Though Qian Renxue had once impersonated a crown prince, when it came to court affairs, Kong Bo truly understood far more than she did. For example, when Qian Renxue wanted to introduce the Third Offering and Fifth Elder to Kong Bo as wives, he had thought much further ahead than she had.
Kong Bo said, "Miss Angel God, I'm my great-grandfather's only great-grandson. And when I awakened my Martial Soul, my distant cousin, the crown prince, came in person. What does that mean? The imperial family will have to find a way to win me over, so I'll definitely have to marry an imperial princess as my legal wife. You should be prepared to let the two girls be my concubines, right?
"But, Miss Angel God, I can promise you that my value in the imperial family's eyes is high enough, and my great-grandfather's standing in their eyes is high enough, too. If I show that I dote on the two girls, they'll be willing to turn a blind eye to me, their future prince consort, taking concubines. I can also guarantee that the girls will have the same cultivation resources as I do. Speaking of which, let me ask: how talented are they as Soul Masters? If their talent is high enough, they'll still be valuable in the imperial family's eyes, and the family will be more lenient about me taking concubines."
"They both have innate ninth-level Soul Power," Qian Renxue said. "Otherwise, they wouldn't need so much money."
"Oh? That's very good." Kong Bo said, "I know what to tell my great-grandfather now, and the imperial family will have an explanation, too."
Hearing this, Qian Renxue grew curious. "Kong Bo, didn't you want to become emperor? Why are you so worried about the imperial family's opinion now?"
"Miss Angel God, weren't you careful and cautious when you went undercover in the Heaven Dou Empire?" Kong Bo said. "If I, a promising young man of the future, had no flaws at all, the imperial family would worry I had ulterior motives. But if I have a few shortcomings and bad habits, they'll feel more at ease. All right, I've seen the pictures. I'm going to talk to my great-grandfather."
Kong Bo then went to the Kong Mansion to see Kong Deming. "Your great-grandson pays his respects, Great-Grandfather."
When Kong Deming saw his precious great-grandson, he lifted his head from his documents. "Kong Bo, you finally have time to come see your great-grandfather. What is it? Hmm, not bad, not bad. You're already a level-25 Soul Master at nine years old. Looks like you've been diligent in your cultivation."
Kong Bo hurriedly took a fan from his Storage Bracelet and fanned Kong Deming. "Great-Grandfather, I do have something to ask of you. I hope you'll agree, and then speak to my father about it."
"Judging by all this sucking up, it probably isn't anything serious," Kong Deming said. "Go on, have you taken a fancy to some pretty girl?"
"Great-Grandfather, to tell you the truth, that's exactly right," Kong Bo said.
"Huh?" When Kong Deming heard that Kong Bo really meant it, he nearly jumped out of his chair. He had only been joking when he asked. "You little rascal, you really have taken a fancy to some pretty girl? Which family is she from? Have you checked her background?"
"Great-Grandfather, I have. There are two."
"Two!" Kong Deming's eyes went wide. Kong Bo had only one great-grandmother, and Kong Bo himself had only one mother. Now he wanted to keep two girls at once, so Kong Deming would have to think this through carefully.
Kong Deming set up a soundproof barrier, then asked very seriously, "Bo'er, tell your great-grandfather honestly: what exactly are you thinking? Do you really like pretty young girls, or are you planning to put on an act for the imperial family?"
"Both reasons... are true," Kong Bo said. "Great-Grandfather, think about it. I'm a child now, and I'll be a young man in the future. If I focus single-mindedly on cultivation and take no interest in anything else, won't the imperial family worry? They might think I'm devoted to one person and send Xu Tianzhen over to marry me. But if I have a weakness for beauty, my cousin the crown prince definitely won't marry Xu Tianzhen off to me. And I really do like pretty girls. In the future, I also plan to marry Sister Meng and Long'er."
"You want to marry that girl Meng Hongchen, too?" Kong Deming's eyes widened. "You little rascal... All right. As long as you can keep up with your cultivation, your great-grandfather won't interfere. As for your father and mother, I'll talk to them. How strong are those two girls?"
"Both girls have innate ninth-level Soul Power. They're thirteen years old and at level 28. Their Martial Souls are Blue Bird and Ice Longbow. As for their families, they work for the Ming Capital Magistrate—as a squad leader and a coroner," Kong Bo said. "Great-Grandfather, won't they also bring more talented traditional Soul Masters with powerful Martial Souls to our Sun Moon Team? Senior Hongchen has been informed, too."
"That's true," Kong Deming said. "Since you know what you're doing, go ahead. You may have your own reasons for wanting to take two pretty girls, but treat them well, too."
"Don't worry, Great-Grandfather. I understand," Kong Bo said.
"Whether they're your legal wives or your concubines, our Kong Family's daughters-in-law must never be short of money," Kong Deming said. He took two black Gold Soul Coin cards from his Storage Bracelet, each containing ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. "Your great-grandfather has to show some support. Take these to their families. They'll be joining our Kong Family someday, after all. We can't let them lose face."
"Thank you, Great-Grandfather! Thank you, Great-Grandfather!" Kong Bo said, beaming.
"Go on. I'll speak to your parents," Kong Deming said. "Bo'er, if you meet a girl with excellent strength and talent in the future and want to marry her, just do it. Anyone with innate Soul Power of level eight or higher gets my approval."
"This child takes his leave," Kong Bo said.
"Go on, you little lecher," Kong Deming said.
With Kong Deming's approval, Kong Bo's plan to take the two girls as concubines was all but set in stone. He then visited the Qing and Su families, delivering one black Gold Soul Coin card to each. Qing Luo and Su Xuan were overjoyed. "It's our Qing/Su Family's good fortune that Young Master Kong has taken a fancy to our daughter. As for the affairs of the great families, we understand. We ask Young Master Kong to help smooth things over."
Who was Kong Bo? He was Kong Deming's only great-grandson. Among the children and younger relatives of the Sun Moon Empire's high-ranking officials, his status was second only to that of the crown prince, Xu Tianran. To become one of Kong Bo's concubines—even if she was only part of his harem—was an opportunity many people couldn't find even with lanterns in hand. Besides, Kong Bo wasn't some spoiled wastrel. He had not only Innate Full Soul Power, but was also a second-rank Soul Engineer.
Before you continue