Chapter 75: Chapter 281: I Don’t Want to Be an Imperial Concubine (Part 6)
“Wha… what? Are you joking?”
Cheng Yuan’s mind short-circuited, and the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.
Qi Huang almost bit her tongue when she heard this. It was already surreal enough that she had turned into a woman, and now she was being favored by the Emperor. How outrageous was this!
Cheng Hong Ling’s pretty face grew even colder upon hearing this.
“Brother Cheng, you jest. How could I dare to joke about His Majesty? It was he who issued an imperial decree for me to handle your daughter’s household registration and then submit the specific details to the ‘Imperial Concubine Roster’ to be sent to the palace.”
Prefect Dong hastily explained.
Cheng Yuan and his family exchanged glances. After a moment, he stammered, “No… Brother Dong… His Majesty… does His Majesty not know that my second daughter is merely a clone of my elder daughter? Strictly speaking, they are the same person.”
“That’s precisely why His Majesty sent me to handle this matter. As long as she’s registered, isn’t she an independent person?”
Prefect Dong used Steward Zhong’s words to brush him off.
Cheng Yuan was amused. Wasn’t this a classic case of burying one’s head in the sand? He wanted to retort, but suddenly thought of something.
“Once I enter the palace, I might soar to the heavens. If Qi Huang truly has this idea, and I persistently nitpick, wouldn’t that be doing more harm than good?”
Cheng Yuan then turned to Qi Huang beside him and said, “Huang’er, can I speak with you privately?”
“Alright!”
Although Qi Huang didn’t know what her cheap father wanted to say, she still followed him obediently.
“Do you want to enter the palace to become an imperial concubine?”
At this moment, Cheng Hong Ling’s Mind Transmission sounded.
“Becoming an imperial concubine is nowhere as good as being your clone!”
Qi Huang answered without thinking.
“Are you telling the truth?”
Cheng Hong Ling asked uncertainly.
“Of course. Does that old emperor compare to your beauty? I like women, and you know that best.”
Qi Huang reminded her.
Cheng Hong Ling’s expression flickered slightly and then became unnatural.
Qi Huang followed her cheap father out the door and stopped after walking a considerable distance.
“Huang’er, tell me honestly, do you want to enter the palace to become an imperial concubine?”
Cheng Yuan asked solemnly.
“Of course not. Becoming an imperial concubine has no future compared to being a cultivator!”
Qi Huang stated decisively.
“I thought the same way, so I initially intended to refuse him. But you are, after all, an Imperial Concubine personally appointed by His Majesty. Entering the palace would give you an unlimited future, and it’s not impossible for you to become the Empress in the future. Therefore, I still want to personally confirm your attitude.”
Cheng Yuan explained.
“Father, I used to be a man. Do you think I would sell my dignity for glory and wealth? If he asked you to enter the palace as an imperial concubine, would you be willing?”
Qi Huang retorted.
“Of course not! Because I am a normal man, but you are different. You are at least mostly a girl now, so even if you agreed, no one would think you had sold your dignity.”
Cheng Yuan said solemnly.
“Indeed, I don’t know if I’m a man or a woman now, but I know that I don’t like men, and that’s enough. So, you can just directly refuse him.”
Qi Huang couldn’t be bothered to think about complex matters like whether she was a man or a woman, and stated her decision firmly.
“Alright.”
Cheng Yuan took a deep breath, but his solemn expression did not disappear, because he realized a serious problem. If this second daughter considered herself to be that Huang Qi more, how would she find a partner in the future? Would she look for a woman? After all, his elder daughter was already entangled with a Saintess of Shuiyu Valley.
The father and daughter returned home. Knowing his daughter’s attitude, Cheng Yuan’s speech became much clearer this time.
“Brother Dong, forgive my bluntness, but His Majesty’s actions are completely self-deceptive. Even if she is registered, they are still one person. How can Huang’er marry someone else separately? If Ling’er marries someone else in the future, with one woman serving two husbands, wouldn’t that go against ethics and morality?”
Cheng Yuan found a reason to refuse.
“Brother Cheng, you’re making too much of a fuss. In the Cultivation World, it’s not uncommon for main bodies and clones to marry separately. Your daughter is from an Immortal Sect, so she should understand this better than I do. Since there are already two bodies, there’s no question of violating ethics.”
Prefect Dong racked his brains for a reply, knowing what his fate would be if he couldn’t handle this matter properly.
“Yes, Brother! His Majesty doesn’t mind violating ethics, so why are you still bothered by it? Don’t you want her to enter the palace? As an appointed Imperial Concubine, her future is boundless, and she could at least become an Imperial Concubine, making your Cheng family imperial relatives and soaring to the heavens. This is much better than cultivating in hardship in the HongHua Sect.”
