Chapter 36: Burn Them All

If Lan Wu had obediently slipped off Chu Mingheng’s lap and knelt properly, he might have believed she sincerely knew her mistake.

But she refused.

Who ever heard of someone being punished while sitting on the emperor’s lap?

Chu Mingheng thought she had been spoiled, and that she had never truly been punished before, which was why she dared to act so recklessly.

Lan Wu withdrew her hand and laid it flat before the emperor, her own heart uncertain.

The Ruler pressed against her palm, and Lan Wu’s breath instantly tightened.

“Where did the books come from?” Chu Mingheng asked her.

At this point, Lan Wu naturally confessed everything: “This concubine had someone… bring them in from outside the palace.”

Her voice grew low and muffled with guilt, sounding particularly unhappy.

Chu Mingheng lightly tapped her palm and asked mockingly, “You like those things?”

Before Lan Wu could answer yes or no, his voice suddenly turned cold.

“Reading such things, Lan Wu, have you no shame?”

Lan Wu flushed red with embarrassment. They were merely storybooks about romance, at most with some bold descriptions. Chu Mingheng himself had done far more shameless things to her—how could he have the nerve to say such a thing?

“Go find them yourself and burn them all.”

Chu Mingheng’s tone left no room for negotiation, yet Lan Wu remained motionless.

Lan Wu stubbornly held her ground, still extending her hand, even pushing it forward a little further, as if to say that if he struck her, he couldn’t burn her books.

Chu Mingheng lowered his gaze and looked indifferently at the hand insistently stretched out before him, then changed his mind.

He encircled Lan Wu’s wrist, meeting her gaze, and asked, “Are you truly asking for a beating?”

“Your Majesty…” Lan Wu called softly, “Please don’t strike this concubine.”

Lan Wu’s fingers curled downward, brushing against Chu Mingheng’s wrist, tracing slowly like the transparent wings of a dragonfly, lightly grazing the skin and bringing a tingling itch.

She was seducing Chu Mingheng.

And Chu Mingheng naturally saw through it.

As the night deepened, shadows cast on the wall intertwined. Sashes were untied, and garments fell inch by inch to the floor, until crisp slapping sounds echoed from the bed.

“Ah!” Lan Wu, both embarrassed and angry, tried to dodge everywhere, but held firmly by Chu Mingheng’s grip on her waist, she had nowhere to escape.

Chu Mingheng indeed didn’t use the Ruler, but the slaps against her skin brought a tingling pain, especially as they continued relentlessly.

Lan Wu covered her mouth to suppress her voice, softly pleading for mercy. Seeing it was useless, she grew stifled and aggrieved.

They were just some storybooks—why wouldn’t Chu Mingheng let her read them? It was her only pleasure. In her previous life, she had been bullied into a pitiful state, and in this life, she still had to obey him in everything.

But the reality was such: she could not defy the lofty imperial authority and the emperor’s might, so she could only make things easier for herself.

Lan Wu stopped crying out in pain, waiting until Chu Mingheng ceased. The two mounds of flesh were already burning hot, and without looking, she knew they were flushed red.

Chu Mingheng turned her over and saw her arms raised to cover her face, revealing only her crimson lips, marked with teeth imprints from when she had bitten down to stifle her cries earlier.

“Hands, lower them,” he commanded softly, leaning close to her ear.

As his words fell, Lan Wu’s arms gradually lowered, revealing a tear-streaked, weeping face.

Seeing this, Chu Mingheng clicked his tongue lightly, tilted her chin, and kissed her lips, finally relenting.

“Alright, if you want to watch, then watch. Just don’t let anyone catch you with any evidence.”

Lan Wu sobbed softly, only to have her legs parted once more by Chu Mingheng.

…

Lan Wu had no idea how she endured the entire night. It wasn’t until the next morning, when daylight filled the room, that she finally opened her eyes.

Chu Mingheng had already left for the morning court assembly, and the room was quiet and still.

Lan Wu felt a cool sensation on her bottom and knew without a doubt that Chu Mingheng had applied medicine for her.

Buried under the covers, she still felt uncomfortable all over, with a faint, lingering ache in her lower abdomen.

Wrapped in the quilt, she closed her eyes again and drifted back to sleep without realizing it.

By the time Lian Xi entered the palace to wake her, it was nearly noon.

Even after her extra sleep, Lan Wu’s spirits were still low. She sat dazedly on the soft chair as the palace maids helped her wash, dress, and prepare for the day.

“What day is it today?”

“Your Highness, it is the second day of the fifth month.”

Lan Wu calculated in her mind and realized her monthly cycle was due around this time. No wonder her lower abdomen felt uncomfortable—she had thought it was because Chu Mingheng had been too rough with her the previous night, leaving her sore.

Lan Wu silently grumbled to herself, her expression growing complicated as she recalled the intimate events of the previous night on the bed.

“Your Highness, His Majesty said—” Lian Xi began, only to stop short when she saw Lan Wu suddenly look up at her.

“What did His Majesty say?” Lan Wu asked, still somewhat tense.

Lian Xi quickly finished her sentence: “His Majesty said he won’t be coming for dinner tonight and asked you to dine alone.”

Not coming for dinner?

Lan Wu breathed a sigh of relief. That meant Chu Mingheng wouldn’t be visiting Longyu Pavilion tonight.

With so many imperial concubines, even if he didn’t come to Longyu Pavilion, he could easily go elsewhere. It wasn’t as if she held his exclusive favor now.

Even though she understood this rationally, the thought still left her feeling uneasy—physically uncomfortable, and even more so emotionally.

Being an emperor truly is wonderful.

But then Lan Wu reconsidered—at least Chu Mingheng wouldn’t be tormenting her today.

As soon as she stepped out beyond the screen in the Inner Palace, Lan Wu noticed a dark wooden box placed on the low table by the soft couch.

“What is that?” she asked, walking over to it.

Lian Xi glanced over and replied, “Your Highness, I don’t know. It was already there this morning.”

Lan Wu opened the box, caught sight of the ruler inside, and slammed it shut with a loud thud.

“When was this delivered? Why wasn’t I informed?” She turned to question Lian Xi, determined to get to the bottom of it.

Lian Xi had only caught a fleeting glimpse and hadn’t seen what was inside. Hearing Lan Wu’s question, she snapped back to attention, thought carefully, and remembered. “This was delivered on the day Eunuch Chen came to our palace to announce the imperial decree. It was mixed in with the gifts His Majesty sent. The palace servants didn’t dare place it carelessly, so they left it on the antique shelf in the Inner Palace.”

No wonder she hadn’t been informed—it had been delivered on the day she moved into Longyu Pavilion. With so many things to organize that day, she hadn’t noticed it.

“Your Highness, is there something wrong with this item?” Lian Xi asked, puzzled.

Lan Wu shook her head. She wanted to tell Lian Xi to lock it away in the storeroom, but the words died on her lips.

What if Chu Mingheng later asked for the ruler and she couldn’t produce it? Who knew what consequences that might bring.

“Find an inconspicuous corner to store it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The events of the previous night in the Imperial Garden had already spread by morning.

Lady Liu… oh no, now she’s Cairen Liu. She died cleanly and swiftly. Early the next morning, the palace consorts went one by one to inquire and were all startled to learn that Your Majesty had ordered the execution to be carried out in the Imperial Garden.

Lan Wu reckoned that the path near Xu Garden would likely be avoided for quite some time.