“What? Did she tell you this personally?”
Prefect Dong excitedly jumped up from his stool, and his obese body directly knocked the rice bowl to the ground, smashing it into pieces.
“Look at you, what are you so excited about? If she had confessed personally, would he have to guess?”
Madam Dong, still charming, chided him and then ordered the servants nearby to clean up.
“Sorry, Madam! I was too excited!”
Prefect Dong quickly apologized. After all, this was the mortal world where women held a very high status, especially those with some beauty. This was also the case in the Prefect’s manor.
“But you also know that Cheng Hong Ling is a heavenly proud daughter. Although her clone is definitely not as good as her true self, she is still a phoenix among men. If our Dong family can marry her as a daughter-in-law, our descendants will inherit this excellent bloodline, and the probability of them cultivating immortality will be greatly increased. It’s truly like our ancestral graves are emitting green smoke.”
Prefect Dong explained after calming down a bit.
“While that’s true, we also need to clarify what’s going on.”
Madam Dong smiled helplessly and then asked her son beside her, “Yu’er, why do you think so?”
“As you both know, Sister Hong Ling has a cold personality and has never shown me any favor. But Sister Qi Huang is different. She has never given me a cold shoulder, and she always calls me Brother Dong, her attitude is very enthusiastic. The same person, yet she shows completely different attitudes. If this isn’t affection for me, what is it?”
Dong Yu analyzed to himself.
“That makes sense! I’ve heard that the clones of cultivators have similar personalities to their main bodies. Hong Ling is such a cold and aloof girl, yet her clone is indeed overly enthusiastic towards Yu’er.”
Madam Dong said thoughtfully.
“Since that’s the case, I’ll go to the Cheng residence tomorrow to propose marriage for you.”
Prefect Dong said impatiently.
“Thank you, Father, for fulfilling my wish!”
Dong Yu was overjoyed, with his mouth split into a wide grin. In his opinion, for a girl to be so enthusiastic towards him, even if their feelings weren’t that deep, she definitely had a good impression of him, so she wouldn’t refuse.
Unfortunately, Dong Yu would never dream that the girl he fancied was an anti-human existence with a male heart and a female body, and she only treated him as a buddy.
“My Lord Prefect, Eunuch Zhong from the inner palace has arrived and says he has an imperial decree for you to receive.”
Just then, the steward of the manor ran in to report.
“What? To receive an imperial decree?”
Prefect Dong jumped up from his chair again. He, a mere prefect managing this desolate place of Huang Tian Prefecture, didn’t know how many years it had been since he last received an imperial decree.
“Could it be that His Majesty saw my achievements and intends to reward me?”
Prefect Dong immediately made a self-congratulatory guess.
“Don’t overthink it, let’s go quickly to receive the decree. Don’t keep Eunuch Zhong waiting too long.”
Madam Dong hurriedly urged him.
“Yes, yes, yes, Madam is right.”
Prefect Dong came to his senses and quickly took his family to the entrance to receive the decree. This time, it attracted the attention of many pedestrians on the street.
A moment later, Prefect Dong led dozens of his household members to kneel at the entrance to receive the decree.
“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees…”
Eunuch Zhong began to read the imperial decree. In fact, its contents were what the Emperor had instructed him a few days ago: to register Qi Huang into the household, and then add her to the “Imperial Concubine Roster” of Huang Tian Prefecture, and submit it when the time comes.
“Father, what is an Imperial Concubine?”
A child asked his father.
“Son, the so-called Imperial Concubine is actually a girl selected by the Emperor to be a potential concubine in the palace. This matter is usually handled by the inner palace. In our Xihui Dynasty, selections are made once every three years, and each prefecture must report ten girls who have reached the age of sixteen.”
The father answered in a low voice.
“That applies to other prefectures, but not our Huang Tian Prefecture.”
An uncle next to them interjected.
“Why?”
The child asked blankly.
“It’s very simple. Our Huang Tian Prefecture is known as a rat’s nest in the Xihui Dynasty. In the eyes of those outsiders, we all look like scruffy, short, and ugly people. How could the Emperor possibly select concubines from here and ruin the royal bloodline?”
The uncle explained.
“Then isn’t this Qi Huang unprecedented and unrepeatable?”
Someone exclaimed.
“It’s not surprising, she is a clone of Fairy Hong Ling.”
The uncle said with reverence on his face.
“But can this clone be considered an independent person? Moreover, she is a cultivator. I heard that cultivators are not subject to imperial authority.”
