The Turmoil of Enthroning the Empress Before the Emperor’s Personal Expedition: Wang Hao Turns the Harem into Political Pawns

The capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, in a side hall of the Palace of Supreme Harmony.

Only a single day had passed since the issuance of the General Mobilization Order for the Western Expedition, a decree that had shocked the world and left all the sects of the Eastern Wasteland crying out in despair. An army of half a million capital troops had already finished assembling, their weapons pointed directly at the Western Regions. Those sect elders and favored geniuses who had been forcibly conscripted were currently fighting back tears as they lined up at the quartermaster's office, receiving the Vanguard Camp's death rosters clearly labeled with Estimated Mortality Rate: 63%.

Yet, at the very center of this storm, the atmosphere inside the side hall deep within the imperial palace presented an eerily quiet and charming contrast.

Premium soothing incense burned in the hall, its smoke curling gracefully into the air.

Three faces of peerless, nation-toppling beauty sat around an exquisite red sandalwood round table.

Shen Xue, the Holy Maiden of the Ice and Snow Divine Palace; Yun Meng, the Divine Maiden of the Illusory Sea Immortal Sect; and Ren Mingyue, the eldest young lady of the reclusive Ren family.

Any single one of these three women could drive countless young talents of the Eastern Wasteland into a frenzy, even making them draw their swords to fight to the death. But at this moment, they had been forced to change into extremely grand and complicated Great Zhou palace dresses, surrounded by pearls and jade, outshining all other beauties.

However, the expressions on their faces were far from pleasant.

Summoning the three of us alone to this side hall in the middle of the night, claiming there is some top secret strategy to discuss. Yun Meng irritably fiddled with the jade pendant at her waist, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed. What kind of medicine is this dog... this dog emperor trying to sell? The army is marching out tomorrow. Instead of reviewing the troops at the front lines, what does he want with us?

Shen Xue slightly closed her eyes, her entire body exuding an icy aura that kept people thousands of miles away. She coldly said, Given his style of doing things, seeking us out is definitely not for anything good. I am afraid he wants to squeeze some more benefits out of the sects behind us.

Ren Mingyue held a cup of hot tea, a habitual gentle smile hanging on the corners of her mouth, but the depths of her beautiful eyes revealed extreme vigilance. One must always keep their guard up. His Majesty's schemes are unfathomably deep. No matter what demands he makes of us today, the three of us must form a united front and absolutely cannot let him divide and conquer us.

Yes! A united front! Ren Mingyue nodded heavily, secretly resolving never to be deceived by Wang Hao's punchable face again.

Oh? What are my three beloved concubines chatting about? You even want to form a united front against We?

Accompanied by a light chuckle that was lazy yet tinged with a bit of teasing, the carved wooden doors of the side hall were pushed open.

Wang Hao walked right into the middle of the three women with a bold and unceremonious stride, sitting down in the main seat without any hesitation. He even casually picked up the teacup that Yun Meng had just taken a sip from, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

That always flawlessly gentle smile of Yun Meng's instantly stiffened. That teacup... her lips had just touched it! This shameless scoundrel!

Your Majesty, please conduct yourself with dignity. We are not your concubines. Shen Xue abruptly opened her eyes, her voice so cold it could drop ice shards.

Don't be so hasty. Wang Hao casually tossed the teacup onto the table, leaning forward slightly with his elbows resting on his knees, his gaze sweeping over the absolutely beautiful faces of the three women like a physical weight.

I called you here tonight because I truly have a top-secret matter that will determine the life and death of the Great Zhou to announce.

Wang Hao put away his earlier teasing, his expression becoming extremely serious, even carrying a bit of deep affection and the heavy weight of entrusting the empire.

The three women felt a chill in their hearts and subconsciously straightened their backs. Could there be a change in the Western Region's battle situation? Or did the Heaven's Secret Pavilion have some secret assassination plot?

Just as they held their breath, preparing to listen to some earth-shattering master plan, Wang Hao slightly parted his thin lips and spat out a sentence that almost made the three of them flip the table:

I have decided that after the Western Expedition army marches out tomorrow, I will appoint the three of you as the Temporary Regent Empresses of the Great Zhou.

Clang!

A top-grade mutton-fat jade cup that Shen Xue had originally been playing with in her hands was directly frozen to pieces by her out-of-control icy true qi upon hearing the word Empress, scattering jade dust all over the floor.

Ren Mingyue's forever gentle-as-water face completely broke character at this moment, her eyes widening like brass bells, the corners of her mouth twitching uncontrollably.

