Chapter 66 She's Not Stupid
The garden was full of trees and flowers, and was close to water, so it was inevitable that mosquitoes would breed. However, the palace servants had a clever idea: they burned incense outside the palace and under the palace lanterns. In this way, even when the palace was bright at night, there would be no mosquitoes.
The palace lanterns were lit, but their brightness seemed insignificant in the afterglow of the setting sun.
The figure who walked slowly was tall and upright. He was dressed in black casual clothes, with a gold hairpin in his hair. The golden light of the setting sun shone down, and his body was also bathed in light. His resolute and handsome face could be seen. His nose was straight, his eyes were deep-set, and his pair of calm eyes slowly raised and fell on Lan Wu in the hall.
Lan Wu was a moment slow to react, but she quickly stood up and bowed along with everyone else.
Unlike the others who were well-behaved, she secretly raised her head while bowing, as if she wanted to see Chu Mingheng.
When Chu Mingheng entered the hall and said "Get up," everyone straightened up.
But Chu Mingheng stood next to Lan Wu, reached out and took her hand in his without any attempt to hide it, leading her out of her seat and speaking softly in front of everyone: "Do you like it?"
His fingers caressed the thumb ring on Lan Wu's thumb, and the rubbing motion brushed against Lan Wu's fingers, making her feel ticklish and tingly.
Lan Wu nodded blankly, looked up at him, her bright eyes filled with the golden light of the setting sun, making her pupils appear lighter.
She spoke softly, "This concubine likes it very much."
Chu Mingheng saw her face clearly, glanced at the spot where the twilight light was shining in, and said, "Your face is all red from the sun. Come up and sit with me."
After saying that, he led Lan Wu to the main seat above. The surrounding concubines involuntarily lowered their heads and took a half step back, none of them saying a word.
It's not unreasonable to treat her any differently, since today is Consort Zhen's birthday and His Majesty has already given her a ring.
Even so, the envy in everyone's eyes was undeniable.
Who wouldn't want to sit next to the emperor? But by all accounts, only the empress should be allowed to sit there. For His Majesty to allow Consort Zhen to sit there is an immense favor indeed.
The banquet had not officially started yet, and Chu Mingheng did not want to restrict anyone, so he did not stop anyone from saying anything.
But the conversation always revolves around the emperor who has ascended to the throne. The whole world belongs to him; he holds great power, is young and noble, and who wouldn't want to win his favor?
Consort Rou looked at Lan Wu, who stood beside the Emperor without changing her expression, and found it amusing.
For someone of Lan Wu's background to receive such favor from His Majesty is already an incredible achievement, but the higher one is praised, the harder one falls.
Today's banquet was arranged by His Majesty's order to the Imperial Household Department and is being held in Kongshan Garden. No one is so tactless as to invite trouble.
Before long, it got dark, and the banquet officially began.
Chu Mingheng noticed that Lan Wu was unusually quiet today.
As the palace servants began serving the dishes, he ordered someone to add wine to Lan Wu's cup.
"This is plum wine, just drink a little, it won't make you drunk." But if it really makes someone drunk, there's nothing that can be done.
Lan Wu responded with a "yes" and obediently drank it.
A voice suddenly came from below, not loud, but it mentioned Rong Shuyi.
"Why is Rong Shuyi drinking so fast? Be careful not to get drunk."
Lan Wu held her wine glass and looked down, seeing Rong Shuyi waving her hand gently at her seat, as if to say that everything was alright.
She did seem to have drunk a bit too quickly and choked a little, but she quickly suppressed the urge to cough and quietly left her seat, intending to go out for some fresh air.
Lan Wu's gaze followed Rong Shuyi's and wandered off until someone gently pressed down on the back of her hand. She then turned her head and saw Chu Mingheng looking at her.
"What bad thing are you planning to do now?"
Chu Mingheng's gaze was not at all reassured, but rather filled with suspicion about Lan Wu's seemingly quiet and obedient demeanor, which actually suggested she was secretly stirring up trouble.
Lan Wu's reaction did not disappoint. She immediately blinked and denied it outright. Her lips opened and closed, and although she was confident in her words, they all revealed a slight sense of guilt.
Seeing that Chu Mingheng's gaze was becoming increasingly sharp and intimidating, she secretly reached out and grasped Chu Mingheng's hand, whispering sweetly to show her innocent nature: "Your Majesty is holding a birthday banquet for me, I am overjoyed, how could I do anything bad?"
Haha, she's not stupid. Even if she wanted to do something bad, why would she tell Chu Mingheng directly?
She could guarantee that no one would expect her to receive this "big gift."
Chu Mingheng would never know.
Lan Wu grew more and more excited as she thought about it, her eyes crinkling with laughter. She held Chu Mingheng's hand, wanting to warm it for him, but then realized his hand was very hot.
She touched his palm again in surprise, and it was indeed warm.
Chu Mingheng endured it, grabbed Lan Wu's hand with his own, stared at her, and said in a low voice, "What are you doing? Behave yourself."
Lan Wu gave an "oh" and pulled her hand away, glancing out of the corner of her eye at the wine in his cup, which was slightly different from her own.
Just as she was about to take a look out of curiosity, the music around her changed, and her attention was immediately drawn to what was below.
Watching the palace maids dancing below, Lan Wu suddenly realized that she herself hadn't danced in a long time.
She used to dance only because she was in a music troupe, and if she didn't practice hard, her aunts would scold her. Later, with the intention of currying favor with her superiors, she became more and more serious about dancing.
In her previous life, until her death, she was thinking about what kind of dance she should perform for Chu Mingheng when he returned to the palace, hoping to persuade him to raise her rank.
But we never got to see it.
She thought Chu Mingheng enjoyed watching her dance, but so much time had passed and he hadn't asked her a single question.
Does he not like it?
Lan Wu was surrounded by a faint air of melancholy. She sipped her plum wine, feeling uneasy. If she didn't like watching her dance, why didn't she just tell her? She had already watched the whole thing every time she danced, so why waste time if she didn't like it?
She glanced at Chu Mingheng resentfully in the shadows, intending to do so discreetly, but when she turned her head, she saw Chu Mingheng looking at her.
Chu Mingheng held a wine glass in his left hand, while his right hand gently pressed against Lan Wu's lower back. With his eyes lowered, his posture was relaxed and natural, clearly seeing the displeasure on her face.
Seeing the changes in her expression—from anger to surprise, then to guilt, and finally to feigning indifference—Chu Mingheng simply filled Lan Wu's cup with wine and chuckled at her, "Awu, who do you think I am now?"
If Lan Wu hadn't seen his fingers lightly tapping the table, she would have almost thought he hadn't noticed her emotional change.
His nonchalant movements, however, subtly revealed a sense of irritation. Yet, upon looking at Chu Mingheng's face, he remained calm and composed, as if everything was under his control.
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