AEOGA CH18

While He Lianxi and Qin Yulong were still locked in a fierce battle of words, in the corner, Lin Chanzhi and Wang Yiming stared at each other in utter bewilderment. They had no idea why they were standing here.

Last night, the Emperor had disbanded the imperial harem, triggering quite a wave of wailing and howling across the palace. After all, life in the palace was defined by luxury and privilege. Many of the concubines the Emperor had taken were originally just ordinary palace maids from impoverished families or young ladies from humble backgrounds. Being bestowed a title was like a phoenix rising from the ashes; it allowed them to receive occasional imperial rewards and secure official posts for their families. Even though they were given a sum of silver to settle down upon being dismissed, they had ultimately lost their future wealth and glory.

Of course, even though tears flooded the inner palace last night, Xie Zhongjin only cared about comforting Lu Xuechao. No matter how hard the others cried, Xie Zhongjin wouldn’t spare them a single glance. Once they finished crying, they had to pack up and leave the palace overnight. They could take their personal belongings and their dismissal silver, but not a single piece of other palace property was allowed to be removed.

Xie Zhongjin’s handling of matters was never weak or indecisive, and this was a clear testament to that.

Wang Yiming, on the other hand, was overjoyed. While the other male concubines were still in disbelief and struggling to accept that their dreams of wealth had shattered, he had already packed his bags.

“Little Lin, we’re friends. Remember to come find me at the Wang estate once we’re out. My family is incredibly rich; I can even get you a discount when you shop. Seven out of ten shops on the street are owned by my family.” Wang Yiming beamed with excitement, though he paused to complain about his father. “My dad just wasn’t satisfied. Having money wasn’t enough; he was obsessed with having an official in the family. I’m not cut out for studying, so he forced me into the palace to bring honor to the family name. I don’t get it. My dad usually dotes on me, so why did he get so possessed about sending me into the palace… Well, this is great. The Emperor is disbanding the harem, so he can’t blame me for being useless.”

Lin Chanzhi was also happy in his heart. He hadn’t wanted to enter the palace in the first place. His stepfather feared he would stay home and divide the family estate with his younger brother, so he forced him into the palace selection. Lin Chanzhi was honest and cowardly by nature, and his looks could only be described as pleasant. His survival rate in the cutthroat deep palace was practically zero; his stepfather was playing a calculating game of using a borrowed knife to kill him and monopolize the Lin family business.

Lin Chanzhi knew this perfectly well but had no way to resist. He didn’t want to fight for the family property anyway; he only wanted to reclaim his late father’s dowry, secure a few houses and lands, and have a small plot of land where he could grow fruits and vegetables to be self-sufficient. He loved the farming life of working with his own hands to be well-fed and well-clothed, and he wanted no part in palace or domestic struggles.

It was truly wonderful to be able to leave the palace now.

But just as the two of them were eagerly waiting to step out of the gates, they received a notice: everyone else could leave, but the two of them could not.

Wang Yiming yelled in shock, “…Why?!”

The messenger replied politely, “The Emperor specifically gave instructions. Perhaps the two young masters have caught His Majesty’s eye. Tomorrow, the concubines will pay their respects to the Empress. You two shall go along as well.”

Once the messenger left, the other male concubines in the Qingfeng Mingyue Tower left one after another. Wang Yiming slumped into a chair, completely demoralized. “Little Lin, I’ve wronged you. I should have listened to you and not dragged you out to wander around.”

His eyes were vacant. “It must have been when we snuck out; the Emperor must have spotted us, and that’s how he noticed us. I am guilty, I deserve to die. I’ve dragged you down and ruined myself.”

He refused to accept reality. Catching the Emperor’s eye just from going out once—how could such a thing happen?

…No matter how much they didn’t want to believe it, they were still standing here today. And wasn’t this place the very same Cold Palace they had stumbled upon that day?

Good heavens, the breathtaking beauty they had seen turned out to be the Empress.

After a tumultuous night, the imperial harem was visibly much quieter than usual. Previously, the beautiful concubines had been too numerous to count, but now, including the two un-titled male concubines, there were only eight left in total.

