Quan Minghe, at the tender age of thirteen, became the ruler of the Qian Kingdom.
At that time, with his youthful frame, he shouldered the heavy burden of a nation, yet showed no trace of fear.
The young monarch, filled with ambition and fervor, was unwilling to merely enjoy honor and luxury within the palace walls. Instead, he personally led his armies, riding into battle on horseback.
In those years of clashing weapons and armored steeds, amid swirling dust and earth-shaking war cries, he remained as steadfast as a pine tree, his gaze sharp and resolute, radiating an unwavering determination to achieve his goals.
Under his meticulous governance, the Qian Kingdom was clear and orderly throughout.
Thirsting for talent, he widely recruited capable individuals from across the land. For a time, the court of the Qian Kingdom was filled with virtuous and talented men, all pillars capable of assisting the ruler and bringing stability to the nation.
The military also saw the emergence of numerous outstanding generals. They followed their sovereign, galloping across battlefields, repeatedly achieving military feats, each renowned and celebrated.
Among them was Shen Yuling’s father—the Grand Protector Shen, Shen Yuan.
Time flowed on, fleeting and swift. In the year Quan Minghe turned eighteen, he decisively crushed the allied forces of four kingdoms, unifying the realm.
From then on, the Qian Kingdom was renamed the Qian Dynasty, and he was revered as the Primordial Emperor, known as the Qian Yuan Emperor. His prestige thundered across the land, awe-inspiring in all directions.
Time passed, and now it was the ninth year of the Qian Yuan era.
In the early days of the Qian Dynasty’s establishment, Quan Minghe devoted himself entirely to stabilizing the court and governing the realm.
It was not until the third year of the dynasty’s founding, after repeated pleas from his ministers, that he finally began to take imperial consorts.
In the blink of an eye, six years had swiftly passed, and his inner palace now housed over ten imperial consorts.
Among the many consorts, Liu Zhaoyi was undoubtedly the most dazzling presence.
She had given birth to the eldest prince, Quan Jinyi, and the third prince, Quan Jinyan.
With these two precious sons, her status in the inner palace soared steadily, rising step by step from her initial position as Changshi to the now highly respected rank of Zhaoyi.
She could truly be called the foremost figure in the inner palace.
Aside from Liu Zhaoyi, who was blessed with sons, only Yan Xin, Virtuous Lady Yan, had borne a second prince, and Zuo Qingyu, Zuo Meiren, had given birth to the first princess.
Throughout the entire inner palace, only these three imperial consorts had borne children for His Majesty. It was precisely because of this that they managed to leave some impression in Quan Minghe’s heart.
And within the inner palace, there was a universally acknowledged foremost beauty—Wang Xi, Beauty Wang.
Her figure was graceful, her appearance breathtakingly beautiful, radiant and captivating.
Her rank as Meiren in the inner palace was entirely due to Quan Minghe’s favor toward her, which had elevated her to this position.
Since Quan Minghe unified the realm and established the Qian Dynasty, although ministers had repeatedly advised him to appoint an empress early to stabilize the inner palace and secure the foundation of the state, in Quan Minghe’s heart, the empress was the sole person who could stand side by side with the emperor. She needed to possess talent, wisdom, and vision worthy of matching the sovereign.
Among the women of this world, who could truly stand beside the emperor?
Upon the throne, he alone was sufficient.
Quan Minghe, clad in a black and gold dragon robe that shimmered with luxurious luster, sat upright on the throne, his expression stern.
His deep eyes were fixed on the documents on the desk, fully immersed in them.
Li Ming stood by respectfully, hands at his sides.
As it neared lunchtime, he prepared to step out and make arrangements, intending to withdraw quietly.
Unexpectedly, His Majesty’s voice proactively sounded.
“How has Zhao Liangren been settled?”
Li Ming’s heart couldn’t help but startle.
Having served His Majesty in Weiyang Palace for many years, it was rare for the emperor to proactively mention women from the inner palace in daily affairs.
Such proactive inquiry was extremely uncommon—not only in recent days but even looking back over many years.
What had happened during His Majesty’s recent outing?
What exactly is the status of that Zhao Liangren in His Majesty’s heart?
These past few days, Zhao Cong has been away recuperating from his injuries. With him absent, Li Ming couldn’t inquire too much, so he wasn’t aware of the specific details.
“Your Majesty, Zhao Liangren has been arranged to reside in Chengxiang Hall of Deyin Palace.”
Li Ming quickly composed himself and replied respectfully.
“How have the Imperial Consorts reacted to Zhao Liangren’s entry into the inner palace?”
Quan Minghe didn’t even lift his head, his hand holding the brush still moving.
He seldom spent much time in the inner palace on ordinary days and had little interest in understanding the personalities of the Imperial Consorts.
As long as matters of the inner palace didn’t interfere with his handling of state affairs, he rarely dealt with trivial matters personally, often entrusting them entirely to Liu Shihan to manage.
But this time was different. Since the scheme had targeted him, he would not let it go easily and was determined to get to the bottom of it.
“Your Majesty, the most angered in the palace is undoubtedly Beauty Wang. These past few days, she has repeatedly sought to cause trouble for Zhao Liangren.”
Li Ming reported truthfully.
It was no secret that Beauty Wang, relying on His Majesty’s favor, had been domineering and arrogant in the inner palace for quite some time.
Whenever someone else gained a bit more of His Majesty’s attention, Beauty Wang would inevitably stir up trouble.
