Chapter 152: Changed Back
Wasn’t this a meteoric rise?
Throughout the dynasties, who had ever seen someone promoted directly from Zhaorong to Guifei? Moreover, that Zhenjia Guifei had neither achievements nor offspring, yet she grasped the position of Guifei solely by relying on imperial favor.
It was too effortless, truly enough to stir envy and resentment.
Jia Pin walked forward slowly, gazing at the surface of Bì Wēi Lake, which had frozen over with a thin layer of ice. If it hadn’t been Rong Shu Yi who fell in back then, but that Guifei instead…
“Your Highness, be careful—” The palace maid beside her interrupted her thoughts. “Your Highness, the lakeshore is slippery. Should we walk on the inner side?”
Jia Pin glanced over and turned to walk on the inner side.
What was she even thinking? Guifei was now Your Majesty’s beloved favorite. Who would dare touch even a hair on her head? Even the slightest ill intent was absolutely unacceptable.
Wasn’t Consort Shu a perfect example?
But Your Majesty was truly ruthless, actually sending Consort Shu to the Cold Palace.
He had already been keeping an eye on Consort Shu for so long. The feeling of being betrayed by a trusted personal palace maid must have been unbearable…
Jia Pin slowly came to a stop, her expression somewhat complicated as she stared at the few palace attendants behind her.
She thought: If even Consort Shu’s personal palace maid was Your Majesty’s person, what about the other palaces?
Could there be Your Majesty’s people in her own palace as well?
Thinking of this, Jia Pin withdrew her gaze and continued walking forward, her mind recalling whether she had ever done anything improper. After much thought, there was only one thing—that was helping Consort Shu that one time, letting Consort Shu know about Rong Shu Yi’s fake pregnancy.
From this, it seemed Your Majesty was also aware.
He had promoted both Wu Guipin and Yue Zhaorong to consort positions, yet she, a pin, had not been promoted. Perhaps there was a reason for that as well.
In this harem, after all, nothing could be hidden from Your Majesty.
But could that Zhenjia Guifei really manage palace affairs?
In the afternoon, incense was burning in Yilan Hall.
The warm fragrance was sleep-inducing, especially since this was calming incense Lan Wu had specifically asked Mujin to burn, ensuring Chu Mingheng would fall asleep.
Leaning against the chaise longue, with Chu Mingheng behind her, he maintained the same posture, flipping through a book for Lan Wu.
Lan Wu had drunk strong tea, but smelling the incense in the hall, her eyelids still grew heavy.
Yet Chu Mingheng’s hand turning the pages remained steady and rhythmic, not seeming the least bit weary.
Was the calming incense ineffective?
That couldn’t be…
Could it still be too little?
Lan Wu silently wondered, patiently waiting a moment longer before slightly turning her head to look at Chu Mingheng.
Chu Mingheng showed no trace of fatigue in his expression. When Lan Wu looked at him, he even effortlessly set down the book, waiting for her to speak, as if he weren’t tired at all.
“Your Majesty, I’m sleepy. Let’s go rest for a while,” Lan Wu said softly.
Chu Mingheng agreed. “Then let’s go. I’ll watch you sleep.”
“You sleep too,” Lan Wu called out to stop him.
Chu Mingheng glanced sideways, puzzled. “I’m not tired. I’ll just watch you sleep.”
Lan Wu had long suspected that he had tricked her last night and hadn’t slept himself. She had wondered why she always felt someone watching her while she slept, only to open her eyes and see nothing.
So it was because Chu Mingheng had pretended too well. This time, she wouldn’t be fooled again.
“If you don’t sleep with me, I can’t fall asleep.” It was rare for her to be this unreasonable. As she spoke, she was clearly holding back her temper, lowering her head but still looking at Chu Mingheng, making it obvious she wouldn’t give up until she got her way.
Then… just sleep for a while.
Chu Mingheng felt that if he didn’t agree, if he didn’t go along with Lan Wu’s wishes, she would start crying.
So he gave a slight nod.
The hall was warm, and when the curtains were drawn, everything around them fell silent, as if only the two of them remained.
Lan Wu nestled into Chu Mingheng’s embrace on her own, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, each thump echoing in her ears.
It was irregular, yet it brought her an extraordinary sense of peace.
After listening carefully for a while, the heartbeat remained erratic.
For some reason, Lan Wu looked up and saw only Chu Mingheng’s jawline, along with half of his profile.
He truly couldn’t sleep.
The calming incense really wasn’t very effective.
However, it turned out that the calming incense did have some effect after all.
Lan Wu gradually heard the breathing beside her grow heavier, deep and steady. Listening again to Chu Mingheng’s heartbeat, it too had become steady.
He must have fallen asleep, right?
Lan Wu didn’t dare to take the risk, but if Chu Mingheng was truly asleep, she naturally hoped he could sleep a little longer.
So she remained silent, settling down peacefully to sleep.
It was unclear whether the strong tea or the calming incense was more potent, but by the time Chu Mingheng woke again, Lan Wu was still in a drowsy yet sleepless state.
Outside the window, the sky had noticeably darkened.
As soon as she sensed Chu Mingheng stirring awake, Lan Wu lifted her head, nervously observing his reaction.
Inside the bed curtains, it was dim, but still possible to make out faces.
Lan Wu saw Chu Mingheng open his eyes.
The moment he opened them, Chu Mingheng sensed someone watching him. Following the gaze, he saw Lan Wu’s face and promptly pulled her into his embrace, chuckling as he asked, “Are you a little mouse? Why are you sneaking around like this?”
He was back.
Unable to describe the feeling in her heart, Lan Wu was momentarily stunned, yet also felt a sense of melancholy.
Hearing Chu Mingheng’s words, she reacted, her ears tingling slightly. She hugged him tightly, both angry and fierce: “You’re the mouse! How can you say that about someone?”
Chu Mingheng simply knew nothing, unaware of what she had endured to help him sleep well—the combination of calming incense and strong tea felt like a serious illness. She was still drowsy now, unable to sleep, and terribly uncomfortable.
And here was Chu Mingheng, teasing her.
“Alright, alright, I won’t say it.” Chu Mingheng gently held Lan Wu’s waist to keep her from squirming. As he rose from the bed, he suddenly glanced strangely around the curtained space.
“Why are we in Yilan Hall?” Chu Mingheng frowned and continued, “Weren’t I with you in the rear hall of Taiqing Palace?”
Here it comes.
Lan Wu felt her vision darken, thinking this situation was truly terrible.
How should she explain to Chu Mingheng what had happened during the day and a half in between? How could she explain that the Chu Mingheng from the previous life had come looking for him?
“This… Your Majesty, actually…”
Before Lan Wu could finish explaining, Chu Mingheng felt a sudden throbbing pain in his head, as if something had been forcibly shoved into his mind, followed by a flood of unfamiliar memories belonging to “him.”
It didn’t cause him to lose his composure too much, but these memories did make him clench his fists tightly.
The imperial edict he had given Lan Wu, all the arrangements he had made—in the end, it was another “him” who had reaped the benefits.
A warm palm gently rested on his right hand.
Chu Mingheng looked up, his cold and stern expression softening into helplessness upon seeing Lan Wu’s somewhat fearful demeanor.
Utterly helpless.
“Come here,” he said, pressing one hand to his forehead while the other reached back to grasp Lan Wu’s wrist. In one swift motion, he pulled her onto his lap.
“You never told me that in the previous life, I was so…” He seemed to search for the most fitting word to describe the other ‘him’s’ behavior, finally settling on four words: “utterly deranged.”