Lin Teng’s entire body trembled, fear surging into his heart in an instant.

He didn’t understand where this emotion came from. After a brief pause in his thoughts, he could only attribute it to worry that a friend might encounter danger.

Had that person gone mad? These women were all his subjects—why would he commit such brutal acts of indiscriminate slaughter?

Lin Teng couldn’t comprehend it. The feeling of powerlessness made him even more pained and angry.

“Miss Luo—” He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

The young woman across from him spoke with casual indifference. “So my father arranged for someone to set a fire and burn those registers.”

She looked into Lin Teng’s eyes and asked calmly, “Will Minister Lin arrest my father?”

“I won’t!” Lin Teng answered without thinking, the words escaping his mouth.

Luo Sheng’s lips curved in a smile. “Then I thank Minister Lin on behalf of my father.”

Lin Teng smiled bitterly. “Miss Luo, please don’t say that. I truly feel ashamed in my heart.”

Ashamed of his own favoritism, and even more ashamed of his own powerlessness.

Though Grand Commander Luo had set that fire for his daughter, he had saved many girls like Miss Luo. Lin Teng wasn’t so pedantic as to assist a tyrant in his tyranny when he knew full well that the person above was in the wrong.

As this phrase suddenly surfaced in his mind, Lin Teng’s heart went cold.

He must have gone mad to use the phrase “assist a tyrant in his tyranny” to describe the relationship between ruler and subject.

After a long silence, Lin Teng asked, “Miss Luo, does your honored father know the reason why that person is doing this?”

Luo Sheng shook her head.

If we spoke of reasons, aside from His Majesty and the National Teacher, she was probably the only one in this world who could guess a few things.

However, speculation was ultimately just speculation. Even if she guessed correctly, she couldn’t possibly tell anyone.

“Minister Lin, please attend to your duties. If you stay too long, it might draw the attention of interested parties.”

Lin Teng stood to leave, then thought better of it and looked back with concern, solemnly instructing, “Miss Luo, if you encounter any difficulties, remember to tell me.”

Luo Sheng nodded slightly. “Very well.”

While the Ministry of Justice and the Jinlin Guard jointly investigated the fire at the Ministry of Finance, Emperor Yong’an had not given up on eliminating the ominous star.

For this suspicious and cold-hearted emperor, anyone who posed even the slightest threat to the imperial realm would rather be wrongly killed than let go.

With all the household registers completely destroyed, compiling new ones would take at least a year or more even at the shortest. Emperor Yong’an naturally lacked this patience. After pondering for several days, an imperial proclamation was posted, immediately sparking heated discussion among the common people of the capital.

His Majesty was selecting consorts again!

The vast majority of commoners gathered around the proclamation were illiterate, so someone asked, “What does the imperial proclamation say?”

A scholarly-looking person explained, “His Majesty wishes to select consorts from among the common people.”

Hearing this, the commoners became interested. “Selecting consorts from the common people? Does that mean our daughters can all be candidates?”

The person smiled. “They can, but there are conditions.”

“What conditions?” people asked in succession.

“The condition for selection is women from the capital who are seventeen years old and were born at the mao hour on the seventh day of the seventh month.”

The commoners gathered to watch the excitement looked at each other.

What a strange condition.

Soon a rumor quietly spread throughout the capital: The National Teacher had recently emerged from seclusion because while observing the celestial phenomena at night, he discovered the appearance of a star matching the Emperor Star—meaning the inner palace would soon welcome its mistress.

The new empress would bear the heir apparent for His Majesty.

According to the National Teacher’s calculations, this woman’s birth date was the mao hour on the seventh day of the seventh month in the year Wuchen.

The rumor spread more and more intensely. Throughout the capital, those who found it absurd existed, but those who believed it deeply were even more numerous.

For many families, they might hesitate to let their daughters enter the palace as minor concubines, but if there was a chance to compete for the position of empress, it was worth trying.

Noble Consort Xiao had barely finished her month of postpartum confinement when she heard this news, becoming so angry her face turned iron-blue.

