Chapter 33: Kill You
As the truth was about to be exposed, the palace maid hurriedly kowtowed and confessed, revealing everything.
“Your Majesty, please forgive me—Your Highness, please forgive me! This servant… this servant was ordered by Lady Liu to throw this thing into the pond. I know nothing about it—”
Chu Mingheng finally spoke: “Bring Lady Liu here.”
Lan Wu found it strange.
Lady Liu had tried to poison her, yet she kept this crucial evidence until today, ordering someone to throw it far away into the pond of the Imperial Garden.
What a coincidence that they happened to run into them here.
Chu Mingheng must have done this on purpose… How did he know Lady Liu would have someone dispose of the evidence at this exact moment?
If it were Lan Wu herself, she would have simply poured a basin of water over the evidence in her own palace, burying the rest underground. She would never have gone to such lengths to find a pond so far away.
By the time Lady Liu was brought over, the sky had already darkened.
As spring approached its end, the Imperial Garden was teeming with more mosquitoes and insects. At night, wherever there was light, flying insects could be seen.
Lan Wu hated flying insects the most.
But Chu Mingheng clearly intended to interrogate Lady Liu right here in the Imperial Garden. She could only pretend not to notice the small insects fluttering around the palace lanterns held by the servants in front of her.
When Lady Liu was brought over, she was still clinging to the hope that perhaps it was a mistake—maybe it wasn’t that incident that had been discovered. But when she knelt before the emperor and saw Lan Wu sitting beside him, smiling at her, she knew—it was over.
“Your concubine greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be blessed with endless fortune.” As she knelt, her gaze fell upon the white powder on the nearby table, and her heart began to pound like a drum.
Chu Mingheng ordered the palace maid to be brought forward.
Without him having to say a word, the maid trembled as she crawled over on her knees, clutching Lady Liu’s robes and begging for her life.
Lady Liu’s face turned pale, and she pushed the maid away violently.
“You! This is slander—I never ordered you to do anything!” With that, Lady Liu crawled forward two steps, filled with fear and panic, insisting on her innocence.
“Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly—this palace maid may be from my palace, but I have no idea what she did or why she is here! Your Majesty, I don’t know what she has said, but please do not listen to the lies of a petty person and wrong me—”
Lady Liu’s words were utterly unreasonable, and Lan Wu couldn’t help but laugh mockingly from the side.
This cold, scornful laugh was noticed by others.
Lady Liu’s attention immediately shifted to Lan Wu.
She seemed to feel cold, trembling all over. Though she tried to control her expression, the hatred in her eyes was unmistakable.
Lan Wu saw her gaze and met it unhurriedly, gently parting her lips to silently mouth the words: “Kill you.”
Just then, a fluttering moth flew past from not far away. After saying this, Lan Wu immediately shrank back, leaning her body toward Chu Mingheng.
Though she was sitting beside Chu Mingheng, she hadn’t been pressed closely against him until now, as if she were actively throwing herself into his embrace.
Chu Mingheng’s hand steadied her waist, glancing at her discreetly before ordering a servant to fetch a cloak.
“Light some incense as well.”
His voice showed no fluctuation—neither anger at Lady Liu’s actions nor displeasure at Lan Wu’s behavior. It was simply the calm authority of one accustomed to giving orders.
Lady Liu had clearly seen Lan Wu’s silent words. Her eyes widened with rage, and she wished she could tear Lan Wu’s face apart.
The incense was lit, and Lan Wu was draped with a cloak.
“Your Majesty, please see clearly. This concubine is innocent. Perhaps this palace maid was instigated by someone to falsely accuse me,” Lady Liu said, covering her face in fear.
Listening to her incoherent words, Lan Wu understood who she was referring to as the instigator.
She was implying that Lan Wu had spoken recklessly in front of His Majesty.
“Lady Shuyi, this palace maid hasn’t even said anything yet, and you’re already accusing her of slandering you. Could it be that you already know what she did?” Lan Wu asked, feigning confusion.
Confronted by her, Lady Liu was momentarily stunned before immediately retorting, “Of course, I don’t know—”
“Exactly. Since Lady Shuyi doesn’t know, why mention slander? Isn’t this…” Lan Wu lightly bit her lip, lowered her voice, and leaned toward Chu Mingheng, asking softly, “Your Majesty, isn’t this a confession without being pressed?”
“You!” Lady Liu trembled with anger at her two-faced act. Just as she was about to say something, she noticed the emperor’s deep, penetrating gaze fixed upon her.
A sudden cold breeze swept through her body, as if stripping away all warmth and leaving only a chilling sense of doom. She immediately lowered her head, not daring to look up again.
As the night deepened and darkness fell everywhere, only this corner of the Imperial Garden remained brightly lit, illuminating even the subtlest expressions on people’s faces.
Earlier, Chu Mingheng had allowed Lan Wu to question the maid herself. Now, facing Lady Liu, she showed no hesitation, her words sharp and precise.
“Will you speak the truth yourself, or shall I order all the people in your palace to be taken to Shenxing Si for interrogation?”
In the harem, schemes and conspiracies were commonplace. Lady Liu, having served under Consort Shu, had helped her with many dirty deeds. If her palace maids were truly interrogated, other matters would undoubtedly come to light.
A chill never left Lady Liu’s heart. Her palms pressed tightly against the ground, she was too terrified by the emperor’s words to speak, yet sweat beaded on her forehead.
Should she speak or not?
If she told His Majesty the truth, surely… surely he wouldn’t kill her for a momentary lapse in judgment?
As this thought crossed her mind, the image of Lan Wu silently mouthing the words “kill you” flashed before her eyes.
She shuddered violently, desperately swallowing the nonexistent saliva in her parched throat.
Just then, Luo Yun suddenly stepped closer and bowed toward the emperor. “Your Majesty, Lady Shufei has arrived.”
Hearing this, Lan Wu glanced toward the darkness outside the pavilion and indeed saw a figure gradually approaching.
Lady Liu visibly relaxed, thinking Consort Shu had come to help her.
For a moment, Lan Wu felt a flicker of worry, but she quickly dismissed it. Consort Shu shared the authority to assist in managing the six palaces with Consort Rou, a privilege granted by Chu Mingheng himself, which meant he valued them.
But Chu Mingheng had promised her—he would have Lady Liu beaten to death, and no other method would suffice.
“Let her come,” Chu Mingheng said, his thoughts inscrutable to anyone.
Upon hearing this, Lan Wu rose to her feet. Though she would have liked to remain seated just to provoke Consort Shu, the difference in their ranks was far too great. She still had to bow and greet her.
As she slowly stood up, Consort Shu approached and entered the pavilion.
“Your servant greets Your Majesty.” Consort Shu spoke these words while curtsying, and after finishing, she coughed lightly. She was now dressed in light-colored clothing, her hair adorned with no elaborate hairpins or ornaments. Under the glow of the palace lantern, her face appeared somewhat pale, and her lips lacked color. Judging by this appearance, she truly seemed to be ill.