Chapter 500 - 301: Changing the Ancestral Law, The Crisis of Celestial Treasure Continent

Lu Mingyuan opened the consort selection memorial and began to look through it, then he froze.

"Liu Lingqi, eldest legitimate daughter of Duke Wei, a meritorious minister and founding elder of the nation. A Martial Artist at the Sea-Viewing Realm, age twenty-three. Possesses superior innate talent with the potential to reach the Dragon Gate."

"Gu Chuyao, of the Taoist Sect’s Taiping Palace, daughter of Saint Peace True Monarch. At the Nascent Soul Realm, age twenty-one. Possesses a Profound Ice Glaze Body. With her, Taiping Palace has the potential to rank among the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands."

"Gao Hongyi, an outstanding disciple of the Gao Family’s Saints and Sages from the Confucian Temple and the Grand Sacrificial Officer of Yunlu Academy. Authored the *Eternal World Scripture*. With her, Gao Chai has the potential to become a Saint."

"Gu Xueci, from Jingyue Nunnery, the queen of Caihe Country. At the Half-step Human Immortal Realm, with profound ties to the Buddhist Sect."

...

Each page of the memorial detailed the information of a top-tier woman from within the Great Yan Dynasty’s territory, complete with a condensed shadow-image.

They were drawn by disciples of the Confucian Family using ink infused with Literary Qi.

They could even produce 3D projections.

By simply infusing Spiritual Qi, the shadow-image would come to life, as if the real person were standing right before you.

Lu Mingyuan glanced at two pages before quickly flipping through the rest.

He discovered, to his surprise, that there were profiles for over a hundred women.

Every one of them had an extraordinary background. They were either the daughters of princes, dukes, generals, or ministers of a kingdom, or outstanding disciples from major Immortal Influences. Moreover, they were all beautiful, each with a unique temperament and charm, perfectly aligning with his own aesthetic tastes.

The profiles of some of the women showed signs of being altered and smeared.

"Has Your Majesty finished reading? If you are satisfied with them all, I will send someone to issue the invitations," Wang He’fu said.

"Invitations? What are the invitations for?"

Lu Mingyuan didn’t quite grasp the situation at first.

He was still immersed in the beautiful portraits.

’The Confucian Family disciples who drew these are truly geniuses.’

’To think they could make them so lifelike.’

In that short time, Lu Mingyuan had essentially seen his fill of all sorts of different beauties.

"To summon them all to the Imperial Capital for the consort selection, of course," Wang He’fu said.

Lu Mingyuan knew what his grandfather was thinking, but he had assumed it simply meant picking from the memorial.

Who would have thought his grandfather’s ambitions were so wild?

’Is this the authority of the Emperor of Great Yan?’

’To sleep with whomever I want?’

Even though Lu Mingyuan had been the Emperor for some time, he was still taken aback for a moment. He blinked and said, "But this memorial contains the profiles of over a hundred of the most favored women of this era."

"Correct. Your Majesty must select one hundred of them. Exactly one hundred, not one less. This is the ancestral decree, the law of our forefathers."

Wang He’fu’s attitude was very serious, and his eyes held an undeniable certainty.

Lu Mingyuan fell silent and glanced sideways, his gaze landing on Su Youhuai.

Su Youhuai smiled faintly. "Your Majesty, there’s no need to look. Yun Qinghe and Fairy Ci Hang’s names are not on the list. Miss Yun is already considered to be yours by default, but as for Fairy Ci Hang, it will depend on whether she agrees."

"Indeed. If Your Majesty wishes, the Court can draft a letter and send it to the Celestial Master’s Mansion immediately. There should still be time. It’s mainly that Miss Yun and Fairy Ci Hang are extremely close to Your Majesty. From my observations, it seems your relationships are not so simple. As long as Your Majesty desires it, everything is simple," Wang He’fu said.

Lu Mingyuan was speechless.

’What I clearly wanted to ask was...’

’Can we just not select consorts? Can we not do all this?’

’Not whether we could add Yun Qinghe and Sui Yuqing to the list!’

