The Personal Eunuch, having divined His Majesty’s intentions from a previous imperial decree, knew the Emperor was still fixated on finding an opportunity for a breakthrough. Thus, he encouraged the Ministry of Internal Affairs to hold a grand selection of women with great fanfare.
Ostensibly, the purpose was to continue the Royal Family’s bloodline. In reality, it was to find a "second Consort Ji"—a replacement who could restore Emperor Xia’s opportunity for a breakthrough.
As for the Chief Wet Nurse, that was a different story. They couldn’t very well select a "second Chief Wet Nurse" and find another wet nurse for Emperor Xia.
In an instant, every eligible young woman in the Great Xia became a potential candidate.
Demure maidens from Jiangnan, spirited beauties from the Northern Lands, exotic women from the Western Regions... they were sent to White Jade City by the cartload and carriageful, a dazzling and endless procession.
The side halls of the Ministry of Internal Affairs bustled with activity day after day. The air, thick with the scent of perfume and sweat, was enough to make one’s head spin and left even some of the eunuchs dazzled.
The one in charge of this affair was the Chief Eunuch, a man known as Eunuch Wang. He was an old eunuch in his eighties, pale and beardless, with small, beady eyes. When he smiled, his face creased into so many wrinkles it was said he could trap a fly—or even a mosquito—in them.
He was intimately familiar with Emperor Xia’s preferences, handpicking women with enchanting eyes and seductive figures, ideally with some musical talent. In short, the more they resembled Consort Ji, the better.
In just a few days, he had managed to gather more than a dozen women who bore a fifty to sixty percent resemblance to Consort Ji. One of them even resembled the late consort by about eighty percent.
Pinching his fingers together in a delicate pose, Eunuch Wang spoke to his subordinates in a high, thin voice. "Not enough. This is not enough. His Majesty wants more than just a likeness; he wants an essential resemblance. These women are not enough. Do you understand that bone-deep allure that Lady Ji possessed?"
His subordinates exchanged uncertain glances. No one dared claim they understood, nor did they know how to respond.
"Fine, forget it. Keep searching," Eunuch Wang said with a wave of his hand. "Didn’t Jiangnan just send over a new batch? Bring them here and let me have a look."
Just then, a Little Eunuch leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
Eunuch Wang’s eyes lit up. "Oh? Wenhua Hall has a new Jiangnan Beauty named Fan Yingying, and her features bear a ninety-percent resemblance to Consort Ji? Is that true?"
"It is, Your Excellency. I saw her with my own eyes," the Little Eunuch said hurriedly. "That Fan Yingying was born with a pair of foxy eyes. When she looks at someone, her gaze is captivating—she’s practically cast from the same mold as Lady Ji! At first glance, you can hardly tell them apart. I also heard she’s studied the qin since she was a child, and her skill is quite renowned in Jiangnan."
Eunuch Wang clapped his hands. "Excellent, excellent. Go, take a few men and ’invite’ her over."
"But... she belongs to Wenhua Hall. The elder Crown Prince..." The Little Eunuch hesitated.
Eunuch Wang sneered. "The elder Crown Prince? A useless old fossil with one foot in the grave. As if he has the right to contend with His Majesty. Just go. Say His Majesty wants her and see if he dares to stop you. On second thought, I’d better go myself."
「Wenhua Hall. Afternoon.」
’Icebergs stood in the four corners of the hall, casting a deep chill that made it a different world from the scorching heat outside. It’s not the least bit inferior to the air conditioning from my past life—it might even be better.’
A group of newly arrived Jiangnan Beauties, dressed in light, gauzy robes, were practicing dance steps in the middle of the hall. Their every movement was breathtakingly beautiful.
Each had skin as smooth as jade and a supple waist. As they danced, their skirts fluttered like butterflies flitting through flowers—a sight so dazzling it could steal one’s breath away.
’The so-called grand feasts of the Tang Palace and ceremonial banquets of the Zhao Family from my past life were nothing compared to this.’
