Chapter 127: Major Event

Ever since meeting Master Huifan, Chu Mingheng had been sinking into deeper slumber each night.

Previously, he had always suffered from insomnia or restless sleep. Lan Wu had even suggested having the Imperial Medical Academy prepare some calming herbal soup for him, but now that was entirely unnecessary. Sometimes when Lan Wu woke early in the morning and heard Chen Kangan announcing the time outside, she would gently push Chu Mingheng, but one push was often not enough to wake him.

Lan Wu found it strange. In the past, Chu Mingheng would always wake and rise at a fixed hour each morning, not even needing Chen Kangan’s reminder from outside. But now, she could barely rouse him.

Logically speaking, Lan Wu should be happy that Chu Mingheng could sleep well, unlike the troubled dreams Master Huifan had mentioned.

Yet in this current situation, an indescribable unease always surged in Lan Wu’s heart.

“Your Majesty, are you truly feeling unwell?” Lan Wu sat on the bed, her brows lightly furrowed as she asked him anxiously.

Chu Mingheng was unusually silent each morning upon waking, sometimes staring at her for a long time before leaving.

That gaze, though not cold or frightening, still made her uncomfortable. Her heart would pound as if Chu Mingheng were contemplating some plan without telling her.

But in the end, he said nothing. Even when he discovered she was pretending to sleep, he merely kissed her cheek lightly before leaving the chamber.

Confined to the rear palace, she remained unaware of what was happening in the imperial court. By the time she learned, seven days had already passed.

Consort Shu, who assisted in managing the six palaces, was preparing the palace’s New Year’s Eve banquet. The New Year’s Eve feast was a grand occasion. Not only must all imperial concubines attend, but imperial relatives and nobles were also required to be present. Though ostensibly a family banquet, it ultimately could not tarnish the imperial family’s dignity.

This year’s New Year’s Eve banquet was organized solely by Consort Shu. She could hardly wait to showcase her abilities before His Majesty, hoping to earn a reputation for virtue.

At this critical juncture, news spread through the imperial court that the Lin family was plotting rebellion. This news coiled through the palace grounds like a winding serpent, terrifying all who heard it.

With Zhu Qing’s incident still fresh, Lan Wu knew the Lin family was not innocent, but she remained unaware of the specifics of their rebellion, having only heard a few words from Chu Mingheng when she asked him occasionally at night.

Although the Lin family was under investigation, its members still survived. Chu Mingheng seemed unwilling to deal with them at this time.

Deep night, warm bed curtains, waves tossing over brocade quilts.

During a brief intermission for rest, Lan Wu lay back in the arms of the man behind her, sitting atop him as he encircled her waist. Her eyes, shimmering with spring-like affection, gazed only at the carved and painted patterns on the ceiling she had seen countless times in the dim light.

Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, rolling down to below her waist.

Sensing the ticklish sensation of her hair brushing against him, Chu Mingheng’s hand began to roam slowly, intimately, and irresistibly around her waist.

He knew Lan Wu was ticklish, and he knew she could least withstand being touched in this spot.

Even a single touch… would make her tremble all over, requiring her to bite her lip to suppress it.

Lan Wu called to him.

“I am here,” Chu Mingheng then ceased his movements, holding her tighter. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, lightly inhaling her scent. As his voice emerged, the vibrations from his chest connected with the skin pressed against hers, invisibly deepening the blush on her face.

“The Lin family… the Lin family plotting rebellion… what pretext was used to investigate… to uncover it…”

Chu Mingheng still buried his head against her, not angered by her words, just chuckling softly as he said, “Ah Wu really knows how to ruin the mood.”

Mood?

Lan Wu reached out to tug his hair, lifting his head. “Am I a good mood?”

Though she didn’t use much force, this action was no small matter—it was akin to poking a tiger in the eye.

Chu Mingheng was pulled up, glanced at Lan Wu, and suddenly raised an eyebrow.

Lan Wu instinctively trembled all over, as if seeing the fierce expression Chu Mingheng had worn on the bed in her previous life.

She pursed her lips slightly, feeling wronged, but in the next moment, Chu Mingheng smiled, gently pinched her chin, and kissed her from her forehead all the way down to her neck.

“Ah Wu, in my eyes, is more beautiful than my kingdom.”

Lan Wu didn’t believe his nonsense. “How can you compare it like that… No, that’s not what I was asking.”

Somehow, the topic had veered off again.

Chu Mingheng hugged her close again, gently stroking her back as he placed warm kisses on her neck, his voice low and steady. “The Lin family sent assassins intending to kill me. Their intentions are unforgivable—they deserve to die.”

“Ah? When?” Lan Wu was stunned for a moment, not reacting immediately, thinking that assassins had openly appeared in the palace.

But upon further thought, Chu Mingheng had been in the palace all this time—either attending court, in the Imperial Study, or in her Yilan Hall. If there were assassins in the palace, it would have caused an uproar long ago, not remained so calm.

She suddenly recalled the day they left the palace to visit Nanli Temple, and on the way back, Chu Mingheng had said they were taking a shortcut.

Could the assassins have appeared that day?

“It was originally just a test, but the Lin family grew anxious and couldn’t wait. That day, the assassins were lured to Huguang Temple, where the imperial guards were already waiting. Naturally, it was like catching turtles in a jar.”

Lan Wu felt both angry and panicked at the thought that such a major assassination attempt had only been revealed to her now.

“Why are you unhappy?” Sensing her mood, Chu Mingheng looked up at her.

Lan Wu shook her head and said nothing.

“You are,” Chu Mingheng insisted, kissing the tip of her chin before wrapping her in a blanket and carrying her off the bed.

He took her to the bathhouse to wash up, but Lan Wu remained unwilling to engage with him.

Chu Mingheng gently washed her, trying to coax a smile from her with kind words. When that failed, he finally said, “I only took you out of the palace because I was absolutely certain of the outcome. I originally intended to go alone, but if I had and you found out I didn’t take you, you would have thrown a fit. So, I simply didn’t mention it.”

Hearing this, Lan Wu shifted her body to avoid his “attentions” and said coldly, “Your Majesty has your own plans. Why would you tell your humble consort? Your Majesty’s plans are grand indeed.”

Chu Mingheng fell silent, pondering how to appease her anger, only to see Lan Wu glare at him.

“Are you cold?” He pulled Lan Wu into his embrace, causing ripples in the water that spread to the edge of the pool.

Lan Wu shook her head and asked the crucial question, “If the Lin family dared to assassinate Your Majesty, why haven’t you dealt with them yet?”

As far as she knew, the Lin family was still alive.

“What earth-shattering secret are they hiding that they would dare to assassinate the emperor?”

Chu Mingheng soaked in the water with her and spoke leisurely. “They still have some minor use. If nothing unexpected happens, they’ll be dead soon.”

“As for the earth-shattering secret…”

Chu Mingheng looked into Lan Wu’s eyes, a faint smile curling his lips. “There is indeed a secret that has been hidden for years—one that could shock the court and astonish everyone.”