Chapter 48 The Groom's Wife
Lan Wu turned away, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and asked him with a wronged and unwilling expression, "Wasn't this His Majesty's intentional act? His Majesty said yesterday... that he wouldn't let his concubines stay at the bedside. Has His Majesty forgotten all of this?"
The sweet nothings whispered in bed are now being used by Lan Wu as leverage, which she presents with great eloquence.
Chu Mingheng's deep gaze held a faint smile as he tapped his finger lightly on the gem box on the table beside him, reminding Lan Wu, "I haven't asked you to explain things clearly yet. Are you sure you want to tell me these things now?"
Let's forget about it then.
Lan Wu remained silent, slowly getting off the bed without even glancing at Chu Mingheng. Just as she was about to pass by him, an arm pulled her straight back, and she plopped down on the table.
"Hiss—" Lan Wu was startled. The movement was also a bit sudden. She felt a chill and a bit of pain under her buttocks, which made her involuntarily gasp.
"Awu, you're really disobedient." Chu Mingheng gently stroked Lanwu's cheek with the back of his hand. When he said this, his tone was exceptionally natural and intimate, but when he finished speaking, it was a bit heavy, revealing a stern and authoritative tone.
Even if he didn't know yesterday, he should know today. No one had told Lan Wu about the Yu Yue Clan sending the gemstones, but Lan Wu knew and even took it for granted. She was startled when he exposed her.
He felt that Lan Wu was probably too idle, and that a governess should be sent to teach her a lesson.
Lan Wu stubbornly raised her head. If one did not see the tears brimming in her eyes, one would probably think she was a bold and reckless person who could not be subdued by force.
"Your Majesty...you must not speak nonsense."
Chu Mingheng raised an eyebrow, looking at Lan Wu's tearful expression. His gaze swept down and he saw her legs, which were covered by a light veil and were trembling violently.
"Do you think you're obedient?" Chu Mingheng reached out and pressed down on Lan Wu's trembling legs, his lips touching hers, then pulling away slightly, and looking down at her.
He had already issued an imperial decree forbidding anyone from discussing Rong's miscarriage, and Lan Wu even secretly bribed people in the imperial kitchen to investigate, doing so stealthily.
Lan Wu's breathing became slightly rapid, her face flushed, and she pursed her lips slightly before leaning forward to kiss Chu Mingheng.
After kissing, they tried to take it a step further.
Chu Mingheng took the initiative, holding Lan Wu by the back of her neck and kissing her until she couldn't breathe.
"Alright, I'll pretend I don't know. Go play by yourself."
Lan Wu didn't know which matter he was referring to, but assumed he was talking about the Yu Yue Clan, and breathed a sigh of relief.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Lan Wu was woken up.
Chu Mingheng had already left, and the person who came in front of him was an unfamiliar old woman.
"This servant is Gu Min. Your Highness can simply call me Gu Mama."
This person looked serious, even his clothes were meticulously dressed, and his hair was neatly combed.
But none of this mattered to Lan Wu. Who this person was, where he came from, and what he wanted to do were all irrelevant to her—she just wanted to sleep.
Yesterday, Chu Mingheng still didn't let her go. She belatedly realized that his statement about not leaving the hotel for three days seemed to be true.
Now that her peaceful sleep had been disturbed, Lan Wu was furious and threw Chu Mingheng's pillow away.
"Don't speak! Get out!"
Granny Gu had not expected Lan Wu to be so rude. She immediately widened her eyes and quickly said, "Your Highness, this servant is here on His Majesty's orders to teach Your Highness the rules of the palace. At this hour, Your Highness should get up and wash."
"According to palace rules, Your Highness should be the first to rise and serve His Majesty when he rises. His Majesty dotes on Your Highness, but now, Your Highness should also wake up."
Lan Wu's head ached from the noise and she couldn't sleep. She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and gritted her teeth as she silently chanted Chu Mingheng's name in her heart.
Chu Mingheng really is a bastard.
Lan Wu called Lian Xi in, and they quickly washed up and got dressed.
While Granny Gu was giving instructions outside the hall, Lan Wu quickly asked Lian Xi what was going on with this person.
Lianxi also looked distressed and said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty did indeed give the order this morning, saying that a governess was coming. That governess, Granny Gu, was originally a governess of Empress Dowager Jingwen, and even the ladies of the court have to give her some face."
Lan Wu hadn't slept well and was feeling extremely frustrated. She couldn't find Chu Mingheng and still had to deal with that little Buddha outside. She slammed her fist on the table and told Lianxi, "You wait for the right moment to summon Physician Chen over."
"Your Majesty?" Lianxi was momentarily confused, but quickly nodded and responded.
Lanwu felt sleepy again during breakfast, and Granny Gu stood to the side, constantly telling Lanwu what she should do, which made Lanwu lose her appetite.
She simply pushed the bowl away: "I'm not eating anymore."
Granny Gu glared at her coldly, but in the end she just lowered her head and said, "If Your Highness doesn't want to eat, this servant will have the palace servants take these things away."
"Next time, if Your Majesty does not wish to eat, there is no need to push away the bowl and chopsticks; this is truly impolite."
Lan Wu glanced at it coldly, took the handkerchief handed to her by a palace maid to wipe her hands, then threw the handkerchief on the table in front of her, got up and walked inside.
In just a short while, Granny Gu came in again, holding a ruler in her hand, saying she wanted to teach Lan Wu how to stand properly.
Lan Wu looked at what she was holding, then suddenly sneered and asked, "What right do you have to boss me around? I won't stand up, what are you going to do about it?"
Gu Min, relying on her position as a follower of the Empress Dowager and thus being respected by others, knew that Lan Wu was of servant origin and expected her to be ill-mannered. It was one thing to be ill-mannered, but to be so unruly and difficult to control was truly baffling.
"This servant is acting on His Majesty's orders—"
Before she could finish speaking, Lan Wu stepped forward, snatched the ruler from her, and smiled at her: "Then let His Majesty come and take a look."
Having said that, she raised the ruler and struck her left arm hard, leaving a mark without hesitation. The sound of the blow was loud enough for those outside the hall to hear.
Lan Wu was always ruthless to herself, but this time she was really furious. This damned Granny Gu should just go back to where she came from as soon as possible.
Gu Min was terrified when Lan Wu pulled this stunt. Then, her hand was opened, and the ruler that Lan Wu had taken from her was shoved back into her hand.
"Your Majesty!" Lianxi led the way in first. When she saw Granny Gu holding a ruler and Lan Wu lying on the ground, her face pale with pain, she quickly went forward to help Lan Wu up.
"Quickly, go and fetch the female physician."
Lianxi looked at Granny Gu and said sternly, "Granny Gu, His Majesty ordered you to come and teach palace rules, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to use torture on the Empress without permission."
"Nonsense!" Gu Min snapped out of her daze, gripping the ruler and pointing it at Lan Wu and Lian Xi. She picked it up, then quickly threw it away. "These injuries were clearly inflicted by Consort Zhen herself. What does it have to do with me—"
Lianxi protected Lanwu without fear and said seriously, "You should explain this to His Majesty yourself."
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