Chapter 176: He Is So Pitiful
After waiting quietly for nearly half an hour, Lan Wu’s fishing rod showed no movement at all. In contrast, Yizhen occasionally reeled in a fish from her side, but they were all very small—far from enough to eat.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing complexity in each other’s eyes.
Were there really any big fish in here?
Soon, they were convinced that there were indeed big fish—a commotion broke out on the opposite side, where someone had caught a fish as long as an arm.
As the noise gradually faded, Lan Wu focused intently on her fishing rod.
After sitting for another half an hour, she finally saw her float move. Her heart leaped with joy as she grabbed the rod and felt a powerful tug. Fortunately, Mujin was by her side to help.
Although Mujin was a woman, her strength was not something an ordinary person could match. She helped Lan Wu hold the fishing rod and, with a single pull, lifted both the rod and the fish in the water.
Yizhen ran over to take a look. Hearing that it was a palm-sized crucian carp, she cheerfully said, “Lan Wu, the fish you caught is bigger than mine. Let’s have someone cook crucian carp soup tonight.”
“Alright.”
As the afternoon sun gradually set and the sky began to darken, the palace attendants added another cloak to Lan Wu’s attire. Looking into the water cage, they saw mostly crucian carp, with the largest only slightly bigger than a palm. Not a single one of the plump fish the old woman had mentioned was in sight.
Lan Wu had already given up hope, and even Yizhen felt somewhat disheartened.
“If it doesn’t work out, we can have someone buy a fish later. It’s getting late, and we should head back—”
Yizhen was looking across the lake as she spoke, but before she could finish, she heard movement beside her.
She glanced sideways and saw Lan Wu gripping the fishing rod, clearly not expecting the fish biting the hook this time to have such immense strength. Caught off guard, she was pulled forward with great force, her entire body bending over.
Yizhen’s eyes widened in alarm, and she hurried over to help.
Mujin stood guard nearby, also reaching out to grab the fishing rod and feeling the pull from beneath the water.
Without a word, the three of them strained to pull the rod, trying to reel in the fish from the water.
With Mujin there, pulling the fish out wouldn’t have been too difficult, but Mujin knew that Her Majesty had been waiting all afternoon for a big fish to bite. She didn’t use her full strength, allowing Her Majesty to experience the joy of catching the big fish herself.
Ripples had already formed on the water’s surface as the fish drew closer, splashing droplets that scattered in all directions.
When the fish was finally pulled completely out of the water, Lan Wu looked at the large fish and couldn’t help but beam with delight, her mouth slightly agape.
Yizhen’s reaction was even more direct. She shook Lan Wu’s shoulders and exclaimed loudly, “How are you so amazing! We’ll have fish to eat tonight!”
Coincidentally, this fish turned out to be a plump and delicious black carp.
The black carp was still thrashing about as a palace attendant stepped forward to grab it and place it in the water cage, claiming it weighed seven catties.
At the very last moment, they had actually managed to catch a big fish. After the initial joy, Lan Wu felt a bit bewildered and instinctively glanced at the imperial guards and palace attendants around her, wondering if someone had gone into the water to hook the big fish onto her line for her.
Just as she was thinking this, someone else approached.
“Your Majesty, Your Highness, someone from the opposite side has come to ask if you’d like to buy fish.”
Yizhen looked back and saw a young, sturdy fellow holding a cage in his hand.
They had already caught a big fish, and this one was just enough for them to eat. However, the palace attendants had worked hard today, so there was no harm in buying the fish for everyone to share.
“Want to go take a look?” Yizhen asked Lan Wu.
Lan Wu didn’t mind either way. Seeing Yizhen’s interest, she went along to have a glance.
The fish in the cage were much better than the ones the two of them had caught. The largest one was almost as big as the one Lan Wu had reeled in earlier.
Seeing two young, beautiful women approach, the young man grew somewhat embarrassed, not daring to look up at them, and simply showed them the fish in the cage.
“Take them all,” Yizhen said, instructing the palace attendants to pay the man. After that, she turned to prepare to board the carriage and return.
Just before turning away, she noticed the man sneakily raising his eyes to glance at them.
Yizhen frowned, following the man’s gaze and realizing he was looking at Lan Wu.
Angered, she stepped in front of Lan Wu and scolded, “How dare you! Where are your eyes looking?”
Lan Wu was taken aback for a moment before understanding what had happened, and she too frowned.
The imperial guards nearby gathered, ready to beat up this reckless man at their masters’ command.
The man grew frightened and suddenly knelt down, repeatedly pleading, “Spare me, ladies!”
At the foot of the sacred mountain, Yizhen had no intention of shedding blood. After having the man warned, she followed Lan Wu into the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Yizhen studied Lan Wu’s stunningly beautiful face and couldn’t help sighing, “What a bargain for my imperial brother.”
If she hadn’t said it, it would have been fine, but once she did, Lan Wu couldn’t help blushing, thinking to herself: Who’s the bargain here? Chu Mingheng is young, handsome, and holds immense power. By any measure, she was the one getting the better deal.
But Lan Wu naturally didn’t voice these thoughts. She merely cleared her throat and replied with a slightly serious tone, “Well said.”
Yizhen burst into laughter.
Both of them forgot the earlier unpleasantness and began pondering what fine wine would pair well with the fish for dinner.
However, Lan Wu had a low tolerance for alcohol and couldn’t handle strong liquor, so during the evening meal, she only drank three cups of fruit wine.
Under the moonlight, the two chatted about everything under the sun in the courtyard.
Yizhen was also a bit tipsy, but her mind was still clear. Watching Lan Wu prop her chin up and gaze at the moon with a dazed look in her eyes, Yizhen felt a playful urge.
She leaned closer to Lan Wu and asked, “Have you been feeling down lately because you miss my imperial brother? The palace maids around you say you’ve cried from missing him. You two are really inseparable.”
Lan Wu listened to her words, took a moment to process them, her gaze still fixed on the moon in the sky, and nodded heavily. “I miss him.”
After saying this, she lowered her eyes slightly and murmured again, “I miss him…”
Images of Chu Mingheng’s face flooded her mind—stern, fierce, gentle, doting… It felt as though she could reach out and touch his face, yet it was all an illusion.
She also recalled the maddened image of Chu Mingheng from her dreams, wildly swinging a sword, disheveled and haggard, clutching wine and holding a portrait of her as he stumbled into Yilan Hall, searching for her inside.
…
“Hey, hey, hey? Why are you crying now?” Yizhen exclaimed, seeing tears streaming down Lan Wu’s face. She quickly reached for a handkerchief to wipe them away. “I shouldn’t have brought up my imperial brother. How did I end up making you cry…”
Once Lan Wu started crying, she couldn’t hold back her tears, especially since she was drunk and her emotions were amplified. Thinking of Chu Mingheng’s image, she took Yizhen’s hand and, through her sobs, told her, “He’s so pitiful… Yizhen, he’s so pitiful…”
Yizhen was baffled, looking at Lan Wu with confusion. “Who’s pitiful?”
Could she be talking about her imperial brother?
Hahaha, he has both the kingdom and beauties—what does he have to be pitiful about?
Yizhen thought to herself: The storybooks were right after all—women who indulge in love affairs really do lose their minds.