Chapter 109: Amusement
After warming her hands by the stove for a while, Lan Wu began gazing outside.
“I brought you out to enjoy yourself, yet you cannot even stay peacefully by my side,” Chu Mingheng remarked with mild reproach, causing Lan Wu to immediately withdraw her gaze.
She did not reply, but instead found a chestnut on the stove, removed it with a utensil, and flatteringly offered it to Chu Mingheng.
“Your Majesty, please taste the chestnut I roasted. I can already smell its fragrance.”
Chu Mingheng grasped her hand, but before he could speak, she interrupted softly with a pitiful tone.
“Your Majesty did not dine with me at noon, and now you do not even wish to eat the chestnut I roasted.”
So that was the point.
Chu Mingheng asked her to open her palm. The chestnut had only been roasted for a short while and was not yet too hot; Lan Wu had merely dirtied her hand holding it.
Lan Wu complied, spreading her hand open, and then heard him instruct her to peel the chestnut.
Once the shell was removed, the flesh inside was crisp and raw, clearly indicating it was undercooked.
Lan Wu flushed, lifting her eyes to meet Chu Mingheng’s gaze. He was watching her with leisurely amusement, his expression teasing. She pushed the chestnut aside, turned to wipe her hands clean with a handkerchief handed by a palace maid, and without another word, tugged at his sleeve, saying she wanted to fly kites with the palace maids.
The wind was strong today—a rare occurrence. Since Chu Mingheng had brought her out of the palace to lift her spirits, surely it was to make her happy. She did not believe he would refuse.
Sure enough, Chu Mingheng nodded. “Go ahead, just do not wander too far.”
Lan Wu promptly stood up, remembering to turn back and remind him to watch over her sweet potatoes.
As Lan Wu’s figure, lively and spirited like a cheerful rabbit, disappeared into the distance surrounded by palace maids, Chu Mingheng did not look away until Chen Kangan approached from afar and whispered something to him.
He glanced at the sky and gave a slight nod.
Chen Kangan then retreated to the side.
This place was near the outskirts of the imperial city. At the foot of this hill lay Princess Yizhen’s estate.
Today, Princess Yizhen was entertaining friends at her estate, still unaware of His Majesty’s presence. If all remained peaceful, it would be fine, but if they were to accidentally encounter each other…
Chen Kangan lowered his gaze and stood quietly, thinking: If they were to accidentally encounter each other, it would surely disrupt His Majesty and the consort’s pleasant mood.
Lan Wu, while flying kites with others, knew her limits and did not stray too far from Chu Mingheng. Before long, the kite was soaring high in the sky.
She alone handled the kite string with ease. Another kite was nearby, but flying alone was dull, so she invited a young palace maid to join her.
Mujin stood guard beside Lan Wu, worried she might stumble or wander too far.
As they laughed and played, Chu Mingheng watched from the pavilion, occasionally turning the sweet potatoes on the stove.
After playing for over half an hour, Lan Wu finally made her way back.
Seeing her figure approach, Chu Mingheng frowned and asked, “Where is your cloak?”
Lan Wu took a sip of tea and smiled. “It was too hot while running, so I took it off.”
Too hot?
Chu Mingheng lightly interlaced his fingers, warning her, “If you fall ill, do not blame me for never taking you out again.”
Lan Wu found him annoying—always saying unpleasant things even during an outing.
“If I fall ill, it will be because Your Majesty said so,” she retorted, then turned her attention to the sweet potatoes roasting on the stove.
She sniffed the air and suddenly caught a whiff of something burning.
She then picked up the tongs from the nearby table and turned the sweet potato over, unsurprisingly seeing a blackened patch on its skin.
“You—!” Lan Wu turned her head, glaring directly at Chu Mingheng.
Chu Mingheng felt an inexplicable guilt. Earlier, he had watched Lan Wu run off into the distance and had been staring for a while. By the time he snapped out of it, he had forgotten to flip the sweet potato. He had thought he could hide it from Lan Wu, never expecting she would smell it as soon as she returned.
