Defeat

The choice of Empress had been decided just like that.

After waiting for so many years, Aier Sha had finally received the result she had fantasized about countless times. Even when she put on the Phoenix Crown and accepted the blessings of hundreds of millions of subjects, it still felt unreal.

And what about the ministers and nobles?

They could only be said to have dropped a stone on their own feet. The more they schemed, the more things developed in the exact opposite direction from what they wanted. In the end, all their efforts had been for nothing.

But what if the ministers and nobles of the Empire's upper ranks did not approve of Aier Sha, refused to acknowledge her as Empress, and desperately sabotaged her behind the scenes?

Zhou Ming's approach was simple and brutal. He demoted a group of the most troublesome ones, stripped them of their titles, fined them, and beheaded a small number of them. After that, the discordant voices within the Empire basically disappeared.

Two months later, when Aier Sha successfully conceived a Dragon Fetus and was about to bear the Emperor another child, her position could be considered secure.

Yet Aier Sha was still somewhat uneasy. In private, she suggested that Zhou Ming take several more Imperial Concubines. On one hand, it would lessen her burden—after all, Zhou Ming was exceptionally capable in that regard. On the other hand, it would ease the resentment of the ministers. Otherwise, if their hatred accumulated too deeply, it would harm the Empire's development.

Zhou Ming smiled and wrapped his arms around her smooth body.

"Aier Sha, I want to hear the truth. Do you want the harem to contain only you, or do you want there to be others?"

"If it's the latter, I'll immediately have