Chapter 103: Interrogating Him

When she opened her eyes again, daylight was already visible outside the window.

Lan Wu felt as if her eyelids weighed a thousand pounds. She opened them briefly before closing them again, until the scene she had just witnessed slowly surfaced in her mind. Only then did she open her eyes once more.

This was Taichen Palace.

Her body felt clean and refreshed, clearly indicating that she had been treated with medicine.

She tried to prop herself up on the bed with her hands, but her waist ached as if she had been beaten with a wooden stick, and her legs were weak, trembling slightly.

Chu Mingheng was truly formidable. Every time, he managed to render her, who had learned dance since childhood, utterly powerless.

Though it had been a long time since she last danced.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard the sound of the palace door opening. Without time to think further, she quickly lay back down on the bed, curling up and turning to face the inner side, pretending to sleep with her back to the outside.

Footsteps gradually approached, finally stopping beside the bed.

After waiting for a long while without hearing any other movement, Lan Wu’s breathing grew uneven. Then, she heard the soft sound of the bed dipping beside her, followed by Chu Mingheng calling her name.

Lan Wu was pulled over.

She opened her eyes, intending to glare fiercely and drive away the person before her. But as soon as she opened her mouth, her voice was so hoarse that not a single word came out.

After coughing dryly twice, a cup of warm water was handed to her.

Lan Wu took it, drank it all, coughed a few more times, and weakly attempted to push the person away.

Her hand was gently held, not only failing to push him away but also being kissed in return.

Chu Mingheng held her in his arms and said, “I’ve already had the Court Physician come to examine you. It’s nothing serious—just a slight injury to your throat. But there’s no need for medicine. Just eat lightly for the next few days.”

Lan Wu remained silent, her face tense as she turned her head away.

“A’Wu,” Chu Mingheng called her again.

Lan Wu, stubborn as ever, finally tried to speak, her voice still hoarse. She insisted on speaking, sounding pitiful: “Why… are you still calling me?”

“When you call me… I have to answer you—why? When I call you… you never answer…”

“And you built Yilan Hall underground. You’re so capable, do you want to lock me up for the rest of my life?”

At this point, Lan Wu coughed again, her swollen eyes suspiciously glancing back at Chu Mingheng: “Why are you so determined to lock me up?”

If Chu Mingheng was afraid she would run away, she had only gone to Jinghua Palace without notice today. What could he possibly be afraid of?

Having just woken up, Lan Wu was focused solely on venting her anger and couldn’t think of anything more.

She fumbled around the bed for a pillow, lifted it with effort, and threw it at Chu Mingheng: “You shameless man, you knew to call the Court Physician. Why not call the Imperial Physician? Why not have the entire Imperial Medical Academy spread the word about how you bullied me—”

“Fine, if A’Wu wishes, I’ll call the Imperial Physician to examine you.” Chu Mingheng spoke with indifference, gently tossing the pillow Lan Wu had thrown at him aside. He then held Lan Wu in his arms again, looking at her flushed face with anger, and couldn’t bear it, quickly adding, “I was just joking.”

Lan Wu’s entire body was soft, carrying the delicate fragrance of a woman. Holding her always gave Chu Mingheng a sense of satisfaction and peace, making him reluctant to let go.

No matter how reluctant he was, Lan Wu forced him to relent.

Lan Wu struggled free from his embrace, scrutinizing him seriously. Before she could speak, her stomach growled first.

“I imagine A’wu must be hungry. I’ll have someone come attend to you so you can get up—” He suddenly paused, his gaze drifting leisurely toward Lan Wu’s legs. “Actually, there’s no need to get up. Just freshen up a bit and have something to eat.”

With that, he went out to summon someone.

Lan Wu angrily slapped the bedding.

The one who entered to attend to her was Mujin.

Mujin said she had already been in Taichen Palace for three days.

Lan Wu’s hand trembled, and she dropped the handkerchief into the basin.

Chu Mingheng stood by the screen, quietly watching this scene. Though he said nothing, the atmosphere grew heavy, and Mujin dared not speak either.

Three days?

Three days—right, no wonder she remembered Chu Mingheng feeding her something midway. How could he not? Without eating, she would have long since run out of strength.

Lan Wu closed her eyes briefly, composed herself, and finished washing up. Then she saw palace attendants enter the hall and set up a low table on the soft couch.

Chu Mingheng approached and lifted her into his arms.

Lan Wu still did not speak to him, eating the light dishes on the table with proper restraint. She was ravenous but ate slowly. Only after she had eaten and drunk her fill did she glance at Chu Mingheng, noticing then that he had not eaten.

“I had my midday meal earlier, while you were still asleep,” Chu Mingheng said, as if reading her thoughts.

Lan Wu gave an “oh.” When only the two of them remained in the hall again, she directed Chu Mingheng to carry her to the small study in the side chamber.

“Why go there? The chairs are hard; you won’t be comfortable sitting on them. Better to go back to bed,” Chu Mingheng refused, saying he would take her to bed, yet his steps paused, waiting for her to speak.

Lan Wu shook her head. “Take me there, or else let go of me. I’ll walk there myself.”

As if she could even stand on her own—let alone walk.

Chu Mingheng carried her over.

The chair Lan Wu sat on was cushioned with a soft pillow. Though it still made her uncomfortable, she showed no sign of it, maintaining a stern expression as she looked at Chu Mingheng.

Was she about to interrogate him?

The thought drifted through Chu Mingheng’s mind as he pulled over a chair and sat facing Lan Wu.

His demeanor was casual, his movements swift. He was considerably taller and larger than Lan Wu, and even sitting opposite her, his imposing presence did not diminish in the slightest. At first glance, it was unclear who was interrogating whom.

Lan Wu swallowed, refusing to be intimidated. She pinched her fingers and asked, “You promised one day, but today is already the third day.”

Chu Mingheng knew Mujin had told her.

“The first day was at night when I brought you here. One full day means exactly that, so I carried you out last night. You slept straight through until just now. I didn’t take a single extra moment from you.”

That did seem reasonable.

Lan Wu pressed on. “Why are you so afraid I’ll run away? I’ve been right here all along. It’s not like I can walk through walls or vanish into the ground. You’re being strange.”

She looked at Chu Mingheng with suspicious eyes. She had wanted to ask this earlier, but Chu Mingheng hadn’t been willing to talk.

A small hall was one thing, but that underground chamber—the ‘Yilan Hall’—was clearly not normal. The first time she saw it, she had been so frightened she cried, thinking Chu Mingheng meant to lock her away forever. Thankfully, it was only for a day.

“And when did you have that place built? How come I never knew about it?”

“Also, you went too far! For a whole day, you—”

Lan Wu angrily lifted her foot to kick his leg. She wasn’t wearing shoes, her toes were plump, her ankles slender, and her feet small—it was clear at a glance she had little strength. Kicking Chu Mingheng didn’t come across as venting anger at all; it was entirely like acting spoiled.

Chu Mingheng smiled, lifted her foot and placed it between his legs, then leaned in closer to her, lowering his body slightly. Before she could start struggling, he answered her question.

“The secret chamber has always existed, but it was never used. It was only renovated into its current state a month ago.”

“Still don’t like it?”