What kind of nose was this, so sharp?
He reached out and pulled the pouting Lan Wu into his embrace, holding her hands—they were warm.
“There are still so many over there… I’ll eat this one, alright?”
Lan Wu, held in his arms, felt her face grow warm. In front of so many palace attendants, Chu Mingheng didn’t seem embarrassed at all.
She struggled gently and said, “I won’t let you eat it.”
Chu Mingheng, holding the warm and soft beauty in his arms, naturally went along with her. Just as he was about to peel chestnuts for her, a commotion was heard from ahead.
Soon, Luo Yun returned.
“Your Majesty, Princess Yizhen has brought several young ladies up the mountain.”
Hearing this, Lan Wu instinctively looked at Chu Mingheng and then tried to move aside.
Without looking up, Chu Mingheng wrapped an arm around Lan Wu’s waist, preventing her from leaving, and continued peeling chestnuts. He asked, “What young ladies? She spends her days amusing herself with such high spirits—the young ladies of the imperial city are enough for her to play with.”
Luo Yun replied, “They are merely young ladies from a few ordinary marquis households. Among them is also a young lady from the Lin family.”
Chu Mingheng had just finished peeling a chestnut and held it to Lan Wu’s lips for her to eat.
Lan Wu remained silent, opened her mouth to eat the chestnut, and glanced toward the distant, unseen figures.
Today, His Majesty had brought her out for an excursion. Princess Yizhen shouldn’t have brought so many young ladies to intrude, yet she had come anyway.
And she remembered—the Lin family was the family of Princess Consort Wei’s younger sister, who had just come of age and was yet to be married.
The chestnut was sweet and soft, but she still wanted her sweet potato.
“Princess Yizhen also mentioned she has something novel she wishes to show Your Majesty.”
“What could she possibly have…”
Chu Mingheng’s words trailed off as he noticed Lan Wu tugging at his sleeve, so he changed his tone: “Let her come over.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Lan Wu seized the opportunity to slip out of Chu Mingheng’s embrace and sat down on her own seat nearby, occasionally glancing outside the pavilion.
If she wasn’t mistaken, the novel object Princess Yizhen mentioned was likely a cat. In her previous life, she had heard that Princess Yizhen owned a black cat, gifted by someone below, and that the princess was very fond of it.
Soon, several figures approached and bowed one after another.
Princess Yizhen stood at the front. After rising from her bow, she showed no surprise upon seeing Lan Wu, though there was a hint of amusement in her eyes.
“Earlier, they saw kites in the sky, and upon closer inspection, realized they were being flown from this mountain. I thought whoever could come here surely couldn’t be my imperial brother, so I came over. I never expected it was indeed my imperial brother—and with Zhen Zhaorong as well.”
As she spoke, Princess Yizhen smiled and brought forward the cat in her arms for Lan Wu to see: “Zhen Zhaorong, take a look. Isn’t this cat lovely?”
Lan Wu saw that the cat in her arms was entirely black, with fluffy fur, emerald-green eyes, curled up small, its tail large and long. At first glance, it was indeed beautiful.
She nodded repeatedly and asked Princess Yizhen if she could pet it.
“You can pet it, you can pet it. Cats are meant to be petted and fawned over.” As she spoke, she held the black cat in her arms forward.
Chu Mingheng glanced at the two of them—one hesitant and afraid to reach out, the other bold and even intending to tease—and asked calmly, “So this is the new thing you mentioned.”
Yizhen turned her head away, having already noticed Lan Wu’s fondness. “Brother, don’t look down on it. Someone here likes it very much.”
Lan Wu cautiously reached out and stroked the cat’s head. It was soft and small, and she truly did like it.
After petting it a few times, she turned her head, her eyes brimming with joy as she looked at Chu Mingheng.