Cultivation Simulator: Starting From The Empress' Palace

What’s going on?

Wasn’t she the one who teased me first?

Why did she just run away?

Chen Mo touched his lip that was bitten by Zhao Jiangning. If he had felt any pain during the kiss just now, Zhao Jiangning would not have pushed him away.

He pursed his lips. All things considered, the sensation was quite enjoyable.

Upon leaving the room, Chun Lan immediately approached: ”Master, why did Her Highness run off in such a hurry?”

”Oh, she had some matters to attend to,” Chen Mo replied casually, then added, ”Chun Lan, I have something for you to do.”

”Please say, Master.”

”Find out her hobbies, the things she likes, and where she usually goes. I need this information,” Chen Mo said.

”Understood.” Chun Lan left with a puzzled look.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo continued his research on tofu.

At the same time, over at Zhao Jiangning’s side.

Just as she stepped out of the mansion, she suddenly felt weak in the knees. Her accompanying maid quickly supported her, preventing her from collapsing to the ground.

”Your Highness, are you alright? Should I find a doctor to examine you?” the maid asked.

Zhao Jiangning quickly shook her head, saying, ”No need, help me back to the mansion.”

During the kiss with Chen Mo just now, Zhao Jiangning experienced a feeling she had never felt before. At that moment, a thought emerged in her heart to abandon everything and be with Chen Mo. She cared little for decorum and chastity.

But at the critical moment, she suddenly came to her senses.

After all, she was raised on the Four Books and Five Classics. How could she abandon them? Moreover, from the perspective of a woman’s virtue, it was wrong.

Although Gao Fen had died in battle, making her a widow, the marriage still existed in form.

If news of her illicit affair with Chen Mo got out, it wouldn’t just disgrace the Gao family but also bring shame upon the Imperial Family. At that time, Zhao Jiangning would be a disgrace to the Imperial Family.

How could she not care?

On the way back to the mansion, Zhao Jiangning thought about it all the way, but upon reaching the Prince Consort’s Mansion, she proposed to enter the palace.

Of course, her visit to the palace was not to see Zhao Ji.

But to see Zhao Fujin.

...

Fengyang Pavilion.

When Zhao Fujin heard that her elder sister wanted a divorce, she immediately agreed, saying, ”Big sister, I told you long ago that a divorce would be a relief for you. Come on, I’ll accompany you to the Ministry of Justice.”

The Great Song’s laws on marriage were relatively open.

First, women were allowed to choose their spouses freely, though this was only the letter of the law; in practice, it was still about parental orders and matchmakers’ words.

Women could also divorce their husbands.

But women who divorced their husbands had to endure flogging.

Men did not need to.

Of course, in a mutual separation, neither party would be punished.

Furthermore, if either party died, a death certificate could be produced and authenticated by the Ministry of Justice, and the marriage would be dissolved without needing consent from either family.

Zhao Jiangning nodded.

But Zhao Fujin suddenly asked, ”Big sister, why did you decide to divorce today?”

After all, when she suggested it before, her sister would always find excuses and was afraid of inciting the Gao family’s hostility.

”Ah, it’s nothing... I just figured it out,” Zhao Jiangning replied.

”Oh.” Zhao Fujin didn’t think much of it and immediately said, ”Once your divorce is settled, I’ll petition our father to let you move in with me, so we sisters can be together.”

”Fujin, don’t...” Zhao Jiangning quickly stopped her, saying, ”I... I quite like living outside the palace, and Fengyang Pavilion is for unmarried princesses. Since I’ve been married, it wouldn’t be appropriate, and if our father finds out I’m divorced, he’ll surely blame me.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fujin found some sense in her words but added, ”But even if we don’t petition our father, if you go to the Ministry of Justice, he’ll find out eventually.”

”One step at a time, that way it won’t trouble our father,” Zhao Jiangning said.

”But after your divorce, where will you live, big sister? It’s clearly not suitable to stay at the Prince Consort’s Mansion, and perhaps the Gao family won’t trouble you,” Zhao Fujin worriedly stated.

”I... I still have some money, enough to rent a place,” Zhao Jiangning said, something she had already considered before coming.

Hearing this, Zhao Fujin thought for a moment and then said, ”How about this, big sister? You can move into my junior brother’s place. It’s a large house, gifted by our grandfather. I’ll ask him to take you in.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jiangning reacted as though her tail had been stepped on, immediately responding, ”No way, I... I’m still a lady, moving to Chen Mansion would be highly inappropriate and would tarnish the Imperial Family’s reputation.”

Zhao Fujin wanted to say more but was stopped by Zhao Jiangning, who told her not to worry about it.

However, Zhao Fujin began forming a new plan in her mind.

Her elder sister was so pitiful now.

Her junior brother has earned so much money, surely he can look after her.

Zhao Fujin planned to trouble Chen Mo tonight and ask him to take care of Zhao Jiangning.

...

Elsewhere.

The tofu was already at the final step: scooping the tofu curds into cheesecloth, spreading it flat, wrapping it up, and pressing it with a weight to squeeze out the excess water. The time and pressure for pressing the tofu depended on personal taste.

If you like it softer, press it for a shorter time.

While pressing the tofu, Chen Mo ran a simulation.

It was already the forty-fourth day of the great turmoil.

There were some slight changes compared to previous simulations.

The news that ”Jizhou lost control, Jiangnan is in chaos, the Capital is exhausted, and a First Grade Martial Artist joins the battle” was supposed to be yesterday, but it changed to today, with the news only arriving tonight.

The house arrest of Zhao Ji was also postponed by a day, from the forty-ninth day of the great turmoil to the fiftieth.

Furthermore, after King Yan Zhao Jiang proposed the State Governor system, allowing State Governors to recruit their own troops, and later to ”clear out the regents,” by the fifty-fifth day of the great turmoil, the Great Song Dynasty was in chaos.

The whole situation resembled the end of the Eastern Han era.

Warlords divided the land, and whoever had soldiers held power, with imperial authority lost.

Chen Mo routinely chose the ten days of Martial Art experience.

If there were an experience bar, his First Grade Martial Artist experience bar would be roughly seventy percent full by now.

...

Gao Zheng had already arrived in Nanyang and delivered the letter from Chen Mo to Luo Zhen. However, on the day Gao Zheng set out, Chen Mo did not have him bring Luo Zhen and others over, so after transporting a batch of fire bottle bombs, Gao Zheng hurried back to Bianliang overnight.

...

Before dark, dozens of riders rushed into Bianliang.

At Chen Mansion, just as Chen Mo had tidied up and was preparing to enter the palace for discussions, he saw Xu Dabao leading people over quickly.

Chen Mo frowned, sensing something was amiss. ”Dabao, weren’t you sent to suppress the bandits? Why are you back? Are the bandits dealt with?”

Xu Dabao shook his head, looked around cautiously, and said, ”My lord, I have important matters to report.”