Chapter 168: One and Two
The wind within the palace walls seemed less biting than before. Though the snow had ceased, a chill still lingered in the air.
Inside the main hall, faint coughs could be heard, accompanied by the subtle, bitter scent of medicine.
Luo Yun stood to one side, presenting the medicine bowl from the tray in her hands as she said softly, “Your Majesty, it is time for your medicine.”
In her letter to Lan Wu, she had not mentioned that His Majesty had caught a cold, as the illness had only begun after the letter was written. Thus, it could not be said that she had deliberately omitted the truth.
Since the day before yesterday, His Majesty had been afflicted with a chill. The imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy had examined him, diagnosing it as a common ailment. Given His Majesty’s originally robust constitution, they said he should recover after two days of taking the medicine.
Today marked exactly two days.
Yet His Majesty showed no signs of improvement.
A bunch of quacks.
Chu Mingheng glanced indifferently at the medicine bowl and motioned for Luo Yun to set it down.
After placing the medicine on the table, Luo Yun retreated to the side, standing silently.
Just as Chu Mingheng was about to pick up the bowl, a slight commotion arose outside the hall, and Chen Kangan hurried in with several letters in hand.
About to speak, he choked back his words upon seeing His Majesty preparing to drink the medicine.
Chu Mingheng glanced down and noticed the letters in Chen Kangan’s hand.
He set the medicine bowl down calmly and extended his hand with an air of finality. “Hand them over.”
Chen Kangan inwardly lamented his poor timing. By the time His Majesty finished reading the Empress’s letters, the medicine would surely be cold.
But since His Majesty had spoken, he had no choice but to comply.
He stepped forward and presented the letters.
There were two of them.
Chen Kangan thought to himself: Her Majesty truly misses His Majesty. He sent her two letters, and she has returned two in kind.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Chu Mingheng took the two letters in hand, leisurely lowering his gaze to examine the envelopes. Aside from the words “Your Majesty,” he noticed clear markings of “One” and “Two.”
He understood immediately—this was how Lan Wu distinguished between them: “One” for the previous life, and “Two” for this one.
Chu Mingheng calmly placed the envelopes back on the table, not opening them immediately.
An intangible, oppressive atmosphere slowly began to emanate from his direction.
Luo Yun and Chen Kangan exchanged a silent glance, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes. Her Majesty had sent two letters, both addressed to His Majesty. Logically, His Majesty should be pleased, so why did he seem… less than delighted?
They did not have to wait long before His Majesty reached out and tore open one of the letters.
As he unfolded the letter, his expression softened visibly, and his mood appeared to improve considerably.
They breathed a silent sigh of relief.
The first line Chu Mingheng read was Lan Wu saying she missed him.
What followed were accounts of her daily life: reading storybooks with Yizhen in the carriage, occasionally discussing the tales within, mentioning the lakes they passed by, stopping to stroll along the shores, or remarking on the sweetness of fruits from certain regions—sweeter even than those in the palace…
Further down…
Chu Mingheng raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Luo Yun below.
In the letter, Lan Wu wrote that even though she was not by his side, he must take care of his health, sleep well at night without dwelling on her, and if he fell ill, he must summon the imperial physicians and take his medicine without refusal.
How strange. Did Lan Wu have a little eye somewhere, knowing he was ill even when she was not in the palace?
Chu Mingheng silently withdrew his gaze from Luo Yun, picked up the medicine bowl beside him, and drank the medicine.
After reading the letter from start to finish, she carefully reviewed it twice more before smoothing the paper and tucking it between the pages of a book. She then ordered someone to fetch an empty wooden box.
Chen Kangan carefully presented a sandalwood box inlaid with mother-of-pearl. It was neither too large nor too small, prized for its exquisite craftsmanship and beauty—perfect for storing those smoothed-out letters.
With the box opened and set aside to air, Chu Mingheng shifted his gaze to the envelope conspicuously marked with the character “One”.
What nonsense with “One” and “Two”—why was he relegated to “Two”?
He was determined to see what Lan Wu had written to that “One.”
Without hesitation, he opened the first letter and read it from beginning to end.
Lan Wu’s opening line was the same, but the rest differed significantly. The content written in the letter addressed to him was almost entirely absent from this one.
So she knew how to keep things fresh for each of them.
Chu Mingheng couldn’t help but let a faint smile curl at the corner of his lips.
Comparing the two letters, neither emerged as superior.
So be it.
Chu Mingheng decisively read the letter once more before returning it to its envelope and setting it aside.
It was time to write his reply.
…
The next day, Chu Mingheng found the letter addressed to him on the desk. Though he disdained the act of “the other him” privately opening the letter the day before, he knew that if it were him, he would have done the same.
“Someone, fetch another empty wooden box,” Chu Mingheng ordered after reading the letter addressed to him three times.
Chen Kangan, though puzzled, dared not ask why and obediently brought another wooden box, this one inlaid with gold threads and carved with floral patterns.
Watching as His Majesty placed this letter inside as well, he then picked up his brush and began writing his reply.
Well, as long as His Majesty was pleased.
Lan Wu’s prediction proved correct. Just as she received the second batch of letters, the carriage arrived at Changyong Mountain.
By then, Lan Wu had already had her belongings arranged and entered the main hall of the detached palace.
The palace grounds were tended to by attendants who swept and served, though their numbers were few. All were servants of the imperial family, humble in demeanor and careful not to show any disrespect to Lan Wu, the Guifei.
However, after nearly ten days of travel, Lan Wu was utterly exhausted. Instead of exploring the imperial detached palace, she rested on a daybed as soon as she entered the hall.
She lay there wearily for a while, and those around her kept their voices low, afraid to disturb her rest.
As expected, Lan Wu fell asleep, but unexpectedly, she dreamed of Chu Mingheng.
To be precise, it was Chu Mingheng from her previous life.
It was late March, and a light rain was falling. The rain had soaked everything for several days, turning the roads muddy and difficult to traverse.
The sound of hoofbeats grew gradually closer, splashing brown mud from puddles before quickly dissipating into the ground.
Chu Mingheng wore dark everyday attire, his hair tied back with a silver crown. His face was pale and sharply defined, his overly dark eyes carrying a hint of severity and urgency. Raindrops gathered and slid down his face, while mud splashed by the horse’s hooves stained his shoes and the hem of his robe. Without even a bamboo hat, he rode alone through the gentle spring rain that awakened all things.
“…Your Highness… Your Highness?”
The dream was abruptly disrupted by a voice, everything dissolving into ripples in water, twisting into distorted shadows until nothing remained clear.
When Lan Wu was awakened, she felt somewhat disoriented. The image of Chu Mingheng riding through the rain still seemed to linger before her eyes, but upon closer inspection, she saw the unfamiliar carved wooden screen in front of her.
Beside her, Lian Xi was calling her, holding three letters in hand.
“Your Majesty, a letter from His Majesty has arrived.” Lan Wu had previously instructed that whenever a letter from His Majesty arrived, she should be awakened to read it, even if she was sleeping.
Lian Xi, seeing her sleeping so soundly, had been reluctant to disturb her at first. After waiting a moment, she finally spoke up to wake her.
“If Your Majesty is still tired, you may rest on the daybed. It has already been prepared. Sleeping here might cause you to catch a chill.”
Lan Wu heard her words clearly and, focusing her gaze, noticed the two letters in Lian Xi’s hand. She then shook her head gently. “No need, I… am awake now. I will read the letters first.”
With that, she rose from the daybed and went to the small study in the adjoining room.