Su Qinghe was conferred the title of "Xihuang Noble Consort," becoming the head of all phoenixes. This decree was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, stirring up a monstrous wave within the empire's original harem.

Fengyi Palace, the residence of Queen Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing, as the rightful queen of the empire, gave birth to Lin Feng's first child and firmly secured her position as the head of the harem.

However, the imperial edict of "all emperors coming to court" was like a resounding slap across her face.

The "Report on the Bloodline of God" that was made public proclaimed her defeat in every single word.

Her bloodline was ruthlessly categorized as "mortal soil," incapable of nurturing a lion that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the gods.

Her daughter, Princess Lin Nianxue of the Empire, also became a living testament to this "failure".

At this moment, the Phoenix Palace was eerily silent.

The priceless "Tranquility Incense" burned in the Boshan censer in the corner, but it couldn't quell the restlessness in Su Wanqing's heart.

She was dressed in elaborate royal attire, with a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, and her makeup was exquisite, yet she could not hide the loneliness and coldness in her eyes.

"Your Majesty," Xia Zhu, the personal maid, carefully handed over a cup of warm spiritual tea, "His Majesty... is staying at Consort Xihuang's residence again tonight. I've heard that His Majesty specially created a 'Starfire Flower Garden' next to Consort Xihuang's palace, filled with the rarest luminous plants in the entire kingdom, just to make her smile."

Su Wanqing's hand trembled slightly, and the lid of the teacup collided with the body of the cup, making a crisp and jarring sound.

“Starfire Flower Garden…” she murmured to herself, a hint of self-mocking laughter in her voice: “When I gave birth to Nianxue, he only rewarded me with some jewels and silks. A country bumpkin, with unknown origins and unclear background, can receive such an honor just because of the so-called ‘Immaculate Holy Body’?”

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger," Xia Zhu quickly knelt down, "His Majesty will make his own judgment..."

"A royal decree?" Su Wanqing sneered, slamming her teacup down on the table. "His royal decree is to tell the whole world that I, Su Wanqing, the Queen, am a useless woman! I can't even produce a worthy offspring! Look outside, those newly arrived vixens, their eyes are all in the sky, they never take me seriously!"

Before she could finish speaking, a sweet voice announced from outside the hall: "Princess Tangbao, Princess Jiaqi, and Little Princess have arrived!"

Su Wanqing took a deep breath, concealing her anger and regaining her queenly dignity: "Let them in."

A moment later, three beautiful figures walked in. They were the core members of Lin Feng's early harem: the petite and adorable, quirky and clever Tang Bao; the intellectual and elegant, exceptionally intelligent Shen Jiaqi; and the shrewd and calculating Qian Xiaoxiao, who managed the vast expenses of the harem.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well." The three women bowed in unison, their postures respectful.

"Get up, all of you. We're sisters, no need for such formalities." Su Wanqing raised her hand, her tone flat, but all three of them could hear the weariness in her voice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Tang Bao, true to her name, had a baby face and was innocent and carefree. She was the first to speak, her voice full of grievance: "Queen, you have to stand up for us! The palace is in complete chaos! That new Consort Xihuang, after only one night of serving the emperor, His Majesty has already bestowed upon her a 'Tianxuan Palace,' which is located right between our Fengyi Palace and Wanhuang Palace, giving her a superb status."

"And then there's that Murong family's eldest daughter, Murong Yan. Relying on her status as a candidate for 'Holy Mother' and the fact that her family is an Imperial Marshal, she's incredibly arrogant. Just a few days ago, she dared to publicly mock a little girl, saying that she reeks of money and is unworthy of divine grace!"

Qian Xiaoxiao's eyes reddened. She was in charge of the harem's finances and was always shrewd, but at this moment she also suffered a great injustice: "Yes, Your Majesty. Murong Yan said that we 'old people' are all of mortal blood and should have been eliminated long ago. The harem now belongs to these 'chosen women'."

Shen Jiaqi, who had been silent all along, finally spoke slowly: "Your Majesty, what Tang Bao and Xiao Xiao said is only the surface. The root of the problem lies in the fact that His Majesty's establishment of the 'Hall of Ten Thousand Phoenixes' and the appointment of candidates for 'Holy Mother' have fundamentally shaken the legitimacy of our Phoenix Palace. We are being marginalized."

She paused, looked into Su Wanqing's eyes, and said, word by word, "Especially you, Your Majesty. The existence of Consort Xihuang, Su Qinghe, is a sword hanging over your phoenix crown. Once she... gives birth to a prince, your position as empress will be in danger."

These words were like a poisoned needle, piercing Su Wanqing's most painful spot.

She suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the hall, the magnificent skirt rustling against the floor, just like her chaotic heart at that moment.

"Then tell me, what should I do?" Su Wanqing's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "His Majesty's mind is entirely focused on having a son. What are we supposed to do? Fight for him? With what can we use to fight for him? With our 'mortal bloodline' that His Majesty has personally certified?"

Tang Bao pouted, "But we can't just sit here and wait to die! We've been with His Majesty the longest, so we should have some feelings for him, right?"

“Sentiment?” Shen Jiaqi gave a bitter smile. “Tang Bao, you’re too naive. In the face of the grand theme of imperial succession, the little bit of affection between us is probably as light as a feather in His Majesty’s eyes.”