Was His Majesty really this impatient? It had only been a few months since the last consort selection, and now he was selecting consorts again!

When all was said and done, it was because she had given birth to a princess.

Thinking of her sickly cat-like daughter, Noble Consort Xiao felt even more stifled and sent someone to the Yangxin Hall to request Emperor Yong’an’s presence.

Before long, Emperor Yong’an arrived.

“Does my beloved consort need something from me?”

Noble Consort Xiao gazed at Emperor Yong’an, her eyes suddenly reddening.

Emperor Yong’an was bewildered. “Beloved consort, what’s the matter?”

Noble Consort Xiao lowered her eyes with a bitter smile. “This consort heard that the inner palace will have a mistress. I’m somewhat afraid.”

Emperor Yong’an’s gaze deepened as he grasped Noble Consort Xiao’s hand. “Beloved consort, where did you hear such groundless rumors?”

“Isn’t everyone aware of it now?” Noble Consort Xiao’s eyelashes trembled slightly, showing a trace of fragility. “Once the inner palace has a mistress, a favored consort like this one will surely be viewed as a thorn in her side. Perhaps one day if I make some mistake, then—”

Emperor Yong’an interrupted Noble Consort Xiao’s resentful words. “Beloved consort, don’t let your imagination run wild. What mistress? This is merely to replenish the inner palace somewhat.”

Days of vexation had left Emperor Yong’an with little mood to comfort people, but Noble Consort Xiao was after all the one he held at the tip of his heart, so he patiently said, “Beloved consort, you know that I have few heirs. The consorts who entered the palace some days ago have shown no signs yet, which is why I wish to select more women to enter the palace. Beloved consort, rest assured—no matter what, no one will surpass you.”

Noble Consort Xiao listened with her ears but sneered coldly in her heart.

What did he mean by “shown no signs yet”? It hadn’t even been half a year since the last consort selection!

As for the statement that no one would surpass her—she would be a fool to believe it.

His Majesty still had no sons. As soon as any consort gave birth to an imperial prince, when the time came for the mother to gain honor through her son, who would remember her, a mere noble consort?

Though Noble Consort Xiao felt resentful and indignant in her heart, she didn’t show it on her face. Instead, she leaned into Emperor Yong’an’s embrace and said softly, “Then this consort can be at ease.”

After leaving Yuhua Palace, Emperor Yong’an’s face suddenly darkened. “In the future, whoever gossips in front of the noble consort should be made to shut their mouth forever.”

The matter of selecting consorts again became a hot topic of discussion in the capital. In the study of the Luo residence, Luo Sheng and Grand Commander Luo also discussed this matter.

“I didn’t expect that after Father burned the household registers, His Majesty would throw out such bait.”

Grand Commander Luo sighed. “Even so, it’s better than before. At least families who cherish their daughters won’t send them into the palace.”

If before it was a desperate situation, now at least some fortunate women would escape calamity.

The gloom in Grand Commander Luo’s heart had not dispersed.

For His Majesty to come up with this method to deal with women born at the mao hour on the seventh day of the seventh month in the year Wuchen showed he was determined to succeed.

One day, that raised blade would fall upon Sheng’er’s head.

Grand Commander Luo gazed at his beloved daughter and fell into a long silence.

A voice came from outside the study. “Grand Commander, the gatekeeper has sent in an invitation from the Princess’s residence.”

“Come in.”

A young servant gently pushed the door open and presented an exquisite invitation to Luo Sheng.

Luo Sheng opened it and scanned the contents, her brows drawing together slightly.

“What is it?”

Luo Sheng held the invitation with a smile. “Princess Changle has invited me to visit the Princess’s residence.”

Knowing of the friendship between Princess Changle and his daughter, Grand Commander Luo set his mind at ease. “Go ahead and visit. I’ll find a way to resolve these troubles.”

“Then your daughter will go.”

Compared to Grand Commander Luo’s ease of mind, Luo Sheng didn’t feel relaxed at all.

After that previous probing, Princess Changle hadn’t sought her out for quite some time. This sudden invitation to visit the Princess’s residence—it might very well be a Hongmen Banquet.