Volume 5, Chapter 329 – The Screening Begins

Just as Qi Huang had anticipated, over the next two days, those with ill intentions subjected her to relentless harassment, employing every trick in the book. Unfortunately for them, their petty schemes appeared utterly feeble in the face of her overwhelming strength.

Ouyang Tong, however, was not so fortunate. Though she had managed to escape, she spent every moment agonizing over whether Qi Huang would be exposed. After enduring two excruciatingly long days, she finally let out a sigh of relief, her admiration for Qi Huang growing even deeper.

The First Day of the Eighth Month, this was the date set for the palace’s preliminary selection of Imperial Consorts, presided over personally by Chief Steward Zhong. The event would take place in the Imperial Garden, and as per tradition, many of the emperor’s concubines would be in attendance.

As for Lin Tu, he usually never bothered to show up for such trivial matters. After all, as the emperor, he had far more pressing affairs to attend to than a mere preliminary selection. But this time was different, after all, he had orchestrated this grand spectacle himself.

In the early hours of the morning, Qi Huang quietly sought out Ouyang Tong, and the two switched identities once more.

Now, Qi Huang had to figure out how to extricate herself from this mess. The woman she was impersonating, Chen Yuzhu, was also an Imperial Consort candidate, meaning she was technically required to participate in the selection. Refusal would be tantamount to defying an imperial decree. However, if she performed too well, she would undoubtedly catch the attention of that dog emperor, making escape impossible. Thus, she needed a decisive solution.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Qi Huang had her plan. Since she had already been feigning illness, why not take it a step further and pretend to be on death’s door? If she could drag things out past the preliminary selection, she would naturally be expelled from the palace.

With her mind made up, Qi Huang retrieved a small pouch of pills from her spatial container. These were supplements she had prepared for herself to replenish blood and nourish vitality—but if taken in excess, they would cause severe adverse reactions, mimicking the symptoms of a critical illness.

Of course, Qi Huang had no intention of personally experiencing the effects of “over-supplementation”. Without hesitation, she summoned her brainless doppelgänger.

“What are you doing? Trying to harm me again?”

Huang Tian instinctively sensed danger and panicked, her voice trembling with accusation.

Qi Huang didn’t waste words. She shoved three of the supplements into Huang Tian’s mouth and forced her to swallow them with water.

Before long, Huang Tian’s body temperature began to rise. Her face flushed crimson, sweat drenched her body, and she exhibited all the symptoms of a severe fever, precisely the signs of “over-supplementation”.

Meanwhile, Qi Huang sought out Ouyang Tong, entered the spatial container, and instructed her to carry it with her. She couldn’t rest easy unless she was there to oversee things personally.

“H-how did you do that?”

Ouyang Tong’s jaw dropped as she watched Qi Huang disappear into the ring, her shock so profound she could’ve stuffed a duck egg into her gaping mouth.

“Nothing special. Chief Steward Zhong gifted me this treasure,” Qi Huang replied dismissively.

“But why are you hiding? Aren’t you an Imperial Consort candidate? Don’t you need to undergo the screening? If you skip it, that’s defying an imperial decree!”

Ouyang Tong’s voice was thick with worry.

“Screening? I have no interest in becoming some emperor’s concubine,” Qi Huang retorted impatiently.

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Ouyang Tong still had many questions but didn’t dare press further.

“By the way, there’s something I forgot to ask. How did you get eliminated in the last selection? With your qualifications, you should’ve easily entered the imperial harem.”

Qi Huang’s curiosity got the better of her.

Ouyang Tong hesitated, her expression turning awkward.

“The Phoenix Selection Token gave me a zero in fertility, dragging down my overall score.”

“Zero? How is that possible?”

Qi Huang was stunned. Even with poor bloodline or hidden ailments, one should at least score a point or two. A zero was practically unheard of.

Ouyang Tong let out a deep sigh, then smiled bitterly.

“Later, I asked a palace physician to examine me. He said… I can’t bear children.”

“What?”

Qi Huang froze, then fell silent, unable to find the right words.

Qi Huang had gone to great lengths for this charade, but Chief Steward Zhong was no less meticulous. Early that morning, he summoned all the guards assigned to the Imperial Consort candidates and assigned them a special task.

Moreover, over the past few days, Zhong had investigated every maid and guard who had interacted with Ouyang Tong, ensuring they were also occupied with duties, this was to prevent them from wandering around and recognizing the fake “Chosen Imperial Consort”.

Everything proceeded like clockwork. Everyone involved hoped for a flawless conclusion to this grand performance.

But they had overlooked one crucial detail, in this imperial palace, the most coveted position was not the Empress’s throne, but the Emperor’s.

After breakfast, Chief Steward Zhou ordered her subordinates to gather all the Imperial Consort candidates and prepare to escort them to the Imperial Garden for the first round of screening. However, a headcount revealed that one was missing.

Upon checking, Zhou realized the absent candidate was none other than Chen Yuzhu, the one who had supposedly caught a severe chill.

A sense of foreboding gripped Zhou. She immediately took an attendant and went to check on “Chen Yuzhu”, only to find her condition had deteriorated drastically. The girl wasn’t just bedridden, she was completely unresponsive.

“Fetch the imperial physician at once!” Zhou urgently commanded.

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“My Lady, there’s no time. The screening is about to begin. If we delay for her sake, we’ll all suffer the consequences,” the attendant reasoned pragmatically.

