Chapter 195: The Decree to Establish the Empress
When Lan Wu left the imperial city for Changyong Mountain, the procession was grand and imposing. Similarly, her return was equally magnificent.
From outside the palace gates all the way to the inner courtyard, a dense crowd stood waiting. As the carriage came to a halt, Chu Mingheng stepped down first, followed by the unified voices of court officials paying their respects.
Chu Mingheng paid them no mind, turning instead to help Lan Wu down from the carriage.
Lan Wu glanced back at the familiar palace gates, her heart filled with countless thoughts.
“I’ll escort you back to your palace first,” Chu Mingheng whispered softly beside her.
“I can return on my own…” Lan Wu declined, thinking that Chu Mingheng, having just returned to the palace, likely had court affairs to attend to.
But after she spoke, Chu Mingheng fell silent. His deep, lingering gaze remained fixed on her, making her feel as though she had said something wrong.
“Alright then, Your Majesty, please escort me back quickly,” Lan Wu conceded.
They made only a brief appearance before disappearing once again in the Imperial Carriage. As soon as they left, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed, and the imperial concubines at the rear returned to their respective palaces.
Had Lan Wu looked more carefully, she would have noticed that some of the imperial concubines were conspicuously absent.
But Lan Wu didn’t notice at all.
By the time they reached Yilan Hall, it was almost dark.
After three months, Yilan Hall finally welcomed its mistress once more. The entire hall was brightly lit with candles, and the palace servants bustled about, tidying and arranging things—a scene of lively activity.
That night, Lan Wu bathed with Chu Mingheng.
The journey back had been exhausting, and Lan Wu had no intention of indulging Chu Mingheng’s whims. As soon as she entered the water, she clung to the edge of the pool, putting distance between them.
Chu Mingheng seemed to know what she was thinking and said nothing more about it.
But there were still serious matters to discuss.
He hadn’t brought it up during the journey back, but now that they were in the palace, it was time to give Lan Wu some psychological preparation. Over the past three months, he had arranged everything almost entirely; now, it all depended on Lan Wu’s thoughts.
Thinking of this, Chu Mingheng cleared his throat softly, preparing to speak.
Lan Wu turned her head warily, watching his every move.
Her reaction, however, stirred other thoughts in Chu Mingheng’s mind.
“Why are you guarding against me?” he asked softly, lowering his gaze to take in her form clearly through the water. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he stated a fact they both knew well: “You can’t guard against me anyway.”
Lan Wu, feeling shy, submerged herself deeper into the water.
Chu Mingheng chuckled, pushing off from the pool’s edge and moving toward Lan Wu. With one swift motion, he caught her.
The water’s resistance was strong, and Lan Wu thrashed about, splashing water over both of them. Droplets slid down their faces and dripped back into the pool.
“Keep struggling, then,” Chu Mingheng said, his tone neither light nor heavy. Lan Wu immediately stilled, allowing him to lift her and press her against the pool’s edge.
“I’m just holding you. What, you won’t even let me hold you now?” Chu Mingheng spoke with utter nonchalance. If not for his hand resting on her buttocks, Lan Wu might have believed him.
Panting, Lan Wu clung to his shoulders, trembling slightly. It was precisely at such moments that Chu Mingheng chose to bring up serious matters.
“Rest these next few days. Tomorrow, the imperial concubines should come to pay their respects, but I doubt you’ll be able to rise. I’ve already ordered them to wait a few more days before coming.”
He discussed serious matters without letting it interfere with his actions, multitasking effortlessly and paying no heed to whether Lan Wu was listening or not.
“By the way, tomorrow I will issue an edict to make you Empress. I’m telling you in advance so you won’t panic and overthink when you hear it in the palace.”
Chu Mingheng unexpectedly dropped this significant news into Lan Wu’s ear, feeling her momentary stiffness before continuing.
“I’ve done many things during these three months waiting for you in the palace. Ah Wu, consider my good intentions and reward me.” With that, he chuckled softly and parted Lan Wu’s legs.
Lan Wu had no time to block him, swallowing a sound in her throat. Her mind haphazardly processed Chu Mingheng’s words, still thinking she should properly discuss matters with him, yet every sentence she tried to speak came out jumbled.
A night of absurdity.
…
Chu Mingheng was nothing but a scoundrel!
This thought floated through Lan Wu’s mind first as her consciousness cleared.
The familiar bed curtains before her eyes, when drawn aside, let in the sunlight from outside—it was already quite late.
She propped herself up and scanned her surroundings.
Where was Chu Mingheng?
Before Chu Mingheng appeared, she first encountered Lian Xi, who entered the hall upon hearing her movements.
“Your Majesty is awake. This servant will have someone prepare water for Your Majesty to wash up.” Lian Xi said with a smile, quickly issuing instructions outside.
Even while sitting before the dressing table for her makeup, Lan Wu appeared rather listless.
“Where is His Majesty?” she asked.
“The morning court session hasn’t concluded yet, but His Majesty said before leaving this morning that he would come to Yilan Hall for the midday meal.”
Hearing this, Lan Wu remembered something.
Hadn’t Chu Mingheng told her yesterday that he would make her Empress today?
With the court session still ongoing at this hour, could he have already announced the edict in the court assembly?
Lan Wu’s guess was indeed correct.
Chu Mingheng had also timed it perfectly. After announcing his intention to establish an Empress in court, he watched as the ministers argued incessantly. Having been emperor for a lifetime already, and having laid considerable groundwork for Lan Wu’s ascension beforehand, this minor commotion was hardly significant.
Seeing that the time was about right, he leisurely called for those below to cease.
“You have objections to my decree.”
“It was you who said the imperial harem cannot be without an Empress for a single day. Now that I intend to establish one, you still have words to say.”
“Have I been too lenient in ordinary times, making you forget the boundaries between sovereign and subject, that you dare defy my decree here?”
Once these words left his mouth, who could say anything else? They all knelt on the ground, exclaiming in unison, “We dare not.”
The ministers knelt one by one, sighing inwardly—Lenient? If one were to consider when His Majesty had ever been lenient, they would need to think carefully. From His Majesty’s ascension to the throne until now, when had his methods ever been lenient? Even—even his own flesh and blood could be dealt with harshly. Although Prince Wei was given a swift end, was that truly leniency?
Everyone understood perfectly well. Now they were merely debating in court, but truly defying the imperial will was absolutely unthinkable.
Chu Mingheng remained silent, leisurely gazing at the sunlight outside the hall.
The weather was fine. Ah Wu should be awake by now, probably cursing him at this very moment.
If he went over now to coax her a few words, he could just make it in time for the midday meal.
His thoughts returning, he looked again at the crowd below, a flash of impatience briefly crossing his features.
“This matter is already decided by me. Do not discuss it further.”
His voice was deep as he surveyed below, his gaze faintly carrying a chill and a hidden killing intent, he slowly said, “Anyone who continues to object to my decree will be executed without exception.””
…
After court was dismissed, news from the imperial hall spread like wings to every palace.
A single stone stirred up a thousand waves.
Although the imperial concubines had all speculated that the position of Empress would one day be Lan Wu’s, no one expected it to happen so quickly.
After all, Lan Wu had only been in the position of Guifei for three months, and moreover, she had only been an imperial consort for a year. Now, having just returned to the palace from Changyong Mountain, it was only the second day, and His Majesty could not wait to establish her as Empress.
Truly, the ways of the world are unpredictable.