Volume One, Chapter Three: The Palace Maid’s Test and the Reactions from All Sides
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Thunder rumbled across the sky!
Soon after, a drizzle began to fall, soaking the ground.
Then, the raindrops grew larger and heavier.
They pattered against the glazed tiles of the Qianqing Palace roof with a persistent, rhythmic tapping that seemed impossible to cease.
...
With the sudden onset of this winter rain, the sound intensified.
Outside the imperial chamber, a group of beautiful palace maids blushed deeply.
Though inexperienced, merely hearing such sounds made them feel embarrassed.
Even the cold-eyed woman in white could not conceal a flicker of discomfort in her gaze.
Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the pale green sword cradled in her arms.
However, seeing that Cao Mo had not been exposed, she allowed herself a slight sigh of relief.
According to the Empress’s orders, if Cao Mo’s identity were revealed, she would have to act—killing all the palace maids within Qianqing Palace, and even the Empress would not be spared.
Then, they would stage the scene of an assassin’s attack.
But such a move would inevitably arouse even greater suspicion within the court about the Empress’s true identity.
Unless absolutely necessary, the Empress naturally wished to avoid such a situation.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Before long, more than an hour had slipped by.
In modern terms, that was well over two hours.
Yet the sudden winter rain showed no sign of ceasing.
Outside Qianqing Palace, the Empress, disguised as a young eunuch, grew colder in expression and increasingly impatient.
Earlier, in the bathhouse, she had instructed Cao Mo not to dawdle—just to finish hastily.
After all, they still had to change back to their true identities.
But this fellow!
Why had he lingered for over an hour?
Outside the chamber, the woman in white also grew anxious.
Had Cao Mo forgotten the Emperor’s instructions?
How dare he keep His Majesty waiting outside Qianqing Palace in eunuch’s clothing for so long?
Just as the movements on the dragon bed inside had finally quieted, Cao Mo seemed intent on continuing.
The woman in white could no longer hold back and spoke up to remind him, “Your Majesty, the hour is nearly up. You did say there were urgent state affairs to attend to tonight!”
Disaster!
Hearing her voice, Cao Mo snapped back to attention, recalling the beautiful Emperor’s orders.
But it was hard to blame him!
The Empress was simply too beautiful, with a perfect figure and a voice that was utterly enchanting—he found it impossible to resist.
With lingering reluctance and a hint of regret, Cao Mo coldly responded, “I understand.”
He had deliberately mimicked the Empress’s tone back in the bathhouse, and now it did not arouse suspicion from the Empress or the palace maids outside.
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However,
Hearing that the “Emperor” intended to leave at this moment,
The Empress, thoroughly conquered by the night’s intimacy, immediately resisted.
Like an octopus, she instinctively wrapped her delicate arms tightly around Cao Mo, her soft hands resting on his neck.
“Is there something I’ve done that displeases Your Majesty?” she cooed drunkenly, playing the part.
Her slender, jade-like fingers caressed Cao Mo’s cheek.
Then, an embroidered mask was inadvertently pulled from her face!
Under the dim night, the Empress froze for a moment.
She stared at Cao Mo in disbelief: “You…”
Cao Mo was even more startled—what was this beauty fumbling around for?
Before he could think further, he hastily covered the Empress’s red lips!
Leaning close to her ear, he whispered with a tone of intimacy, “Don’t ask, and don’t worry. Just pretend you didn’t notice, or we will both die…”
The Empress’s beautiful eyes widened; she sobered considerably in an instant.
She was no fool.
Hearing those words, in the blink of an eye,
She realized that the man sharing her bed was not the Emperor!
In other words, the rumors throughout the court that the Emperor was a woman might indeed be true.
And she—
Had married a woman!
The Empress felt the world spin wildly.
But now that events had reached this point, she could only comply.
She nodded faintly, feigning ignorance of Cao Mo’s true identity.
After all, now she and Cao Mo were bound—if one prospered, so would the other; if one suffered, so would the other.
Seeing this, Cao Mo slowly released his hand.
With a light chuckle, he said, “Though the Empress is beautiful, state affairs must come first.”
As he spoke, he invisibly retrieved the mask the intoxicated beauty had pulled away and slipped it back over his face.
“But I cannot bear to part with Your Majesty~”
The Empress continued her coquettish tone, wrapping her arms again around Cao Mo’s neck, leaning close to his ear with a loving whisper: “What is your name?”
My name?
Cao Mo hesitated.
Listening to the Empress’s tone, laced with reluctant affection,
Even in the dim night, the bright glint in her eyes betrayed her adoration for her lover.
Cao Mo was taken aback—nothing is harder than disappointing a beauty’s affection.
Alas,
He was not the true Emperor!
“Cao Mo.”
After softly revealing his name into the Empress’s ear, Cao Mo gently removed her tender wrist and stepped down from the dragon bed.
“Rest assured, I shall return tomorrow.”
According to the beautiful Emperor’s plan, after the wedding, she would need to share the bed with the Empress for several nights to ensure she could conceive an heir.
So Cao Mo’s words were not false.
Hearing this, the Empress smiled seductively, “Then I shall await Your Majesty’s arrival tomorrow~”
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Meanwhile, after Cao Mo stepped down from the dragon bed,
The woman in white entered with several beautiful palace maids, rekindled the lamps, and began dressing him.
Yet,
While dressing Cao Mo, those palace maids took the opportunity to brazenly grope him.
Clearly, despite hearing the earlier sounds and seeing the Empress’s signs, they wanted further confirmation of the Emperor’s identity.
Compared to fabricated noises and staged signs, feeling Cao Mo’s masculine traits was far more direct.
“Hm?”
Cao Mo’s gaze turned cold toward one daring palace maid who had just reached out to him.
Such boldness!
“Your Majesty, forgive me! I did not mean it!” the beautiful maid quickly withdrew her hand and knelt down in fear.
Cao Mo said nothing, withdrawing his gaze indifferently.
Once dressed in the dragon robe, he strode toward the exit.
Seeing this, the woman in white’s expression grew colder as she said softly, “Offending Your Majesty? You will receive twenty strokes later.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” the palace maid replied with trembling fear.
Twenty strokes would not be fatal, but to uncover the Emperor’s identity was worth it!
The woman in white cast a glance at the other palace maids.
She knew full well these maids were spies planted by various factions within the palace.
Therefore, she did not stop their probing.
After all,
Only by allowing them to fully verify Cao Mo’s “identity” could all factions dispel their suspicions about the Empress’s true nature!
Before leaving,
The woman in white’s gaze returned to the dragon bed.
She studied the Empress, now radiant and enchanting, confirming no unusual reaction before turning to follow Cao Mo.
Outside Qianqing Palace, Cao Mo once more boarded the imperial sedan chair.
“Proceed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation,”
The woman in white said coldly.
At once,
The eunuchs and attendants lifted the sedan chair, heading straight for the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The Empress, still disguised in eunuch’s attire, remained among them.
“Farewell to Your Majesty!”
Watching the Emperor’s sedan chair depart,
All the eunuchs and palace maids inside and outside Qianqing Palace bowed their heads in salute.
Soon,
As the sedan chair disappeared into the distance, many palace maids and eunuchs quietly dispersed,
Using every means to spread word of tonight’s Emperor’s bedding of the Empress at lightning speed.
Throughout the palace and beyond, all factions were astonished by the news!
Not only had the Emperor shared the bed with the Empress,
But the Emperor had been vigorous and potent!?
The echoes lingered,
The winter rain showed no sign of stopping!
Within the entire imperial chamber rang the Empress’s cries for mercy???