Pei Lingyue froze for a moment, then looked at his son with an inscrutable expression. "Do you realize what you're saying? Are you sober?"
It took immense willpower to keep himself from bursting into laughter on the spot.
Pei Chiyan remained as composed as ever, the very picture of serenity his father was accustomed to. "Your son is perfectly lucid."
From start to finish, he had been fully aware of his actions.
As the Crown Prince—flawless in the eyes of the emperor, the empress, and the world—he should have done as he had countless times before: nothing that might tarnish his reputation or jeopardize his position.
And he had always excelled at this. Even his most ardent detractors could find no fault in him.
Yet, upon learning that his father intended to select a divine consort for Yu Miaohua, he suddenly found his patience wearing thin.
The thought of another man standing by her side was unbearable.
Pei Lingyue set aside his earlier amusement, his expression turning grave. "Does the Imperial Noble Consort know of your feelings?"
He wasn’t entirely surprised. Yu Miaohua was inherently likable, and he had often orchestrated opportunities for the two to interact. It was only natural for the Crown Prince to develop an affection for her.
After all, human emotions were beyond control.
Pei Lingyue was confident that had he not subtly encouraged it, Pei Chiyan—out of respect for him—would have kept his feelings in check, no matter how deep they ran.
"She is unaware," Pei Chiyan replied without hesitation. "From beginning to end, it has been my one-sided admiration."
He knew the wisest course would be to frame his pursuit of Yu Miaohua as a move for the benefit of the Great Qi imperial family.
Under the guise of serving the nation’s future, even the most unconventional actions could be justified—even praised.
That was what he should have done.
Yet, he had chosen the least strategic path.
He refused to let his feelings be misconstrued.
Even if she were not the Divine Maiden, Yu Miaohua was a woman who effortlessly captivated hearts. His affection for her was pure, untainted by ulterior motives.
Pei Lingyue: "..."
Given the Crown Prince’s obvious fondness, Yu Miaohua likely sensed his regard, even if she hadn’t yet considered it in a romantic light.
Hearing his son shoulder all responsibility, Pei Lingyue grew even more certain: this was no passing fancy.
He pressed again, "Have you truly thought this through? If word spreads, how will others perceive you both? Your reputation could be ruined. You might even lose your position as Crown Prince."
Pei Chiyan had already steeled himself for the worst the moment he chose this path.
Lowering his gaze, he said calmly, "Your son is willing to sacrifice anything to secure his standing, even coveting the divine blessings the Divine Maiden brings to Great Qi."
"The Divine Maiden merely endures it for Great Qi’s sake."
Pei Lingyue’s eyelid twitched—he saw through his son’s scheme.
All the blame would fall on him, while Yu Miaohua remained the innocent, unwilling party.
His tone turned wry. "You really don’t fear being remembered by history as a tyrannical fool, do you?"
Pei Chiyan’s voice was steady. "By then, I’ll already be dead."
What did posthumous reputation matter to him?
He could restrain himself for Yu Miaohua’s safety, but he wouldn’t relinquish this long-cherished chance for the sake of strangers’ judgments.
Pei Lingyue gave a slight nod. "Understood. Hand me your memorial."
Pei Chiyan passed it to him.
Pei Lingyue glanced at him. "For now, I won’t include your name."
He flicked the memorial with his fingers, a faint smile playing on his lips. "However, I’ll ensure Yu Miaohua receives this in due time."
A father as accommodating as he was a rare gem indeed.
The corners of Pei Chiyan’s lips twitched upward involuntarily before he forcibly suppressed them. Yet, the joy in his eyes remained unmistakable.
Pei Lingyue shot him a disdainful look. His usually astute son had suddenly turned foolish, and the sight was downright irritating.
With a mischievous smirk, he added, "Speaking of which, Pei Yuheng has been remarkably proactive. His memorial even listed all his assets."
At the mention of Pei Yuheng, Pei Chiyan’s smile faded.
"Your son recalls pressing matters to attend to. I shall take my leave."
He needed his subordinates to thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of the other candidates—lest unworthy men dare overreach.
...
Regarding the selection of divine consorts, Yu Miaohua was surprised to find the imperial harem far more invested than she was. Even concubines who had previously been at odds with her now mobilized their connections to gather intelligence on the candidates.
Baffled, she wondered: Had her popularity suddenly soared?
Sun Shanlan explained her confusion: "They’re projecting their dreams onto you."
Not every woman who entered the palace regretted it, but regardless, their futures seemed frozen—no alternate paths remained.
Yet, in the Imperial Noble Consort, they glimpsed a sliver of hope.
Yu Miaohua understood.
She had reached a point where further titles were meaningless. The lack of public outrage over her selection of consorts stemmed partly from this.
Many believed her merits warranted the empress’s position, and the emperor’s seemingly absurd decree was compensation.
If all went well, she might leverage future rewards to secure freedom for those concubines who wished to leave the palace.
Of course, not all desired departure—the choice was personal.
As for the consort selection, she had adopted a laissez-faire attitude.
If forced to choose, she’d simply pick the most aesthetically pleasing.
Meanwhile, court intrigues provided endless entertainment.
She had assumed men of this era would consider sharing a wife disgraceful, yet numerous families eagerly volunteered their sons to live off her prestige.
Thus, they busied themselves digging up dirt on rivals.
Every morning court session became a battleground of impeachments.
