Chapter 159: I Hate You So Much

Outside the palace doors, the waiting attendants had all retreated two zhang away, not daring to disturb the two masters inside.

If one were to speak of it, it was rather strange. Your Majesty had generously bestowed titles upon the harem during the New Year’s Eve banquet, and Her Ladyship had even been conferred the title of Guifei. Logically, the two should have been on excellent terms, so why did it always feel as if something was off?

Muttering a few words to herself, she stole another glance toward the hall but could see nothing.

Inside the hall, Lan Wu waited for Chu Mingheng’s reaction. Just as she raised her head, her cheeks were pinched. The flesh on both sides felt like soft dough, held in Chu Mingheng’s palm, though not painfully so.

Chu Mingheng’s expression was far from amiable; in Lan Wu’s eyes, it even carried a simmering fury, like a storm about to break.

Unwilling to back down, Lan Wu widened her eyes and stared straight at him, as if declaring she had done nothing wrong.

“Didn’t I say I would think about it? I never said I wouldn’t agree. Why must you say such things to silence me?” In the end, Chu Mingheng was the one who relented. He gave Lan Wu’s cheek a slightly firmer pinch before releasing it, then tapped her forehead with his finger. “And you dare force me to make a decision. You truly have no fear of me anymore.”

Lan Wu rubbed her cheek, catching the key point in his words. Finally spotting an opening, she eagerly followed up, “Are you going to agree to me?”

Chu Mingheng turned away again without answering.

“Say something,” Lan Wu pressed, following him and tugging at his sleeve until she stood before him. Softly, she reasoned with him about the pros and cons. “It’s only three months. I’ll return immediately after three months, not a day longer. And in exchange for your health, I think it’s more than worth it.”

Chu Mingheng glanced at her but remained silent.

“Why are you like this… saying one thing and then acting mute with me.” Lan Wu grew somewhat annoyed. Seeing Chu Mingheng about to turn away again, avoiding her, she panicked. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she clung to him. “Hurry up and say it. If you don’t, I won’t let go.”

With such an offering delivered right to him, Chu Mingheng had no intention of refusing. He simply supported Lan Wu’s hips with one hand and held her waist with the other, carrying her toward the Inner Palace.

“Your Majesty!” Lan Wu protested, kicking her feet slightly.

Chu Mingheng patted her thigh, signaling her to stop moving.

He only entered the Inner Palace to find a suitable outer robe for Lan Wu to put on, then led her behind the curtain in the outer hall.

“Summon the Imperial Physician.”

It wasn’t until Lan Wu was seated on the soft cushion behind the curtain that she heard Chu Mingheng issue the command outside.

Lan Wu couldn’t help but tug at Chu Mingheng’s sleeve, whispering to him, “I’m fine. I was just fooling you—I’m not sick at all.”

It had merely been an excuse to lure Chu Mingheng over, so why was he actually calling for the Imperial Physician?

“Your complexion isn’t good. Let the Imperial Physician examine you.” Chu Mingheng didn’t easily believe her words and insisted on summoning the Imperial Physician.

Lan Wu wanted to say more, but the Imperial Physician had already entered the hall. She could only fall silent, obediently extending her hand when Chu Mingheng instructed her to.

The hall fell quiet for a moment.

Only after the Imperial Physician had taken her pulse did sound return to the hall.

“Your Majesty, Her Ladyship is not ill. She is burdened by deep worries, which have drained her energy.”

“If I may ask, has Her Ladyship had difficulty sleeping recently?”

Lan Wu noticed Chu Mingheng’s gaze and reluctantly nodded, saying, “It’s just that I drank half a cup of strong tea before bed yesterday and had trouble sleeping at night.”

“Your Majesty is still young, but if this continues, it may harm your health.”

“However, for now, it’s still manageable. I will prepare a prescription to regulate your qi and blood, but the most important thing is for Your Majesty to relax and not dwell on everything.”

After the Imperial Physician withdrew, Lan Wu saw Chu Mingheng gently place his hand on the table, his fingers tapping silently on the surface, conveying an anxiety even he himself was unaware of.

Lan Wu had always been adept at seizing opportunities, especially at times like this.

She pushed the book in front of her aside, furrowing her brows as she said, “Look, it’s all because of you. I can’t sleep at night worrying about your health, thinking of you constantly, and you don’t even appreciate it.”

“Fine, just watch then. It’s not like you care about me anyway…”

Chu Mingheng glanced over and cut off her nonsense: “Try saying one more word of that.”

Lan Wu pursed her lips, her eyes fixed downward, feeling both guilty and audacious. She slammed the table and stood up: “If you truly cared about me, you wouldn’t leave me alone—”

It all came back to this matter again.

Chu Mingheng closed his eyes, and soon, a warm body rolled over beside him.

He suddenly opened his eyes and pulled Lan Wu into his arms.

Lan Wu made no attempt to escape, pressing her forehead against his as she earnestly pleaded, “Please agree, Your Majesty. I’ll be fine.”

She had even used her own health as leverage to pressure Chu Mingheng into agreeing, so he was bound to relent.

A hand gently stroked her back, following the cascade of jet-black hair down to her waist. In the silence, he seemed to be contemplating something.

Suddenly, he spoke: “A’Wu, do you truly wish to leave me?”

Lan Wu was at her wit’s end. Hearing this, she immediately curled her lips into a cold sneer and tried to pull away from him.

“Let go of me—you’re not allowed to hold me anymore!”

Chu Mingheng refused to release her. Enraged, Lan Wu scolded him and struck him, but Chu Mingheng’s well-toned muscles only left her hand aching from the effort.

“You’re so unreasonable, you scoundrel!” Lan Wu cursed him, her eyes reddening as she tugged at his clothes and hissed through gritted teeth, “I’ve done so much for you, and you still say… say I’m thinking of others… Scoundrel! Shameless! I hate you!”

Chu Mingheng reached for her face, anxiously wiping away her tears.

The moment the words left his mouth, he knew he had misspoken.

But now, even attempting to touch Lan Wu’s face resulted in his hand being swiftly slapped away, accompanied by a stern command not to touch her.

“A’Wu, I misspoke. I didn’t mean it that way, alright?” Chu Mingheng took her handkerchief to wipe her tears, watching as teardrops fell from her reddened eyes, his heart aching at the sight.

“Don’t hate me. I know A’Wu only has my best interests at heart… Don’t cry.” Chu Mingheng whispered soothingly, feeling as though Lan Wu’s tears had hardly ceased these past few days.

Lan Wu had been so concerned about his affairs, and yet he had said such things. It was truly inexcusable.

But the thought of letting Lan Wu go to Changyong Mountain filled him with a thousand, ten thousand reluctances. No matter how deep the precautions or how tight the security, she would still be away from his side—unseen, untouchable. How could that bring him peace of mind?

Instead of peacefully worshiping the Buddha in the temple, that old monk Huifan came up with such a foolish idea. Who knows what he truly has in mind.