a stray spark might ignite it.
"Bang—bang bang bang—"
"Your Majesty, look! Those fireworks look like peonies!"
Wow, that's really loud!
As Lan Wu spoke with a laugh, she covered her ears, her eyes reflecting the faint light of the fireworks as they faded away, filled with wonder.
She gently grasped Chu Mingheng's arm, and if she made even the slightest noise, she would half-cover her face, as if she were afraid but also wanted to see.
Chu Mingheng had no choice but to pull her in front of him, his tall figure slightly blocking her view of the fireworks, but he wouldn't stop her from watching them.
Lan Wu looked up and saw Chu Mingheng's face. In the glow of the exploding fireworks, his face was also illuminated. Perhaps because he was in a good mood at the moment, his eyes looked at her with a gentleness, so gentle that... it was somewhat captivating.
Lan Wu couldn't resist the urge to tiptoe and kiss him, but a sudden loud thud interrupted her thoughts. She snapped out of her reverie and quickly turned her gaze to the fireworks in the sky, a surge of annoyance washing over her—was she stupid? Doing something like this in front of so many concubines! If she actually kissed him, tomorrow people would be spreading rumors that she had seduced the emperor in public.
It's all Chu Mingheng's fault; he kept staring at her.
Why not appreciate the fireworks?
The fireworks display lasted for a long time, and when it ended, the sky suddenly fell silent. A quiet sense of regret and longing lingered in my heart, as if I had escaped from a beautiful dream.
Bright candles were lit again in the hall, and palace lanterns were lit as well. Everyone returned to their seats.
Lan Wu felt lightheaded as she walked. She had just drunk some plum wine, which wouldn't normally make her drunk, but the half-cup of wine that Chu Mingheng handed her made her cheeks gradually turn red. Coupled with the joy in her heart, she felt as if she were walking on clouds. When she followed Chu Mingheng back, she seemed to have forgotten how to walk and almost stepped on his shoes.
When Chu Mingheng looked back, she smiled at him, as if to say it wasn't intentional.
"Ah—Your Majesty!" A slightly panicked voice from the side interrupted the pleasant atmosphere. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Consort Rou being supported by palace servants.
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