Chapter 38: Falling into the Lake During a Boat Excursion

For the next five days, Chu Mingheng did not enter the rear palace.

Not only did he not enter the rear palace, but he also did not meet with Lan Wu.

Lan Wu was still somewhat bewildered. Only after several days passed did she belatedly realize that Chu Mingheng was dissatisfied with her. But to be fair, Lan Wu felt she had already suffered enough grievances. Chu Mingheng had even struck her, yet he was still not satisfied. Did he truly want her to burn those storybooks she used to relieve boredom?

Moreover, hadn’t he already said she could read them? Why was he still treating her so coldly?

Before she could ponder further, a sudden sharp pain in her lower abdomen made her gasp. Her monthly cycle had not yet arrived, but it was likely within the next few days.

This kind of pain wouldn’t kill her, but it was uncomfortable—a dull ache that occasionally flared up intensely. On severe days, she would feel listless all day, with even the slightest movement causing pain.

In her previous life, she had also suffered greatly from this pain. A Court Physician from the Imperial Medical Academy had spent over half a year nursing her back to health, and just as she was beginning to improve, everything had returned to its original state.

Thinking of this, Lan Wu felt somewhat annoyed, yet there was little she could do. She had slept in later that morning, and upon rising, she noticed a soreness in her lower back as well.

Just as she was about to summon someone to request an Imperial Physician to prepare some medicine for prevention—even if it couldn’t cure her completely, it would at least ease the pain and prevent her from becoming utterly exhausted—a young palace maid entered the hall to report: “My Lady, Lady Roufei says the weather is fine today with little wind, and she invites the ladies to go boating on Bì Wēi Lake.”

Lan Wu frowned but did not immediately decline. Instead, she asked, “Who else is going?”

“Replying to My Lady, Lady Shufei has said she will not attend. Zhaoyi Wen and Lady Xiuyi Bai are also not going. Lady Roufei said it would be better not to have too many people, so she only invited ladies of the rank of Beauty and above. However, Beauty Rong has also said she will attend.”

Hearing this, Lan Wu raised an eyebrow.

She calculated in her mind—the number of attendees was indeed not small, and with Beauty Rong added to the list… Was Consort Rou trying to win over Beauty Rong?

Consort Rou’s move was somewhat reasonable. After all, with Cairen Liu having passed away just a few days prior, the atmosphere in the rear palace had become eerily somber. Fear of imperial authority was one thing, but fear of the schemes within the rear palace was another.

Although Your Majesty had not entered the rear palace, the concubines could not remain in such a state of silence forever. They were accustomed to finding their own amusements.

Yet Lan Wu knew all too well that this life was different from the last. She could not rely on her memories from her previous life to navigate this entirely new situation.

This was rather troublesome.

Lan Wu rubbed her lower abdomen, wondering whether she would be mocked by that group of women and labeled as a seductive concubine with lofty ambitions if she did not attend.

Let them talk—she had heard such words, and even worse, before.

But then she thought of Chu Mingheng.

If these unfavorable rumors about her kept reaching Chu Mingheng’s ears, even if he did not believe them, hearing them repeatedly would surely annoy him.

Lan Wu feared nothing more than him growing annoyed with her.

Forget it—she would behave herself a little more recently.

Lan Wu called Lian Xi in and asked her to redo her makeup and hairstyle.

“I want to wear that silver-woven peacock green skirt. Just make sure I look beautiful,” Lan Wu said, her spirits lifting at the thought of making a striking appearance.

Hearing her words, Lian Xi couldn’t help but smile. Gently combing her hair, she replied with a light laugh, “Yes, I will certainly make My Lady the most beautiful.”

The peacock green dress Lan Wu mentioned was thinner than spring attire, yet not as cool and sheer as summer fabrics. When the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau delivered the finished garment to her, Lan Wu was immediately captivated by its beauty. Unfortunately, the timing had never been right, and she hadn’t had the chance to wear it out—until today, which happened to be perfect.

Consort Rou had scheduled the lake excursion for after noon. The imperial concubines arrived from their respective palaces, and the weather was indeed pleasant—occasional gentle breezes and a sun that wasn’t too harsh.

By the time Lan Wu arrived, the lakeside was already crowded with people, each dressed in bright and dazzling attire. Yet, as Lan Wu stepped forward in her green dress, all eyes instantly turned to her.

