Chapter 85: Completing the Painting
By the time Lan Wu saw Chu Mingheng again, it was nearly time for the evening meal.
Her storybook was gently pressed down, and his figure blocked her view.
“Your Majesty!” Lan Wu called out joyfully. “Has Your Majesty finished handling court affairs?”
Chu Mingheng did not appear particularly weary, but the cold gloom in his expression dissipated upon hearing Lan Wu call him. He gave a faint “hmm” in response, then lifted Lan Wu from her chair instead.
“Where is your painting?”
Mentioning that painting, Lan Wu retrieved it from the corner. Seeing him unroll it, she found it somewhat amusing. “How does Your Majesty still remember this? The moment you arrive, you come looking for this concubine to complete the painting.”
Chu Mingheng replied calmly, “I promised you.”
The painting was not difficult to complete, but the winding lines were somewhat abrupt, and the color was not the green of vines but rather the hue of the flowers Lan Wu had painted.
Watching him immediately pick up the brush, his movements flowed like clouds and water. In no time, he painted a butterfly resting on a flower.
What had been merely a painting for amusement now gained an elegant charm because of that butterfly.
Lan Wu felt somewhat disheartened.
She lowered her gaze, looking at the butterfly, then at the flowers she had painted. Only after Chu Mingheng set down his brush did she murmur softly, “You are not allowed to disturb my painting in the future.”
She thought to herself, even if Chu Mingheng were a prodigious genius, skilled and proficient in everything, he still must not disturb her painting—no matter how poorly she painted, she still loved it!
Chu Mingheng smiled, rolled up the painting, and had someone take it away.
Lan Wu tilted her head in confusion, reaching out to take it back, only to have her wrist caught midway by Chu Mingheng, who then lifted her onto his lap.
“What—what do you mean by this?” Lan Wu glared at him, both embarrassed and indignant. “You take away the paintings I make, and even those fabrics I embroidered poorly before. I wondered why I couldn’t find them, and when I asked Lian Qiao, she said someone from the Imperial Presence had ordered them taken away.”
“Are you provoking me!”
Taking away her paintings, taking away the flawed fabrics—tomorrow, would Chu Mingheng even have someone take away the clothes she had worn once?
Chu Mingheng raised an eyebrow slightly at Lan Wu’s use of the word “provoke.” His fingers moved gently, lightly pinching her soft palm as he said, “If I were to ‘provoke’ you, what would you do?”
“I—” Lan Wu began, then choked back her words. She looked at him, thought of something, and gave a light humph. “Then this concubine can do nothing about it. What can this concubine possibly do?”
However, by nighttime, Chu Mingheng learned Lan Wu’s method.
“It’s hot—don’t hold this concubine.” Lan Wu curled up slightly, shifting her position.
Chu Mingheng had only just touched her waist when she moved away, causing his expression to darken slightly.
“Attendants,” he called for the palace servants. “Fetch some ice.”
Lan Wu had just turned over. Hearing this, she pouted her lips a couple of times and silently glanced at the ice already placed beneath the bed.
Soon, more ice was brought.
“Not enough. Fetch more,” Chu Mingheng ordered calmly.
The attendant acknowledged the command and went to fetch more ice.
Only when the area around the bed had noticeably cooled did Chu Mingheng say it was enough.
He climbed onto the bed and saw Lan Wu already wrapped in the blanket. A faint smile touched his lips as he gently pulled it off her.
“Come here. I’ll hold you.”
Lan Wu’s nightgown hung loosely on her, the light blue gauze barely concealing her graceful figure. Her waist was slender and soft, her skin like white jade, lips like red cherries, nose small and delicate, eyes flashing with anger.
“I won’t hug you,” she said.
But her words were useless. Chu Mingheng flipped over and pressed her down, deftly removing her undergarments in a few motions.
Again?
Lan Wu anxiously clutched her clothes, feeling he was more terrifying than starved jackals or fierce tigers.
