Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 545: Chen Mo: I Hope Your Highness Won’t Mind
Since the order to reinstate the imperial examination was issued, it’s only been about a month, and already more than three thousand people have come to Luonan to take the exam. Actually, this number is quite high.
After all, it was still the cold winter season, and yet more than three thousand people braved the cold to take the exam. Now that spring has come and the weather is warming up, wouldn’t even more people come to take the exam...
However, Lu Sheng was not easily fooled, and said coldly: "Stop trying to deceive me with these words, what is the actual number?"
The official surnamed Jia glanced around, then cupped his hands and whispered: "To the Prime Minister, there are only over eight hundred people." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"Over eight hundred people..."
Lu Sheng revealed a self-mocking smile, then said: "Among these people, how many from the Noble Clan of the Three States have taken the exam?"
"N...not even ten percent, and some are only branch members or illegitimate children of the clans," the official surnamed Jia replied.
To this, Lu Sheng immediately snorted coldly and said: "A bunch of blood-sucking parasites! Sooner or later, I, as the Prime Minister, will settle the score with them properly."
...
Meanwhile,
Xiangyang City, Copper Sparrow Garden.
Chen Mo initially thought Xiao Yunxi wanted to tell him something, but unexpectedly, she brought him to Copper Sparrow Garden, saying Princess Zhaoqing missed him.
Inside the carriage parked outside the gate, Chen Mo looked at Xiao Yunxi warmly and said: "Is it really that she misses me, and not just Yunxi acting on her own initiative?"
"How could I lie to you, my husband?" Xiao Yunxi removed Chen Mo’s mischievous hand from her body, her cheeks flushing with a peach blossom-like blush, and said: "You wait here, I’ll go in first and have her prepared properly."
With that, Xiao Yunxi adjusted her attire and then got off the carriage, heading towards Copper Sparrow Garden.
Chen Mo listened to her and didn’t follow.
Actually, he didn’t care if it was her own initiative or not, since as Princess Zhaoqing moved to live here at Copper Sparrow Garden, a meal was bound to be sought.
But Chen Mo had always been busy, and now that Yunxi had arranged everything, it was better sooner rather than later.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour and feeling that it was about time, Chen Mo also got off the carriage and headed towards Copper Sparrow Garden.
...
Outside Princess Zhaoqing Chu Ran’s courtyard.
"Everything is ready, husband, you just need to push the door open and go in," Xiao Yunxi said, seeing that Chen Mo had arrived, greeting him.
Chen Mo looked at the maiden whose face was like lush red clouds glowing in the sky and concluded that she must be hiding something from him. However, he didn’t choose to inquire deeper, instead wrapping an arm around the lovely figure’s voluptuous waist, leading her towards the courtyard as she let out a soft cry: "Since you, Yunxi, are here, let’s go in together."
"Ah, husband, no..." Xiao Yunxi was a bit flustered, for she had just coaxed Chu Ran into taking a bath, saying that later she would take her to a banquet to meet Chen Mo. Now going in with him would be tantamount to admitting that she had deceived her...
Though Xiao Yunxi had indeed deceived her, there should at least be some buffer time.
"No to what? Just right, Yunxi, you are well acquainted with Princess Zhaoqing, you can help ease the atmosphere later, making it less awkward." Chen Mo insisted as he led her to Chu Ran’s room.
What easing the atmosphere?
Xiao Yunxi knew perfectly well what mischief Chen Mo was up to; he just wanted her and Princess Zhaoqing to serve him together.
Just as she was about to find an excuse to refuse, Chen Mo directly pushed open the door to the room.
Behind the screen inside, Chu Ran was bathing.
As the Princess of Da Song, Chu Ran had a dignified and beautiful face, carrying a wifely charm. Underneath the rising steam, her cheeks were covered in a rosy halo.
At this moment, she had taken off her clothes, hanging them on the screen, and was scooping a handful of warm water, pouring it over her collarbone, turning her already fair skin smoother than silk.
In her mind, she thought about the dinner banquet that night, knowing it would be the time to serve that man.
She glanced down at her proud figure, her slender eyebrows arched like Dai, and her beautiful eyes held a seductive glow as she adjusted herself in the water, with her elegant and brilliant eyes showing traces of shyness.
Perhaps too absorbed, she didn’t hear the footsteps outside until the sound of the door opening startled her, quickly covering her chest with both hands, shrinking into the water, and looking towards the door, she softly said: "Auntie, is it you?"
There was no answer from the other side of the door.
Chu Ran immediately sensed something was wrong because she heard there was more than one set of footsteps.
Her face turned pale as she said: "Who is it?"
The sound of beaded curtains arose, and footsteps had already reached the interior room.
"Don’t... don’t come any closer, if you come closer, I... I’ll call for someone."
"Your Highness, it’s me."
Just as Chu Ran was about to shout, Xiao Yunxi quickly overcame her internal embarrassment and spoke up.
There’s no choice but to face it.
"Auntie..." Chu Ran didn’t relax, immediately adding: "Why didn’t you knock on the door, who else is with you?"
"Duke An is also here," Xiao Yunxi said.
"Ah?"
Chu Ran’s mind went blank for a moment, not even having time to react before two figures appeared from behind the screen and appeared before her.
"Your Highness, I apologize, I deceived you..." Xiao Yunxi bit her lip, looking guilty as she spoke.
Afterwards, to lessen her guilt, she added: "Your Highness, since you are prepared anyway, it’s all the same now."
"Yunxi, this doesn’t seem to match what you said," Chen Mo chuckled as he squeezed Xiao Yunxi’s plump waist.
"Don’t... don’t look."
Chu Ran lifted her eyes to glimpse at Chen Mo before quickly bowing her head down, trying her best to cover herself. When she first arrived in Xiangyang, she had caught a glimpse of Chen Mo outside the training grounds; she hadn’t seen him clearly then. Now, at close range, the two impressions immediately overlapped.
Her dignified and full face was now as red as the evening glow, like a ripe peach, tempting one to take a bite.
"I’m going to... close the door." Xiao Yunxi still wanted to escape.
"I closed it when we entered, and it hasn’t been that long, have you already forgotten?" Chen Mo’s hand around her waist didn’t let go.
"Today... the princess will serve you, I’m not fit to be here, next time, definitely next time..." Xiao Yunxi said with a hint of sobs.
But the young man seemed entirely indifferent to her predicament, instead spreading his arms wide and saying to Xiao Yunxi: "Just as I haven’t bathed yet, Yunxi, help me undress."
"Ah?!"
Two exclamations arose, one from Xiao Yunxi, the other naturally from Chu Ran.
Chu Ran slowly lifted her head, as if to verify whether Chen Mo’s words were true.
Only to see Chen Mo looking into her eyes and saying: "I had wanted to meet with Your Highness for a long time, but didn’t expect to encounter the Jin Xia Barbarians moving southward. Now that I’ve returned, busy with one thing or another, I’ve always had no time, hope Your Highness doesn’t mind."