There was no denying it—Lan Wu’s face was exceptionally beautiful. As a former dancer, her figure was also graceful. Now adorned with luxurious clothing and jewelry, her beauty became even more striking, drawing involuntary glances from others. Moments later, however, they would reluctantly turn their attention back to themselves, feeling a sense of dissatisfaction.

Lan Wu made a grand entrance among the crowd. Though inwardly annoyed by the familiar faces, she showed no sign of it. After paying her respects to the higher-ranking concubines, she stood aside and waited.

Beauty Rong wore a crimson embroidered lotus-patterned dress with bud-shaped earrings dangling from her ears. She had just paid her respects to Lan Wu as well. Setting aside her complicated feelings, she had to admit that Lan Wu was truly stunning—no wonder His Majesty doted on her so much.

Consort Rou arrived neither early nor late. Once she was present, the imperial concubines prepared to board the small boats.

As luck would have it, Lan Wu ended up on the same boat as Beauty Rong.

Also on the boat was Zhaorong Yun from Qǐ Wén Hall.

Since the boats were small and each concubine brought along her personal palace maid, there wasn’t much room. At most, only three concubines could fit on one boat.

When Zhaorong Yun saw the two who boarded, her heart sank.

If possible, she really didn’t want to be on this boat. One was His Majesty’s new favorite, the other his former favorite—and now they were sitting together on the same boat. Would something happen later?

Zhaorong Yun wasn’t the only one thinking this; both Lan Wu and Beauty Rong were on guard as well.

Bì Wēi Lake was vast, its surface calm. Many small boats glided across the water, and quietly enjoying the scenery while sipping tea was truly a delightful experience.

When it was time to return to shore after circling the lake, Lan Wu’s boat lagged behind, waiting its turn to dock.

The palace maid behind Beauty Rong replaced her cup with a fresh pot of hot tea.

It was then that Lan Wu noticed this maid was unfamiliar.

Oh, right—she remembered. In this lifetime, because Beauty Rong had vomited blood that night and called Chu Mingheng away, her personal maid, Wang Qiu, had been beaten to death for misspeaking.

Lan Wu glanced at the maid and smiled carelessly. “Sister Rong’s maid is truly attentive. You really know how to train your servants.”

Beauty Rong slowly raised her eyes, then quickly lowered them again, smiling as well. “Sister Zhen flatters me. Zhi Lan has always been thoughtful by nature—it’s not my doing.”

Hearing her words, Lan Wu’s smile faltered slightly. “Oh, Zhi Lan…”

She drew out the name, looking at the maid as she asked, “Which characters are those?”

Zhi Lan knelt before her, cautiously glancing at Beauty Rong. Seeing no objection, she replied, “Replying to Jieyu, this servant’s name uses the character for ‘sesame’ and the character for ‘orchid’…”

Lan Wu nodded, scoffed lightly, and asked again, “Was that always your name?”

Zhi Lan cautiously glanced at Beauty Rong once more, not daring to respond this time, only shaking her head stiffly.

Lan Wu thought Beauty Rong was truly capable of being disgusting. Reading books and painting all day—who knew what she was even looking at? Noble and pure in spirit? It was truly laughable.

Zhaorong Yun, who had been watching this scene unfold clearly from the side, said nothing. Aside from responding when the two greeted her, she remained silent the entire time. Seeing that the two might come to blows, she quickly ordered the palace attendants to steer the boat toward the shore.

Once the boat steadied, she was the first to disembark.

Lan Wu glanced at Beauty Rong, holding back her anger and planning to find an opportunity to vent once they were off the boat.

As she stood up, Beauty Rong was also helped to her feet by the palace attendants. The group stood at the bow of the boat, with the attendants beside Lan Wu supporting her as she prepared to step ashore.

Just then, the boat suddenly rocked, as if swayed by wind-whipped waves.

Those on board were already standing, and now they lost their balance even more.

Lan Wu felt herself being shoved by a force and was on the verge of falling into the water. Her heart tightened, and instinctively, she turned and pushed the person who had bumped into her away, regaining her footing.

With a loud splash of something heavy hitting the water, Lan Wu heard the people around her shouting, “Beauty Rong has fallen into the water—”