Chapter 78 Yue Zhaorong
Eight more days passed, and the weather grew increasingly hot. His Majesty had previously ordered the Censorate to investigate the Imperial Kitchen, resulting in the deaths of one group of people. However, another group would immediately take their place, making it seem as if nothing had ever happened. Only a few palace servants who had managed to escape knew the extent of the danger involved.
Zhang Mu went to the Censorate and witnessed the bloody methods used there. He was so frightened that he almost collapsed. Fortunately, he was not killed. He was only beaten with twenty strokes of the cane along with others. At least he was able to leave the Censorate intact.
He thought he had helped Consort Zhen Shuyi this time, and that he was lucky to have survived. He never expected that he would be promoted by the new head of the Imperial Kitchen after returning home, with the head of the kitchen implying that he was loyal to the emperor. He thought to himself, what kind of person is His Majesty? There is hardly anything in the palace that can be kept from him. He was afraid that his help to the consort had already been discovered.
But His Majesty didn't kill him; instead, he appointed him as a loyal subject, indicating that he wanted him to continue serving Consort Zhen.
Now that he has passed His Majesty's direct line of communication, he no longer needs to act with extreme caution.
Lan Wu had no idea what Zhang Mu was thinking, but she confessed what she had done to Chu Mingheng. Knowing that Chu Mingheng would not punish her, she took advantage of the incident in the previous dynasty to inquire about someone in the inner court.
She asked Lianxi to do this. Lianxi had been with her the longest and was also smart, so she trusted Lianxi to inquire about people.
However, after inquiring twice, there was still no news. Firstly, the woman Lan Wu described had very ordinary features, and secondly, with so many people in the palace, it was really impossible to find the person for Lan Wu in a short time.
After Lianxi reported that there was no news, Lanwu simply sat there and waved her hand, saying that she would let it go for now and send someone to the inner palace to inquire in a few days.
"Yes, Your Majesty." This is one of the best things about Lianxi; she doesn't ask too many questions and knows her limits.
A person entered through the door, carefully offering a bowl of ice.
Lian Qiao smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this was just delivered from the Imperial Kitchen. They were worried that the food would spoil in the heat, so they also put ice in the food box and sent it along with it."
Lan Wu glanced at it; it was her favorite milk almond drink.
She reached for the spoon, idly scooping up the contents of the bowl, muttering softly, "Do I still dare to drink this...?"
During this period, Chu Mingheng was too busy to pay attention to her, so she couldn't help but let her guard down. Just then, the fresh seafood that had just arrived in the palace was very tempting, and she ate a few extra shrimp and crabs. She had a stomachache that night, and when Chu Mingheng asked her with a cold face, she stammered out the whole story.
Chu Mingheng insisted that the palace servants hadn't kept a close eye on her, and that everyone in the palace should be dragged out and beaten.
She believed she should take responsibility for her actions, and stubbornly agreed to Chu Mingheng's demand for punishment.
Chu Mingheng looked at her meaningfully, said "okay," and didn't order anyone to drag the palace servants away to be beaten, but he did fine them some of their monthly salary.
Lan Wu was quite apprehensive. Before Chu Mingheng could actually punish her, she tearfully tugged at her sleeves and refused to continue.
Her attitude made Chu Mingheng smile.
"It's all about deducting from my monthly salary, so why should I be the one to be beaten? Your Majesty, just deduct from my monthly salary, or even more..."
"I've already learned my lesson, can't you be a little kinder? Why do you have to be the bad guy... and bully me—"
He leaned back leisurely in the rosewood chair, watching Lan Wu's unreasonable tantrums.
Lan Wu was halfway through her sentence when she realized he wasn't speaking. A thought flashed through her mind, and she covered her face again, hiding her fair complexion. Thinking Chu Mingheng couldn't see her little trick, she continued:
"I've never eaten those things before, but I just like to eat them. You taught me once, so I'll know not to eat too much next time."
Chu Mingheng only asked her one question: whether her stomach still hurt.
Seeing her shake her head, he slowly got up, gently pulled her into his arms, and even after pulling down her pants, he still slipped on her.
"I didn't stop you from eating, but you know what kind of condition you have. You're still taking your medicine, yet you don't know how to eat in moderation. If you complain to me of pain again next time, I won't hit you, but I'll drag all the people in your palace to that courtyard and beat them. After that, I'll replace them with a new batch of people. They've just become too wild because of you and don't know how to advise you."
Lan Wu gritted her teeth, pushed him hard, and turned over to face him onto the bed.
"You're the kind of person who hits someone and then threatens them. I've already said I know I was wrong, and you still have to criticize me!"
After a while of silence, I turned around and saw Chu Mingheng sitting back in his chair, his eyes closed and his brow furrowed, looking tired and resting.
She looked at him, hesitant to speak, knowing that he had been preoccupied with the Sanzhou Canal project recently and had taken the time to reprimand her today.
As she watched, she couldn't help but sit up, quietly moved to the edge of the bed, and reached out to grab Chu Mingheng's clothes.
She said softly, "Your Majesty, please go to bed. I... I won't do this again..."
After she finished speaking, she saw Chu Mingheng let go of her hand, open his eyes and stare at her intently with a smile in them. He then got up, leaned over, pinched Lan Wu's chin, and planted a kiss on her.
"Why is Awu so obedient? It really makes me feel... I'm a terrible person."
As his voice faded, he kissed Lan Wu's forehead and cheek again. Meeting her stunned and confused eyes, his heart burned with desire, and he couldn't get enough of looking at Lan Wu.
-
Thinking of all this, Lan Wu's face flushed a little. Looking at the bowl of iced drink, she pushed it forward and said, "I'm not eating anymore. You guys take it and share it."
Lian Qiao remembered that Lan Wu had eaten too much and had an upset stomach, so she stopped trying to persuade her and took the food downstairs.
At this moment, a person walked in from outside the palace gate, bowed and reported: "Your Majesty, Consort Yue has arrived."
Lan Wu's eyelids twitched, and she subconsciously looked towards the palace entrance, frowning.
I wonder how the investigation into the Yue family's affairs is going. Ten days have passed, and there should be results by now. But at this crucial moment, why is Consort Yue coming to see her? Could it be that she wants her to whisper in her ear?
Lan Wu thought about it to herself and found it funny. How could someone think so highly of her?
"Please invite her to the main hall."
Lan Wu asked Lianxi to fix her hair before going out.
Upon seeing Yue Zhaorong, she was immediately startled.
When I last saw Yue Zhaorong at Kongshan Garden, she seemed rather indifferent, perhaps because she had nothing to worry about, which made her appear exceptionally energetic and her complexion quite good. But now…
Lan Wu looked at her as if she had been in prison. Not only was her face pale and lifeless, but she had also become much thinner, and her whole appearance was sickly, as if a gust of wind could blow her over.
She hesitated, then slowly stepped forward, averting her gaze, and was about to bow to her.
"Greetings to Consort Yue..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw Yue Zhaorong bend her knees and was about to kneel down to her. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly helped her sit down.
Well, judging from this, they really are here to beg her to whisper sweet nothings in Chu Mingheng's ear.
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