Chapter 10: Break Her Leg

Lan Wu’s prolonged silence, her failure to respond, was interpreted by Chu Mingheng as an implicit admission of something.

Chu Mingheng gave a slight nod, his eyes dark and heavy. He signaled to Luo Yun, “Go fetch a stick.”

Lan Wu immediately looked down at her bandaged feet, her pupils trembling as she guessed what Chu Mingheng intended to do. In a panic, she scrambled from the chair, stumbling down to kneel properly. Her eyes reddened as she gazed at him, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty… This servant never thought of it, never considered…”

Chu Mingheng remained unmoved.

The imperial concubines watched the scene before them with an indescribable sense of strangeness. Could they have been mistaken? Judging by this, it seemed Lan Wu was not meeting His Majesty for the first time…

Luo Yun quickly returned with a black wooden stick, as thick as two fingers pressed together, smooth and weighty.

As Lan Wu knelt, the sudden movement caused her freshly treated wounds to bleed again.

She knew how ruthless Chu Mingheng could be. He intended to use that stick to break her legs.

“Your Majesty, this servant never thought such a thing. This servant… still wishes to dance. This servant wants to dance for Your Majesty!” Lan Wu shuffled forward on her knees, not daring to look at the stick. She reached out to gently tug at the hem of Chu Mingheng’s robe, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.

She repeated these words until suddenly, her face was lifted, forcing her to meet Chu Mingheng’s gaze.

“You wish to dance?” he asked.

Lan Wu tilted her head up, brows furrowed, and softly hummed in affirmation. Her lips parted and closed as she uttered words laced with tender affection: “Only for Your Majesty.”

Though Lan Wu’s voice was not loud, those nearby were not deaf and could hear her clearly.

Those who heard it wished they could tear Lan Wu apart on the spot, inwardly condemning her as a shameless creature.

To Lan Wu, pride was not of utmost importance—her legs were.

She had to survive first.

Ignoring her feigned obedience and seductive words, Chu Mingheng pinched her chin and asked, “If you wish to dance, why were you inquiring everywhere about how to reach Wanshu Pavilion? Should I send you there myself?”

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at her legs beneath her skirt, only to notice the bandages on her feet were stained with blood.

Lan Wu inwardly cursed her misfortune. She had been careful when asking about Wanshu Pavilion, fearing she might give herself away prematurely. But now, it seemed her attempt had backfired completely.

Anxious and terrified, she could no longer bring herself to look at Chu Mingheng.

Yet Chu Mingheng released her and instructed the court physician to re-dress her wounds.

“Return to the Imperial Study.”

Before the stick could be put to use, Chu Mingheng had already lost patience. As he rose to leave, the imperial concubines stood and bowed in farewell.

In the garden, the court beatings continued, though it was unclear for whose benefit they were intended.

Only after Chu Mingheng had walked far away did Lan Wu allow herself to relax slightly. For now, she no longer feared anyone. She refused to believe that after today’s spectacle, anyone would dare challenge His Majesty’s authority by targeting her first.

Even if they intended to act, they would likely wait until she had entered the rear palace.

Consort Shu’s expression was grim. She turned back to stare at Lan Wu, observing her strained demeanor, and spoke with a mocking smile, “Miss Lan Wu, what skillful methods you have. Perhaps the next time we meet, I shall have to address you as ‘sister.’”

Lan Wu lowered her head, murmuring only, “I dare not.”

Then, Consort Shu turned to Consort Li, who clearly had not anticipated this turn of events either. She praised her, yet her words carried a warning: “Sister Consort Li, your discernment is indeed remarkable. But you must be cautious—a poorly raised dog may turn and bite its master.”

Consort Li truly hadn’t expected that Lan Wu, who had previously spoken to her about wanting to leave the palace, would turn around and seduce His Majesty herself. With such skills, why would she need her help? This was a dog she couldn’t keep.

“Sister Shufei, you jest. This concubine knows nothing at all.”