’Shouldn’t we consider their opinions?’

Lu Mingyuan took a deep breath to calm himself. "Summoning over a hundred women to the Capital City for a consort selection all at once is too much! If the invitations are rejected, it’s not just my face I’ll lose, but the face of the entire Great Yan Dynasty."

"With Your Majesty’s current talent, who would dare refuse? They’ll be fighting to marry the Holy Emperor; they wouldn’t have time to refuse," Wang He’fu said.

Su Youhuai also nodded. "Indeed, Your Majesty."

"You are unaware, Your Majesty. Now that you’ve defeated the Six Nations’ Pride, Great Yan’s status in the Central Plains World has already recovered its former glory. In fact, this very morning, we received letters of allegiance from numerous Immortal Influences. In the future, even more women will be smitten with you. They will do anything and everything to climb into Your Majesty’s bed."

Lu Mingyuan flipped open to one of the pages in the memorial. "Gu Xueci... she’s the queen of a nation and a being who has reached the Half-step Immortal Realm, isn’t she? With her aptitude, who knows what level her Cultivation has reached by now? Why would she be interested in someone whose Cultivation is lower than her own?"

"Your Majesty is speaking of Gu Xueci? This woman is the number one expert in the Caihe Country, the first of her kind in a century. She once studied at Jingyue Nunnery, a high temple of the Buddhist Sect.

However, she returned to the world and went back to the Caihe Country to ascend the throne. The former king owed our Great Yan one billion silver for the construction of the border’s Great Wall, not to mention the costs of garrisoning troops. Furthermore, if Caihe Country wishes to remain safe in these chaotic times, it must form a marital alliance with Great Yan. She has already promised me she would repay this favor," Wang He’fu said.

Lu Mingyuan said, "So, she knows about this?"

"She does. She was the one who came to us. You could say it’s voluntary," Wang He’fu said.

’Voluntary?’

Lu Mingyuan rubbed his temples, truly unable to understand how these people thought.

’For the sake of a nation’s interests, they can give up their own happiness. Marrying a man they’ve never met, just like that. Can’t they be a little more selfish?’

’Is it possible that for the sake of a transaction, one can disregard everything, including oneself?’

To get ahead in the Central Plains World, one must rely on a Dynasty.

And for that, they wouldn’t hesitate to offer themselves...

Wang He’fu said, "Your Majesty seems to find this hard to believe. Perhaps, having just returned from Jiayu Pass, you have not yet realized the significance of the battle of the Seven Kingdoms, nor your own unparalleled potential."

"During the days you were away, Dao Lord Fuyao, who was guarding the Capital City, often said that if Great Yan won this great war, the entire landscape of the Central Plains World would change. Not only would the Three Religions place greater importance on Great Yan, but given the richness of the Celestial Destiny and Fortune this time, we have the potential to become an Immortal Dynasty."

"A man who can change the landscape of the world—why shouldn’t a woman marry him?"

"Your Majesty, as a Mortal, broke through to the Celestial Human Realm and withstood three strikes of Sword Qi from the Wanluo Sword Immortal. Your Cultivation is peerless throughout history, unmatched in this world. The Six Nations’ Pride, even banded together, could not defeat you. In the future, you will most likely achieve sainthood in the Martial Dao, perhaps even reaching the realm of a Martial God—a state never before recorded in the ancient texts. Those women on the list still have a chance to marry you now. In the future, I fear they will not be worthy."

Lu Mingyuan gave a bitter smile. "Marriage should be based on affection. If it’s tied to benefits, it loses all meaning. Besides, not every woman values only benefits and adores the powerful."

"Some of them must surely have someone they already love. Even if they yield to the pressure from their elders and marry me... a forced union won’t be a happy one, will it?"

"Your Majesty is merely speculating," Wang He’fu said.

"The reality is that Great Yan has now offended many of the Six Kingdoms’ Immortal Influences, on top of the threats from the Wilderness and the Holy Netherworld. Relying solely on the bonds of monarch-subject contracts may not be enough for Great Yan to overcome this crisis."

