Chapter 2 You're lying.
Lan Wu felt like her world was collapsing. Having just been reborn, she naturally didn't want to have any further contact with Chu Mingheng. Upon hearing Luo Yun's words, Lan Wu's face turned deathly pale.
This didn't happen in my previous life.
Could it be that the glance he inexplicably made with Chu Mingheng just now aroused his suspicion?
Lan Wu pressed her trembling hands and looked at Luo Yun, a familiar face to her: "Miss Luo Yun, may His Majesty wish to see me..."
As soon as she said that, Lan Wu knew she had asked the wrong question. Before she died, she was a favored concubine in the palace. Even though her rank was not high, the servants below her treated her with utmost respect. Even the chief eunuch in front of the emperor had to give her a good face.
But now that she's a servant, that statement is rather presumptuous.
Sure enough, Luo Yun glanced at her, but seemed too lazy to say anything, only coldly gesturing for her to follow.
Lan Wu dared not disobey the imperial decree and could only reluctantly go with her to the rear hall of Taiqing Palace.
The palace doors opened and closed, and Luo Yun and the others waited outside while Lan Wu waited inside.
Who knows how long this wait will take?
Lan Wu was still wearing the dance costume she had worn for the performance that day. She was in a hurry to return to the music hall, so she only put on an outer garment over the costume. Although it could cover most of her bare skin, in this early spring, the empty palace that had been uninhabited for a long time was still chilly and frightening.
As dusk approached, Lan Wu glanced at the empty table in the hall; there wasn't even a cup of tea on it.
She endured the burning thirst in her throat and sat at a table facing the palace door, rubbing her legs and kneading her hands, making small movements all the time.
She thought about it a lot, but couldn't come up with a reason why Chu Mingheng had dragged her here today.
In her previous life, she only managed to climb to the rank of Shuyi after a year of being favored by the emperor. Chu Mingheng treated the women in the harem like he was raising poisonous insects, making them fight each other. Occasionally, when one side was about to win, he would flick his finger to make the other side regain some momentum.
She was an extra person who was accidentally left unattended during the power struggle between Consort Shu and Consort Rou. Initially, they didn't pay much attention to her, but later, seeing that Chu Mingheng was increasingly fond of her, they gradually began to focus their attention on her.
Chu Mingheng undoubtedly loved her, treating her not like an insect; he wouldn't allow her to be tainted by the wicked thoughts of the palace.
During her year in the harem, Lan Wu did have thoughts of harming others to climb the ranks, but as soon as she started, Chu Mingheng suppressed her. Chu Mingheng's punishment for her was so severe that she still trembles with fear when she thinks about it now.
He forbade her to do evil, and as a result, she died in the palace.
Chu Mingheng, that cold-blooded man, probably won't even avenge her death. He might just sigh with regret, and when another beauty appears in the future, he'll still dote on her as before.
Thinking of this, Lan Wu was practically seething with hatred.
Why should someone of lower status be treated badly? We are all human beings, made of flesh and blood, not beasts. Even beasts know how to be kind and compassionate. Chu Mingheng is not even as good as a beast.
Lost in thought, she felt a cool breeze on one side of her cheek, and a cold, calloused hand gently pinched her face and turned it to the other side. The undisguised anger and hatred in her eyes blazed into the other person's dark pupils.
"What are you thinking about?" The other person naturally didn't miss the emotions in Lan Wu's eyes, and asked in a deep voice, which seemed to carry a hint of inquiry and displeasure.
Lan Wu was startled by him. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she lowered her eyes abruptly, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She deliberately sat facing the palace entrance, hoping to see anyone who came in immediately. However, Chu Mingheng had already silently approached her without her noticing.
The cold wind carried the scent of ambergris from another person. Chu Mingheng forbade her to burn incense in the palace, but he often held her in his arms. Over time, she was also often tainted by this cold and solemn fragrance that carried the majesty of the imperial family.
Lan Wu parted her lips slightly, then her legs went weak, and she knelt down abruptly from the chair, her knees hitting the ground with a soft sound. She was intentionally trying to minimize her suffering, a skill she had honed in her previous life.
"This servant, Lanwu, greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
Actually, she didn't need to be so afraid of Chu Mingheng, after all, the person who killed her in her previous life wasn't the one in front of her. But she was also afraid that Chu Mingheng would take a liking to her and lead her down the same path as in her previous life, and she knew that Chu Mingheng wouldn't protect her, perhaps because she didn't hold a enough place in his heart.
Chu Mingheng withdrew his hand, and the wide sleeves flashed past Lan Wu's eyes. She saw him walk to the main seat and sit down. A moment later, palace servants came in to serve tea.
After the palace servants left the hall, Chu Mingheng slowly lifted the lid of the teacup. He didn't look at Lan Wu again, as if Lan Wu didn't exist at all.
Lan Wu had been with him for a year, so she could figure out his temperament a little and knew what was wrong after a little thought.
She hasn't replied yet.
Chu Mingheng just asked a question, and if she doesn't answer it, she'll probably have to kneel here until her knees are raw.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was so engrossed in thinking about leaving the palace that I didn't notice Your Majesty's arrival. I am guilty and beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
After saying that, Lan Wu lowered her forehead and touched the cold ground.
The person at the head of the table let the tea cool, then casually raised their voice: "Oh? Is that so?"
Lan Wu lowered her head. Her outer robe was still not enough; it could only cover her shoulders. Because of the slightly large movements, the robe in front of her chest was slightly torn open, revealing the thin material of her dance costume.
She insisted it was true, and her words were also a test of Chu Mingheng's intentions:
"I have heard that if one receives a favor from the master, one may leave the palace early. I am thinking about how to obtain such a favor, but the thought that I may never receive one in my entire life makes me very sad... I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness..."
Chu Mingheng looked at her for a moment, then suddenly spoke, beckoning her to come over.
Lan Wu felt a chill run down her spine, as if the tone was somewhat familiar. Her mind raced before her actions, and she had already knelt down in front of Chu Mingheng with practiced ease.
But she didn't realize that this wasn't her Yilan Palace. There were no soft carpets in the palace, and she had to crawl on her knees for a few steps before her knees started to ache.
A little water welled up in her eyes, but it quickly faded.
Even after moving to stand in front of Chu Mingheng, Lan Wu still felt uneasy.
"Your Majesty, this servant..."
Before she could finish speaking, her slender neck was gently stroked. The hand was icy cold and calloused, and its touch startled her, making her afraid to move.
"You're lying to me." Chu Mingheng's voice was as light as a ghost, and his tone carried a hint of inexplicable regret.
Lan Wu's mind raced, and she immediately realized that something was wrong. She quickly turned her head to the side, exposing her slender neck, allowing Chu Mingheng to touch it without restraint. Her words were full of grievance and fear: "This servant knows her mistake. This servant did not tell the truth."
"Today, after I danced before the Emperor, I heard people around me say that the ladies in the palace don't like people like me... I was worried and afraid, so I dared not speak out."
Of course, that's not the truth either.
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