Rules of Horror: Survival Begins in the Haunted Harem - Chapter 86

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Su Ye was worried too. This scenario could not be ended simply by clearing its stages quickly.

It had a fixed time limit.

Even if both women secured entry to the birthday banquet, they still had to wait half a month.

For the remaining time, Xie Nuange and Su Ye could only exercise restraint.

Every day, they appeared punctually at the Palace of Phoenix Grace for the morning roll call, returned for breakfast, then stayed inside the Palace of Eternal Spring for the rest of the day.

As long as they did not go out and trigger rules, their Assimilation Levels would not rise too quickly.

But Xie Nuange still needed to visit the Noble Consort every day.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. The Emperor did not select any plaques. The moment he stopped entering the imperial harem, the newcomers who still had not seen him began to panic.

Su Ye and Chuntao were carrying a food box back when they saw a palace mistress approaching.

Su Ye lowered her gaze, bowed her head, and stepped aside. Following Xie Nuange’s instructions, she began cursing feudal society in her mind.

It helped a little. At least her Assimilation Level did not rise as quickly.

“Well, if it isn’t Su Ye.”

Attendant Li stopped and smiled at her.

“How did the Su Ye who performed so impressively in the Yeting Bureau end up like this?”

Su Ye kept her eyes lowered and said nothing. Attendant Li leaned closer to her ear.

“You don’t know, do you? If you kill a palace candidate, you’re given two choices.”

“The first is to leave the palace. The second… is to replace her and become an imperial consort.”

Attendant Li straightened, glanced at Su Ye, then walked away with her palace servant.

Su Ye raised her head and watched Attendant Li’s retreating back.

When she returned to the Palace of Eternal Spring, she looked at Xie Nuange.

“I ran into Attendant Li on the way back.”

Xie Nuange turned to her. “The palace maid who rose to become a consort?”

“Mm.”

Su Ye nodded. “She said palace maids like her could either leave the palace or become one of its mistresses.”

“Leave the palace…”

Xie Nuange tapped the tabletop lightly.

“The birthday banquet is almost here. We shouldn’t create new complications. The Emperor hasn’t selected a plaque for several days.”

“It seems all of them are working desperately on those consorts.”

She helped Su Ye arrange the meal on the table. “The Empress has Attendant Li, Consort Qi has Ye Wan, and over the past few days, Attendant Zhang seems to have coaxed Consort Jing into a decent mood.”

“That leaves only Consort De and the Noble Consort. We have to keep the Noble Consort on our side.”

Su Ye sat and ate with Xie Nuange.

Once they finished exchanging palace intelligence, they began discussing the real world outside the scenario.

They constantly reminded each other that they had come here to clear it.

“The elevator in my old apartment building lost power because of an anomaly incursion,” Su Ye said after taking a bite of her bun. “Later, the resident on the top floor brought the anomaly home.”

Xie Nuange’s eyes widened. “What? Why would he bring it home?”

“He said he wanted to study how to generate electricity.”

Su Ye continued, “A lot of people are like that. Once they clear a scenario and obtain a skill, they stop entering new ones.”

“By the time the authorities discovered that anomaly, the resident had tormented it until it was nearly dispersed…”

Xie Nuange’s brows gradually drew together. Could her brother have…

No. Even if her brother had become an anomaly, he would be a powerful one.

No one could capture him.

“What about you? Why did you come in?”

Su Ye ate another mouthful and looked at Xie Nuange.

“Me?”

Xie Nuange paused. “I came to find someone.”

“Find someone?” Su Ye asked in confusion. Then realization struck. “Someone who entered three years ago?”

“Mm.”

Xie Nuange took a bite of food. “He entered three years ago, but he neither became an anomaly nor cleared the scenario…”

Su Ye understood. She thought of the task Xie Nuange had given Ye Wan. “Someone whose name appeared on that roster?”

“Exactly.”

“Then that means there are other Cho—other people who remained inside scenarios?”

