Chapter 99: I Just Want to Run
Consort Li immediately fell silent, realizing she had spoken impulsively and carelessly in the heat of the moment. She knelt at once, bowing her head to beg for mercy.
Chu Mingheng paid her no attention.
As for Lan Wu, she quietly took two more steps back, having already grasped Chu Mingheng’s temper well enough to know what not to say at such a moment.
“And where do you think you’re running off to?”
Chu Mingheng noticed she had let go of his hand and was hiding, nearly laughing in exasperation. If not for the inappropriate setting, he would have made Lan Wu regret that single move.
Lan Wu immediately grew alert, gently tugging at his sleeve and whispering, “I’m not running… Your Majesty, please don’t be angry…”
She hadn’t been trying to run at all. Chu Mingheng was being unreasonable and throwing a tantrum for no reason.
Chu Mingheng lowered his gaze, glancing sidelong at her but saying nothing. Instead, he pulled Lan Wu in front of him and, with a slight force, pressed her onto the seat.
“Someone, take this thing farther away.”
He was referring to the burnt clothing on the floor. The clothes were not completely burned, and the fire had long been extinguished, but the hall was filled with the smell of scorched fabric. Even the incense burning in the hall couldn’t mask the odor.
Several palace maids hurried forward to move the clothing away.
Chu Mingheng sat down on the seat beside Lan Wu, his gaze sweeping across the room until it landed on the palace maid kneeling beside Consort Li.
Though she was dressed as a palace maid, she didn’t quite look like one. She wore the attire of a maid, but her hair was styled beautifully.
“You, come forward and explain this matter clearly from start to finish.”
Chu Mingheng pointed directly at Pan Xi.
Consort Li’s heart leaped with joy, and she instinctively glanced at Lan Wu.
However, from her vantage point, Lan Wu was blocked by His Majesty, so she couldn’t see Lan Wu’s expression.
Was His Majesty randomly calling on Pan Xi to answer? If not, did that mean he had some impression of Pan Xi as well? Indeed, Pan Xi had appeared before him last time in the Imperial Presence. Though His Majesty had shown no outward reaction, perhaps he found Pan Xi attractive?
Upon hearing this, Pan Xi knelt and kowtowed before recounting the events in detail.
She was neither timid nor arrogant, simply stating the facts as she knew them.
But she said too much.
Consort Li, listening from the side, grew increasingly uneasy.
A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead as she subtly tried to signal Pan Xi with her eyes. Unfortunately, Pan Xi was too engrossed in her earnest and methodical explanation to notice.
Just as Pan Xi was about to mention how Consort Li had deliberately kept the dress, knowing it originally belonged to Lan Wu, and then bestowed it upon her to wear, Consort Li suddenly began to sob softly. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears she had finally managed to squeeze out.
“Your Majesty, it is all this concubine’s fault. This concubine was wrong in every way for allowing the palace maids to mistakenly take Sister Zhen’s clothing.”
“But the clothing had already been worn by this concubine. This concubine thought that Sister Zhen, being so cherished and adored, would surely be displeased. This concubine dared not even wear the dress in front of Sister Zhen, so I ordered the palace maids to take it away and store it.”
“But this palace maid misunderstood for a moment, thinking this concubine had bestowed the dress upon her.”
“When Sister Zhen came over, a misunderstanding arose, and she lost her temper, threatening to burn down this concubine’s Jinghua Palace.”
Consort Li spoke pitifully, her head bowed low, appearing deeply humiliated. “It is all this concubine’s fault.”
Lan Wu found the whole scene rather amusing.
Although she believed Chu Mingheng would surely favor her and naturally trust her, she couldn’t allow Consort Li to tarnish her reputation like this—her reputation wasn’t great to begin with, yet Consort Li still dared to slander her.
A more aggrieved and sorrowful sob rose from behind Chu Mingheng’s side, accompanied by soft sniffles and whimpers, slowly refuting Consort Li:
“Sister Consort Li may dislike this concubine, but you cannot… cannot deceive Your Majesty…”
“This concubine sent someone to investigate where the gown had gone this afternoon, and it wasn’t until dusk that a palace maid came to report back.”