Zhou fell silent for a moment, then sighed in resignation.

“Poor girl. You were simply fated to lack such fortune.”

With those words, she and the attendant departed.

Qi Huang exhaled in quiet relief. She had worried Zhou might be stubborn enough to escalate the situation, which would’ve been troublesome to handle.

Before long, Zhou led a group of palace maids in escorting the two hundred or so Imperial Consort candidates to the Imperial Garden.

As they arrived, the candidates grew visibly nervous. The sheer scale of today’s event was staggering, not only were numerous imperial concubines present, but the Emperor himself had also made an appearance.

“Isn’t this just the preliminary screening? Why is His Majesty here?”

“Exactly! I heard in previous years, the Emperor never attended the preliminary selection.”

“What do we do? If I get eliminated in front of His Majesty, how humiliating would that be?”

Whispers of panic spread among the candidates.

“Silence! Such unruly behavior is unacceptable!”

Zhou immediately reprimanded them. She had no intention of being accused of dereliction of duty before the screening even began.

With the Emperor present, Zhou naturally led the candidates to pay their respects.

At this moment, Lin Tu sat in the largest pavilion of the Imperial Garden alongside Empress Zheng and several favored imperial consorts, including Consort Jin and Consort Hui.

“Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but this batch of Imperial Consort candidates seems rather… subpar,” Empress Zheng remarked with a hint of disdain after a cursory glance.

“Indeed, Your Majesty! Judging by their appearances, very few will likely pass the screening. This falls far short of expectations.”

“Your Majesty is the ruler of a nation. Not just any common woman is fit to enter the imperial harem. Even if the results are disappointing, the screening must be strict.”

Consort Jin and another extravagantly dressed consort chimed in.

“The Empress and my beloved consorts are peerless in beauty. Naturally, I would never settle for mediocrity. The screening shall proceed as usual,” Lin Tu declared mildly.

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The women’s faces brightened with pleasure. After all, who didn’t enjoy sweet words? Especially when they came from the Emperor himself.

“Your Majesty’s personally selected candidate should be among them, no? I heard she’s a cultivator’s doppelgänger, with beauty that could topple cities. I look forward to seeing her.”

Consort Hui suddenly spoke up.

“Yes, and I heard she’s from Huangtian Prefecture! Huangtian, that notorious rat’s nest of our Western Radiance Dynasty. Never before has it produced an Imperial Consort. Can a phoenix truly emerge from such a place?”

The gaudily dressed consort added with a smirk.

As their words hung in the air, Empress Zheng and Consort Jin exchanged a glance, their lips curling with hidden meaning.

“Very well. Since you’re so curious, I shall oblige.”

Lin Tu’s smile turned icy. He had come today merely to witness the grand play he had orchestrated. Yet these foolish women insisted on stirring trouble. How dare they?

Unaware of their grave misstep, the two consorts beamed, mistaking the Emperor’s cold amusement for favor.

“We pay respects to Your Majesty, to Her Majesty the Empress! May the Emperor live ten thousand years, may the Empress live a thousand years!”

Zhou led the candidates in kneeling and offering their salutations.

Watching this scene unfold from within the spatial container, Qi Huang silently applauded her own foresight. Had she come along, she would’ve had to kowtow to that dog emperor, something she’d rather avoid.

“Rise. There’s no need for such formalities.”

Lin Tu gestured magnanimously.

“We thank Your Majesty!”

Zhou and the candidates stood up, trembling with nervousness.

“Chief Steward Zhou, report on this year’s Imperial Consort candidates,” Lin Tu commanded.

“As Your Majesty decrees!”

Zhou bowed, then began her report.

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“Reporting to Your Majesty, this year’s Imperial Consort candidates number three hundred and twenty-two in total. As of this morning, one hundred and seventy-two have reported to the Office of Palace Ceremonies. One hundred and fifty are absent.”

“What? Only slightly over half have arrived?”

Lin Tu’s brow furrowed.

Zhou stammered, not daring to respond.

‘As the Emperor, do you have no self-awareness? The Western Radiance Dynasty is overrun with wandering ghosts, how many ordinary women could possibly make it to the palace alive?’

Qi Huang couldn’t help but scoff internally.

“Your Majesty, this old servant believes they must have encountered unforeseen mishaps along the way,” Chief Steward Zhong interjected smoothly, coming to Zhou’s rescue.

“But this is far too few. We cannot rule out deliberate defiance of Our decree.”

Lin Tu pressed on, then issued an edict.

“Chief Steward Zhong, relay Our command, every province and prefecture is to conduct a thorough investigation into the missing candidates. If any are found alive yet failed to enter the palace, regardless of reason, they are to be punished for defying an imperial decree.”

“This old servant obeys!”

Zhong promptly accepted the order.

The candidates paled at this proclamation, silently thanking their lucky stars they hadn’t tried to scheme their way out. Defying the Emperor’s decree was a death sentence.

“Now then, what of the candidate We personally selected? Has she arrived?”

Lin Tu shifted the topic.

Hearing this, Ouyang Tong’s body trembled violently, her legs shaking as if they no longer belonged to her. She had no idea the Emperor himself had orchestrated this entire farce.

“Qi Huang, His Majesty is summoning you. Step forward and pay your respects.”

Zhou’s voice carried a hint of exasperation as she prompted Ouyang Tong.

Though terror gripped her heart, Ouyang Tong clenched her teeth and forced herself forward, her every step unsteady with fear.