Chapter 146: Regret

Lan Wu had never seen Chu Mingheng cry before. At this moment, she found it both novel and amusing.

She hadn’t shed many tears when she died herself, yet Chu Mingheng was the one weeping.

“I rushed back as fast as I could. When I returned to the palace…” Chu Mingheng’s voice trailed off, as if recalling something.

Lan Wu finished the sentence for him: “When you came back, you saw my… body.”

Chu Mingheng took a deep breath and said, “Yes, I saw it.”

“They all spoke ill of you to me, but I didn’t believe a single word.”

The more he spoke, the softer his voice became, dry and strained, tinged with suppressed emotion. It was like the gentle rustle of snowflakes falling in winter, and only by holding Lan Wu tightly in his arms could he ease his despair and sorrow.

“I avenged you. I killed them all. They knelt before you, weeping and begging for mercy. I thought you wouldn’t want to hear their pleas, so I silenced them first and made them kneel and kowtow before you.”

What he did to the masterminds afterward was too gruesome to describe. Chu Mingheng worried it would frighten Lan Wu, so he deliberately glossed over it.

“When you were gone, I had no choice. I missed you so much that I went to Yilan Hall every day to look for you.”

“I didn’t let any of the people in your palace leave. Everything remained just as it was when you were here.”

“But they were clumsy. I asked them to find a few paintings, and they couldn’t even manage that.”

Chu Mingheng sounded sullen. “In the end, I found them myself.”

Lan Wu felt something wet on her neck. With some effort, she moved Chu Mingheng’s head aside and gently pushed it away. She took a handkerchief to wipe it clean, only to meet a pair of reddened eyes.

Feeling a pang of discomfort, she used the handkerchief to wipe away the remaining tears on Chu Mingheng’s face.

“It’s your own fault for being so arrogant. You’ve grown too accustomed to being emperor, too used to being flattered.”

And now, after stumbling, it was too late for regrets.

“It’s all my fault.” Chu Mingheng took the handkerchief from Lan Wu, lifted her onto the couch, wrapped her in a brocade quilt, and held her close once more.

“I missed you so much,” he said. “Sometimes I could still hear your voice, hear you laughing in the room, or hear you saying you wanted new clothes and jewelry.”

“But when I opened the door, you weren’t there.”

“Sometimes I even forgot you were gone. I’d think, since the flowers were blooming in spring, you must have gone to the Imperial Garden to see them.”

Lan Wu peeked out from his embrace, her dark, bright eyes gazing at him intently.

Chu Mingheng seemed to guess what she was thinking and felt he had said too much. He changed the subject. “It’s all right. I’m fine now. Look, I performed quite well earlier, didn’t I? Only you could recognize me.”

As he spoke, he seemed particularly delighted, unable to resist holding Lan Wu and kissing her cheek. “How did you recognize me, Ah Wu? You must still like me more, right?”

How could Lan Wu answer that?

She couldn’t very well say it was because Chu Mingheng seemed a bit mad and fierce, which was how she recognized him.

Lan Wu turned her head to avoid his kisses. When she couldn’t escape, she pressed her hand against his lips. “…I just recognized you.”

After saying this, Lan Wu looked at him seriously and said, “You can’t stay like this forever. When will you remember everything?”

Chu Mingheng remained silent.

Lan Wu let him hold her for a while, then suddenly asked, “Shall we go see Master Huifan tomorrow? He always has some solutions, doesn’t he? Everyone says he’s very capable.”

Chu Mingheng refused to agree. “Why go to him? What solutions could there be? I’m perfectly fine, nothing’s wrong.”

He made it clear he didn’t want to agree.

Lan Wu naturally understood his meaning.

Unexpectedly, Lan Wu didn’t press him further. Instead, she turned over, facing away from him, as if she no longer wanted to deal with him.

Chu Mingheng’s arm around her waist was pushed away, and she remained silent.

“Ah Wu?” Chu Mingheng called her, wrapping his arms around her again.

Lan Wu dodged again.

The bed was only so big, and no matter how much she tried to avoid him, she was eventually backed into a corner. When there was nowhere left to retreat, Chu Mingheng suddenly heard a few choked sobs from her direction.

His expression darkened. Propping himself up on his arms, he sat up and turned her back toward him, seeing Lan Wu’s tear-filled eyes.

“Ah Wu? Alright, alright… don’t cry, Ah Wu. I’ll listen to you… I’ll listen to you. We’ll go see him. Whoever you say we should see, we’ll see. Please don’t cry, Ah Wu.”

Chu Mingheng was always helpless against her tears.

“I don’t know if you remember, but when we went to see Master Huifan last time, he said you can’t go on like this—you’ll die… Do you want to die? Do you want to leave me all alone?” Lan Wu clutched his clothes tightly, staring at him intently. “You conferred a title on me today. If you die someday, they’ll definitely make my life miserable.”

“Do you want them to harm me again?”

“Ah Wu!” Chu Mingheng urgently interrupted her, his gaze intense as he looked at her, his voice strained. “Don’t say such things, Ah Wu. I beg you, don’t say such things again…”

Lan Wu fell silent for a moment, then gently pursed her lips and, with a gentle demeanor, leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck. “Alright, I won’t say it anymore.”

“Then tomorrow, you’ll come with me to see Master Huifan.”

“Alright.” Chu Mingheng gently stroked her hair, running his hand from the nape of her neck down to her lower back. Lost in thought, his expression grew contemplative, though he made sure not to let Lan Wu notice, simply comforting her with his touch.

“Are you sleepy? Get some rest. I’ll watch over you as you sleep.”

Lan Wu was indeed feeling drowsy, and the day was already late. However, she refused when Chu Mingheng said he would watch her sleep.

“You should sleep. You’ve only just started sleeping better, and you had a fever this afternoon. You’re the one who needs proper rest.”

Although court was suspended for three days after New Year’s Eve, the night was already quite late. Lan Wu worried that Chu Mingheng might have another sudden episode, so she forced herself to stay alert and kept an eye on him for a while.

The candles in the hall hadn’t been extinguished yet. When she was about to get up and put them out, Chu Mingheng stopped her.

“Stay here. I’ll do it.”

With that, he got out of bed and extinguished several candles in the hall, though not all of them. One candle on the table remained lit.

Chu Mingheng returned and asked if they could leave one lamp on.

A single lamp wasn’t particularly bright, especially with the curtains drawn for sleep. Lan Wu didn’t see any issue with it, so she generously agreed.

Once the curtains were closed, the bedchamber grew dim, though not completely dark. By the faint light, Chu Mingheng gradually made out Lan Wu’s face.

Lan Wu was also looking at him with open eyes. The moment their gazes met, she urged him to sleep quickly.

“I woke up quite early today, so you should go to sleep early too. Once you’re asleep, I’ll sleep as well.”

Chu Mingheng seemed to smile faintly and said, “Alright,” before closing his eyes.

The surroundings were tranquil. Lan Wu’s gaze gently wandered over Chu Mingheng’s face. There was no visible difference in his appearance, yet the Chu Mingheng after her death in her previous life and the Chu Mingheng of this lifetime had distinct differences in their personalities.