Xia Wuyang was reclining on a soft divan, his white hair unbound and his aged eyes half-closed, looking as if he were about to doze off.
His left arm was wrapped around a young woman in a pale yellow dress, and he was eating chilled grapes from her hand. His right hand was not idle, either; it was gently caressing the waist of another beauty in blue, savoring her youth and vitality.
Andrew approached silently and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, Eunuch Wang from Qianqing Palace has arrived. He says he wishes to see you."
"Eunuch Wang? That old eunuch? What’s he doing here?" Xia Wuyang lazily raised his eyes, a hint of impatience in his voice.
Andrew hesitated for a moment before replying, "He says... he says he’s acting on His Majesty’s orders to take away the newcomer to our hall, Fan Yingying."
Xia Wuyang’s hand froze. He was startled for a moment, then he seemed to understand something.
’Fan Yingying? Of course, he remembered her.’
She had just arrived from Jiangnan the day before. Only seventeen, she was indeed stunningly beautiful.
Her eyes were especially striking, with their naturally upturned corners and light brown pupils. When she looked at you, her gaze was captivating, truly carrying a hint of Consort Ji’s unique spirit.
The woman’s skill with the qin was also extraordinary. When she played for him last night, even he had to nod in silent approval. He’d spent a good while caressing her and had almost taken her to bed. In his mind, she was practically his woman already.
"His Majesty wants someone?" Xia Wuyang sneered. "Are the three thousand beauties in his Harem not enough? He has to covet my meager collection as well?"
The words had barely left his lips when a thin, high-pitched laugh came from outside the hall. "Well now, Crown Prince, it has been a while. This old servant has come to pay his respects."
Eunuch Wang swaggered into the hall, followed by four Little Eunuchs.
He wore the crimson-purple robes of a Chief Eunuch, with a Jade Belt at his waist and a Duster in his hand. A wide smile was plastered on his face, but his small eyes held unconcealed contempt, and he paid no heed to anyone else in the room.
The aura of a First Grade Grandmaster erupted from him, washing over the entire Wenhua Hall.
The beauties in the hall instantly stopped dancing and retreated to the side in a panic, not daring to get in his way.
Xia Wuyang sat up, letting out a few frail coughs. "Eunuch Wang, what brings you here?"
The Nether Enchanting Heart Needle had already been deployed. An invisible, formless Qi and Blood Needle pierced the eunuch’s body. Without him feeling a thing, it severed his meridians, ensuring he would never be able to break through to a higher realm.
In time, it would slowly corrode his meridians and Dantian, turning him into a martial arts cripple.
"You are too kind, Your Highness," Eunuch Wang said with a perfunctory bow that was clearly for show. "This old servant is here on His Majesty’s orders to ’borrow’ someone from you."
Xia Wuyang frowned. "Borrow someone? Who?"
"Fan Yingying. Miss Fan," Eunuch Wang said, his eyes crinkling into a smile. "We’ve heard her skill with the qin is superb. His Majesty has been rather unsettled these past few days and wishes to hear some music to calm his mind. The Musicians in the Harem are all so dull, so His Majesty thought of the new beauty from Jiangnan you have here. Your Highness, you wouldn’t be reluctant to part with her, would you?"
Using the Soul Enchantment Technique, Xia Wuyang perceived the eunuch’s surface thoughts. ’This isn’t Emperor Xia’s idea, it’s his.’
The words were polite, but the threat they carried was obvious to anyone. In his current feigned state of weakness, Xia Wuyang would not dare to refuse.
His Majesty wants someone. Who would dare refuse?
Xia Wuyang’s expression turned "pained." His bony hand gripped the armrest of the divan, the veins on its back bulging.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but it only came out as a long sigh, a clear sign of his concession. "Since it is my Father Emperor who wants her, how could I dare refuse? As it happens, I have not yet taken her to my bed. Fan Yingying is still pure. She can be sent to Qianqing Palace."
He turned and waved a hand at Andrew. "Go and bring Yingying here."

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