Soon, soft pleas for mercy could be heard from the bed.
…
“Didn’t you want to know where I put your things?” After bathing once more, Chu Mingheng held the nearly asleep Lan Wu, suddenly speaking to pique her curiosity.
Lan Wu had already drunk water to moisten her throat. Hearing this, she forced herself to stay awake, wanting to tell Chu Mingheng to hurry and tell her, but couldn’t overcome her drowsiness. She only murmured softly before falling asleep.
The next day, Lan Wu slept until nearly noon.
She heard Lian Xi tell her that something major had happened at court that morning.
Inside Jinghua Palace, Consort Li paced back and forth.
It had to be said, this was now the best opportunity—to completely defeat Consort Rou and crush her into the mud. This was the perfect chance.
She slowly exhaled and sat in her chair, listening as Yu Mei entered the hall to report.
“Your Highness, this morning at court, Minister Wang of the Dali Temple reported that the Minister of Works and the Vice Minister of Revenue conspired to embezzle the silver allocated by the court for repairing the Sanzhou Canal Embankment.”
“The evidence is conclusive.”
“Servants and imperial guards outside the hall today said His Majesty ordered… ordered their homes confiscated!”
The Minister of Works was from the Zeng family. The Zeng family had produced a Minister of Works, and with Consort Rou’s support in the rear palace, they were considered immensely glorious.
But no amount of glory could save them from seeking their own destruction.
Hearing this, Consort Li couldn’t help but want to laugh heartily. Usually, Consort Rou and Consort Shu shared the authority to assist in managing the six palaces, and over time, Consort Rou truly began to act as if she were the Empress, putting on a show of maternal benevolence. Seeing her today was truly laughable.
“Your Highness, that matter Imperial Physician Zheng mentioned…” Yu Mei reminded her quietly.
Consort Li calmed down somewhat and asked, “Has His Majesty said how Consort Rou will be dealt with?”
Yu Mei shook her head. “Replying to Your Highness, there is no news yet.”
“And Consort Rou?”
“Consort Rou is currently kneeling outside Taichen Palace. His Majesty hasn’t said whether he will see her.”
Consort Li scoffed lightly. “These women only know how to kneel before the Imperial Presence and cry. That Yue Zhaorong was a bit smarter, knowing to go find—”
Her voice halted, and her expression darkened.
Yue Zhaorong lowering herself to seek help from that little wretch Lan Wu was degrading, but His Majesty actually saw Yue Zhaorong the next day. It showed that little wretch really knew how to whisper in his ear.
“If Consort Rou has the ability, she can also seek help. However, now she faces imminent disaster.”
Consort Li curled her lips slightly, idly examining the nail polish on her fingers, then ordered someone to redo her makeup.
“Prepare. This consort will go to the Imperial Presence.”
Yu Mei trembled all over, understanding what she intended to do. She then lowered her head slightly and acknowledged the order.
That afternoon, Consort Li went before the Imperial Presence, seeking His Majesty’s judgment.
“Tell me, what judgment do you seek from me?” Chu Mingheng appeared somewhat indifferent, sweeping a glance over Consort Li below.
Consort Li shivered all over, feeling a chill.
She did not dwell on that, speaking anxiously, “Your Majesty trusted this concubine, allowing me to assist Sister Consort Shu in managing the six palaces. I naturally gave my utmost effort. Yet, who could have expected… who could have expected that when I showed concern for Sister Consort Rou’s health and specially invited Imperial Physician Zheng from the Imperial Medical Academy into the palace, he told me that Sister Consort Rou intended to confuse the royal bloodline, begging me to report this to Your Majesty.”
“Only then did I learn… in Sister Consort Rou’s palace, there is a kind of medicine that, when taken by a woman, can produce signs of pregnancy, and even imperial physicians cannot diagnose it… It seems Sister Consort Rou used this method to… deceive Your Majesty. I implore Your Majesty to make a just decision—”