The one with the biggest reaction was Yun Meng, who directly shot up to her feet, pointing at Wang Hao's nose, her voice cracking sharply:

Are... are you crazy?! Who wants to be your empress?! We aren't even married yet! No, who wants to marry you anyway! You are acting like a complete hooligan!

Looking at the reactions of the three women, Wang Hao not only didn't get angry, but instead comfortably leaned back in his chair, like a demon admiring prey struggling in a trap.

Don't get excited, listen to me finish. Wang Hao slowly tapped the table. Not just one empress, but three co-empresses. I have even figured out the division of labor for you.

Shen Xue, you come from the Ice and Snow Divine Palace, your cultivation method is ruthless and your methods are decisive. You will stay in the capital to supervise the capital's imperial guards for me. Anyone who causes trouble in the rear, you have the right to execute them first and report later.

Yun Meng, your Illusory Sea Immortal Sect's Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns technique is best suited for gathering intelligence. During the Western Expedition, the Great Zhou's secret police espionage system will report entirely to you.

As for Mingyue... Wang Hao raised an eyebrow at the gentle Ren Mingyue. You are the best at doing business. The financial power of the Directorate of Ceremonial will be handed over to you. The daily consumption of spirit stones and pills by the six hundred thousand troops of the Western Expedition is an astronomical figure. You must manage this account well for me.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

After experiencing the initial shock and anger, these three women, who were hailed as the proud daughters of heaven in the Eastern Wasteland, were all incredibly intelligent. Their minds spun rapidly, and in just a few breaths of time, they completely realized what was going on.

How was this some deep and affectionate entrustment? How was this sharing the empire?!

This was clearly a soft knife that killed without drawing blood! It was a vicious and malicious scheme to completely and firmly nail the three super factions behind them to the Great Zhou's war chariot!

Shen Xue took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the rampaging true qi within her body. Her beautiful eyes stared fixedly at Wang Hao, a trace of trembling in her voice:

Your Majesty is truly... good at scheming.

Keeping us in the capital and crowning us with the empty title of Regent Empresses. By doing this, my Ice and Snow Divine Palace, the Illusory Sea Immortal Sect, and the reclusive Ren family will become the Great Zhou's justifiable imperial relatives! In the Western Expedition war, if the sects behind us dare to slack off, or even dare to shake military morale in the rear, then there will be no need for the Great Zhou to make a move. The spit of the entire world will curse us as ungrateful wretches!

Ren Mingyue also revealed deep apprehension and powerlessness.

Not only that... Ren Mingyue smiled bitterly and continued Shen Xue's words. We control the three lifelines of military, intelligence, and finance in the capital. It looks like we hold great power, but in reality, the core of the Great Zhou has long been an iron bucket controlled by His Majesty's trusted aides. Every command we issue uses the seal of the Great Zhou. We have become His Majesty's most useful and resourceful high-level free laborers.

And the most important thing is... The look Ren Mingyue gave Wang Hao even carried a trace of fear. By being in the capital, we are the biggest hostages in His Majesty's hands. As long as we are here, who among the three great powers would dare to rebel against you?

Marrying the three most beautiful women in the world without paying a bride price, making their maiden families bring their own provisions and exhaust all their sect's power to act as cannon fodder on the front lines, and finally having these three women work themselves to the bone in the rear to help him count money and manage logistics.

Is this a scheme a human could even come up with?! His heart is so black it's oozing pus!

Listening to Shen Xue and Ren Mingyue's analysis, Wang Hao felt no embarrassment at being exposed; instead, he clapped his hands in deep satisfaction.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Those who know me best are my two beloved consorts." Wang Hao accepted the praise without a blush or a skipped heartbeat. "You flatter me. It is not as if I have a choice. The Western Regions are treacherous, and I am leading the campaign personally. What if a fire breaks out in my own backyard? Only by entrusting the Great Zhou's foundation to my three closest confidantes can I slaughter the enemy on the front lines with peace of mind."

"Bullshit!" Yun Meng finally could not help but curse, her delicate face flushing red. "This is kidnapping! This is a naked threat! Even if I, Ren Mingyue, have to die and jump off the roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I will absolutely never sign this bullshit Regent Appointment Letter! I am going to send a message to my master right now and tell him to withdraw his troops!"

"Oh? Yun Meng's temper is still as explosive as ever."

Wang Hao laughed instead of getting angry. He slowly pulled a parchment scroll bearing a giant bloody handprint from his sleeve and waved it in front of Ren Mingyue.

