Cultivation Simulator: Starting From The Empress' Palace

”No.” Cao Xiyue quickly stopped Zhu’Er. If Zhu’Er went to fetch it, there would inevitably be inquiries. If the scandal of her wetting the bed got exposed, even if her husband treated her well, she wouldn’t want to live anymore.

”But...” Zhu’Er wanted to say something, but Cao Xiyue hurriedly said, ”The Prince has already asked someone to bring a new quilt early in the morning, so you don’t need to worry about it.”

Zhu’Er nodded slowly, then shrank her neck and whispered in Cao Xiyue’s ear, ”Miss, did the Prince hurt you in the bridal chamber?”

Though Zhu’Er was Cao Xiyue’s maid, she had served her for many years, and the two were quite close in private, occasionally sharing small jokes.

Cao Xiyue’s face turned crimson instantly as she couldn’t help but recall last night.

Could it not hurt? She almost fainted from the pain.

Cao Xiyue nodded gently.

Seeing this, a hint of shyness appeared in Zhu’Er’s eyes. As Cao Xiyue’s personal maid, she also had a chance of being favored by Prince Zhen Nan, so whether the Prince was gentle or not somewhat concerned her too.

”By the way, Miss.”

Zhu’Er glanced around, then pulled Cao Xiyue into the bridal chamber and whispered, ”Miss, do you know how many wives and concubines the Prince has?”

”Seven, counting yesterday, there should be ten.” Cao Xiyue had knowledge of Chen Mo.

”Not just that.” Zhu’Er glanced at the window plastered with the word ’happiness’, and said, ”Ten is just the public number. There are many who haven’t entered the household but are still the Prince’s women.”

”Who did you hear this from?” Cao Xiyue frowned. She had heard rumors but hadn’t thought much of it.

”It was Sister Chun Lan who said it. The ones living in this backyard are all our masters whom we have to serve. I counted the rooms, and there are nearly a hundred.” Zhu’Er said.

”Many of these are empty.”

”I know, Sister Chun Lan mentioned, any room with words carved outside is occupied. I roughly counted, there might be as many as...” Zhu’Er raised two fingers and whispered, ”I heard the Queen of Loulan and the Empress Dowager of the Western Palace, as well as the queen’s concubines, all live in this backyard...”

Usually, Cao Xiyue enjoyed listening to such gossip. After all, as a young maiden yet unmarried, she couldn’t casually go out, so besides reading, these stories passed the time and brought some amusement.

But hearing this now made Cao Xiyue inexplicably angry. Since she had married in, she was the Prince’s wife and had the duty to uphold his reputation. The matter of the Empress Dowager of the Western Palace shouldn’t be spoken about recklessly, so she immediately chided:

”Mind your tongue.”

”Miss...” Zhu’Er was caught off guard by her sudden change of demeanor.

”Zhu’Er, I don’t care where you heard these things, but from now on, I hope you forget them all. If I hear you say these things again, I won’t be gentle.” Cao Xiyue said sternly.

This was the first time Zhu’Er had seen her mistress like this, and she was somewhat scared, regaining her sense of reverence.

...

”Who lives opposite?” Yue Yuxi was awakened by the sound of the changing guards. She got up, sat at the dressing table, and casually asked the female warrior who came to guard her.

The female warrior placed the prepared hot water on the table beside her and softly said, ”One of the three brides from yesterday, Lady Cao from Jianghe County.”

Yue Yuxi quickly did her hair, lifted her hand to open the window, and saw Cao Xiyue walking out of the bridal chamber with Zhu’Er. Seeing her lovely appearance, she couldn’t help but sigh, ”Another cabbage grazed by a pig.”

The female warrior made no response.

As if resigning to her fate as a bird in a cage, Yue Yuxi ruefully said, ”How long will you keep watching me? Even if my cultivation is sealed by that scoundrel and the Prince Zhen Nan guards so tightly, how could I escape?”

Living under constant supervision, even being followed to the latrine annoyed Yue Yuxi, prompting her to add, ”Why doesn’t that little wretch, the Moon Slave, have to be watched?”

The female warrior replied with the same response Yue Yuxi had grown weary of hearing, ”The Prince has his plans.”

”What exactly are his plans?” Yue Yuxi asked.

The female warrior did not respond.

”Fine, you’re impressive. Where’s that scoundrel now? I want to see him.” Yue Yuxi said.

The female warrior still did not respond.

Yue Yuxi tried a different tone: ”May I ask where Prince Zhen Nan is? I wish to see him.”

The female warrior finally spoke, ”I will convey your message to the Prince, and he will arrange for when to see you.”

Yue Yuxi felt on the verge of breaking down, ”I want to see that scoundrel right now.”

The female warrior remained silent.

Of course, this wasn’t the female warrior deciding on her own; it was how Chen Mo instructed them to behave.

Yue Yuxi tried hard to suppress her anger and forced a smile, saying, ”I... I kindly ask you, please quickly inform him that I wish to see him.”

The female warrior nodded, ”When Mu Yan comes to change shifts, I will go.”

Yue Yuxi: ”...”

...

In Ye Wanqiu’s room.

The three were still lazily asleep, undisturbed by the bustling sounds outside.

Until...

”Crash...”

The sound of a vase shattering on the ground woke the three on the bed.

Chen Mo was the first to wake, opened the curtains, and found it was Rice Ball who had climbed in through the window and accidentally knocked the vase off the table.

Rice Ball saw Chen Mo looking at it and realized it had caused trouble. Shrinking its non-visible chubby neck, it swiftly climbed onto the table, seemingly trying to escape through the window.

Chen Mo raised a hand, gesturing towards the window. As the window closed, Rice Ball crashed into the doorframe painfully, then rolled off the table to the floor. Thanks to its plump body, it wasn’t hurt.

Realizing it couldn’t escape through the window, it quickly tried climbing the column to reach the beam. Yet, after slipping down halfway several times, it hurriedly ran to the corner to hide and meowed for its owner to wake up and protect it.

The first thing Ye Wanqiu did upon waking wasn’t concern for Rice Ball but embarrassment over the current situation.

Because when she opened her eyes, she found herself embracing her husband, while Consort Yu embraced her, and Consort Yu was also awake.

After a moment, Consort Yu quickly let go of her.

Ye Wanqiu also hastily moved to Chen Mo’s side, holding onto his arm and burrowing into the quilt, revealing only her little face.

The two had once been consorts of the late emperor, neither favored. Now, lying openly on one bed beside the same man, how could it not be awkward?

Qi Nichang’s face flushed slightly, she gave Chen Mo a fierce look. It was this man’s perverse interest that led to such awkwardness; former imperial consorts now became such princess consorts, truly life is unpredictable...