Chapter 107: The Villain
After roughly another quarter of an hour, the small sedan chair finally came to a stop.
Mujin stepped out first, then a hand reached inside the curtain. Without looking closely, Lan Wu placed her hand into it.
In that instant, she knew exactly whose hand it was.
She immediately lifted the curtain, only for her wrist to be firmly grasped. As she stepped out, she was swept off her feet by the waist and set gently on the ground.
“Your Majesty,” Lan Wu called to him.
Chu Mingheng was dressed today in everyday attire of azure embroidered with snow-capped pines, his hair secured with a white jade crown. With his naturally handsome features—long brows sweeping toward his temples, eyes dark as ink—he exuded warmth when smiling and solemn dignity when stern. Yet in this everyday attire, he seemed different from usual: less imposing, more gentle.
Lan Wu found herself utterly captivated.
She stole a few extra glances before hurriedly lowering her gaze as he turned to look at her.
Unbeknownst to her, Chu Mingheng had already noticed her expression. Leaning slightly forward, he tilted his head to catch her eyes. When their gazes met, he smiled first, then leaned in to press a light kiss to her forehead. Teasingly, he said, “Is A-Wu so eager to leave the palace that she no longer recognizes her emperor?”
Lan Wu quickly looked up, glancing around to ensure no one had seen. Then she pushed him gently, her cheeks flushed pink, and whispered, “We’re still outside.”
True enough.
With a shift in thought, Chu Mingheng took her hand and led her to another carriage.
This carriage was far larger than the small sedan chair she had just left. As soon as they entered, it began moving toward the palace gates.
Inside the carriage, with no one else around and in such close proximity, Chu Mingheng first wrapped an arm around Lan Wu’s waist, drawing her close. His palm pressed lightly against her shoulder, and as his forehead brushed hers, Lan Wu instinctively lifted her head.
Gazing into those innocent, bright eyes—round and wide like a cat’s—Chu Mingheng parted his lips slightly, capturing hers. The soft warmth of her mouth only deepened his longing. Gently yet insistently, he coaxed her lips apart, savoring her taste.
The air inside the carriage grew subtly heated.
Lan Wu wasn’t sure how things had escalated to this point. By the time she regained her senses, she was already seated on Chu Mingheng’s lap, her cloak discarded, her vision hazy and unfocused.
She quickly turned aside, gasping for breath.
“You said you were taking me out for fun. Is this what you meant?” she protested, as if ready to order the carriage back to the palace at the slightest confirmation from him.
Chu Mingheng pinched her chin playfully, calling her out. “Just now, you were staring at me so intently your eyes barely moved. I thought you wanted me to kiss you. Wasn’t that it?”
Lan Wu shook her head. She would never admit to such an unfounded “accusation”—it was just another one of Chu Mingheng’s excuses.
“Then it was I who wanted to kiss you.”
“And no one can see us now.”
At this, Lan Wu suddenly grasped his hand, a puzzled expression on her face. “Why didn’t you come to fetch me yourself? On the way here, I even thought some villain was taking me somewhere else.”
“Also, I ran into Zhaoyi Wen on my way over. I’m not sure if she recognized it was me inside the sedan chair.”
Zhaoyi Wen had called her “little sister,” so she likely had recognized her.
Lan Wu sighed. This whole confinement act Chu Mingheng had orchestrated felt more like a farce than anything serious.
If she had known it would be like this, she never would have agreed to the decree in the first place. Even if he wanted to confine her to Taichen Palace, he could have just said the word—she would have gone willingly. It wasn’t as if she would have refused…
“Evildoers?” Chu Mingheng was somewhat puzzled by her phrasing. “You won’t encounter any evildoers.”
As he spoke, he gently stroked Lan Wu’s back.
“I know, but I just tend to overthink things,” Lan Wu admitted frankly. “Later, I asked Mujin and found out it wasn’t anything to fear, so I stopped worrying.”
“I was busy with affairs at noon and couldn’t come to accompany you for the meal. Next time, I’ll come to pick you up. I thought you’ve been feeling bored these past few days, so I took advantage of the good weather today to take you out. Didn’t you dream about going out to play before? Do you like it now?”
How could she not like it? Lan Wu quickly nodded, then heard him say not to worry about Zhaoyi Wen.
After instructing her attendants to change course, Zhaoyi Wen glanced back once more at the small sedan chair, suspecting that Lan Wu was inside. After all, who else could His Majesty have sent for besides Lan Wu?
But wasn’t Lan Wu under house arrest? Even if she wasn’t confined to Yilan Hall, she should be under house arrest elsewhere. Couldn’t she even endure half a month of idleness? Was His Majesty really going to indulge her like this?
Thinking back to what Consort Shu had said earlier at Yifang Hall, she suddenly felt a sense of meaninglessness.
In the palace, imperial concubines rely on favor to survive, and that favor is closely tied to the families behind them. As the saying goes, when one prospers, all prosper; when one falls, all fall—just like the former Yue Zhaorong, or Consort Zeng now.
His Majesty is fickle, yet now it seems he has developed genuine feelings.
But Lan Wu has no family background—how far can she really go?
“Let’s go to the Cold Palace,” Zhaoyi Wen suddenly felt the urge to see Consort Zeng’s fate. That wicked woman—it had been a long time since she had heard any news of her.
“My lady, the Cold Palace is such a place…” Zhuzhi’s expression was strained as she tried to dissuade her.
Zhaoyi Wen shot her a cold glance. “What, are you trying to make decisions for me?”
“Your servant would never dare—” Zhuzhi stopped trying to persuade her and instead instructed the attendants to change course toward the Cold Palace.
The corridor outside was locked, and imperial guards were stationed there. Seeing Zhaoyi Wen approach, they immediately moved to stop her.
Zhaoyi Wen stepped down from her procession and looked at the red-lacquered door. Even before entering, she felt a chilling coldness about the place, eerie and unsettling.
“I have a few words from Lady Shufei to relay to Consort Zeng,” she said. “Please allow me to go in for a moment. I’ll only say a few words and come right out.”
The two guards looked troubled, exchanging glances before reluctantly replying, “It’s not that we don’t want to let you in, my lady. It’s just that we have strict orders to guard the door and not open it without permission.”
“Please don’t make things difficult for us, my lady.”
Zhaoyi Wen remained unperturbed. “Lady Shufei is currently overseeing the six palaces. However, given Consort Zeng’s past wicked deeds, there may still be other unsavory matters that haven’t been uncovered. That’s why Lady Shufei sent me here to interrogate her. If you continue to block me and something does come to light later, you will be held accountable for today’s obstruction.”
Hearing this, the two guards quickly bowed their heads and murmured their apologies. After a moment of hesitation, they unlocked the door, whispering a plea, “If you have any questions to ask, please make it quick, my lady. If anyone sees, we will surely be punished.”
Zhaoyi Wen smiled slightly and stepped across the threshold.
Though the wind was strong today, the sunlight should have provided warmth. Yet, as she walked deeper, an inexplicable chill settled over her.
This was her first time visiting the Cold Palace. Accompanied by her attendants, she moved forward until she saw another door.
Before this door could even be opened, the person inside seemed to have heard the commotion and threw herself against it with a violent thud—”Bang!”
Zhaoyi Wen was startled, staring in shock as the door was opened, revealing the disheveled figure inside who tried to rush out but was restrained by the palace attendants.
How could anyone still recognize this as the once lofty and noble Consort Rou?