Someone else asked, uncomprehending.
“If you ask me, who should I ask?”
The uncle retorted angrily.
…
“What? The Imperial Concubine Roster?”
Prefect Dong almost thought he had misheard. He had been the prefect of Huang Tian Prefecture for decades and had never even seen what the “Imperial Concubine Roster” looked like.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Eunuch Zhong, with a half-smile, took back the imperial decree.
“No… no problem, this subordinate receives the decree!”
Prefect Dong shivered and quickly took the imperial decree with both hands.
“It’s over!”
Meanwhile, Dong Yu completely collapsed on the ground, his face ashen.
“Lord Dong, what’s wrong with him?”
Eunuch Zhong asked curiously.
“Eunuch Zhong, please forgive me. This is my son. He recently caught a cold, so he is not feeling well.”
Prefect Dong explained with a pale face. After all, offending an inspector was no small matter.
“If that’s the case, then let your son rest more.”
Eunuch Zhong seemed quite understanding and helped Prefect Dong up. After all, this was Cheng Hong Ling’s hometown, and Cheng Hong Ling’s clone was personally appointed by His Majesty to enter the palace as an Imperial Concubine, with boundless prospects in the future.
Madam Dong also felt as if she had been granted a great pardon and hurried to help her son.
“Lord Dong, this is the ‘Imperial Concubine Roster’ specially printed by our inner palace. Take it with you. His Majesty has specifically instructed that this matter be handled quickly. You must seize the time, otherwise, neither of us can bear the consequences if something goes wrong.”
Eunuch Zhong then ordered someone to bring over a copy of the “Imperial Concubine Roster.”
“Yes!”
Prefect Dong quickly took the “Imperial Concubine Roster” and then sighed, “To be honest, I’ve been the prefect of Huang Tian Prefecture for decades, and this is the first time I’ve seen this ‘Imperial Concubine Roster’.”
“Then you have to thank heaven for nurturing Cheng Hong Ling in Huang Tian Prefecture. Without her, you probably wouldn’t have seen this thing in your lifetime.”
Eunuch Zhong reminded him.
“Indeed! Indeed!”
Prefect Dong put on a smile that was harder than crying. What he wanted was not just an “Imperial Concubine Roster.”
“Remember, handle this matter well. His Majesty values that Qi Huang very much. If she enters the palace, her future will be boundless. This is definitely a good thing for you as a parent official; you should understand.”
Eunuch Zhong instructed again.
“This subordinate will handle it properly.”
Prefect Dong accepted the order and then asked somewhat unwillingly, “However, Eunuch Zhong, there are two things I don’t understand, and I hope you can guide me.”
“Lord Dong, please ask freely.”
Eunuch Zhong readily said again.
“First, Qi Huang is just a clone and not an independent person. Can she become an Imperial Concubine? Second, as far as I know, the Immortal Alliance and His Majesty have signed an agreement that the government has no right to manage cultivators. What if that Qi Huang refuses?”
Prefect Dong voiced his doubts.
Upon hearing this, Dong Yu’s face instantly regained color: “That’s right, Sister Qi Huang is a cultivator, and her lifelong matters are not something that old emperor can decide.”
“Lord Dong, don’t ask about things that are not your concern. Haven’t you heard that curiosity killed the cat?”
Eunuch Zhong’s old face instantly fell, and his clothes fluttered without wind, emitting a terrifying killing intent.
“My lord, please forgive me, it’s this subordinate who doesn’t know his place! But I’m afraid that if I can’t give a reasonable explanation and she doesn’t comply with the arrangement, it will ruin your important task.”
Prefect Dong quickly knelt and begged. The other family members were also scared pale, some even collapsing directly.
“Forget it. Considering that your Huang Tian Prefecture has cultivated a Cheng Hong Ling, I will kindly resolve your doubts.”
Eunuch Zhong sneered and said, “Firstly, whether she is a clone or not, as long as she is registered, she is an independent individual. Secondly, we received news that not long ago, someone attacked the HongHua Sect, and this Qi Huang lost all her True Qi. Without True Qi, she is no longer a cultivator. A mortal who is not a cultivator, do you think she is a subject of His Majesty? Does she belong to His Majesty?”
“Yes, yes, yes, of course!”
Prefect Dong quickly replied. He knew the principle of “accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger,” and he absolutely could not have any objections.
“Since that’s the case, if she has any objections, you should answer her like this, understand?”
Eunuch Zhong leaned in and warned with a smile not reaching his eyes.