"Unfortunately for you, your master already signed and stamped this blood pact titled 'Supporting the Great Zhou's Western Expedition, May Heaven and Earth Destroy Us if We Betray' on behalf of the Illusory Sea Immortal Sect in the middle of the night yesterday. The old man has probably already led the Ren family's elites to be incorporated into the vanguard camp by now."

Yun Meng was struck as if by lightning. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, and her legs gave way, causing her to slump into her chair.

"Master... how could he..."

"Old people always understand the bigger picture." Wang Hao put away the blood pact. His tone suddenly became incredibly gentle, but the words he spoke induced more despair than the whispers of a demon.

"Of course, I have always been democratic and never force anyone. If Yun Meng is unwilling to stay in the capital as the lofty Regent Empress, I can also let you experience the life of the common people."

Wang Hao pulled out another military writ stamped with the Ministry of War's official seal and pushed it in front of Ren Mingyue.

"This is a letter of appointment for the Vanguard Camp of the Demon Suppression Youth Department. Since you do not want to manage the finances, you can march with the army. I see that Miss Ren's cultivation is quite good, and it just so happens that the Vanguard Camp's Medical Support Team is short of a stretcher-bearer and suicide squad member. In other words, you will be responsible for braving the acid and tentacles of the Western Region demons on the battlefield to rescue heavily wounded soldiers whose intestines have been ripped out."

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. According to the Eastern Depot's calculations, the casualty rate for the vanguard camp in this battle is approximately 63 percent. If you are going, remember to bring a couple of extra body bags for a change of clothes."

Wang Hao's tone was as relaxed as if he were discussing what kind of steamed buns to eat for breakfast tomorrow.

But to Yun Meng's ears, this was simply a death warrant from the Nine Nether Underworld!

The mere thought of those hundred-foot-tall mountains of flesh, those eight-legged spiders dripping with green acid, and being forced to charge into that foul-smelling quagmire of blood and gore to carry stretchers instantly made her thoroughly nauseous.

Trembling, she reached out with her slender, fair fingers, snatched the Temporary Regent Empress Appointment Letter, viciously bit her fingertip, and pressed down a humiliating bloody handprint.

"You bastard..."

Watching Yun Meng's pitiful, aggrieved appearance as she signed this indenture contract, Shen Xue and Ren Mingyue only felt a chill run through their bodies.

This was this man's method: using both the carrot and the stick, applying extreme pressure. In the face of the absolute violence of the state machine and his deep, scheming mind, these so-called proud daughters of heaven found that the cultivation, family backgrounds, and even beauty they took pride in were nothing but thin air to him.

They did not even have the right to resist.

Shen Xue closed her eyes, sighed, and also bit her finger, leaving her mark on the military and political authorization letter.

Ren Mingyue took a deep look at Wang Hao. This was the first time in front of Wang Hao, and in a public setting, that she completely put away her disguised mask of gentleness.

With an extremely serious gaze that even carried a dissecting, probing intensity, she stared dead into Wang Hao's eyes.

"Your Majesty," Shen Xue's voice was slightly hoarse. "You treat everyone in the world as chess pieces, and the civil and military officials of the entire court as tools. Now, even the three of us are treated by you as the cheapest emotional chips and political hostages."

"I just want to ask one thing... what exactly is your heart made of? Is there truly not a single shred of personal emotion or warmth inside it?"

At this question, Yun Meng and Ren Mingyue also stopped their movements and looked at Wang Hao with complex gazes. How they wished they could hear even a single sentence that sounded somewhat human from this man's mouth.

However, Wang Hao merely calmly picked up the slightly cooled teapot from the table and poured himself another cup of tea.

The dim lighting struck his sharp, chiseled profile, making him look incomparably ruthless.

"My heart?"

Wang Hao chuckled lightly and downed the tea in one gulp.

"My heart is made of the vast rivers and mountains of this Great Zhou. The empire has no warmth, only iron and blood; the world has no private affections, only life and death."

Wang Hao suddenly stood up, turned around, and strode out of the side hall.

When he reached the door, his footsteps paused slightly. He did not look back, only leaving behind a sentence that made the three women's hearts completely die, yet left them unable to feel anything but awe:

"Rest early, and manage the Great Zhou's home well. After finishing this cup of tea, I have to wake up early tomorrow... to kill."

The heavy doors slammed shut with a bang.

Leaving only the three Empresses in the side hall—women who were nominally powerful enough to tilt the world, but in reality had been reduced to the Great Zhou's top-tier wage laborers—staring at the flickering candlelight, speechless for a long time.