"In the eyes of the Saint Ancestor Masters, the Holy Emperor is now either a future hegemon worth investing in and winning over, or a threat that must be eliminated."

"After the war of the Seven Kingdoms ended, many Immortal Influences have already approached me, expressing their desire for a marital alliance. They are willing to form a pact and lend Great Yan a hand, working together to help Great Yan unify the world. In the time to come, even more powers will seek out Great Yan."

"If we refuse the goodwill they’ve actively extended, it is very likely we will push them to the side of our enemies."

"Is reality truly so cruel?" Lu Mingyuan asked.

Wang He’fu nodded and, in the tone of a grandfather lecturing his grandson, said, "Your Majesty must understand that not every Emperor is afforded such an opportunity. If you agree, the road ahead will be much smoother. Many Immortal Influences will proactively pave the way for you."

"Of course, if you truly become the Sovereign of the World in the future, the emperor of the entire Central Plains, you will also have to represent their interests and, in turn, become their backer."

"Faced with such immense benefits, is a mere marital alliance not worth mentioning? All Your Majesty has to do is nod!"

Lu Mingyuan did not nod. After a long moment of contemplation, he said, "They aren’t just investing in me, are they? They must be investing in the entire Great Yan Dynasty."

"Right now, the Ascension Platform is about to emerge. The most important matter at hand is to defend against the invasion from the Wilderness World. These other things should be postponed."

Wang He’fu could see that Lu Mingyuan was extremely resistant to these large-scale alliances, much like Emperor Yong’an had been back in his day.

Emperor Yong’an was not an Emperor who liked to rely on others either.

He had a distinct personal style and was extremely dominant, capable of handling numerous troubles all by himself.

"This is the ancestral decree."

"It is also for the sake of establishing an heir. Your Majesty should reconsider."

Wang He’fu had no choice but to bring up the Grand Ancestor.

Who would have thought that Lu Mingyuan’s eyes would blaze as he declared, "So what if it’s the ancestral decree? At worst, I’ll just change it!"

"An overly traditional ancestral decree like this should have been changed long ago."

"For example, choosing the worthy over the eldest. Back then, when the Grand Ancestor received the Celestial Mandate, he was forced to form marital alliances with the Three Religions to consolidate the foundation of the Great Yan Country’s rule. It’s true that the Three Religions made great contributions, but the Grand Ancestor still ascended the throne through his own strength. Therefore, the principle of ruling the world jointly with the Three Religions was always a flexible option, not something set in stone to select a single, perfect heir."

Lu Mingyuan’s words about changing the ancestral decree left the Cabinet Ministers so stunned they didn’t dare to breathe.

This matter was of immense importance and could not be trifled with.

"Since I intend to become the master of this world, how could I be incapable of changing even the Grand Ancestor’s decree?" Lu Mingyuan’s voice was calm.

Just as the Cabinet fell silent.

A message delivered by a carrier pigeon landed on the Cabinet’s table.

It was caught by Chen Ke.

He took the paper pigeon formed from Literary Qi, his brow furrowing. Looking at Lu Mingyuan, he said in a heavy voice:

"Your Majesty, it’s not just the Song Dynasty anymore. Now even the Nanli Dynasty has presented a letter of surrender, requesting that Great Yan dispatch troops to help them resist the Demon Race!"

"The Twelfth Throne of the Demon Race has personally taken action, injuring multiple Upper Three Grades Great Powers from the Four Great Sacred Lands of Nanli! His vicious might now resounds throughout the Celestial Treasure Continent!"

"If this continues, the Celestial Treasure Continent will fall!"

With a grand wave of his hand, Lu Mingyuan commanded, "Inform Prince Zhenbei to prepare for deployment. The one hundred thousand iron cavalry of Mobei are to be on standby. The rest of the army is to guard the Heroic Pass and watch out for the Holy Netherworld."

"At the same time, maintain contact with the Dao Alliance. Select outstanding cultivators from the Three Academies and send them to the Celestial Treasure Continent."

"The Ascension Platform must not fall into the hands of the Demon Race!"

...