Remembering Assimilation Level, Su Ye looked worriedly at Xie Nuange.

“After all these years… his Assimilation Level…”

Neither woman spoke after that.

That night, the Emperor selected Consort Qi’s plaque.

When Xie Nuange heard Xiao Yunzi report the news from outside, she merely acknowledged it.

With seven days remaining until the birthday banquet, Xie Nuange’s monthly period began.

Once her green-topped plaque was withdrawn, she could finally ask the Empress for leave from the morning greeting on the grounds that she was unwell.

She spent every day with Su Ye in the Palace of Eternal Spring, while Xiao Yunzi and Chuntao occasionally went out to gather information.

“Zhao Ning has been sending her palace maid to deliver food to the Emperor these past few days. She doesn’t go herself because she’s afraid of encountering someone in opera costume.”

“Did the Emperor visit her?”

Su Ye shook her head. “No. But he has visited the Empress’s palace these past few days, and I heard Attendant Li has been the one attending him each time.”

Xie Nuange nodded. The benefit of remaining inside was that her Assimilation Level had stopped rising.

In fact, when the two women spent all their time discussing the outside world instead of thinking about the scenario, each of their levels dropped by one or two points.

Once Xie Nuange’s period ended, her green-topped plaque was restored.

When she returned to the morning greeting, some of the Chosen Players seated with her at the end looked unwell.

“The Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet is the day after tomorrow.”

The Empress addressed the high-ranking consorts in the first row.

“Submit the lists of those attending with you tomorrow. Decide whether you wish to bring someone or attend alone.”

Then she looked toward Xie Nuange and the other newcomers seated at the end. “Even if you younger sisters have no opportunity to attend this year, there is always next year.”

Tomorrow was the final day.

Xie Nuange had barely left the Palace of Phoenix Grace when Biyu blocked her path.

“Noble Lady Xie, the Noble Consort summons you.”

“Yes.”

Xie Nuange nodded and started away with Su Ye. She saw Attendant Zhang follow Consort Jing, while Ye Wan followed Consort Qi.

They all left with their respective principal mistresses.

Inside Yikun Palace, the Noble Consort sat on a daybed, fingering a strand of agarwood prayer beads.

Xie Nuange saluted and sat in a guest seat. She glanced at the Noble Consort’s clothes. There was no sachet.

Biyu served tea, withdrew, and closed the doors behind her.

The Noble Consort came directly to the point. “The day after tomorrow is the Empress Dowager’s birthday. I can bring you into the Palace of Longevity and Health to attend her banquet.”

Xie Nuange’s breath caught, and she looked up.

She could think only of Ye Wan and Attendant Zhang being summoned away moments earlier.

“But inside the Palace of Longevity and Health, you must find something for me.”

The Noble Consort would take her to the banquet; in exchange, Xie Nuange would find an item for her.

Xie Nuange hesitated. “What does Your Ladyship wish to find? And where in the Palace of Longevity and Health is it?”

The Noble Consort’s fingers stopped on the prayer beads. “It is inside one of the Empress Dowager’s Buddhist rooms. But there are four small Buddhist rooms in her palace, and even I do not know which one.”

Xie Nuange raised her eyes.

Her first thought was that this was a faction mission.

From the first day of the scenario, she had been told that she belonged to the Noble Consort/Prince Faction.

Ye Wan had been summoned by Consort Qi. Would she receive the same request?

Xie Nuange considered it. “What item does Your Ladyship want?”

The Noble Consort looked at her gently. “I’ll tell you on the day itself. How does that sound?”

Xie Nuange was silent for a breath.

Accept the mission first and receive the details only when the day arrived.

That was certainly typical of a scenario.

“Very well. This concubine will find it for Your Ladyship.”

Xie Nuange nodded her agreement.

The Noble Consort resumed turning the prayer beads, the corners of her lips curving slightly. “Come to Yikun Palace after the morning greeting the day after tomorrow. You will accompany me to the Palace of Longevity and Health.”