Liu Yangsheng, Shen Hezhou, Qin Yulong, He Lianxi, Fu Xinian, Hua Yan, Wang Yiming, Lin Chanzhi.

These eight names were laid out on the paper before Lu Xuechao, fully captured in his gaze.

The plot-relevant concubines in the game numbered more than eight, but it was currently only the third year of the Xi Dynasty. Up until now, the player had only gathered these eight into the harem.

A freeze of three feet does not form in a single day, and the downfall of an empire is not signaled by a single omen; the entire realm had to have begun rotting from its very roots. These small traces of decay were clearly visible within the harem.

Changli had four great prominent families: Lu, Qin, Liu, and Shen, all centuries-old prestigious clans. Though the Liu and Shen clans were not as illustrious as the Lu and Qin families, they had produced officials for generations and were teeming with talent. Liu Yangsheng and Shen Hezhou were both the legitimate descendants of this generation and were considered outstanding among their peers.

The player throwing Lu Xuechao into the Cold Palace, taking Qin Yulong into the harem, and tearing apart the lovers Liu Yangsheng and Shen Hezhou appeared on the surface to be mere palace matters. In truth, it broke the hearts of the four great families and cost the realm several talents capable of governing. In all past cycles, the best ending for Liu and Shen was merely a successful elopement, living the rest of their lives under assumed names. But given their status and abilities, it shouldn’t have been this way; it was a ruin of their lives no matter how one looked at it.

Bringing Fu Xinian into the harem buried a man of ambition and broke the hearts of the realm’s scholars who had studied by the cold window for ten years, waiting only to pass the examinations and serve their sovereign and country with loyalty. Invisibly, a vast amount of fresh blood was lost. Not to mention, Fu Xinian’s own worth could hardly be utilized—a precious gem covered in dust, comparable to a jade dragon rusting away.

Lu Xuechao could not bear to see such things happen. No matter how it was in the past, from now on, every single one of them would have to serve the country for him.

Wang Yiming’s background in the game was just a simple line: the son of a merchant, highly lowly. In reality, the Wang family was the wealthiest in the world, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say their wealth could rival a nation. However, among the four classes of society, merchants held the lowest status. The Wang family did not lack money; their obsession was to grasp power and elevate their family status. To escape the reality of being looked down upon, they did not hesitate to send their only son into the palace.

With his arrogant nature, Wang Yiming didn’t quiet down after entering the palace either. During their very first meeting, he wanted Lin Chanzhi to violate palace rules and go out with him to wander the harem. He was viewed by some concubine-route players as a minor villain trying to harm the protagonist, and they would kill him off without a second thought. Later, players discovered that if they befriended Wang Yiming, he would give the protagonist a lot of money, so they would grind his affection and treat him as an ATM. But once the player’s kill count reached a certain number and was discovered by Wang Yiming, he would stop giving money, his reason being “I will no longer assist a tyrant in his wickedness.”

The drama of brothers turning against each other was nothing new in the harem. The players didn’t mind adding Wang Yiming to the mountain of corpses under their blades.

When his only son died a tragic death in the palace, Master Wang was struck with grief and remorse, beating his chest and stomping his feet, crying out that he must have been blinded by greed to send his son into the palace in the first place.

Although the Wang family dared not harbor resentment against the imperial family, they would absolutely never extend a helping hand when Changli’s treasury was depleted and unable to pay the army’s wages.

This family was dripping with wealth, so Lu Xuechao naturally would not let them off. Changli lacked money, while the Wang family sought status; each would get what they needed, a happy resolution for all.

He Lianxi was by no means just a spoiled prince; he never concealed his love for martial arts and weapons. Emperor-route players who maximized their martial arts stats would frequently duel with He Lianxi, and winning would boost his affection. The two of them sparring and exchanging “affectionate blades” and “tender swords” was often viewed by players as romantic playfulness.

The players did not know that he was a true general who had set foot on the battlefield.

