The Harem’s Battlefield: Three Women at Each Other’s Throats

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace, Cining Palace.

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the hall was as bizarre as a Siberian cold current colliding with an equatorial volcano. Amidst this clash of ice and fire, there was also a strong, fragrant scent of green tea innocence.

Wang Hao sat upright beside Empress Dowager Lady Sun. Holding a cup of premium Snowy Mountain Cloud Mist tea, he gently scraped the floating leaves with the lid. His deep, narrow eyes were relishing the highest-tier harem battlefield in the Great Wilderness playing out before him.

To his left, Ren Mingyue, dressed in an elegant, light yellow palace gown, was kneeling beside Empress Dowager Lady Sun's legs. Her slender, jade-like hands were massaging the Empress Dowager's legs with just the right amount of pressure. With lowered eyes and a gentle, obedient smile on her lips, her voice was so soft it could practically drip water: Empress Dowager, is this pressure alright? When I was at home, I often massaged my grandmother like this. She said it helped invigorate the blood and reduce bruising.

Oh, what a good child, thank you for your filial piety. My old, cold legs are finally comfortable today. Lady Sun beamed from ear to ear, her eyes full of affection for this prospective daughter-in-law. She not only held and caressed Ren Mingyue's hand but also slipped a top-quality imperial green jade bracelet off her own wrist and placed it onto Ren Mingyue's.

Meanwhile, on the guest seats on the right side of the hall, Yun Meng and Shen Xue were being forced to coexist harmoniously.

Yun Meng wore a fiery red strapless immortal-flowing dress today, draped with a layer of red gauze as thin as cicada wings, outlining her proud figure in a way that could make one bleed from the nose. She leaned back against her chair; her Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox bloodline made her exude a fatal charm with every movement.

In contrast, Shen Xue wore her eternal, coldly glamorous white clothes, radiating an extremely frigid aura that screamed strangers keep away, and acquaintances get lost too. She sat with her back perfectly straight, looking straight ahead, as if everything around her was just dirty dust.

Oh, isn't this the great Holy Maiden Shen of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace? Yun Meng suddenly covered her mouth and giggled. Her peach-blossom eyes darted around as she deliberately raised her voice. Why do you still have that ice-cube face here in the Cining Palace? Those who know you understand you have a naturally cold temperament, but those who don't might think you harbor dissatisfaction toward the Empress Dowager and are deliberately pulling a long face.

As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the hall instantly dropped to the freezing point.

Shen Xue's willow brows shot up, and a materialized killing intent instantly condensed in her beautiful eyes, piercing coldly toward Yun Meng: You vixen, stop spitting venom here! My Ice and Snow Divine Palace cultivates the Emotionless Ice Heart Mantra. Unlike some people who are born with cheap bones that only know how to wag their tails and beg for pity, strutting and posing wherever they go!

Who are you calling a vixen?! Yun Meng's chest heaved violently in anger as she abruptly stood up. I am naturally beautiful! Does a stiff icicle like you even know what femininity is? No wonder that night, a certain someone screamed louder than anyone else, yet now you're pretending to be pure and aloof!

Boom!

The words that night were absolutely Shen Xue's reverse scale. Her fair cheeks instantly flushed bright red, not from shyness, but from fury. The authoritative aura she had cultivated for years erupted as she slammed her hand on the table: Yun Meng! I'm going to tear your rotten mouth off!

Bring it on! You think I'm afraid of you?! I've found you an eyesore for a long time! Yun Meng puffed out her chest without showing any weakness, her eyes full of provocation.

Seeing that two of the Great Wilderness's unparalleled beauties were about to disregard their image and pull each other's hair, Ren Mingyue, who had been quietly massaging legs, suddenly let out a soft sigh and stood up.

Please calm down, you two sisters. Ren Mingyue took graceful steps to stand between them, her face bearing incredibly sincere worry. Both of you sisters are Holy Maidens of great hidden sects. How noble are your statuses? If you harm your harmony over a little quarrel, wouldn't it make you a laughingstock to the world if word got out? Furthermore...

Ren Mingyue's eyes rippled as she cast a pitiful, delicate glance up at Wang Hao, who was watching the show. Furthermore, His Majesty attends to a myriad of affairs every day, and the state affairs of the front court are already burdensome enough. As women of the inner court, we ought to share His Majesty's burdens. How can we make a huge ruckus here in the Cining Palace, causing trouble for the Empress Dowager and His Majesty? If we cause His Majesty distress, that would be a grave sin for us women.

An absolute kill!

The ultimate profound truth of a high-tier green tea, stepping on others to elevate oneself, combined with moral kidnapping!

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Lady Sun immediately withdrew her smile, and a trace of displeasure entered her gaze toward Shen Xue and Yun Meng. There really was a difference between a lady from a prominent family and wild girls from martial sects. Mingyue was still the one who was sensible and understood the bigger picture.

