Chapter 145: Three Edicts

No one in this dynasty had ever held the title of Guifei before. Below Guifei, there were two other consorts—Consort Zhuang and Consort Liang—yet in comparison, Lan Wu remained the most eye-catching.

To rise from Zhaorong to Guifei was not merely a leap of a few ranks.

Everyone understood and speculated that if not for Lan Wu’s humble origins, today’s imperial edict might not have named her Guifei but something else entirely.

Noble Consort Li was momentarily dazed, unable to regain her composure for a long while.

It was only when those around her began to kneel and pay respects to the newly appointed Guifei that she finally became aware, listening stiffly to the surrounding voices.

Guifei?

Lan Wu had become Guifei?

In less than a year, Lan Wu had risen from a lowly dancer to the position of Guifei.

How did she deserve it?

Yet no matter how unwilling she felt, the matter was settled, and she could not question the emperor’s will. A premonition lingered in her heart—this was not yet over.

With the proclamation of Lan Wu’s edict, today’s New Year’s Eve Banquet came to an end.

The night was deep, and the imperial concubines returned to their respective palaces, except for Lan Wu, who was taken by Chu Mingheng back to Taichen Palace.

Lan Wu wanted to resist, but Chu Mingheng’s unusual demeanor made her wary. After all, Taichen Palace was his domain, so it was unlikely anything major would happen.

As for the edict conferring her title, it was clear Chu Mingheng had prepared it long ago. After all, he had spent the entire afternoon with her and would not have woken up while she slept to hastily draft an edict.

Beyond that, she had been granted the imperial surname, with the title Zhenjia.

“Will I be called Chu Lan Wu from now on?” It sounded rather strange, and Lan Wu frowned, unaccustomed to it.

Chu Mingheng held her close, his nose gently brushing against her cheek. Hearing her words, he chuckled and said, “There aren’t many occasions where your full name will be used. Just think of it as if nothing has changed.”

“Traditionally, only those who have made significant contributions to the court and the state are granted the imperial surname. Why did you grant it to me…” As she spoke, Lan Wu suddenly realized—the edict had not been written by the current Chu Mingheng.

Thinking of this, she looked up and cupped Chu Mingheng’s face with her hands. “How much do you actually remember? I feel like you remember quite a lot.”

If he could remember everything, wouldn’t he be the same person?

Chu Mingheng allowed her to hold his face, only murmuring vaguely, “I don’t remember much right now.”

His head ached slightly, but the pain was bearable. As long as he could stay close to Lan Wu, even this minor headache was insignificant.

Besides, he was exceptionally good at enduring.

“What’s wrong with the imperial surname? Who says you haven’t contributed? Your greatest contribution is staying faithfully by my side. If anyone doubts it, let them come before me and argue their case.”

Lan Wu thought he was being unreasonable. With today’s edict conferring her title, her name would surely be discussed in court tomorrow.

With no Empress in the harem but a sudden appointment of a Guifei, this was not favorable for any faction.

The only silver lining was her lack of a prestigious background, making her equally unaligned with any family.

Although she was not afraid of the court’s criticisms—after all, Chu Mingheng would not allow others to tarnish her reputation—it would inevitably cause trouble. And given Chu Mingheng’s current state… it was unstable.

Lan Wu withdrew her hands and sighed silently to herself.

When the Imperial Carriage arrived at Taichen Palace, Lan Wu was already somewhat fatigued. There had been too many matters today, and though she had slept for a short while in the afternoon, it was now late in the evening.

Taichen Palace was brightly lit with candles.

After the palace maids attended to the two masters and helped them wash up, they withdrew.

Lan Wu emerged from the side chamber and saw Chu Mingheng sitting at the head of the bed, looking down at a series of scroll paintings.

She walked over and saw clearly what those paintings were.

In an instant, several memories flooded her mind, causing her face to flush red.

“You… why did you have someone bring these things here…”

Weren’t they in that wretched little hall?

Chu Mingheng looked at the green leaves and red flowers depicted in the paintings, then turned to answer Lan Wu: “In your previous life, you only painted three pictures for me.”

His tone sounded somewhat displeased, even a bit sour.

“Three?” Lan Wu was startled. That was slander—in her previous life, she hadn’t painted a single picture for Chu Mingheng.

Chu Mingheng rolled up the paintings and put them aside gently, saying, “I found those three paintings under the bookshelf in Yilan Hall. The palace maids around you were all fools—they didn’t even know where your things were kept.”

“You mean Mujin and Lian Qiao?”

It was understandable if Lian Qiao was a bit slow, but Mujin wasn’t foolish at all. Besides, Mujin was someone Chu Mingheng had assigned to her.

“Both of them died long ago…” Chu Mingheng uttered these words, then stood up and walked toward Lan Wu, pulling her into his embrace. His voice was tinged with bitterness. “Had I known earlier, I should have locked you up in Taichen Palace and stationed dozens of hidden guards around you. That way, nothing would have happened to you—”

Lan Wu was held too tightly. She reached out to lower his arm and looked into his eyes, momentarily unsure of what to say.

The matters of the previous life ultimately needed to be clarified.

“Locking me away wouldn’t have solved everything permanently,” Lan Wu sighed softly, already having a guess in her heart. “You said you went to offer sacrifices to heaven—was it because someone was planning to rebel at that time?”

“Was it Prince Wei?”

Having learned the truth this afternoon, she quickly realized the real purpose of that imperial decree. If it was merely to have her killed, it would have been too wasteful.

Prince Wei intended to use that decree to rebel, and her death was perhaps only a small part of it.

Chu Mingheng buried his head against Lan Wu’s neck. For someone so much taller than her to bend down like this looked truly pitiful.

“I knew early on that he had colluded with several families, raised private soldiers, and planned to assassinate me on the way to Changyong Mountain. So I turned his scheme against him… But I didn’t expect him to have the imperial decree and a palace maid named Zhu Qing.”

“I thought the palace was safe. The rear palace is so vast, and I had left people with you. Yunqing by Consort Shu’s side was my person. Mujin came from the hidden guards and was skilled in martial arts. Although Consort Rou was malicious, she and Consort Shu were locked in a struggle over the exposure of their secrets, so no one would pay attention to you.”

“If Zhu Qing hadn’t entered the palace at that time, no one should have noticed you.”

Yet it was precisely this oversight that led to Lan Wu’s swift death in the end, without even a final meeting.

The more Chu Mingheng thought about it, the more he felt how arrogant and foolish he had been. He had gone to great lengths to stage this act, only to end up putting the cart before the horse and losing Lan Wu.

Lan Wu listened to this and felt it aligned with her own speculations. In the end, there was nothing to blame. Those who wanted her dead would always find an opportunity unless they themselves died before her.

“Your Majesty?”

The person holding her was trembling slightly, and something seemed to drip onto her neck.