Chapter 289 - Clean House (1/2)

”I have thought deeply all night and all morning about this, but this is the dictate I have received from heavens - The will of heaven by which I am bound by, which we are all bound by. Therefore, from this day onward... the harem shall only have the Empress -”

Lei Xing immediately froze and turned to the Emperor wide-eyed in shock, it took all of her self-control for her mouth not to drop open in shock.

{...Huh? Say what now?! O_O)...}

”Your majesty!” Prime minister Zhao loudly exclaimed in shock, while confused and shocked whispers promptly followed amidst the crowd of ministers. Prime minister Zhao quickly bowed, adjusted his tone, and politely asked, ”Your majesty...what do you - what exactly do these words this?”

”Exactly, what the words imply...” The Emperor curtly responded, as he gave Lei Xing's frozen hand a reassuring squeeze to tell her that everything was alright and under control. He could understand that she was naturally shocked and worried about his seemingly out of the blue declaration.

But it was not out of the blue, he had been thinking about this for a while now, actually since that night when she asked him to promise to let her go when he found someone else. He had told her that would not happen but clearly she did not believe him and her heart was uneasy.

He had no need for the other women in the harem, but it was just that it was hard for him to find a justifiable situation to propel releasing them. But then yesterday happened and he would be a fool not to use this golden opportunity to clean house.

Since he could not glare at the true culprit of this situation - Lei Xing, Prime minister Zhao instead sent a side glare Defense Minister Lei's way, ”Your majesty, that cannot be done! Do not let yourself be led astray an-”

”Led astray?” The Emperor asked, cutting in with a frown.

Prime minister Zhao further lowered his head and backtracked, ”Forgive my language, Your majesty. It's just...this is not done. The harem cannot be occupied by one person. It goes against your ancestors and everything that your status stands for. The harem is an integral part of your station!.... Your majesty, this cannot be done!” Prime minister Zhao wailed, bowing low. The other ministers looked at themselves and half of them promptly followed to bow and remained like that.

Lei Xing knit her brows and scratched the Emperor's palm. He glanced at her and she flashed him a glare.

{...What are you doing?! I didn't - What are you doing?! ʿʿ⁽⁽(( ⁰ⅈ⁰))⁾⁾ʾʾ...}

The Emperor snorted a little and flashed her a little smirk, before swiftly refocusing his gaze back on the crowd below, he narrowed his eyes on the head seer's head and called, ”Head seer...”

The head seer jumped and then bowed, ”Your majesty...”

”How many beings did you see occupying the sky during your divination of yesterday's events?” The Emperor calmly asked.

Prime minister Zhao knit his brows in annoyance.

{...What sort of nonsense is he trying to do now?...This Lei family! why are they always getting in my way?! If it's not the father, it's the son, if it's not the son, now it's the daughter! WHY?!...}

The head seer also knit his brows, unsure why he was getting pulled into harem politics now, but he had no choice but to answer, ”There were just two...A dragon and a phoenix...”

”Were there any birds?” The Emperor further inquired.

”No, Your majesty...”

”Did anyone else see any birds?” The Emperor asked scanning the ministers, who looked at each other and shook their heads amidst whispers.

Prime minister Zhao frowned in irritation, annoyed with this side topic, ”Your majesty, we are dis-”

”I asked a question!” The Emperor loudly cut in and everyone piped down, ”If you are not responding to my query, then be silent.” The hall remained silent and Prime minister Zhao lowered his head with a frown.

The Emperor scanned their heads below and menacingly said, ”I will take this silence to mean that no one saw any birds...Why do you think that is, head seer?”

The head seer slightly jumped again, this meeting was really bad for his heart. He bowed and lightly cleared his throat before tentatively responding, ”Well... naturally...the dragon and phoenix rule the heavens so...their magnificence makes it so all other creatures must bow and -...and gi-give way so...so...”

”So the birds cannot share their sky, correct?” The Emperor questioned in summary, irritated with the old man's beating around the bush.

”That is correct...Your majesty.” The head seer responded, bowing lower. That was the common-sense response, even humans would be scared to walk where a dragon and phoenix stood, much less little birds staying in their sights.

”But- Your majesty, they are your wives. If they do not occupy your harem, where else are they to reside?!” Prime minister Zhao jumped in with a frown as he understood what the Emperor was alluding to with this question on birds.

”That is very true...” The Emperor commented and Prime minister Zhao let out a silent breath of relief, relief that was very short-lived because the Emperor went on to say, ”...Therefore they shall no longer be classified as my wives...”

”Your majesty!” Prime minister Zhao and a host of other ministers exclaimed in disagreement.