Chapter 9: Zhao Min's Tease
Upon hearing that, Shen Hao let out a sigh of relief.
So Dragon Essence was usable.
Even with the system in place, the rewards seemed pretty random—who knew when the next big drop might come?
Around eight in the morning, inside the emperor's sleeping quarters, just as Shen Hao sat down, Xuandezi leaned in and whispered, "Your Majesty, Consort Sui, Consort Tang, Consort Ming, and Consort Qing are all here. They're waiting outside."
Shen Hao blinked. "Summon them."
Xuandezi raised his voice:
"Summon Consort Sui, Consort Tang, Consort Ming, Consort Qing, Consort Qin, Consort Yuan, and Consort Liao to audience!"
A moment later, a wave of fragrance filled the air, and seven graceful, dazzling figures entered Shen Hao's line of sight.
For a second, he was dazed—didn't know where to look.
But then he remembered his situation... and sighed inwardly.
Completely useless.
His only hope now was to find Dragon Essence to cleanse his body.
When that day came, he could proudly proclaim: The day the broken sword is reforged is the day the knight returns!
Only then could he confidently "R" them.
With that thought, Shen Hao's gaze toward the gathered ladies cleared considerably.
Still useless, though.
Zhao Min and Shi Feixuan actually found comfort in the clarity of his eyes.
And so, one by one, they bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Be seated," Shen Hao said coolly.
Jiang Yuyan, Li Mochou, Zhao Min, Tian Yan, and Su Quan didn't seem too constrained. They appeared relaxed.
In their eyes, Shen Hao was just a regular guy—not even worth caring about, much less investing feelings into.
Each of them came from some sacred sect or major faction. Why would they care what an emperor thought?
They were here to watch the other factions and—most importantly—to get their hands on the Imperial Seal.
Shi Feixuan and Wanwan, however, were more restrained.
They were keenly aware that someone in this harem was hiding as a Grandmaster—most likely the eunuch by Shen Hao's side, Xuandezi.
They couldn't see through his strength at all.
At that moment, Xuandezi called out loudly, "Serve the meal!"
Moments later, palace maids and eunuchs entered one by one with trays.
A large table was laid out—but it held only seven dishes.
For a commoner's household, that might be extravagant.
But in a royal palace? That was downright stingy.
One person, maybe fine—but with seven consorts at the table? How was this even acceptable?
Shen Hao frowned. "Why is this so frugal?"
Xuandezi answered awkwardly, "The Imperial Household Department is low on funds. This was a rule set by the late emperor—two dishes and one soup per person. He was quite frugal."
Shen Hao hadn't expected the Great Zhou to be this poor.
But hearing that it was the late emperor's rule, he didn't hold back:
"From now on, make it four dishes and one soup per person. I won't let the consorts be shamed like this."
Xuandezi opened his mouth to object—there wasn't enough money in the palace to be this extravagant. Even the late emperor's concubines lived tight.
But looking at Shen Hao's face, he swallowed his words.
Li Mochou shook her head. "Your Majesty needn't go so far. We're people of the martial world—we're not picky about food."
"It's fine," Shen Hao waved her off. "Just do as I say. The royal family can't lose face over food."
Spending money like he's not the one paying... Xuandezi thought helplessly. "Yes, Your Majesty."
[Ding!
Detected host violating ancestral rules by raising palace rations.
Reward: 100,000 taels of silver.]
Shen Hao blinked.
Money?
His mood instantly lifted.
Well, speak of the devil!
Noticing his silly grin, Zhao Min—seated directly across from him—couldn't help but shake her head.
What a lazy, indulgent fool of a ruler, she thought.
A glint of mischief flashed in her eyes, and she teased, "Your Majesty, at this rate, the palace treasury will run dry just trying to feed people."
The corners of Li Mochou and the others' lips curled in mocking smiles.
Clearly, none of them thought highly of Shen Hao's extravagant behavior.
Do you not even know how poor you are?
They were all prideful daughters of powerful factions—not the type to want to marry some run-of-the-mill emperor.
Especially when the Great Zhou dynasty was teetering on the edge of collapse—there was nothing left here for them to be sentimental about.
Of the Nine Provinces of the world, Zhou had already lost eight.
Even Central Province was running a budget deficit.
The military was corrupt, morale was low—and now they were stuck with an emperor who skipped morning court and splurged on meals.
They were doomed.
All the lords were just waiting for the fall of this massive tree—ready to snatch the fruit the moment it crashed.
Shen Hao could see Zhao Min's mockery, and he caught the disdain on the other ladies' faces.
He deliberately said with a smirk, "They say if you marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog.
If I end up so poor I can't even afford food—would you all be willing to be beggars with me?"
The women all stared at him in disbelief.
None of them had expected the emperor to say something so... shameless.
Zhao Min's elegant face flushed with two faint patches of red.
She shot him a glare. "Isn't it Your Majesty's duty to govern diligently?
Are you really going to let your women end up on the streets?"
Shen Hao chuckled but didn't respond.
Instead, he fixed his eyes on Zhao Min—his mind turning rapidly.
These women are all clever, that much is obvious. But when it comes to leadership, no one matches Zhao Min.
Huang Rong's got some clever tricks, but her strategic vision is sorely lacking.
This Zhao Min woman, though... she's a born commander.
With her on board, she'd be like a supreme general. I could unify the martial world's factions with her help.
Plus, she's got guts. She betrayed her family, her country, for love with Zhang Wuji. A woman like that is worth it.
Zhao Min started to feel a chill run down her spine from being stared at so intently.
She had no idea that Shen Hao was already plotting how to bring her into his camp.
Meanwhile, Tian Yan glanced at the two women beside her—Shi Feixuan and Wanwan—who had remained silent all this time. A thoughtful glint appeared in her eyes.
Logically speaking, in this room, the ones with the strongest backgrounds and personal combat power were Shi Feixuan and Wanwan.
So why were they so restrained?
Something wasn't adding up.
Suddenly, Tian Yan's beautiful eyes turned golden—like she was wearing golden contact lenses.
She turned her gaze toward Xuandezi, who stood beside Shen Hao.