“Even if Sister Consort Li liked the gown, you shouldn’t have taken this concubine’s and not returned it. Even if it’s been worn, this concubine wouldn’t mind. As Sister Consort Li said, what fine things has this concubine ever seen…”
Lan Wu wiped her tears, but her vision quickly blurred again with weeping.
Chu Mingheng reached out to wipe her tears, but she subtly and swiftly avoided his touch, determined to play this act to the fullest.
A beauty in tears was meant to evoke pity. Even if Lan Wu were in the wrong, her weeping would make others reluctant to criticize her, let alone when she hadn’t committed any grave offense.
“Moreover, Sister Consort Li gave away this concubine’s gown as a reward as she pleased—where does that leave this concubine…? And now you fabricate lies here, calling it a misunderstanding?”
Lan Wu wiped the tears from her face, her eyes red as she threw herself into Chu Mingheng’s embrace, calling out to him: “Your Majesty—what misunderstanding could there be? She looks down on this concubine, that’s why she bullies me…”
“Aunt Dan Shan said this concubine’s dignity is also Your Majesty’s dignity, so this concubine came to seek justice. Sister Consort Li looks down on this concubine, and she looks down on Your Majesty too, wuwu—”
Lan Wu cried until her eyelashes were wet with tears, her thick, dark, and upturned lashes clinging together, glistening and pitiable.
Finally, she lifted her head to glance at Chu Mingheng’s expression, then pointed a trembling finger at Consort Li, repeating the last line slightly louder: “Your Majesty, she looks down on you—”
“This concubine did not!” Consort Li’s face turned pale with fright. Trembling, she stepped forward to slap Lan Wu’s hand away, but Lan Wu dodged quickly, retreating back into Chu Mingheng’s embrace.
Consort Li gritted her teeth in fury, thinking to herself that this vile woman was always skilled at using seductive tricks.
But now was not the time for such thoughts.
Consort Li knelt on her knees before Chu Mingheng, hastily defending herself: “How would this concubine dare disrespect Your Majesty? It was clearly Zhen Zhaorong who—”
Chu Mingheng spoke in a low, measured tone: “Enough.”
He had seen enough of this farce.
As his words fell, Lan Wu emerged from his embrace, turning aside on her own without a word, waiting for him to deliver his judgment.
“By decree: Consort Li has abused her authority, shown contempt for imperial grace, and disrupted the palace order. She is hereby fined three months’ stipend, demoted to Noble Consort, stripped of her authority to assist in managing the six palaces, as a warning to others.”
Before the words were even finished, Consort Li felt a chill run through her body. Her eyes wide with shock, she stared disbelievingly at the emperor, murmuring softly: “…Your Majesty…”
Chu Mingheng regarded her coldly, then turned his gaze to Lan Wu, who had fallen silent, and continued: “Zhen Zhaorong is confined to her quarters for half a month and must copy the palace regulations.”
Lan Wu’s eyes widened, the tears she had shed earlier still glistening in them. When she looked at Chu Mingheng in stunned silence, she appeared utterly innocent.
Only when she saw the unyielding coldness in Chu Mingheng’s expression, with no intention of retracting his orders, did she lower her head in grievance. Following the palace attendants’ prompting, she accepted the decree and expressed her gratitude.
After leaving Jinghua Palace, Lan Wu’s steps gradually slowed. She glanced at Aunt Dan Shan beside her, then looked ahead at Chu Mingheng.
Before she could speak, Chu Mingheng turned around, strode forward, and grabbed Lan Wu’s wrist, though his words were directed at Dan Shan.
“You indulge her too much.”
Dan Shan, however, frowned slightly. Seeing Lan Wu trapped in his embrace and unable to break free, she bowed slightly, neither submissive nor arrogant, and said, “This servant only wished to make Her Ladyship happy.”
Chu Mingheng’s expression grew even colder. “From now on, don’t let her run around as she pleases.”
Dan Shan disagreed with his words, but before she could speak, Lan Wu broke free and lost her temper. “I have legs, so I will run! Don’t you dare try to control me!”