HMIME Chapter 23: The Male Miss

Compared to dogs, Bai Lu preferred cats.

When he was very young, probably around three or four years old when he first began to develop gender awareness, he once firmly believed that dogs were male and cats were female. As a tough guy, Bai Lu naturally preferred little girls a bit more. It had nothing to do with his orientation, just pure tenderness beneath his tough exterior.

Bai Lu pulled up the loose hem of his clothes to prevent them from getting dirty before squatting down and reaching out to the white cat like a professional rogue enticing a pretty girl on the street. “Come here, little girl, big brother has some delicious food here.”

The white cat wasn’t afraid of people either. It walked gracefully towards him, tilting its head up to touch Bai Lu’s hand with its tender pink nose. Then, it softly meowed and lay down on the ground, revealing its soft belly as if it had no bones.

Bai Lu reached out and touched its belly. “Such a good girl.”

The white cat closed its eyes comfortably, resembling a drunken and dreamy woman who had completely abandoned her vigilance and resistance against humans.

Bai Lu took the opportunity to touch its whole body. There were no obvious injuries on the surface, but it seemed a bit thin and weak, with a sagging belly that didn’t look like it was well-fed.

So, this was a stray cat. Well, whether it’s one cat or two, it’s still raising. Instead of keeping a single cat, it’s better to have a group of wives and concubines. Bai Lu didn’t hesitate much and simply picked up the white cat and turned back.

Just as he reached the entrance of the council chamber, he saw Chu Ya and several others coming out from inside. Bai Lu hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to greet them.

Chu Ya saw the cat in his arms and couldn’t help but smile. “Are you planning to start a zoo by picking up cats every day?”

“So what? It’s not like I can’t afford it. I like it, that’s all.” Bai Lu replied casually, teasing the white cat’s chin with his fingers. “Isn’t that right, little miss?”

“Little miss? You’re quite good at giving names…”

Chu Ya’s gaze fell on Bai Lu’s hand and he suddenly paused, calmly asking, “Why are your hands so dirty? What were you doing?”

Bai Lu’s heart skipped a beat, subconsciously lowering his head to look at his hands. Not only were his fingers not cleaned, there was also some dirt under his nails, clearly indicating that he had just been digging soil.

Bai Lu had his own considerations and didn’t plan to tell Chu Ya about the poison right now. Honestly, Lin Xiaoan’s background was too mysterious. He definitely wasn’t just a simple musician. The more Chu Ya knew about him, the greater the chance of him being caught after escaping.

At most, before leaving, he would leave him a note to be careful of poison and assassins. That would be considered the utmost benevolence.

Bai Lu lowered his eyes, vigorously wiping the dirt off his hands to cover up. “It’s nothing, just caught a cat earlier and accidentally got dirty.”

Chu Ya glanced at him again, seeming to sense something, but didn’t pursue further. Instead, he took the cat from Bai Lu’s hand and handed it to the nearby guard. “Alright, go wash your hands and let’s have dinner.”

Bai Lu breathed a sigh of relief and turned to walk with Chu Ya.

In the afternoon, Chu Ya didn’t go to the council chamber anymore but stayed in the study of the White Deer Palace to review memorials.

Bai Lu changed into a dark narrow-sleeved riding suit and sat on the steps outside, playing with the two cats. Beside him was a low table with a plate of seasonal fruits, some pastries, and a cup of sweet milk, snacks prepared by the maids for him.

Bai Lu made a simple cat teaser with a piece of grass and played with the two cats, Sir and Miss, as they pounced around.

After a few minutes, Bai Lu noticed that the two cats seemed to know each other and were very intimate. Sometimes the white cat licked the orange cat’s fur, sometimes the orange cat nibbled the white cat’s ears, and occasionally they would touch noses affectionately, like a couple in love.

As he watched, Bai Lu suddenly realized something incredible. He put down the cat teaser, grabbed the front paws of the white cat, and looked between its hind legs. Sure enough, the sinful little red rod was exposed without any cover, blatantly indicating its gender.

Male gender, female preference.

Bai Lu was struck by lightning. Looking at their intimate relationship and the gradually bulging belly of the male cat, the truth of the matter was already clear.

Bai Lu stood up abruptly, as if propelled by a hundred-meter sprint, and rushed into the study, leaning on the table and gasping for breath, panic-stricken as he said to Chu Ya, “Listen to me! The babies in Sir’s belly belong to Miss!!”

Chu Ya: “??”

How shocking and unconventional these words were, it even involuntarily conjured up an image of a pregnant old male leaning shyly against a delicate girl in one’s mind.

Even someone as steady as Chu Ya couldn’t help but be moved by such a beautiful scene for a few seconds, but he quickly regained his composure, trying to remain calm as he smiled and said, “Oh, you mean your two cats, right? Are they a couple?”

Bai Lu casually sat on the spacious desk, picked up the teacup next to him and took a sip, moistening his dry throat before earnestly saying, “I think so. If they’re not a couple, then Miss taking such good care of the pregnant Sir would make her a surrogate mother, wouldn’t it? Poor honest man.”

Chuya chuckled helplessly, “Where did you learn all these nonsense words?”

“Online.” Bai Lu put the teacup back on the table, got off the desk, and said, “I’m going back now. Since Sir and Miss are a couple, I want to demolish their original cat nest and expand it so they can live together.”

Chuya nodded gently, looking at him kindly. “Go ahead, I’ll come over to help you in half an hour.”

Bai Lu didn’t respond and turned to leave.

In the harem of the Thirteen Palaces, where thirteen concubines resided, the living conditions varied greatly depending on their ranks.

The concubines with the lowest ranks lived in the second-class palaces, where there were four rooms in total: the outer courtyard after entering the gate, the main room where the master lived, the side rooms on both sides, and the side rooms where the servants lived. Crossing the moon gate draped with purple wisteria, there were another four rooms inside the inner courtyard.

There were four palace maids and four eunuchs serving in the palace, making a total of eight servants, not counting the concubines’ personal maids they brought into the palace.

As for the palace of the noble concubine, it was a large courtyard with

eight entrances and exits, totaling thirty-two rooms. There were twelve palace maids, twelve eunuchs, and four extra chefs who could cook in their own private kitchen in the palace courtyard.

The disparity was immense, like the difference between heaven and earth.

At this moment, Lady Mei was sitting in her magnificent room, reclining on the beauty couch, stretching out her hand to repeatedly examine the newly worn golden jade armor.

Bi Tao, dressed in a plain dress, stood beside her, speaking bluntly, “Madam, I really saw it with my own eyes. He was acting suspiciously in the bamboo garden, I don’t know what he buried there. I originally wanted to wait until he left to go and see, but it seems like he noticed me nearby, I panicked and ran away…”

Lady Mei paused, her gaze shifting from her nails to Bi Tao’s face. “Where is he now?”

“Madam, I heard he went back to His Majesty’s bedroom and hasn’t come out since.”

Lady Mei’s brows furrowed instantly, her lips twitched nervously for a moment as she cursed, “He’s really an ignorant scum, daring to accompany His Majesty to rest. Where did he get such audacity!”

Bi tao hurriedly said, “Madam, please calm down. That Bai Lu is unruly and doesn’t know how to restrain himself. He will fall out of favor sooner or later.”

Lady Mei snorted coldly, lifted a delicate jade hand, and Bi Tao hurried over to support her, carefully asking, “Madam, where are you going?”

“To the bamboo garden, to see what shameful thing that bastard has secretly buried.”