Chapter 190: Couldn’t Hold On Any Longer

Chu Mingheng only froze for a moment before letting out a sigh-like chuckle. “So that’s how it was,” he said. It turned out that her soul had returned to his side in their previous life while they were at Changyong Mountain.

“I didn’t want to make you sad.”

If Lan Wu had never known, it would have been fine—he could have borne those painful memories alone. Lan Wu should have been happy.

But he never expected that Lan Wu would still witness those not-so-pleasant memories firsthand.

“How could you—how could you just die like that—!” Lan Wu looked into his eyes, feeling an overwhelming sense of injustice on his behalf.

Chu Mingheng pressed his forehead against hers, soothing her gently. “But I couldn’t hold on any longer. You can’t expect me to live joyfully without you by my side, Ah Wu. I couldn’t do it.”

“Every day was exhausting. Nothing felt right, and I spent most of my time thinking of you.”

“When it was finally about to end, I was so relieved.”

Chu Mingheng gently pinched her earlobe and nuzzled her nose, continuing to comfort her. “I never thought we’d still get to see each other one last time. Did it frighten you?”

There were methods in the palace to preserve a body after death, but they were too cruel, and Chu Mingheng refused to use them on Lan Wu.

In the end, both he and Lan Wu would be nothing but dry bones. All that could remain were memories.

He remembered Lan Wu’s face, her words, her actions… These were what truly mattered.

Lan Wu nodded slightly in his embrace, then quickly shook her head, her voice muffled. “It was a little frightening at first, but later, I wasn’t as scared anymore.”

“It’s my fault. I never thought…” He never imagined Lan Wu would come to see him one last time.

Remembering this, Chu Mingheng gently tilted Lan Wu’s face up and asked, “So was it because you saw me before I died that you were so frightened you developed a high fever in the middle of the night, had nightmares, and couldn’t be woken no matter how hard we tried?”

Lan Wu was even more surprised than he was, staring at him in stunned silence before hesitantly asking in a soft voice, “I… I fell ill again?”

Seeing her like this, what else could Chu Mingheng do?

“Do you still want to sleep?” he asked.

Lan Wu shook her head gently.

“Then get up. Wash up first, have something to eat, and then take your medicine,” Chu Mingheng said, carrying her off the bed. “If there’s anything else you want to say, we can talk after you’ve taken your medicine and the Imperial Physician has examined you.”

“…Mm.”

When Chen Li arrived, she wasn’t too worried. She had checked Lan Wu’s condition the night before and left only after confirming she was fine. Although she slept restlessly, fearing someone might call her over, the night passed without incident.

When she was summoned this morning, she assumed Her Majesty had woken up.

It had rained the night before, and the morning air was exceptionally refreshing. The rest of the entourage accompanying the imperial carriage had arrived the previous night and were now waiting at the foot of the mountain.

After taking Lan Wu’s pulse, Chen Li breathed a sigh of relief. “Her Majesty is fine now. Just be careful not to catch a chill in the next few days.”

“Thank you, Court Physician Chen.”

Chen Li smiled and waved her hand, not daring to accept her gratitude.

With the addition of His Majesty in the villa, the atmosphere seemed to shift subtly. Though not overtly obvious, every corner now exuded a sense of rigor and caution. Not only the palace servants, but even Princess Yizhen dared not utter an extra word.

Only Guifei dared to speak freely.

“Alright, I’ve finished it all. Let’s go inside quickly.” Lan Wu set down the medicine bowl, grimacing from the bitterness as she turned to look at Chu Mingheng, who had been watching her drink the medicine.

Seeing his slightly stern expression, Lan Wu pouted softly. “It’s not like I wasn’t going to drink it. Why are you still watching me…”

Suddenly, she remembered something and studied Chu Mingheng carefully. “They said Your Majesty returned in the rain yesterday. Spring rain is cold—you should have Court Physician Chen examine you as well.”

As if just recalling this, Lan Wu quickly had Chen Li check Chu Mingheng’s pulse.

Chu Mingheng’s constitution was far better than Lan Wu’s—the examination revealed nothing amiss.

Still uneasy, Lan Wu added, “But you were caught in the rain last night. Shouldn’t you drink some medicine to prevent illness?”

Her concern was genuine. Having dreamed of Chu Mingheng coughing up blood and later being told by Master Huifan on Changyong Mountain that his health was failing, how could she not worry?

Chu Mingheng seemed to understand her fears and did not argue, instead ordering a bowl of cold-dispelling soup.

He reached out, took Lan Wu’s hand, rose from his seat, and led her inside.

Yet once they were alone, Lan Wu grew quiet, like a little mute, saying nothing.

Chu Mingheng gazed at her lips and spoke first. “You were so eager to pull me in here, but now you have nothing to say?”

“A-Wu, may I kiss you?”

The shift was too abrupt. Before Lan Wu could react, her chin was gently lifted, and a warm, domineering kiss swept over her like a tide, leaving her powerless in its long, lingering embrace.

Her waist softened under his touch, her breaths growing urgent.

Lan Wu weakly raised an arm to push him away, signaling she could take no more.

Chu Mingheng released her, drawing back to admire her flushed face, rosy as a peach blossom. He lowered his gaze and pressed light kisses across her cheeks.

Finally, he brushed his lips against hers once more—a fleeting, gentle touch.

It had been so long since they were this intimate. Lan Wu’s shyness was palpable.

For Chu Mingheng, the feeling was indescribable.

Though it felt like a lifetime apart, since his memories had merged, the separation from Lan Wu no longer seemed so distant.

Yet upon closer reflection, it still felt like an eternity.

Chu Mingheng lifted her into his arms and carried her straight into the Inner Palace.

“We—we haven’t finished talking yet. You haven’t drunk your medicine…” Lan Wu was placed on the bed, her face flushed as she thought he intended something else, her voice urgent.

But Chu Mingheng only laughed, gently stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. “What are you thinking? Do you take me for some beast? I would never disregard your health.”

“As for the medicine, I’ve already tasted it. It is a bit bitter.”

His words left Lan Wu even more flustered. Unable to meet his gaze, she burrowed under the covers.

Though they had washed upon rising, with no plans to go out, they wore only light robes over their inner garments. The blanket felt thin but sufficient.

Chu Mingheng joined her on the bed, turning her to face him and holding her close, satisfied only when he could see her face.

“These past three months… did you miss me?”

Lan Wu nodded without hesitation.

“Is that so? Then why have you sent so few letters to me? I thought you didn’t miss me.” Chu Mingheng seemed to have held this grievance for a long time, just waiting for this moment to “interrogate” Lan Wu.

To be honest, because she had frequently been entering dreams during these three months, Lan Wu’s frequency of writing letters to Chu Mingheng indeed couldn’t be considered very high.

But that didn’t mean she didn’t miss him.

Lan Wu squeezed Chu Mingheng’s hand and declared righteously, “But every letter I wrote had many words. I missed Your Majesty very much.”

I missed you in dreams, and I missed you outside of dreams.

I missed you so much it made my heart ache.