Chapter 14: Rescued
As the banquet was about to begin, with no sign of Lan Wu returning, everyone grew increasingly anxious and turned their gaze toward He Ying.
“Auntie, what should we do? Lan Wu still hasn’t come back.”
“She must be too slow. We should be heading out soon, Auntie.”
He Ying remained calm and composed, reassuring them, “It’s fine. I’ll stay here and watch. If Lan Wu’s spot is empty, it’s empty. She can stand in the back, and no one will notice. You all go ahead.”
She appeared completely unruffled, though her grip on the handkerchief in her hand tightened.
After everyone had left, He Ying suddenly felt weak and stumbled backward, unable to stop herself from leaning on the table for support. She sank silently into a chair.
As time passed, she closed her eyes.
Lan Wu had failed three times while trying to climb the tree. The rough bark had scraped the skin beneath her skirt, causing her pain. But on the fourth attempt, hearing footsteps approaching from a distance, she mustered her strength and struggled upward.
The tree was large, with a thick trunk and surrounding shrubs that provided cover. Though it was early spring, the leaves were lush and verdant, offering a perfect hiding spot.
She deliberately circled to the back of the trunk to climb. On the fourth try, she finally reached a low branch. Encouraged, she climbed higher, where the branches forked more frequently, making the ascent easier. She used the shrubs to conceal herself.
Even so, the effort had nearly drained all her energy. As she leaned her head against the tree trunk, she felt an overwhelming urge to fall asleep. But she dared not, so she pinched her thigh to stay awake, her ears faintly picking up the sounds drawing nearer.
It sounded like many people.
Why would there be so many people?
They had drugged her, stationed people along the route she would take back to the Music Bureau. What was next? Catching her in a secret rendezvous? Then conveniently exposing her?
A mocking smile tugged at Lan Wu’s lips. She had endured this trick before—how could she fall for it a second time?
She closed her eyes briefly and pinched her thigh again, the pain now almost numbing.
But the approaching footsteps sounded like those of imperial guards with swords.
She didn’t dare look directly, fearing someone might be sensitive to her gaze. Instead, she crouched lower and peered cautiously through the gaps in the shrubs.
Indeed, imperial guards were searching for someone—likely her.
But wasn’t it odd to search for her so openly? Shouldn’t it have been an accidental discovery?
Lan Wu wiped the sweat from her forehead and scanned the distance once more.
The scene before her flickered between clarity and blurriness, her field of vision shrinking steadily.
Her eyes strained to stay open as she clung weakly to the tree trunk. Her hands lacked the strength to pinch herself again, so she bit her tongue instead.
Her eyes managed to open a little wider.
Just then, a figure turned slightly, his sharp and merciless gaze piercing through the distance, directly toward Lan Wu’s hiding place among the shrubs.
Lan Wu couldn’t discern the emotion in his dark eyes, but she recognized him.
Chu Mingheng stared intently at the tall locust tree, lost in thought for a moment before walking toward it.
The locust tree was tall, its trunk thick, and the ground beneath it clean—except for a conspicuously out-of-place stone lying there.
Chu Mingheng looked up and, through the leaves, caught sight of Lan Wu’s skirt.
“Come down. I…”
Before he could finish his words, a figure fell from above, plummeting straight down as if all strength had been drained from her body in an instant.
Chen Kangan stood cautiously two steps behind Your Majesty, and upon seeing something drop, he hurried forward to shield the emperor.
Before he could reach out, a force kicked him aside. He tumbled to the ground and scrambled up, only to see Your Majesty now holding a young woman in his arms.
This—this was none other than Lan Wu!
Chen Kangan steadied his eunuch’s hat and instinctively looked up at the tree trunk. So, Lan Wu had climbed up the tree.
“Summon the Imperial Physician.”
As Chu Mingheng reached out, Lan Wu happened to fall. His arms caught her steadily, instinctively pulling her tightly into his embrace. At the same moment, he sensed the unusual heat radiating from her body.
Upon hearing Chu Mingheng’s voice, Lan Wu knew she would be safe. She allowed herself to faint peacefully, the sensation of weightlessness and the familiar scent in his arms mingling with overwhelming drowsiness, plunging her consciousness into endless darkness.
Though the Imperial Garden was vast, Chu Mingheng did not take her to the nearest Luoying Pavilion. Instead, he brought her to Taichen Palace.
In the Imperial Carriage, Lan Wu fidgeted restlessly in the emperor’s embrace.
Chu Mingheng could only grasp her wrists. When she continued to squirm, he leaned down and gently pinched her cheek with his other hand, whispering a warning, “If you keep fussing, I will punish you.”
That single sentence was more effective than a thousand.
Sensing the person in his arms restraining herself and growing quiet, Chu Mingheng subtly observed Lan Wu more closely.
His fingers lightly brushed her lips, his thumb rubbing gently. As he parted her lips, he naturally saw the scattered bite marks on them. Thoughtfulness flickered in his eyes as he glanced at her trembling lashes, but he said nothing more.
Upon arriving at Taichen Palace, Chen Kangan stepped forward again. Naturally, he dared not suggest carrying Lan Wu himself and had already brought two palace maids. “Your Majesty’s status is too exalted. Let them escort Miss Lan Wu into the palace.”
Chu Mingheng tilted his head slightly to glance at Lan Wu in his arms, then carried her out of the Imperial Carriage and straight to the soft couch in the Inner Palace.
After setting her down, Lan Wu’s hand still clutched his lapel.
By now, Lan Wu’s face was flushed red. The Imperial Physician, summoned inside, was startled by the sight and hurriedly knelt, bowing his head in respect.
Chu Mingheng gently pried Lan Wu’s limp hand away and placed it at her side, then called to the physician, “Come and examine her pulse.”
The Imperial Physician dared not delay, quickly acknowledging the order and stepping forward to place a silk handkerchief over the young woman’s wrist on the couch.
“This—this young lady has been drugged,” the physician stammered, his lips trembling, fearful of uncovering something he shouldn’t. “The drug is not particularly potent. Soaking in cool water could counteract it—but that would harm her health. I will immediately prepare a medicinal prescription. However, the effects will be slower. In the meantime, she may briefly lose her senses, but this is due to the drug’s nature. It will suffice to restrain her hands and feet to prevent her from moving recklessly.”
Lose her senses?
Like the restless fidgeting earlier?
Chu Mingheng dismissed the physician to prepare the medicine and ordered a basin of cool water to be brought.
Two palace attendants stepped forward to wipe the sweat from Lan Wu’s body, but as soon as they touched her, she twisted and turned like a fleeing kitten, making it impossible to hold her still.
The palace maids dared not use brute force, and though they were already sweating from their own efforts, Lan Wu became even harder to catch.
“All of you, leave.” After watching for a while, Chu Mingheng coldly ordered them to withdraw.
The maids hastily bowed and retreated. As they exited the doors of the Inner Palace, their ears clearly caught the sound of fabric being torn and ripped. Not daring to dwell on it, nor even to exchange glances, they hurried away.