Although Shen Xue and Yun Meng cultivated in their sects year-round and were not skilled in this kind of palace scheming, they were not stupid. They instantly heard the veiled sarcasm hidden within Ren Mingyue's words.

Ren Mingyue, what kind of thing are you? Do you think you're worthy of lecturing us? Yun Meng gritted her teeth.

Just a plaything sent by a hidden family. Relying on a bit of beauty, do you really consider yourself the master of the harem? Shen Xue also snorted coldly. Miraculously, the two of them united on the same front in this moment.

This concubine would not dare... This concubine simply feels heartache for His Majesty... Ren Mingyue's eyes instantly reddened, and tears fell like pearls from a broken string. Not only did she not talk back, but she also acted like a little white flower swaying in the wind and rain, stepping back two paces with an aggrieved look.

Enough.

Wang Hao, who had been watching the show all along, finally spoke. He set down his teacup, producing a crisp clinking sound. Although the sound wasn't loud, it made the hearts of the three women in the hall tighten simultaneously.

In his heart, Wang Hao was practically blooming with joy. Fight! Tear into each other fiercely for Us! If you don't fight each other and actually unite into a solid block, wouldn't Our harem be turned upside down?

He stood up and strode over to the three women.

You are all Our women. What kind of decorum is this, making such a racket? Wang Hao put on a stern face, displaying the majesty of a generational overlord, but his sinful large hand began its pacification work without leaving a trace.

He first walked up to Shen Xue. Just as Shen Xue was about to dodge, Wang Hao grabbed her small, jade-like, icy hand.

What are you doing! Let go! Shen Xue scolded angrily in a lowered voice, yet the roots of her ears reddened uncontrollably.

Xue'er, We know you have just arrived and miss your sect. Not only did Wang Hao not let go, but his thumb also gently caressed the back of her hand a couple of times, feeling its extreme smoothness. Then, he pulled a bead radiating an extremely frigid aura from his robes. This is a Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Soul Bead that We ordered people to find from the deep seas of the extreme north. It will be highly beneficial for your cultivation of the Ice Heart Mantra. Take it, consider it a small token of Our affection.

Feeling the pure cold energy within the bead, the words of refusal got stuck in Shen Xue's throat, unable to come out. This foolish ruler... how could he know she was recently stuck at a bottleneck and urgently needed this item? She bit her lower lip and ultimately accepted it in humiliation. She snorted coldly and turned her head away, but the anger in her heart had miraculously subsided by more than half.

Wang Hao laughed inwardly. This was a treasure the Western Depot had only found after raiding the homes of over a dozen corrupt officials. If he didn't use it to cop a feel and buy her heart, was he supposed to trade it for money?

Having pacified Shen Xue, Wang Hao turned to look at Yun Meng. He reached out extremely naturally and wrapped his arm around her slender, easily grasped waist. With a slight pull, he drew her into his embrace.

"L-let go of me!" Yun Meng struggled symbolically. Feeling the strong masculine aura radiating from Wang Hao, her legs suddenly felt a bit weak.

"Even when Meng'er is angry, she's so seductive," Wang Hao leaned into her ear, lowering his voice, and spoke in a wicked tone that only the two of them could hear. "I know your Illusory Sea Immortal Sect has been wanting to expand recently. This 'Illusion God Jade Slip' records an ancient illusion technique that is enough to elevate your sect's grand defensive array to the next level. Be a good girl, and tonight I will go to your place to discuss the ideals of life."

Yun Meng's peach-blossom eyes widened abruptly, her breathing quickening. This ancient illusion technique was a lost copy that the Illusory Sea Immortal Sect had been searching for over thousands of years! Where did this little tyrant get it? Automatically ignoring his last sentence, she tightly gripped the jade slip and shot Wang Hao a fierce glare, but stopped making a fuss.

Finally, Wang Hao walked towards Ren Mingyue.

Looking at this highly skilled "little white flower," the wicked smile on Wang Hao's lips deepened. He didn't give her any magical treasure. Instead, he reached out with extreme dominance and lifted Ren Mingyue's smooth chin.

"Mingyue has suffered grievances today." Wang Hao's gaze was full of aggression. Right in front of the Empress Dowager and the two Holy Maidens, he directly lowered his head and gently planted a kiss on Ren Mingyue's forehead.

"Boom!" Ren Mingyue felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her mind went completely blank, her disguised composure instantly crumbling. Her face turned as red as a ripe apple. She never expected that this Emperor would actually kiss her in public!

"The Ren family has been lacking high-tier spirit jade for their formations lately, right? I have already ordered Wei Zhongxian to allocate a hundred thousand catties of top-grade spirit jade from the inner treasury and send it to the Ren family. You are a sensible one, and I like sensible women the most," Wang Hao breathed softly by her ear.

Ren Mingyue's heart shook violently. A hundred thousand catties of top-grade spirit jade! This was wealth enough to buy half of a medium-sized sect! This man was not only domineering in his methods but also so generously rewarding that one simply could not refuse. Her heart beating like a drum, she replied in a low voice, "M-many thanks for Your Majesty's grace."

