Chapter 523 - 429: This Harem Is About to Get Very Lively
Chapter 523: Chapter 429: This Harem Is About to Get Very Lively
With the wedding ceremony only seven days away, all the Dukes of the Zhou Kingdom, envoys from friendly Dynasties, and Deacons from mountain Sects had arrived at the Zhou Imperial City.
As the Sovereign of Zhou, even if he was just a figurehead, Xiao Mo had to greet them personally.
Thus, from morning till night, Xiao Mo was busy receiving envoys from the various nations and Sects, leaving him no time to cultivate.
To be honest, Xiao Mo felt that what Fairy Jiang had said before wasn’t without reason.
Never mind the rule set by the Emperor of Great Qin tens of thousands of years ago—that an Emperor’s cultivation must not surpass Foundation Establishment.
Even without this rule, an Emperor spends every day handling state affairs and scheming against his ministers, playing political games. How much time could he possibly have for cultivation?
Unless an Emperor was blessed with outrageous talent, how high could an ordinary Emperor’s Realm possibly get?
Even if some Emperors did achieve a high Realm, it was only because they spent most of their time on cultivation.
Moreover, once an Emperor becomes obsessed with cultivation, they hand over the court’s administration to their ministers and stop managing anything.
Such Emperors would even seize resources from all over the country for their cultivation, no longer treating the common people as their subjects, but as cultivation fodder.
What use was an Emperor like that, no matter how high their Realm?
The people would only suffer unspeakably.
And because these Emperors had long lifespans, the people would have to suffer for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, with no end in sight.
Besides receiving envoys, Xiao Mo also had to walk around and inspect the wedding ceremony arrangements to see if there were any issues.
Furthermore, Xiao Mo had to review the documents sent from Lingxin Palace.
Although the wedding ceremony was jointly managed by the Ministry of Rites and the Empress Dowager’s Lingxin Palace, and Xiao Mo’s refusal would be useless against their decisions, the two parties still needed Xiao Mo to go through the motions. This would make them look better, at least making it seem to outsiders that "Your Majesty is in charge of everything."
All in all, Xiao Mo truly felt that getting married once was more tiring than cultivating for ten years.
Of course, perhaps it was also because he had no strong feelings for the two women he was marrying.
’If they were women I genuinely loved, I probably wouldn’t feel so exhausted.’
But at times, a sense of unreality would wash over Xiao Mo.
It felt like none of this was real.
Aside from those false experiences in the Hundred Generations Book, he had never once had a lover.
And now, he was about to get married.
To two women at once, no less...
This was something Xiao Mo had never imagined.
With only four days left until the wedding, most of the guests had arrived in the Imperial City.
Lingxin Palace and the Ministry of Rites no longer needed to send documents over for Xiao Mo to go through the motions.
So, for any trivial matters in the rear palace, Xiao Mo would have Si Li handle them.
Whenever he had a moment to spare, Xiao Mo would sit alone on the Wendao Platform, lost in a daze.
For Xiao Mo, the Wendao Platform had originally been a place to cultivate in secret.
But gradually, this place had truly become a sanctuary for Xiao Mo to quiet his mind.
Coming to the Wendao Platform and sitting on the stone bricks, Xiao Mo could gradually detach from the noisy, complex reality and find a trace of tranquility.
Soon, it was the third-to-last day before the wedding ceremony.
The entire Imperial Palace was in a frenzy of activity.
Originally, Si Li still had the inclination to act flirtatiously in front of Xiao Mo.
But now, Si Li was so busy her head was spinning, and her feet barely touched the ground.
She just couldn’t understand.
’A wedding should be a simple affair. Why does this Mortal World kingdom have to make it so complicated? What’s the point of all these elaborate formalities? Can you even eat them?’
Si Li often cursed internally while helping Xiao Mo manage the rear palace.
Another two days passed.
It was now the day before the wedding ceremony.
After today would be the grand ceremony.
All preparations were complete, requiring only a final inspection, a task that fell to Si Li.
Thus, Xiao Mo once again found a bit of free time and went to the Wendao Platform.
On the Wendao Platform, Xiao Mo didn’t know what he should be doing.
He had little mind for cultivation at the moment.
Never mind that the Hundred Generations Book had yet to prepare the sixth life.
