CHAPTER 356: CHAPTER 341: THE GREAT CALAMITY IN THE HAREM

"It’s time for the selection ceremony again."

Li Shimin felt bored; he had long surpassed the age of lingering amidst flowers, but this was an imperial ritual, so he decided to go through the motions.

"Minister, do any of them catch your eye?" Li Shimin turned to Zhu Zhengwei.

The selection was not only for the emperor but also for the nobility and princes, choosing some beautiful and talented girls to keep in the palace.

Zhu Zhengwei paused in silence, looking at the tens of thousands of girls kneeling below.

"Hahaha!" Li Shimin suddenly laughed, "Even my precious daughter doesn’t catch your eye; how could these common beauties from the populace attract your attention?"

"Your Majesty, I am still young and do not wish to be entangled in romances," Zhu Zhengwei replied.

He started pondering.

The appearance of Wu Mei Niang would mean the downfall of Li Shimin’s era.

And how would it fall? Was it possible that the celestial beings were about to act against Li Shimin?

After all, beauty can be perilous; indeed, the current situation bears resemblance to the "Shang Dynasty," perhaps Wu Mei Niang is another Su Daji, the celestial beings, unable to directly act against the Human Emperor, repeating old tricks to overturn the Li Tang Dynasty.

Moreover, Wu Mei Niang surpassed Su Daji greatly, even directly becoming the Human Emperor...

This possibility is quite probable.

And should he involve himself, could he alter some destinies?

How should he change it himself? If Wu Mei Niang truly won, would he just be another worker, swapping one emperor for another while continuing the exhausting work?

That remains uncertain.

If this Human Emperor served the celestial powers and didn’t hide his special nature like Li Shimin...he might be exposed.

...

These were the areas he needed to consider.

Also, while looking at the concubines below, he was convinced some Immortal Herbs were pretending to be proper, daring to infiltrate the Great Tang Palace and even aim to become concubines.

A group of player-concubines...

You really dare to dream!

If you cattle enter the inner palace, won’t chaos ensue?

He imagined the future scenes of the inner palace, feeling it too beautiful to witness.

"From what I know about them, it’s not just the female players; there might be quite a few burly men mixed in," he thought silently.

Still, they failed to detect anything abnormal...seems afraid to speak some secrets; their true forms are likely shackled during body creation...

With his cautiousness and prudence, he definitely took precautions against such matters.

No matter how things unfold, he would watch quietly...

"Your Majesty, it’s my first time witnessing the selection ceremony, yet I feel no interest..." he stepped aside.

Li Shimin nodded, ultimately sighing.

He initially wanted to bring his Prime Minister here to relax, and, if possible, settle down with a woman, fostering a sense of belonging to the Li Tang Dynasty, he would be reassured.

However, he was utterly surprised: Zhu Zhengwei, far from lacking interest, dared not select anyone.

It’s akin to drawing lottery - only heaven knows if the winner is male or female...elegant beauties could turn out to be burly men - a horror indeed.

"So, let’s proceed with the formalities."

Li Shimin, noting the Prime Minister’s lack of interest, began to speak: "You all will enter the palace, undergo one last test, and live in your respective halls for a time; I will be observing you."

The selection was akin to an election.

In the final stage, Li Shimin arranged "work" for them, continuously changing tasks to test their various talents and capacities, probing deep.

Soon, Zhu Zhengwei and others left.

The palace maid supervisor looked downward:

"Next, we will arrange the residences for each talented woman."

...

Before long, they were led to various places.

They were indeed unparalleled beauties possessing unimaginable charm.

Several players observed their surroundings, quietly organizing their thoughts.

Indeed, for Emperor Tang, the selection wasn’t significant, merely ceremonial...and beside him, perhaps was the legendary Prime Minister, Minister of the Ministry of War.

This meteoric rise of a legendary man was exceedingly handsome and young!

More handsome than them by ten thousand times, shockingly stunning.

"If we can’t overthrow Li Shimin, perhaps we can contend for the Prime Minister instead."

"Right, competing against Li Shimin is too challenging, and the Empress is already established; we can barely dethrone her for position, whereas the Prime Minister hasn’t married...we could directly become his wife, his talent so strong, we’d rise skyward in one step!"

"Sisters, I’m in love, the icy, domineering Prime Minister falling for me!"

"Are you girls forgetting about us? We understand men best; just watch us charm him!"

"You bastards, we’ll see who prevails."

...

Zhu Zhengwei had no idea he was being targeted.

He came briefly to observe the players, never expecting to become the new golden boy.

Yet, as Zhu Zhengwei remarked, these folks came to Chang’an City; it didn’t concern him whatsoever, the first to worry would be Li Shimin.

Because most players arriving here were leisure players, disliking combat, focusing on secondary professions like lifestyle players—culinary arts, farming, architecture...

Half a year passed.

The concubines had resided in the palace for a while.

Li Shimin repeatedly restarted saves, himself increasingly puzzled, feeling he had encountered some extraordinary occurrences.

"Why are this generation’s concubines so exceptional?"

At this moment, he stood in one concubine’s chamber, observing secretly, utterly bewildered.

Boom boom boom!

He saw this concubine swinging a massive iron hammer, her face delicate and beautiful yet muscular, forging weapons with familiarity.

The entire palace had transformed into an artifact refining forge, lined with various iron implements, entirely unlike a woman’s domain; she used her monthly allowance to purchase materials, refining artifacts daily.

Li Shimin was astounded, "A near demon-level talent in forging...could rank among the top million in exams."

The folk customs of the Li Tang Dynasty were fierce; women forging was not unusual.

Diverse civilizations flourished, myriad talents existed; after all, the palace allowed concubines self-life, essentially testing their interests and roles...previously, many concubines forged weapons, practiced alchemy, refined demons, learned military skills...

For the Mythical Dynasty, beauty is merely a façade; selections were meant for talent acquisition.

This woman before him, forging, was normal.

"Yet she is extremely abnormal...rarely do I encounter one so disciplined," Li Shimin mused, "She works with extraordinary diligence, almost as an inverse example compared to my Prime Minister."

Her efforts were abnormal.

And she was relatively normal among the maidens; he saw other maidens transforming their concubine halls into extraordinary shapes, enjoying themselves, like the one below.

His gaze turned odder, observing another concubine.

This concubine was gentle and virtuous but transformed her palace into a food shop, leading maids, delightedly turning it into a restaurant daily, researching various cuisines, her talent in culinary arts astonishing, dedicated to crafting luminous dishes named "Yangquan Restaurant."

"My inner palace, how did it take on the qualities of a nine-square grid? Each chamber boasts its unique, peculiar style?"

He felt somewhat bewildered; such occurrences weren’t unheard of, rather typical; each concubine showcased talent, but none as absurdly distinct and robust as now.