Chapter 57: Your Majesty’s

After the heavy rain, Lan Wu stayed in the Imperial Study and refused to leave.

She climbed down from Chu Mingheng and walked toward the window. From this window, she could vaguely see the direction of the main gate. As soon as she opened it, she spotted Consort Shu standing far away under the corridor, watching this way.

Lan Wu met her gaze, but the distance was too great—she couldn’t tell whether Consort Shu could see the expression on her face.

Whether she could see or not, it didn’t matter.

Remembering Consort Shu’s disdainful look earlier, Lan Wu opened the window wider and lightly spat in the direction of the figure outside.

The sound was soft, but after she did it, she saw Consort Shu pointing at her, clearly having noticed her mischief.

Lan Wu felt smug, thinking she couldn’t possibly enter, and lifted her head haughtily.

Just then, Chu Mingheng’s voice came from behind.

“What are you spitting at? Come here quickly.”

Lan Wu turned around and returned to Chu Mingheng’s side, noticing the painting paper on the table, with ink and brushes already prepared for her.

She frowned unhappily, thinking to herself how could Chu Mingheng be like this? He had previously said her paintings were ugly, yet now he was asking her to paint again.

“What should this concubine paint?”

Chu Mingheng pointed to the flowers placed beside the antique shelf.

Lan Wu looked surprised and puzzled. Last time, when she painted grapes from a reference, Chu Mingheng had criticized her. This time, he wasn’t even letting her copy—she had to paint directly from real objects.

How did Chu Mingheng suddenly have such high expectations of her?

“That painting of grapes you did…” Chu Mingheng mused casually, “Upon closer inspection, it does have a certain elegance. I’ve already had it framed and stored in my treasury.”

Lan Wu turned to look at Chu Mingheng, feeling a mix of shock, anger, embarrassment, and shame as she exclaimed, “How dare you steal this concubine’s belongings!”

“How insolent.” Chu Mingheng, accused of being a thief, was taken aback for a moment before quickly regaining his composure. “When did I ever take your things?”

“Just now… didn’t you say it yourself…” Lan Wu thought he was trying to deny it and pointed at the painting paper on the table. “You said it—this concubine’s painting of grapes, you took it, had it framed, and stored it away—”

Lan Wu’s face grew warm.

Chu Mingheng nodded and asked unhurriedly, “Whose paper is this?”

“…Your Majesty’s.”

“Whose ink and brushes are these?”

Lan Wu puffed out her cheeks and reluctantly repeated, “Also Your Majesty’s.”

“So whose painting is it?”

Lan Wu didn’t answer but glanced up at him.

Chu Mingheng raised his voice, humming in response, and leaned closer to Lan Wu, his expression turning slightly stern. “I’m asking you, whose is it?”

Lan Wu angrily lowered her head, pursed her lips, and replied, “Your Majesty’s, Your Majesty’s. Your Majesty can take it all.”

She looked utterly impatient.

Chu Mingheng placed one hand on her waist and used the other to pinch her cheek, turning her head toward him. He spoke softly, “You were so obedient when you were acting coy and asking me for jewels, but now you won’t let me take a single piece of your painting paper?”

“A’Wu, who taught you to be like this?”

“Have I been too lenient for too long…”

Sensing he was about to say something unpleasant, Lan Wu stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, cutting off his words.

Chu Mingheng remained unmoved, releasing her and waiting for her to come to him on her own.

It took quite a while of kissing before Chu Mingheng’s bad temper finally subsided.

Lan Wu leaned against his shoulder, breathing deeply.

“Paint a few more, and I’ll have them all stored away.” Chu Mingheng spoke in a coaxing tone.

Lan Wu was still putting on airs. She placed her hand in front of him, palm open, and said, “This concubine’s hands are delicate. Doesn’t Your Majesty feel sorry for them?”

Her hand was caught and kissed, the warm, soft touch upon her fingers making her feel as if the thunder that had just roared in the sky had struck her body, sending a tingling sensation coursing through her limbs and leaving her even more flustered.