Even if the sixth life was ready, Xiao Mo had no desire to enter the Hundred Generations Book today.
Xiao Mo just wanted to be alone and quiet for a while, to enjoy the last of his "single" life...
And so, Xiao Mo sat on a stone stool in a daze, feeling the spring breeze and watching the white clouds drift across the azure sky.
Xiao Mo recalled everything that had happened since he came to this world.
He recalled every scene from the Hundred Generations Book—incredibly blurry, yet still etched into his very bones.
Without realizing it, Xiao Mo slowly closed his eyes, entering a state of Dao enlightenment.
Xiao Mo felt everything between heaven and earth disappear.
Xiao Mo forgot time, his surroundings, and even himself.
It was as if Xiao Mo had merged with the world itself.
Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Mo’s Dao Heart grew ever calmer, and his Spiritual Power began to radiate outwards.
Dark clouds unexpectedly drifted across the originally azure sky, obscuring the sun.
And at that very moment, a fragrant breeze wafted by, gently brushing against the tip of Xiao Mo’s nose and suppressing his radiating Spiritual Power.
"Hmph!"
The woman let out a cold snort.
Sword Qi invaded Xiao Mo’s body.
Xiao Mo felt a sharp pain and snapped back to his senses.
He slowly opened his eyes and saw the veiled, graceful figure of National Master Jiang standing before him.
"Your Majesty is truly at leisure. At a time like this, you still have the mood to seek enlightenment here, even nearly attempting Foundation Establishment!"
The woman’s cold voice entered Xiao Mo’s ears.
"Attempting Foundation Establishment in the Imperial Palace... Does Your Majesty have a death wish?"
Xiao Mo shook his head and said with a wry smile, "It was indeed an accident. I didn’t expect to be gradually Entering the Dao."
"Hmph."
Jiang Qingyi snorted coldly again, then stepped forward and channeled three streams of Sword Qi into Xiao Mo’s body.
"I have used three streams of Sword Qi to seal three of Your Majesty’s Spiritual Acupoints. This Sword Qi can suppress Your Majesty’s Realm for a time, but you should still be careful these days. For now, do not cultivate."
"Understood." Xiao Mo nodded. "Thank you, Fairy Jiang."
"There’s nothing to thank me for."
Jiang Qingyi turned her head away, lifting her small, fair chin.
"But Your Majesty is about to be married, yet you’re still lazing around here. I see that personal Maid of yours, the one with the excellent figure, is so busy she can’t stop for a moment."
"It has indeed been hard on Si Li. Once this is over, I will naturally give her a reward. I won’t let her work for nothing."
Xiao Mo replied, then folded his hands in his sleeves, raised his head, and fell silent.
"Why do I get the feeling Your Majesty is a bit melancholic about tomorrow’s wedding?"
Jiang Qingyi glanced at Xiao Mo, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery.
"Could it be that Your Majesty isn’t looking forward to the wedding tomorrow? Both Yan Ruxue and Qin Mujiu are rare beauties whose looks could topple nations. If I were Your Majesty, I’d probably already be thinking about how to spend my nights in revelry with the two Imperial Consorts."
"That may be so." Xiao Mo folded his hands in his sleeves again, looking up towards the sky beyond the Imperial Palace. "But one of them is being treated as a sacrifice for her clan, and the other is for a marriage alliance between two nations. Even if Mujiu seems cheerful and lively, do they truly want to marry me?"
"Who says they don’t want to!" Jiang Qingyi whispered through gritted teeth. "They want to more than anything!"
"What did you say, Fairy Jiang?" Xiao Mo didn’t hear clearly.
"Nothing."
Jiang Qingyi’s tone was laced with displeasure.
"I mean, Your Majesty is neither Yan Ruxue nor Qin Mujiu, so how would you know they truly don’t want to enter the palace? And even if they don’t, so what? The situation is already set in stone. Does Your Majesty intend to change it?"
"You’re right." Xiao Mo chuckled. "Regardless, from now on, this quiet Imperial Palace is finally going to liven up a bit."
"Isn’t that right?"
Jiang Qingyi’s eyes narrowed, her gaze as sharp as a sword.
"From now on, the rear palace is going to get *very* lively!"