Her younger sister, Yu Miaoping, frequently visited the palace with the latest gossip, courtesy of her two informants. With their help, Yu Miaoping had become the capital’s foremost rumor mill.
All in all, Yu Miaohua’s days were lively, filled with amusement.
Two weeks later, the preliminary list was finalized—thirty candidates remained after disqualifications.
The number exceeded her expectations.
Pei Lingyue informed her that this round, she would select nine.
"This round?" Yu Miaohua caught the implication. "There’ll be more?"
Pei Lingyue replied coolly, "Should they prove unsatisfactory, we’ll naturally select anew."
For Pei Lingyue, these were nothing more than excuses. As long as the court officials and the common people grew accustomed to such absurdities, they would no longer be shocked when even more outrageous things happened in the future—they would simply take it in stride.
This was all to pave the way for the Crown Prince.
Of course, this was all he could do. Whether the Crown Prince could defeat the other two suitors would depend entirely on himself.
He hoped the Crown Prince wouldn’t disappoint him.
Yu Miaohua was already numb to it all. At this point, nothing the Emperor did could surprise her anymore.
[Ahhh! Why aren’t their names on the list?! Host, talk to the Emperor and have him add them! He’s already chosen so many people—what’s three more?]
The system was frantic when it saw the roster.
[I can’t force them to volunteer. You should just give up on this mission and accept reality.]
Pei Lingyue had seen the exchange—he had received petitions from all three men but deliberately left their names off the list.
He had already arranged everything that would follow.
Clearing his throat lightly, he announced, "I have not failed the late Emperor’s trust. After much deliberation, I have finally settled on a preliminary selection."
"I thought it only right to present this list to our ancestors and seek their approval."
Yu Miaohua paid no mind to this. It was just a formality. Those emperors had been dead for so long—it wasn’t like they could leap out of their graves to object.
"Once the final roster is confirmed, you may choose whomever you prefer."
Pei Lingyue lingered for a while longer before bustling off again.
Three days later, Pei Lingyue led the officials to the ancestral temple to present the list, written on cloud-patterned silk, before the spirit tablets of the Great Qi emperors.
As the person most directly involved, Yu Miaohua naturally accompanied them.
While listening to the ritual officer recite the prayers, she flipped through a novel her system had picked out to pass the time.
[Ahhh! Host, listen! The Grand Preceptor just swapped the list!]
[He was so fast! If my backend hadn’t caught it, even I would’ve been fooled!]
Yu Miaohua immediately closed the novel.
[Seriously? The list was really switched? What is Master Jiang trying to do?]
Though shocked, she felt no fear.
Master Jiang was on her side—he would never harm her.
Jiang Kangyou took the silk from the altar and presented it to Pei Lingyue with both hands.
He sighed inwardly: Who would have thought the tricks he used to amuse his son as a child would one day be repurposed to swap out an imperial roster?
Pei Lingyue unfurled the silk and prepared to read the names aloud. But when his eyes landed on a particular line, his expression twisted in disbelief.
"This… how could this be?"
"Your Majesty, what has happened?" Yuan Xinji played along, though inwardly he marveled at how exaggerated the Emperor’s shock seemed.
"Your Majesty, has the late Emperor left some decree?" Marquis Xuan chimed in. He hadn’t actually volunteered, but his name was on the list. The Emperor had told him his inclusion was meant to intimidate the more delusional candidates.
He glanced at the Imperial Noble Consort, feeling a pang of sympathy for her.
Pei Lingyue’s hands trembled slightly. "The late Emperor has manifested… three names have been added to the list."
Before entering the ancestral temple, he had made sure the officials witnessed the original roster firsthand—so they could serve as irrefutable witnesses.
Hearing this, Yu Miaohua’s lips twitched. A terrible premonition settled over her.
"Three additional names have appeared."
"Shen Sushang."
"Pei Yuheng, heir to the Prince of Feng."
Pei Lingyue paused before continuing, "And Crown Prince Pei Chiyan."
The hall erupted in uproar—some feigned, others genuinely horrified.
Wait, were the ancestral emperors really this bold?
Shen Sushang was one thing, but Pei Yuheng and Pei Chiyan too?
This…
"Your Majesty, is this true?" Lord Li’s voice sounded faint.
Pei Lingyue had the silk passed around for inspection.
The ministers skipped straight to the end, and when they saw the last three names, their legs nearly gave out.
It was real!
In the past, they would have suspected fraud.
But in recent years, the ancestral temple had seen too many "miracles"—so they believed it instantly.
Their eyes turned to Jiang Kangyou, who stood frowning, looking deeply troubled.
The few remaining skeptics dismissed their doubts: There was no way Jiang Kangyou could have swapped it. Under such scrutiny, how could he dare commit such treason? It would gain him nothing.
Besides, Grand Preceptor Jiang was a man of integrity, trusted by all.
Yu Miaohua’s mind buzzed with the system’s ecstatic voice.
[Ahhh! Congratulations, Host, on completing Main Mission 6.1: Getting all three targets onto the Divine Consort candidate list! Rewards have been issued!]
Yu Miaohua: ???
Wait, what? Master Jiang was serious?
How could he just add those three like that?
Pei Lingyue sighed. "These newly added names… they look like the late Emperor’s handwriting."
Yu Miaohua was speechless: This is too much. One of these days, the late Emperor really is going to rise from the grave out of sheer rage at your audacity.