Lan Wu nearly jumped up, hurriedly pulling her hand back, her ears turning red as she changed her tone: “Alright then, this concubine will paint one.”

She stepped away from Chu Mingheng and stood before the table, glancing back from time to time.

Chu Mingheng stood behind her, having given up his seat so she could sit and paint.

Lan Wu was familiar with that spot, but she wasn’t particularly keen on sitting—she wasn’t as tall as Chu Mingheng, and the table and chair weren’t suited for her.

“Sit on my lap?”

Lan Wu flushed with embarrassment and annoyance: “This concubine would never.”

She took the painting paper to the seat below and sat there to paint.

So absorbed was she in her work that she didn’t notice Chu Mingheng watching her, a faint smile lingering in his eyes.

Three days later, the doors of Qiushui Pavilion opened, and Jia Pin went to visit.

Jia Pin was the head of Changying Hall and had previously visited Rong Shuyi, only to be turned away—a fact known to all. This time, however, she was not refused entry as before.

At the same time, Lan Wu learned some other news from Court Physician Chen.

“She stopped taking the medicine?”

Court Physician Chen nodded, though her expression held an indescribable meaning: “A few days ago, Imperial Physician Xu stopped delivering medicine to Qiushui Pavilion. I saw Rong Shuyi’s medical records and found that the pulse readings and symptoms recorded there were not consistent with a miscarriage.”

She shouldn’t have been able to see those records, but somehow, Imperial Physician Xu had coincidentally left them behind, allowing her to read them before he returned to retrieve them.

Reflecting on this, Chen Li looked at Zhen Shuyi before her and could roughly guess who the medical records were intended for.

Lan Wu furrowed her brows, her expression serious as she waited for Chen Li to continue.

“Rong Shuyi’s pulse readings do not indicate a miscarriage… Although they closely resemble the symptoms after a miscarriage, there are a few differences. It seems more like a depletion of qi and blood, with an underlying cold condition, making it difficult for her to conceive again.” After finishing her explanation, Chen Li waited patiently.

Lan Wu’s brows remained tightly knit, her teeth clenched. After a long pause, she asked in a low voice, “Are you certain she didn’t have a miscarriage?”

“This is a grave matter concerning the imperial lineage.”

Chen Li hurriedly nodded in agreement: “This humble official would not dare to speak recklessly.”

Hearing this, Lan Wu’s face turned cold as she slammed her fist hard against the table.

So that was it—no wonder something that hadn’t happened in her previous life had suddenly changed.

She had suspected that Rong Shuyi might not have been pregnant at all, but she also thought she wouldn’t dare to go that far—after all, it concerned the imperial heir. How could she have the audacity?

No wonder Chu Mingheng had ordered daily deliveries to Qiushui Pavilion to torment her—it was because of the deception.

Well done, she had even fooled her. Although Lan Wu felt she hadn’t been wrong to push her that time, she had still believed, in her ignorance, that she had blood on her hands and had initially overthought the matter.

So there had never been such a thing at all!

Lan Wu’s chest heaved deeply, her anger still unquelled. Rong Shuyi’s feigned pregnancy and miscarriage had dragged her into the mess. Even though Chu Mingheng had ultimately taken her side and called it an accident, she was still left with the bad reputation of having pushed someone into the water and caused a miscarriage.

What an undeserved calamity.

“I will expose her, I must expose her—”

After gritting her teeth and uttering these words, Lan Wu suddenly thought of something.

Chu Mingheng had later learned of this matter but had not dealt with it, only punishing Rong Shuyi in this way. Did that mean the false pregnancy had another mastermind behind it?

She instantly calmed down.

If both she and Rong Shuyi had been manipulated and used, the one most likely to have orchestrated this was probably Consort Rou, right?

After all, it was Consort Rou who had invited everyone to the lake that day and had specifically asked Rong Shuyi to come.

The arrangement of who would be on the small boat was also Consort Rou’s doing.

Thinking about it this way, she had truly gone to great lengths to put on this spectacle for everyone to see.