Now that Zhao Liangren had been personally brought back from outside the palace by His Majesty, Beauty Wang was even more furious.
However, perhaps His Majesty favored Beauty Wang’s fiery temperament, and coupled with her stunning beauty, he had never punished her.
This only further fueled Beauty Wang’s arrogance.
After reporting on Beauty Wang, Li Ming noticed that His Majesty showed no particular reaction.
He continued, “Liu Zhaoyi’s palace has remained calm, though it’s said she replaced several vases.”
Replacing vases was a common occurrence, but replacing several in succession raised questions about how they were broken.
But Li Ming was an old fox; he only reported the facts.
He would never add personal speculation or evaluation.
“Virtuous Lady Yan has been busy lately accompanying The Second Prince in his studies, but yesterday she happened to meet Zhao Liangren in the imperial garden.”
“Perhaps because Zhao Liangren is new to the palace and hasn’t fully learned the rules, Virtuous Lady Yan punished her to kneel for an hour.”
“Zuo Meiren spends her days accompanying The First Princess in play, her mind entirely focused on the princess, and she hasn’t shown any particular reaction to Zhao Liangren’s affairs.”
“As for Consort Su, she has been unwell recently and has been recuperating in her palace.”
“…”
Both Li Ming and Zhao Cong were His Majesty’s personal eunuchs, having served by his side for a full twenty years.
Over these twenty years, they had always reported every detail of what His Majesty wanted to know, never daring to omit the slightest thing.
After listening, Quan Minghe narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of contemplation passing through his long, narrow gaze.
But after a moment, he seemed to set aside what he had just heard for the time being.
“Summon Zhao Cong.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Li Ming responded respectfully and quietly withdrew.
Not long after, Zhao Cong entered.
Quan Minghe still didn’t lift his head, his hand holding the brush moving as if writing or drawing something.
“Have you found the person?”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Cong immediately trembled with fear.
That night, he had hastily brought the young lady to His Majesty’s room in pitch darkness; how could he have had the presence of mind to carefully observe her appearance?
By the time he returned early the next morning, the young lady was nowhere to be seen.
Zhao Cong inwardly lamented his misfortune.
How could it be easy to find a woman in Qian Capital without knowing what she looked like?
Moreover, the only one who knows exactly what that young lady looks like is His Majesty himself.
If His Majesty could be so merciful as to draw a portrait of her, then perhaps there would be some leads in finding her.
Otherwise, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
“Your Majesty, this humble servant is incompetent and has not yet found her.”
Quan Minghe’s eyes flickered slightly.
If she appeared in the outskirts at night, she must have left Qian Capital during the day, and there would certainly be records of that.
Since Zhao Cong had not found her, it meant the woman had come to Qian Capital from elsewhere, but entering the capital would also require passing through checkpoints with records…
“How did you discover her that night?”
Zhao Cong recalled the words spoken by the young lady and her maid that evening, the memory still fresh in his mind.
After listening, a cold glint surfaced in Quan Minghe’s eyes.
That night, she had said she had a husband, but Quan Minghe had taken it as an excuse to evade him. He never expected…
It was a fiancé!
“First, I wish my beloved to be handsome, with starry eyes and sword-like brows, radiant in spirit, his face as beautiful as jade, evoking tenderness.
Second, I wish my own beauty to last forever, my flower-like face and moon-like countenance forever enchanting, my raven-black hair flowing gently with the passage of time.
Third, I wish our bond of affection never to break, accompanying you with a heart free of resentment, sharing joy morning and night.
Fourth, I wish our marriage to be blissful, the harmony of qin and se echoing warmly, our love entwined without separation.
Fifth, I wish our home to be peaceful and secure, auspiciousness filling the courtyard with laughter, blessings abundant year after year.”
Hah, she certainly has many wishes.
But after that night, could she still live in harmony and entwined love with her so-called husband?
Since she is his woman, all these are nothing but delusions.
Quan Minghe then shifted the topic.
“Have the remnants of the former Jinlin Kingdom been dealt with?”
Zhao Cong hurriedly composed himself.
“Xiaoqi General has already destroyed the remnants’ stronghold, eliminating over two thousand enemies.”
A slight relaxation appeared on Quan Minghe’s stern face.
After adding the final stroke to the painting on the desk, he gently placed the vermilion brush on the brush stand.
“Come here.”
Zhao Cong dared not show the slightest negligence.
He quickly bent his back and walked to Quan Minghe’s side, lowering his head.
Quan Minghe picked up the portrait and handed it to Zhao Cong.
“Search for her using this portrait. If you still can’t find her, don’t bother coming back.”
Zhao Cong knelt with a thud, accepting the portrait with both hands.
He proclaimed loudly, “Yes, this humble servant will surely retrieve the Imperial Consort for Your Majesty.”
His Majesty always meant what he said. If he failed to find her this time, he would truly be in deep trouble.
Quan Minghe lowered his gaze, as if deep undercurrents surged within his eyes.
He absolutely would not allow his woman to wander among the common folk, nor could he tolerate her having any ties to another man.
His woman, even in death, must never become another man’s woman.
Inner Palace Ranks Table
Empress
Zhaoyi: Equivalent to Chancellor, rank comparable to feudal princes
Jieyu: Equivalent to Senior Minister, comparable to Marquis
Meiren: Two thousand dan
Bazi: One thousand dan
Qizi: Eight hundred dan
Liangren: Seven hundred dan
Changshi: Six hundred dan
Shaoshi: Four hundred dan