Chu Ran was somewhat startled by Xu Ying's "bold" words, once again withdrawing his hand. He never expected that the once high-and-mighty Empress would speak such brazen words in front of him.

Tilting his head, Chu Ran blushed and said, "Your Majesty, you are drunk. You should return to rest."

"Does Your Highness think I am being too wanton or shameless?"

"No."

"Really? Your Highness shouldn't feel embarrassed. Sometimes I also think I'm shameless."

Xu Ying stood up, with her back to Chu Ran, and said, "But as of now, I'm no longer the high-and-mighty Empress, nor the Prime Minister's daughter with power over the Court. I'm merely a female musician degraded to the status of a slave, barely surviving in the Copper Sparrow Garden."

As she spoke, Xu Ying turned around to look at Chu Ran and continued, "If I had never stood on the mountain peak overlooking everything, I might just muddle through the rest of my life.

But to think that the peak I once tread upon now requires me to look up in awe, how cruel that is. How could I accept it willingly?"

Xu Ying bent down, raised her hand to caress Chu Ran's face, and said seriously, "Since Your Highness has served Duke An, you probably wouldn't want to be an unnamed mistress whose children would be considered bastards, right?

The Emperor, on a whim, favors a palace maid, and the next day, he grants her the rank of Liangren. Are we not even worth a palace maid?"

These words truly struck Chu Ran's heart.

Indeed, if I had never served Chen Mo, living namelessly in the Copper Sparrow Garden all my life would be fine.

But having served him, to continue living a nameless life would be in vain.

Seeing the change in Chu Ran's expression, Xu Ying continued, "And to change this situation, we can only gain Duke An's favor.

But with so many women for Duke An, even serving them isn't enough. His visits to the Copper Sparrow Garden are rare, and if, by chance, he comes and one of us is unwell, without prior coordination, it would just be taken advantage of by Madam Xiao and the others..."

As she spoke, Xu Ying suddenly leaned close to Chu Ran's ear and said, "And during the times I've served Duke An, I've learned what he likes, particularly how much he values our former identities.

If every time Duke An comes, Your Highness and I serve him together..., we wouldn't have to worry about not capturing Duke An's heart."

At this moment, Chu Ran's previously flawless face turned as red as the lanterns outside, and his voice trembled slightly, "Your Majesty... please stop."

Xu Ying suddenly embraced Chu Ran, murmuring softly, "Your Highness, do you know? Every time Duke An holds me, he would use his hands..."

Chu Ran wanted to push Xu Ying away, but found his body weak and soft.

Seeing Xu Ying's "affectionate" gaze, Chu Ran felt that if this continued, the two would end up embracing and kissing.

"But I... promised Auntie." Chu Ran said.

Xu Ying was taken aback, knowing she referred to Xiao Yunxi, and then her eyes lit up, "That's even better, then we can..."

Chu Ran: "..."

She dared not even imagine this scene.

...

The occupied Prince Chong's Mansion.

Once she adapted, the flush on Yue Ruyan's face gradually faded away.

The quilt on the bed was piled high, and she lay prone on it, her delicate eyebrows furrowing before relaxing, her eyes half-open, filled with a seductive charm. Every now and then, she'd turn back and say, "When do you plan to march?"

"The third day. Let the army rest for two more days and properly experience the New Year's atmosphere." Chen Mo said as he tidied Yue Ruyan's sweat-damp hair from her face, adding, "Fortunately, this southward expedition to support the King brought winter clothes with the logistics, otherwise we'd have to wait until spring."

Yue Ruyan's delicate body trembled slightly, and with a gentle "hmm," she said, "Didn't you also seize a batch of winter supplies in Chongzhou?"

Chen Mo nodded.

"It's strange, isn't it? The South feels colder than the North..." Yue Ruyan said in confusion.

"The South is humid cold, and the North is dry cold." Chen Mo casually replied.

"?" Yue Ruyan didn't quite understand. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

This was something Chen Mo had heard from elders in his past life, and he hadn't delved into the scientific principles, so he couldn't explain it to Yue Ruyan. Instead, he just brushed it off casually and then asked, "Ruyan, do you want children?"

Yue Ruyan had been with him for a while, yet there was no movement from her belly.

Nearby, Xia Zhining, who was resting but not asleep, turned to her side, her eyes slightly open and ears perked up upon hearing this.

After a moment of deep thought, Yue Ruyan replied, "Not right now."

After saying that, fearing Chen Mo might misunderstand, she explained, "The current situation is still quite chaotic, with court traitors not dealt with and the Jin Xia Barbarians in the North eyeing us covetously. I want to stay by your side and help you. If I were to become pregnant, I couldn't help."

However, despite saying this, the two never took any contraceptive measures when together, simply "going with the flow."

"If that's the case, let's continue as we have been. If you become pregnant, then focus on nurturing the child." Chen Mo originally thought if Yue Ruyan wanted children now, he would have Nalan Yiren take a look. Since she doesn't want them for now, he decided not to involve Nalan Yiren in any diagnosis yet.

Saying this, Chen Mo looked at the eavesdropping Xia Zhining and smiled, "Stop pretending, I know you're listening and also want children. Tomorrow, I'll have Miss Nalan help take a look."

After that, Chen Mo said no more and focused all his attention on Yue Ruyan.

…

New Year's Day.

The First Day of the First Month, The Third Year of Yong'an.

Prince Chong's Mansion was sparsely populated.

Chen Mo called Nalan Yiren to join them for breakfast.

Nalan Yiren wasn't wearing her black robe, but instead, a dark blue top with plain trousers below, showing a few wear marks from daily labor, her long hair simply pinned with a wooden hairpin, without any bamboo baskets or various bottles and jars.

This "refreshing" appearance made the three of them brighten up.

"Miss Nalan, you look much prettier this way compared to before." Chen Mo said with a smile.

But Nalan Yiren's eyes were a bit evasive, although she secretly breathed a sigh of relief, glad he didn't mention last night's events.

Breakfast was meat porridge and white steamed buns.

It seemed simple.

But in these chaotic times, it was quite sumptuous.

Since Nalan Yiren's half-face mask didn't cover her mouth, she didn't remove it while eating breakfast.

Chen Mo, without feeling embarrassed, directly asked, "Miss Nalan, I have something to ask."

Nalan Yiren, without raising her head, responded while drinking meat porridge, "I'm listening."

"Many times, I've shared a bed with Zhining, yet she hasn't gotten pregnant. I initially suspected it might be an issue with her or my health, but that's not the case, as other wives and concubines of mine have conceived. Why is this?" Chen Mo asked.

Nalan Yiren looked up and said, "Two reasons. One is your Realm is too high, making it harder to have offspring. But with enough mating frequency, there's still a chance. So I think the reason lies in a conflict of Cultivation Techniques? This would mean that with ordinary people, the chance of pregnancy is actually higher than with Martial Artists.

The solution is simple: either you or your wives stop cultivation for a period, allowing your body to adapt without the blood or Innate Spiritual Qi cleansing from cultivation, then mate, and the chance of pregnancy will significantly increase.

If you wish to further increase the pregnancy chances, then both of you stop cultivation, ideally leaving no trace of Innate Spiritual Qi in your body."

Nalan Yiren picked up the handkerchief on the table, wiped her mouth, and looked at Chen Mo, "I've observed your Innate Spiritual Qi; it's too domineering, excessive with Yang Qi.

As the saying goes, an isolated Yang does not grow, nor does an isolated Yin flourish. I suggest you stop cultivation for a period."

Xia Zhining looked at Chen Mo with a soft gaze.

Chen Mo: "..."