Chapter 204: Unable to Forge a Golden Body

The atmosphere in the harem had shifted. A few years ago, every concubine was desperate to bear a son!

Since the birth of Di Jiaoyang, no one in the harem cared much for sons. What use is a son who marries and forgets his mother?

Daughters are more cherished and can gain the Emperor’s favor, as the saying goes: “The mother’s power depends on the daughter.”

“No, no,” Concubine Rou quickly waved her hand. She didn’t want to lie about a fake pregnancy.

“Why are you vomiting then?”

“It’s just that this doll makes me feel sick. It’s very smelly and exudes black mist. It’s clearly not a good thing.”

Concubine Hui was confused. “How could it be smelly? It’s supposed to be a small deity, receiving offerings.”

Concubine Rou scoffed, “Don’t be fooled. I was deceived by Concubine Hui before. Since I got this doll, I’ve been having nightmares every night, feeling distressed, and losing hair. Tell me, what kind of spiritual object causes such trouble? It only adds to the hassle.”

Besides, you say it’s a small deity, but there’s no record of such a thing in the ancient sacred texts.

Deities usually have names, like the God of Marriage, Star God, or Wealth God. What kind of deity is this?

“It’s a small goddess.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Where would our Tiansheng Dynasty have a small goddess? The temples are empty, and even the national gods haven’t descended. How could they send a small goddess? Besides, it doesn’t even have a golden body; it’s just a rag doll! I don’t know who invented this to deceive us.”

Concubine Hui frowned. “You’re overthinking. Why would anyone bother to deceive us with this? We don’t even leave the palace. What could they possibly gain?”

“It might be some evil object that thrives on offerings, deceiving us into worshipping it. The longer we offer, the more likely we’ll face misfortune.” Concubine Rou spoke mysteriously.

—

Concubine Hui didn’t like hearing these words. She felt that Concubine Rou was insulting her intelligence.

Concubine Rou was just being foolish, always speaking nonsense.

“I was ill before and prayed to it. I got better the next day, so I believe it works,” Concubine Hui firmly believed.

Concubine Rou sighed. “Well, I don’t want this thing. Concubine Hui, you seem to be obsessed with it. Let’s just dispose of it to avoid any trouble. Besides, it’s too smelly; I can’t stand it.”

Concubine Rou threw the doll on the ground and stomped on it several times.

Worried she might not have damaged the doll enough, she stomped on it a few more times.

Concubine Hui, standing to the side: …

She was livid.

Was Concubine Rou out of her mind?

This was a gift Concubine Hui had given to Concubine Rou, and now Concubine Rou was smashing it in front of her. Wasn’t this a slap in the face?

Did Concubine Rou not understand the palace rules and social etiquette?

“Concubine Hui, it’s not to insult you. I’m actually thinking of both of us. If I had accepted it and then thrown it away secretly, you’d definitely scold me if you found out. Isn’t it better for me to deal with it openly? Don’t you feel a bit relieved?”

Concubine Hui was furious, feeling she was being insulted.

“How can I feel relieved?!”

She was fuming.

“Concubine Rou, you truly…”

“Being straightforward? The Emperor used to praise me for that,” Concubine Rou said. She liked what she liked and disliked what she disliked, never pretending to be one way and acting another.

Concubine Hui could refuse her protective talisman and say it was useless, so Concubine Rou could refuse the doll too.

It was Concubine Hui who insisted on giving her the doll.

The right to dispose of it was her own, wasn’t it?

If Concubine Rou had given Concubine Hui a protective talisman, Concubine Hui would have thrown it away too.

Concubine Hui’s mouth twitched in frustration. So foolish!

No wonder the Fifth Prince was demoted to the fief. It must be hereditary stupidity from Concubine Rou.

Concubine Hui stormed off, while Concubine Rou shrugged, indifferent. After all, she didn’t expect Concubine Hui to genuinely care for her.

“Yue’er, throw this broken doll away. It’s so annoying and unlucky!”

—

“What’s going on now?” Di Hongluan was idly thinking about how to celebrate her birthday at the Prince Han’s Manor when the beeping in her head started again.

The special task had triggered an alarm, beeping several times, jolting her from her drowsiness.

“Why is the progress bar all black?” The task related to the “Charismatic Personality” was about to emit black smoke.

In the morning, it was still half gold and half black.

Now it was completely black, with no gold left at all.

【Host, this issue is beyond the scope of all answers.】

 Di Hongluan: What use are you!

But she felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Could it be that the faith value had decreased?

Faith value among royalty was extremely rare. A single day’s offerings from them equaled a month’s worth from ordinary people, and the destructive power was doubled.

If her idol was abandoned and smashed by the royal family, the faith value would also disappear at double or even multiple times the rate.

—

Concubine Rou happily went to the Yihe Palace, carrying a bunch of small toys. “Ah Bao, Ah Bao, I’m here to see you. Your birthday is coming soon, so I’ve prepared an early birthday gift for you.”

【Wow, the black aura around Concubine Rou is gone, replaced by white spiritual energy and golden light. It seems the thing was thrown away. Concubine Rou’s life is indeed not in danger.】

Concubine De quietly glanced at the little girl and smiled.

She instructed Zhilan, “Go offer two more sticks of incense and two plates of grilled chicken wings to the small deity in the small Buddhist hall.”

She had also set up a small Buddhist hall in the palace, dedicated to a small deity.

When Ah Bao heard this, her ears perked up. “Qingqin, I want to go see too.”

【Ah! Why can’t the unseen deity eat grilled chicken wings, but my own daughter only gets milk?】

【I need to see which wild god dares to compete for my affection here.】

“Behave, we’ll go see it when Ah Bao is a bit older.” Concubine De patted her little head.

Ah Bao pouted, already drawing several circles in her mind to curse the deity in the small Buddhist hall.

That night.

After Ah Bao went to sleep, Concubine De went alone to the small Buddhist hall.

On the offering table, there was no small deity, only… broken pieces.

“Why is it still not working?” Concubine De looked at the broken idol. It was clearly carved to resemble Ah Bao.

She had treated Ah Bao as the deity, offering fruits, meat, and even small toys, providing everything.

The idol was made of gold, but Zhilan reported that the small golden deity had broken again.

This was the eighth one.

From Ah Bao’s thoughts, Concubine De learned that Ah Bao must have been a very significant person in her past life, but for some reason, she was reborn as her daughter.

Ah Bao seemed confused too, and her golden body could never be forged.