Chapter 68: When One Attains the Dao, Even Chickens and Dogs Ascend!

Li Si said these words, expecting to make Chu Ruoyan feel ashamed.

But Chu Ruoyan asked even more boldly: “What did I say last night? I don’t remember. Can you repeat it?”

She had a stubborn little quirk that left him bewildered—he really wanted to know what he’d said.

Li Si was instantly stunned: How dare you ask me that?

The filthy things you said last night—could I possibly repeat them?

And most of it was just exclamations—how am I supposed to recite that?

Actually, Li Si was wrong to blame Chu Ruoyan; at the time, Chu Ruoyan wasn’t fully conscious—she had no idea what she’d said.

They weren’t meeting for the first time, and now with Li Chen as their intimate connection, they naturally fell into easy conversation.

The Twin Wonders of the Capital began chatting in Li Chen’s sleeping quarters.

If any other young elite of the Capital saw this, they’d burst into tears.

Just seeing these two once would make them happy for days.

Many young elites dreamed only of catching a glimpse of them.

Yet their dreams were Li Chen’s daily life.

“Sister, you’re amazing—only five days, and you’ve already strengthened ten major meridians.”

As a disciple of a cultivation clan, Chu Ruoyan found Li Si’s cultivation speed utterly terrifying.

If this news got out, it would cause a massive uproar in the Capital’s lower-tier cultivation circles.

“Sister, don’t comfort me—my brother says my pace is only mid-to-lower tier in the Tian Ce Dynasty; I’m just practicing for fun, nothing serious.”

Li Si naturally believed Li Chen without question, thinking of herself as just an ordinary, utterly ordinary cultivator.

Chu Ruoyan was about to explain, but then remembered that Li Chen had already reached the Saint Realm at his age—by his standard, Li Si truly meant nothing.

As if remembering something, Chu Ruoyan asked Li Si: what’s the procedure after entering the palace?

Li Si, as a princess, had been educated on this since childhood, and told her: if your body can move freely today, you should pay respects to the Empress Dowager—she holds high status in the inner palace.

Then comes organizing your own palace—what’s called renovation.

A formal imperial consort certainly gets a residence.

The palace has many vacant halls; Chu Ruoyan arrived first, favored by Li Chen and recommended by the Empress Dowager, so she’s well-connected on both sides and can likely choose freely.

This made Chu Ruoyan extremely happy—her family had previously lived just outside the Third Ring of the Capital, already considered quite prestigious among aristocratic circles.

They only gained the right to settle in the Third Ring thanks to the Empress Dowager’s nephew.

For years, the Chu family had been working tirelessly for the Empress Dowager’s nephew.

Housing in the First and Second Rings wasn’t something money could buy—you needed status and rank.

At minimum, you had to be from a top-tier clan, or have a family member with some official standing, to live in the Second Ring.

As for the First Ring, aside from shops, it was almost entirely occupied by imperial relatives and current high ministers.

Without real power, you couldn’t settle there at all.

The Chu family head’s dream was to move the Chu family into the Second Ring—doing so would make him a man of boundless merit in Chu family history.

But now, because of Chu Ruoyan, they’d skipped the Second Ring entirely and entered the First Ring of the Capital.

When news of Chu Ruoyan’s appointment as imperial consort spread, the family’s rewards naturally followed.

This was imperial tradition; Li Chen was very generous, ordering Eunuch Cui to select a fine residence for the Chu family in a prime location of the First Ring.

In this land-of-gold First Ring, the Chu family’s new mansion was ten times larger than their old one!

Clearly, Li Chen favored Chu Ruoyan—and favored the Chu family deeply.

That very night, the Chu family head moved in, meticulously inspecting every corner of the new mansion, too excited to sleep.

That night, he began planning a grand banquet.

He invited everyone he knew from all over the land.

His goal: to show them off.

Let them see what the First Ring of the Capital truly was.

The day after Chu Ruoyan was named imperial consort, the Chu family head had already begun listing names for his “Housewarming Celebration.”

He hoped to invite Emperor Li Chen himself—but he considered that an unrealistic dream; His Majesty was far too busy to come.

If Li Chen truly came, the Chu family head would be overjoyed to the point of fainting.

He wrote Li Chen’s name first on the list—then let his daughter casually ask. After all, he was certain Chu Ruoyan would attend; after all, it was her family’s joyous occasion.

Her appearance as imperial consort would naturally be a major event.

The names after that were naturally the Empress Dowager’s nephew and other major nobles he knew in the Capital.

In the past, the Chu family head had to bow and scrape before these people—they were figures he could never hope to reach.

Now, these people had to address the Chu family head as “Brother Chu.”

Simply through his daughter’s connection to Li Chen, the Chu family head had instantly risen to prominence in the Capital.

Because the entire Capital’s social circle now revolved around Li Chen.

It was all about who was closest to Li Chen.

The closer you were to Li Chen, the higher your status in the Capital.

Chu Ruoyan’s relationship with Li Chen wasn’t just close—it was practically intimate contact.

Even pure-blooded imperial clan members dared not offend Chu Ruoyan.

!

But Chu Ruoyan’s mind was entirely filled with Li Chen—she hadn’t considered anything else.

After hearing Li Si’s explanation, Chu Ruoyan’s heart surged with excitement.

But this was the very center of the First Ring of the Capital.

Owning a residence here was something she’d never dared dream of.

Li Si knew the palace had many large halls and could take Chu Ruoyan to see them.

But Chu Ruoyan was clever—size didn’t matter; proximity to Li Chen was what held true value.

So she chose a fine palace nearby as her sleeping quarters.

That way, when Li Chen came to spend the night, she could arrive quickly.

Besides, the place was already near Li Chen’s quarters—she could casually wander there anytime, perfectly reasonable.

Seeing Chu Ruoyan’s choice, Li Si gave a thumbs-up.

After selecting the palace, next came assigning maids.

As the saying goes: when one man attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

Chu Ruoyan’s household maids were all eager to enter the palace.

According to inner palace regulations, a consort may select two maids with clean backgrounds to enter.

These two maids gained official status—something countless others dreamed of.

Don’t underestimate this status—they were the imperial consort’s personal maids.

Other maids were assigned by the palace.

In daily palace life, maids naturally did only menial tasks.

But once outside the palace, even minor officials who saw them had to bow.

This was no joke.

Because minor officials never saw the Emperor—these maids did.

According to the theory of status centered on Li Chen, Chu Ruoyan’s maids naturally held high rank.

If anyone dared offend them, and they complained to Chu Ruoyan, who then mentioned it to Li Chen—the minor official would be doomed.

Sometimes Chu Ruoyan didn’t even need to tell Li Chen—her status alone could summon aid from many powerful nobles.

These nobles needed the favor of a consort like Chu Ruoyan.

Later, if they accidentally offended the Emperor or wanted to influence a new policy of the Tian Ce Dynasty, they could ask Chu Ruoyan to speak a word for them.

Many had no intention of offending Li Chen—but they still prepared to flatter him.

(End of Chapter)