Madam Dong, who was beside him, chimed in. She naturally understood the current situation. Although it was difficult to send the girl her son liked to the Emperor, if they didn’t, they would have to send their entire family’s heads. She understood which was more important.
“Moreover, becoming an Imperial Concubine doesn’t hinder cultivation. On the contrary, the Imperial Palace can provide better resources for my niece, which is killing two birds with one stone.”
Prefect Dong added.
“Unfortunately, I have no interest in becoming an Imperial Concubine at all.”
Qi Huang directly stated her attitude.
“This matter is probably not up to you!”
Prefect Dong sighed.
“What? Does His Majesty intend to forcibly abduct her? Cultivators are not bound by imperial power; this is an agreement he reached with the Immortal Alliance, and everyone knows this. If he dares to do so, he will have to bear the wrath of the Immortal Alliance.”
Cheng Yuan said fearlessly, as it concerned his daughter’s lifelong happiness.
“The Immortal Alliance might truly have trouble intervening in this matter. His Majesty somehow got the news that niece Qi Huang has lost her True Qi and is no longer considered a cultivator, which is why he personally appointed her as an Imperial Concubine. Otherwise, as the dignified ruler of a nation, wouldn’t he know the difference?”
Prefect Dong revealed the reason.
Qi Huang was also stunned. She hadn’t expected the Emperor to be so well-informed.
“Without True Qi, one is not considered a cultivator?”
Cheng Yuan looked around somewhat uncertainly.
“Without True Qi, one is indeed not considered a cultivator.”
Cheng Hong Ling said through gritted teeth, finally understanding the Emperor’s scheme.
“So that’s how it is! I knew it! As the dignified ruler of a nation, why would he choose her clone instead of Ling’er? It turns out he intended to exploit a loophole.”
Cheng Yuan suddenly realized.
“Yes, since niece Qi Huang is not a cultivator, she is an ordinary citizen of the Xihui Dynasty and naturally falls under the court’s jurisdiction. Therefore, His Majesty’s appointment of you as an Imperial Concubine is reasonable, and the Immortal Alliance cannot interfere.”
Prefect Dong sighed.
“Hmph! Whether she is an ordinary person or a cultivator, she is first and foremost my clone. As long as I don’t agree, no one can take her away.”
Cheng Hong Ling said forcefully.
“Niece Hong Ling, though you are outstanding, it is too wishful thinking to oppose the Son of Heaven. Take that internal affairs steward, Eunuch Zhong, for example. It is rumored that he sparred with Ye Donglai of the Donglai Sect and they fought to a draw. Ye Donglai is one of the three supreme experts in the Xihui Dynasty’s Cultivation World. By comparison, you can gauge how terrifying this person’s strength is. And there are surely more than one such master in the Imperial Palace, otherwise, how do you think His Majesty maintains his throne?”
Prefect Dong advised earnestly. As a Prefect, he often had to report to the capital, so he naturally had some knowledge.
“A draw with Ye Donglai?”
Qi Huang’s breathing stopped. She had witnessed Ye Donglai’s terror. If Yaoyao hadn’t rescued her back then, she wouldn’t have survived.
Cheng Hong Ling clenched her delicate fists slightly, knowing that Prefect Dong was telling the truth.
“Don’t get agitated. Have you forgotten? I have already expelled all the Xieqisan from my body, and I will be able to cultivate True Qi soon. So, that old emperor has miscalculated.”
Qi Huang hastily reminded her main body via Mind Transmission.
Cheng Hong Ling was stunned when she heard this, then slowly relaxed her fists, faint traces of blood visible on her pink fingernails.
“Actually, if niece Qi Huang really doesn’t want to enter the palace, there is another method. That is to let niece Hong Ling replace you to serve the Emperor. Then he would be even happier.”
Prefect Dong offered a terrible suggestion. If this suggestion were adopted, he would not only keep his official post but also his daughter-in-law. He had indeed made a brilliant plan.
Prefect Dong’s wife and son’s eyes lit up. They now regarded Qi Huang as their primary target, so it would be best if Cheng Hong Ling could take her place.
“I don’t know how to serve people; I only know how to assassinate people.”
Cheng Hong Ling replied coldly.
Prefect Dong’s face showed surprise, but thinking that Cheng Hong Ling had said this, he pretended not to hear and continued, “Niece, you need to consider carefully. Your sister likes my son. As the main body and elder sister, can’t you fulfill her wish?”
“What?”
Cheng Hong Ling was astonished and then looked at Qi Huang with a questioning gaze.
Cheng Yuan and his wife exchanged glances, clearly seeing their own foolish expressions in each other’s pupils.
“You… what did you just say? I like your son?”
Qi Huang stammered, thinking she had misheard.
