Chapter 174 Willing
"What did you remember?" Chu Mingheng murmured softly, then suddenly chuckled, "I did remember something."
His gaze swept over Huifan indifferently, then he glanced at the golden hall and said, "Since when did Buddhism start to advocate evil practices that use blood as a catalyst?"
"This truly horrifies me."
Hui Fan seemed completely unaware of what he meant, and calmly shook his head gently: "This humble monk does not know of any method that uses blood as a catalyst, but this humble monk believes that everything, once done, should have a price."
"If it can be exchanged for this lifetime, I think Your Majesty would be willing."
He wasn't wrong. If he could exchange his life for Lan Wu's, he would give up not only the memory of her heart's blood, but even his own life.
Once his expression softened, Huifan said, "Your Majesty need not worry about what might happen to the Empress on Changyong Mountain. Your Majesty only needs to wait quietly for the Empress to return."
It's easier said than done.
He is not by Lan Wu's side right now, and he only knows about Lan Wu's recent bad mood through letters from others. Hui Fan keeps saying that nothing unexpected will happen, but who can know what will happen?
Chu Mingheng glanced at Hui Fan: "You said that I must be separated from the Consort for these three months and not see her, but you suggested that the Consort go to Changyong Mountain. If we are separated, where can't we go? We can just let her stay in the palace and I won't go to see her. Why do we have to go to Changyong Mountain?"
Hui Fan smiled and shook his head slightly: "If Her Majesty were in the palace, His Majesty would find a way to see her no matter what. I advised His Majesty to let go back then. If he had let go, none of this would have happened. But His Majesty just couldn't let go. His obsession is too deep, which is why His Majesty is in this situation now."
"His Majesty's obsession lies entirely with His Majesty. If His Majesty remains by His Majesty's side, His Majesty may become increasingly obsessed and unable to regain his senses. If this continues, it will endanger the state affairs, and His Majesty will also become like a madman, damaging his mind. Therefore, His Majesty and His Majesty must separate."
"As for why Her Majesty is going to Changyong Mountain... His Majesty will understand in a while."
...
After returning to the palace from Nanli Temple, Chu Mingheng did not have any carriages prepared to go to Changyong Mountain. Instead, he locked himself in the Imperial Study to read the letter Lan Wu had written to him.
Lan Wu always reported good news and not bad news in her letters. When she talked about him, it was as if she had endless things to say, but when she talked about herself, she only talked about happy things. Every now and then, she would interject a sentence about missing him. Just reading the letters made people feel that she was cute.
It's cute, but it's too dishonest.
Thinking of this, Chu Mingheng continued to read the letters.
He read through all the letters Lan Wu had written to the two of them and finally understood why Lan Wu was in a bad mood.
These letters contained several of Lan Wu's dreams. In the letters, Lan Wu subtly inquired whether the "him" from her previous life had experienced the events in these dreams.
If he guessed correctly, Lan Wu must have learned some things about him from his previous life on Changyong Mountain.
I knew it in my dream.
That's why Lan Wu was in a bad mood.
What exactly did he do in his previous life?
Chu Mingheng rubbed his temples, trying to search through his memories. Fragments of memories gradually unfolded, but none of them seemed like something he could have done.
But it actually happened.
Now that things have come to this, there's no point in saying anything more.
Chu Mingheng steadied himself, took out some paper, and began writing a letter to Lan Wu, which took him half an hour to complete.
After finishing the letter, he handed it to Chen Kang'an and instructed him to immediately send it to Changyong Mountain without delay.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Kang'an quickly replied and took the letter before leaving.
-
Four days later, the letter was delivered to Lan Wu.
Lan Wu had just finished her breakfast at that time.
The letter arrived just in time; Lan Wu turned around, went back into the palace, and opened it to read.
She had another dream yesterday.
She originally thought that since Chu Mingheng had even gone so far as to arrange a posthumous marriage with her, nothing else could be more outrageous. However, she overestimated herself and underestimated Chu Mingheng.
Yesterday's dream was even bloodier.
Her body has been placed in the imperial mausoleum, and her memorial tablet has been placed in the royal ancestral hall. It was thought that all those who harmed her should be dead, but to everyone's surprise, Chu Mingheng did not let any of them die.
They knelt outside the Cold Palace, their fingernails and toenails ripped off, their shrill screams echoing everywhere. But soon, Chu Mingheng said their noise was too loud and ordered their tongues to be cut off...
For them, living is perhaps far more painful than dying.
Looking at their disheveled and blood-covered appearance, Chu Mingheng didn't find it cruel or bloody at all; he just felt it wasn't enough, far from enough.
He didn't want to hear a single sound from their mouths, and he didn't want them to die too quickly, so he ordered the palace servants to watch over their condition every day and cut off pieces of flesh from their bodies to feed to the dogs in the cages.
Unlike Chu Mingheng, Lan Wu turned pale with fright when she saw this scene, and turned her back to him, barely managing to stay awake until the dream completely disappeared.
These people caused her death, so she naturally felt no pity for them; they deserved it.
But what she was worried about was Chu Mingheng.
If these things get out, Chu Mingheng might be branded as a tyrant.
But because of yesterday's dream, her appetite has worsened.
When she opened Chu Mingheng's letter, the image of Chu Mingheng's cold and ruthless face from her dream yesterday still flashed before her eyes. She couldn't help but swallow hard and read on from the first word of the letter.
The more Lan Wu looked at him, the more she frowned and widened her eyes.
How did Chu Mingheng know that she had been losing her appetite and was in a bad mood lately? He even said that if she didn't eat properly, he would come over early to deal with her.
Lan Wu gasped, reached for a cup beside her, and took a sip of water to calm her nerves.
So, which little traitor told Chu Mingheng about her situation?
Lan Wu glanced at the letter again, then gently pursed her lips and put it away.
She carefully thought of all the palace maids around her: Mu Jin, Lian Xi, Dan Shan, Lian Qiao…
Aunt Danshan and Mujin are both people related to Chu Mingheng, but Aunt Danshan should be on her side, and wouldn't explain her situation to Chu Mingheng without prior notice.
Lianxi and Lianqiao, one meticulous and the other naive, don't seem like the type to do such a thing.
Then it's just hibiscus.
Mu Jin was originally a secret guard and was loyal to Chu Mingheng, so she can't be called a traitor.
Lan Wu looked somewhat dejected.
Chu Mingheng didn't say anything unreasonable like forbidding her from being unhappy, but he did tell her to eat her meal properly...
Lan Wu's mind flashed with images of those bloodied bodies, and she covered her lips with her hand, almost vomiting.
Although she turned her back and didn't see exactly how the flesh was cut open, the initial scene was imprinted in her mind and she couldn't forget it for the time being.
If she hadn't dreamed of this scene, it would have been fine, but now that she has, how can she enjoy her meal properly?
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