Chapter 18 Your servant will dance for you
Lan Wu straightened up and knelt on the couch. When she saw Chu Mingheng approaching, she came to her senses, lifted the quilt, and prepared to get off the couch to pay her respects.
Luo Yun had just told her that she would experience weakness in her limbs, but she hadn't noticed it at the time. Now, just by putting her feet on the ground, she felt like a blanket sliding down to the floor, slumped on the ground.
Seeing this, Chu Mingheng said nothing and sat down on the sandalwood chair that had been prepared for him.
As soon as she sat down, Lan Wu raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, like a peach blossom branch swaying gently above a spring lake, delicate and beautiful, bright and fragile.
In the past, Lan Wu would usually rest her head gently on the emperor's lap at such times. The more aggrieved she appeared, the more Chu Mingheng felt sorry for her. Even if she was in the wrong, Chu Mingheng would still help her.
But now everything has to start all over again, and Lan Wu is completely unaware that she has already revealed a lot of things in these little tricks, and is still thinking of using her experience from her previous life to gain an advantage.
Luo Yun had already left, and a palace maid entered the hall to serve tea to His Majesty.
The aroma of tea wafted out, and Chu Mingheng was lifting the tea lid when he caught a glimpse of Lan Wu's nose twitching slightly out of the corner of his eye.
"Can you tell what kind of tea it is by smell?" He looked at Lan Wu, turning the teacup lid in his hand.
Lan Wu certainly knew what kind of tea it was. Chu Mingheng had taught her to recognize many tea leaves and their aromas, and she could tell at a glance that this was Fengshan Pu'er.
But she couldn't say she knew, so she pretended to sniff it, shook her head, and said, "Your Majesty, this servant does not know."
"This is Biluochun tea." Chu Mingheng lied without changing his expression, and even coaxed Lan Wu, "Remember, the taste of Biluochun tea."
Lan Wu was somewhat speechless, staring at the cup of tea with a slightly stiff expression.
It's clearly Fengshan Pu'er tea; Biluochun tea doesn't taste like this.
Why is Chu Mingheng calling a deer a horse to her?
"What, you don't think so?" Seeing her slow reaction, Chu Mingheng gently tapped her head with his finger. "Did you hurt yourself here?"
He said he fell.
Lan Wu bit her lip and shook her head, saying no.
"This servant remembers, His Majesty drank Biluochun tea..."
Lan Wu raised her head and moved it. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she really felt a headache coming on. She spoke anxiously, touching her face, "Your Majesty, did I fall and hurt myself? My... my face..."
This time I checked thoroughly; her face was fair and smooth, and I couldn't find a single scratch.
Her chin was gently pinched, and her face was slowly lifted up, her gaze meeting the emperor's. She met his calm, unwavering eyes, which held no emotion, and were simply conveying the meaning behind his words.
"Now you know you need to protect your face. How come you were so confident that I would catch you when you were falling?"
Although his expression remained calm, his words carried an interrogative tone.
Lan Wu opened her lips and explained softly, "At that time, I was out of strength. As soon as Your Majesty spoke, I felt at ease. I don't know why, but with Your Majesty there, I was not afraid... just like last time."
She had just woken up from a deep sleep, her face still pale, her cheeks devoid of any rosy glow, and she exuded a sickly and weak aura. Yet, she could still utter such words, which was truly heartbreaking.
Chu Mingheng lowered his eyes and scrutinized her, trying to find a flaw in her expression.
Lan Wu, used to acting in a way that Chu Mingheng liked, has now toned it down, looking innocent and pitiful.
"Do you know you've been drugged?" Chu Mingheng's cool fingers moved away from Lan Wu's face and spread out in front of her. Soon, another soft, white, and slender hand overlapped his.
Chu Mingheng used a little force to pull Lan Wu up from the ground.
Lan Wu was still weak. He pulled her up, her legs were still trembling, and she tried to keep herself from falling. At the same time, she answered his question, "This servant knows."
It was because she knew someone had drugged her that she was in a hurry to find a place to hide.
"I don't know who tried to harm me. One of my dance costumes is missing, so I had to go back to the music hall to find it." Lan Wu lowered her eyes, her voice tinged with grievance. "I sensed something was wrong halfway there, so I stopped going. I originally planned to hide in Luoying Pavilion, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get there, so I climbed up a tree nearby."
"I see that your hands and feet are quite nimble. Besides dancing, you can also scale walls and leap across rooftops."
As he spoke, Chu Mingheng's gaze, like a stern ruler, gently touched Lan Wu's body.
Lan Wu shook her head vigorously, but the speed made her dizzy, and she then collapsed onto Chu Mingheng.
"Your Majesty, this servant cannot scale walls or leap across rooftops; this servant can only dance."
Chu Mingheng was tall, but not overly muscular, and even now, sitting in this chair, he still had a strong presence.
He didn't seem to care about Lan Wu's rudeness; he simply supported her waist with one hand after her soft body fell against him.
Feeling how slender that waist was, as if it could break easily, he slightly lowered his gaze.
Lan Wu looked somewhat uneasy. She woke up to find it was already dark, and now, Chu Mingheng didn't seem to intend to send her back to the music hall. She knew clearly that she couldn't stay in Taichen Palace without a title or status.
After waiting a while and seeing no response from the other party, she raised her head, looked at Chu Mingheng, and softly said, "Your Majesty, shall I dance for you?"
The best outcome would be that after the dance, Chu Mingheng would be satisfied with her, summon her to his bedchamber, and bestow a title upon her the next day.
But she thought too simply, and she knew in her heart that Chu Mingheng was the least likely to do things her way.
Sure enough, Chu Mingheng seemed displeased after she said that.
He gripped Lan Wu's waist, pulling her closer with a slight pressure. Lan Wu was only wearing an undershirt and trousers, and the thin clothing quickly clung to him.
The chill transmitted through her thin clothing made Lan Wu shiver uncontrollably.
It was early spring, so the nights were naturally cold.
Lan Wu boldly stretched out her arm and cautiously clung to Chu Mingheng's shoulder. Her bright eyes held a suitable mix of timidity and nervousness. She spoke again, "Your Majesty... I learned a dance before, and I can only perform it for you. Your Majesty, please take a look..."
The dance Lan Wu mentioned was one she had specially learned in her previous life. At that time, she had just become a concubine and had been neglected for a month in her own Longyu Pavilion. The palace servants gave her some advice, so she choreographed a dance herself, an exceptionally bold dance, and performed it for Chu Mingheng.
Then she regained favor.
However, after regaining favor, she had to serve the emperor for several days in a row, and she really couldn't take it anymore.
But now, even if we can't bear it, we have no choice but to bear it.
She's already staying at Taichen Palace, so she absolutely must announce her official status to the harem tomorrow. Otherwise, the ridicule and sarcasm from the entire palace will make her too angry to speak.
"Are you really going to jump?" Chu Mingheng frowned, his tone suggesting some dissatisfaction.
He didn't know what Lan Wu was up to. She was drugged and then became unruly. Even after waking up and realizing she was weak, she still wouldn't behave and kept trying to dance for him.
What kind of dancing is this so late at night?
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