She spoke the absolute truth, yet no one believed her.

“Return to the palace,” Consort Shu coldly commanded, leading her own palace attendants away as well.

Once Consort Shu left, Consort Li looked at Lan Wu with an inscrutable expression before departing too. No matter how entertaining the spectacle, she couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Many others grew even more curious about Lan Wu, but since she was now someone His Majesty had taken a liking to, they didn’t dare make a move against her right after His Majesty had just left.

Lady Liu was the most incredulous of all—or rather, while everyone found it hard to believe, she was the first to voice it outright.

“You wretched servant, when exactly did you seduce His Majesty!”

As she spoke, Lady Liu stepped forward, intending to shove Lan Wu to the ground.

Xiuyi Bai quickly intervened to stop her, her usually gentle and composed expression nearly faltering. “Sister Liu, calm down. Such words shouldn’t be spoken carelessly. What if they reach His Majesty’s ears?”

Reminded by her, Lady Liu swallowed her anger, but then she saw Lan Wu on the ground suddenly lift her head and reach out a hand, gently stroking her own cheek—the very cheek she had just slapped.

Lan Wu’s gaze drifted over, her hand moving slowly across her face, but the look in her eyes seemed to say, “This slap will be returned sooner or later.”

Lady Liu froze for a moment, a sudden chill rising in her heart. She quickly regained her composure and glared fiercely at Lan Wu, exclaiming, “I should have smashed your face earlier.”

Seeing her emotions stabilize, Xiuyi Bai shook her head helplessly. Though Lady Liu was foolish and clumsy, she was useful when needed. Since they served Lady Shufei and Her Ladyship hadn’t said anything further, it wasn’t their place to act.

There was still one other person, however.

Xiuyi Bai turned to Beauty Rong, who stood silently to the side as if entirely unnoticed, and spoke up, “No wonder you were reluctant when I invited you to the Imperial Garden. So you were planning to come with His Majesty.”

Beauty Rong wore a soft yellow spring gown, her hair adorned with an exquisite jade hairpin.

She had been watching Lan Wu all along, her usual indifferent expression finally showing a slight change. Hearing Xiuyi Bai’s words, she casually replied, “This concubine was merely bored and happened to encounter His Majesty in the Imperial Garden.”

As for why His Majesty had come to the Imperial Garden, no one knew.

Xiuyi Bai nodded slightly and crouched down to help Lan Wu up.

If nothing unexpected happened, this young woman would likely stir up quite a storm in the harem from now on. However, she was destined to become an enemy of Consort Shu, having already thoroughly offended her.

But that was a matter between Consort Shu and Lan Wu, not too closely related to her. In both her actions and dealings with others, she always left room for flexibility—just as she was doing now.

“Can you still walk?” Xiuyi Bai asked her, as if she had completely forgotten that she herself had just added fuel to Lan Wu’s current predicament.

Lan Wu looked at the woman before her and inwardly sneered. Xiuyi Bai really never tired of playing these games.

Her eyes shifted, and she leaned on Xiuyi Bai for support as she steadied herself, yet her words were timid and deferential. “This servant dares not trouble Your Ladyship.”

“This servant can walk on her own.”

Xiuyi Bai glanced at her palace maid and instructed one to help Lan Wu back to the Music Bureau. “Since you’ve injured your foot, rest well and recover.”

“Thank you for your grace, my lady.”

Only after the palace maid helped Lan Wu limp out of the garden did Lady Liu voice her displeasure. “Sister Bai, why did you help her? If Lady Shufei finds out, she won’t be pleased.”

Xiuyi Bai smiled at her. “How could that be? Lady Shufei might even praise me for doing well.”

By helping Lan Wu, she was effectively acting on behalf of Consort Shu. If word reached His Majesty, it might even earn her a reputation for magnanimity and tolerance.

At the very least, if Lan Wu were to ‘accidentally’ encounter any mishaps later, suspicion would fall less heavily on her.