It was worth mentioning that if He Lianxi’s affection was insufficient and entered the bad ending route, he would likewise assassinate the Emperor to contribute his final ounce of strength for his mother country. Xie Zhongjin was naturally not as soft-hearted toward others as he was toward Lu Xuechao, fighting against the game settings just to take a sword strike from Lu Xuechao. If He Lianxi assassinated, as long as Xie Zhongjin’s martial arts hadn’t gone to waste, he would kill He Lianxi in return according to the pre-programmed plot.

The imperial elder sister born of the same mother as He Lianxi would successfully win the throne succession, becoming the next Empress of the Xifeng Kingdom. If something happened to He Lianxi in Changli, the relationship between the two nations would completely sour, escalating from minor skirmishes to a deep blood feud. Ultimately, when Changli was attacked by Yelang, Xifeng and its ally Leyang would watch the fire from across the river, or even add fuel to the flames.

Shifting the perspective, protecting He Lianxi was equivalent to turning weapons into silk with Xifeng and pulling the Leyang Kingdom over to their side, ensuring they wouldn’t face enemies from both sides when Yelang created trouble.

Hua Yan looked straightforward and devoid of schemes, but what kind of naive nature could be raised growing up in a brothel? He was smooth and sophisticated in dealing with people, exceptionally skilled in blending and making incense, and his ability to sniff out gossip was top-tier. In the harem, he had always watched the drama unfold, maintaining good or at least non-hostile relations with everyone. He was extremely worldly and slick, appearing to have a hand in everything, but in reality, he remained detached from beginning to end, a cold onlooker—truly the number one expert in self-preservation.

But when players engaged in indiscriminate killing, no matter how deeply Hua Yan understood the art of survival, he would still suffer from unprovoked malice. If harm came to his head, his counterattack would be absolutely unmerciful, spreading rumors countless times and blending incense harmful to the body, killing without a trace and sending concubine-route players to a game over.

This talent would be a total waste if confined to harem struggles. If utilized to scout the political climate and intelligence of various countries and turn the tides of the world… it would likely serve a massive purpose.

Lin Chanzhi was the protagonist of the concubine route, slaughtering everyone in his path on that route, his hands itching if he went a day without causing trouble. On the Emperor route, he was completely ordinary, keeping his doors closed all day, nesting in his palace to grow vegetables and tinker with agricultural seeds, completely devoid of special plots. While other concubines’ palaces were filled with rare flowers and exotic plants, his palace was covered in chives and chili peppers. His storyline was utterly fragmented: a bloody palace struggle text on the concubine route, and a peaceful farming text on the Emperor route.

Right now, since Changli was so poor, he was a model laborer who could inspire a wholesome trend of diligent wealth creation. It just so happened that the citizens of Changli were short on food and the palace expenses had to be cut in half, so they might as well grant him a plot of land to go farm.

Lu Xuechao analyzed the value of every single plot-relevant concubine. Having lived through countless lifetimes, he knew each concubine intimately. It was just that in the past, he couldn’t even change his own or Huaiyun’s fate, and could only watch these men waste their lives away in the palace, guarding a massive talent pool with no one to deploy.

Now, of course, he was going to squeeze every drop of value from them… No, that wasn’t right; he was going to let them realize their proper worth.

Selecting the worthy and capable and formulating strategies for the lord was the fundamental skill of a strategist. Lu Xuechao had once been the strategist of the Eastern Palace, standing alone as Xie Zhongjin’s right-hand man. With a mastermind like Lu Xuechao around, Xie Zhongjin’s other subordinates were completely redundant.

But a monarch was different from a Crown Prince. Currently, Changli was a total mess, and a nation could not be sustained by just two people alone. A virtuous minister without a wise ruler is a talent unrecognized; a wise ruler without virtuous ministers is a solitary soul.

To have talent and not use it makes one a fool, and Lu Xuechao was clearly no fool.

Lu Xuechao could calculate everyone’s value to the absolute limit and utilize them thoroughly. After scanning the Heavenly Book, he calmly mapped out the contributions they could make for Changli.

Through so many chaotic lifetimes, this mind of his had certainly not rusted out.