“Our only advantage now is our ‘old’ ways. We understand His Majesty’s temperament better and are more familiar with the rules of the palace. And the rules are a weapon we can use.”

"What do you mean?" Su Wanqing stopped and looked at Shen Jiaqi.

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Shen Jiaqi's eyes: "Your Majesty may disregard the rules, but not the harem. The Wanhuang Palace has 100,000 beauties, a mixed bag, which will inevitably lead to trouble. Consort Xihuang, Su Qinghe, comes from a humble background. Once she gains power, she will surely become the target of everyone's attacks."

"We don't need to get involved ourselves; we just need to... watch. Watch them fight, watch them make mistakes. And you, Your Majesty, are the mistress of the harem, the one who holds the reins of the palace rules. Whenever someone makes a mistake, you have the right to punish them. This is the manifestation of your authority."

"Observe the situation and strike later?" Su Wanqing understood her meaning.

“Exactly.” Shen Jiaqi nodded. “Moreover, we must unite all forces that can be united. Not everyone in the Myriad Phoenix Palace is as arrogant as Murong Yan. There are many others, such as those women from conquered regions who harbor ulterior motives; they might be able to be used by us.”

The four of them had a private conversation in the quiet Phoenix Palace.

Faced with a massive survival crisis, the old factions of the imperial harem formed a true alliance for the first time. Their goal was no longer to vie for Lin Feng's favor, but to survive in this bloodline fusion that would affect the entire empire.

Lin Feng was not unaware of the undercurrents in the harem; in fact, he was pleased to see it unfold.

In his view, struggle is the best way to keep the "soil" active. A lifeless, harmonious land cannot produce the most beautiful flowers.

To further catalyze this "activity," he decided to hold an unprecedented grand feast called "The First Bath of Divine Grace."

The location is set in the center of the Wanhuang Palace, on a huge artificial lake.

In the center of the lake, suspended using anti-gravity technology, is a huge platform made of pure crystal, named "Liulitai" (Glass Platform).

The lake water is not ordinary water, but a highly diluted "spring of life." When ordinary people bathe in it, they can cleanse their bodies of impurities and prolong their lives.

On the night of the banquet, the entire Wanhuang Palace was brightly lit, as bright as day.

One hundred thousand new concubines, arranged according to their respective courtyards, rode in swan-shaped painted boats and converged from all directions toward the Glazed Terrace in the center of the lake.

They wore uniform veils made of starlight silk, their skin appearing and disappearing in the moonlight and lamplight, a breathtaking sight.

Lin Feng's throne was placed at the very top of the glass platform, like the moon surrounded by stars.

Beside him, on one side was the Empress Su Wanqing, and on the other side was the newly appointed Consort Xihuang, Su Qinghe.

The seating arrangement itself was a silent declaration, drawing countless gazes back and forth between the two women of vastly different social standing.

Su Wanqing's face remained impassive, maintaining the dignified composure befitting an empress. Su Qinghe, on the other hand, felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles; the naked jealousy and scrutiny around her made her extremely uncomfortable.

Lin Feng ignored this, raised his wine glass carved from a single piece of amethyst, and addressed the sea of ​​beauties below, saying loudly, "My lords, tonight is the first formal gathering between me and you since the 'Ten Thousand Phoenixes Pay Homage.' You are the empire's finest genes, the hope for its future. Tonight, do not be reserved; display your beauty and vitality to the fullest. Let me see which soil is the most fertile!"

As soon as he finished speaking, celestial music began to play. Countless luminous jellyfish rose from the lake, adorning the entire surface like a dreamlike starry river.

The core of the banquet was not singing and dancing, but a unique "battle of brilliance".

In the center of the glass platform, there is a fountain called the "Fountain of Divine Grace." What gushes forth from the fountain is an even purer form of life energy.

Any concubine who gains Lin Feng's "favor" will have the opportunity to bathe in the Divine Spring of Grace, which will have unimaginable benefits for their body and bloodline.

The way to gain "favor" is extremely simple and crude.

Before Lin Feng was a massive holographic screen, displaying real-time charts of the life energy fluctuations of all the concubines on the glass platform. Whoever possessed the most active life energy, the one most capable of resonating with his "divine blood," would receive the reward.

This instantly ignited everyone's competitive spirit.

"Murong Yan, life energy rating 'Superior'! Resonance with His Majesty's bloodline is 7.2%! Reward with 'Divine Grace Bath' once!" Wei Zheng's sharp voice rang out.

Murong Yan proudly raised her head and gracefully walked to the center of the stage, stepping into the Fountain of Divine Grace amidst envious gazes.

The moment the spring water touched her, it emitted a dazzling light, and her skin became even more radiant and translucent at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Sakurai Ayako, Life Energy Rating 'Upper Grade'! Bloodline Willpower Resilience Rating 'Top Grade'! His Majesty decrees that her will is commendable and her character is malleable, and she is hereby granted a 'Divine Grace Bath'!"

Sakurai Ayako walked out silently. Her energy fluctuations were not strong, but the curve on the light screen representing her mental will was like a fully drawn bowstring, full of tension.

She accepted the reward expressionlessly, but the moment she entered the spring, a fleeting, unnoticed pain and resolve flashed in her eyes.

She is using this energy to temper her will, rather than passively merging with it.