Looking at the three women who had been completely pacified by his combo, wary of each other yet not daring to act out of line again, Wang Hao let out a maniacal laugh in his heart.

What was the art of emperorship? This was the art of emperorship! Divide and conquer, feed them precisely, and take advantage of them along the way—simply perfect! As long as these three women formed a tripartite balance of power in the inner harem, the Ice Snow Divine Palace, the Illusory Sea Immortal Sect, and the Ren family behind them would have to obediently serve as engines on the Great Zhou's war chariot!

...

As night fell, the clamor of the imperial palace gradually subsided.

Inside the side hall of the Palace of Gathered Elegance, Shen Xue paced the room irritably. Today's confrontation in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility left her feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. That shameless scoundrel Wang Hao seemed able to see through all their weaknesses, playing them in the palm of his hand.

"No, I can't just sit still and wait for death, letting him treat me as a canary in a cage." A flash of resolve crossed Shen Xue's eyes. "The ancient records of the Ice Snow Divine Palace state that the Great Zhou Royal Library holds the most complete ancient secrets in the Great Wilderness. I must go and find out exactly what is going on with the Crimson Moon Demon Cult's Martial God Corpse!"

Under the cover of darkness, Shen Xue executed the Ice Snow Divine Palace's exclusive divine sense concealment technique, silently slipping out of the Palace of Gathered Elegance and infiltrating the Royal Library.

The library was massive, with vast seas of ancient books piled upon bookshelves tens of meters high.

Relying on her intuition as a Holy Maiden, Shen Xue headed straight for the deepest area labeled "Ancient Taboos." Since Wang Hao didn't treat her as an outsider at all—or rather, he wasn't afraid of her turning the world upside down—moreover, the library was open to the entire imperial palace.

She rummaged for a long time until, on a dust-covered shelf in the corner, she finally found a dilapidated parchment scroll made of neither metal nor wood.

On the parchment scroll, a dusty history was densely recorded in ancient divine text.

"...The Crimson Moon shifts, the Star Abyss inverts. The ancient Martial God perished for the Dao, not to pass down his teachings, but to suppress a demon..."

Shen Xue's brows furrowed tightly as she read quickly. Suddenly, her pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks, and her jade-like hands holding the parchment couldn't stop trembling.

"This... how is this possible?!"

The records on the parchment completely overturned the world's understanding of the "Martial God Corpse"!

That Martial God Corpse of the Crimson Moon Demon Cult, coveted by the whole world, was not some supreme treasure left behind to protect descendants at all! It was a cage! An ultimate seal using the Martial God's physical body as chains and evil entities as nourishment!

And sealed within the Martial God's corpse was an ultimate terror from the ancient era—a Level Nine Great Ominous Anomaly: Abyssal Eye Nightfiend!

"No wonder... no wonder when the Crimson Moon Demon Cult drives the Martial God Corpse, they need to use that eerie bronze ghost mask, and require massive blood sacrifices!" Shen Xue's breathing quickened, cold sweat soaking her back.

It turned out the Crimson Moon Demon Cult couldn't control the Martial God Corpse at all! Everything they did was using blood sacrifices and the formations secretly provided by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion to slowly wear away the seal within the Martial God's corpse, borrowing a sliver of leaked power from that Level Nine anomaly to show off their might!

Once the seal was completely shattered and the Abyssal Eye Nightfiend emerged, the entire Great Wilderness would inevitably turn into an infinite purgatory. Let alone the Great Zhou, even the Heavenly Secret Pavilion and hidden sects would all die!

"Is Xie Wujiu of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion crazy? Does he not know he is playing with fire? What on earth is he trying to do!"

Shen Xue's heart was a tangled mess. The image of Wang Hao's punchable yet domineering face subconsciously surfaced in her mind.

The Great Zhou's home-raiding team was still itching for action, and that madman Wang Hao had always wanted to completely wipe out the Crimson Moon Demon Cult. If Wang Hao didn't know the depths of the danger and rashly led people to forcefully attack, shattering that Martial God Corpse and releasing that Level Nine great evil...

"That shameless tyrant would be instantly torn to shreds by that anomaly, right?"

This thought flashed through Shen Xue's mind. According to common sense, if Wang Hao died, she would be free, and the humiliation of the Ice Snow Divine Palace would be washed away.

But why was there a trace of... inexplicable panic and stinging pain in her heart?

"Should I... should I go tell him?" Shen Xue tightly gripped the parchment, biting her red lips with her pearly teeth, falling into an unprecedented internal struggle.

"No! Why should I care about that lecher's life or death! It's better if he dies!" Shen Xue forced herself to harden her heart, but her hand holding the parchment just wouldn't let go.

And just as undercurrents surged in the inner harem, outside the Forbidden City, a deadly assassination plot targeting Wang Hao had quietly raised its curtains.