Before that, he still had to bring these people under his command first.

“殿下 (Your Highness),” Shuangjiang bowed and said, “The concubines have been waiting outside for a long time.”

Lu Xuechao had risen early enough, but the concubines had arrived even earlier.

Lu Xuechao pulled back his thoughts, lifted his gaze, and said, “Let them in.”

Outside the Chongxue Palace, the crowd was still waiting.

None of these men had entered the palace willingly, and they all harbored more or less some resentment toward Xie Zhongjin. Yesterday, as soon as the news of the Emperor being targeted by a Gu poison spread and the harem was disbanded, this bit of grievance dissolved.

As for why they hadn’t been disbanded… supposedly it was because of some… Talent Protection Program?

Even though Hua Yan had no idea what kind of talent he was supposed to be.

Could it be his ability to tell stories?

He had come out of a brothel, after all, and had read countless romantic storybooks. Although none of them were as pleasant to hear as the non-fiction literature recounted by the Emperor, he was still a “well-read” master. The Emperor usually flipped his tag but never touched him, spending every night telling him stories about his white moonlight. Hua Yan refused to be outdone, recounting the storybooks he had read. Reading about those sweet and touching words of love in the books, his eyes would fill with longing and his heart would thump, feeling that if he could get someone to say “I love you, my life is yours” to him, he would have no regrets in this lifetime.

Xie Zhongjin had listened and remarked, “Utterly vulgar.”

Hua Yan was indignant, “…This is already the most popular storybook among the common folk!”

“Just this?” Xie Zhongjin was dismissive. “The words of love are slick and glib, not even half as sincere as what I feel for Qingshu.”

Hua Yan: “May I ask how you speak your words of love?”

Xie Zhongjin: “The empire and my life are both given to him.”

Hua Yan: “……”

Do you think you’re not slick?!

Is having an extra empire that big of a deal?!

…It really was a big deal.

Hua Yan felt that if he read a few more books, he could pick up a pen and write storybooks himself to sell outside. Back in the brothel, he used to think that if he grew old and lost his looks and could no longer receive guests, perhaps he could make a living by writing storybooks.

Now that he was well-fed and well-clothed, he also enjoyed trying to write some storybooks on his own; otherwise, life in the palace would be too boring. However, he had only learned to read and write in the brothel, and his phrasing wasn’t great. He heard that the newly arrived Tanhua scholar possessed beautiful prose, so he had been pestering him lately to teach him to improve his writing and pen the most moving words of love.

Fu Xinian had only read the Four Books and Five Classics; where would he have learned this? Hua Yan had casually thrown a storybook to him for reference, which happened to contain a bit of eroticism. He had read it with a flushed face, feeling that this person was truly terrifying.

Writing was out of the question. Even when meeting in public, he had to maintain his distance.

The eight people outside the hall stood in pairs, each harboring their own thoughts.

It wasn’t until the main gates of the Chongxue Palace swung open and Shuangjiang said respectfully, “Please enter, everyone,” that they each pulled back their thoughts.

Upon entering the hall, the concubines walked past pavilions, water features, flowers, birds, and insects, all secretly astonished in their hearts.

Who didn’t know that this place was originally the Cold Palace? The Cold Palace had always been a forbidden zone, forbidden to approach, and they had never seen it before.

Looking at it from the outside earlier, they already felt that this palace didn’t look like a Cold Palace at all, and after entering, it was even more apparent how favored the Empress was.

Even the Cuiwei Palace could not compare to a fraction of this place.

Except for Qin Yulong, and Wang Yiming and Lin Chanzhi who had crossed paths with Lu Xuechao once, none of them had seen the Empress before, but they weren’t entirely unfamiliar with him.

After all, the Emperor flipped tags every night but never consummated. The nights were long, so there had to be something to do.

Thus, almost the entire harem, on the night of their attendance, had listened to the Emperor recount his love story with the Empress…

Hua Yan was merely one of the victims.

They were truly curious to see what the Empress, whom the Emperor held so dearly in his heart that he couldn’t go three sentences without mentioning him, actually looked like.