Douluo: Emerald Poison Emperor

Xue Qinghe—or rather, Qian Renxue disguised as Xue Qinghe—did indeed receive Chen Ming's information. However, it wasn't after Emperor Xue Ye ordered the eunuch to deliver the files; it happened before the materials even reached Xue Ye's desk, right as they entered the imperial palace.

Unbeknownst to Xue Ye, many of the eunuchs and guards around him had been secretly bought off by Qian Renxue. While Xue Ye was preoccupied in his sleeping quarters, and before the information could be formally presented to him, a duplicate of the file was already on Qian Renxue's desk.

"A genius with an innate soul power of only level five, but whose martial soul evolved due to a fortuitous encounter, and who absorbed a thousand-year second soul ring?"

"How rare. I always thought such talents only emerged in the Spirit Hall. I never expected the Heaven Dou Empire to produce one—and he even joined the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy."

Studying Chen Ming's file, Qian Renxue poked mercilessly at the Heaven Dou Empire's weaknesses. Normally composed and serene, recent family visits had caused occasional emotional outbursts in her private moments.

The Heaven Dou Empire was infamous for its military weakness, lacking high-level combat power and relying heavily on sheer numbers of soldiers. Imperial authority was unstable, with vast amounts of royal power usurped by the nobility.

Regional nobles had essentially formed independent fiefdoms, disobeying central orders and engaging in countless illegal activities. Unless their actions directly affected the royal family, the imperial court turned a blind eye.

Since ascending to the position of crown prince, Qian Renxue had been ceaselessly busy. On smaller scales, she navigated social banquets and interacted with nobles. On larger scales, she handled disaster relief, quelled rebellions, and even conducted financial audits.

According to imperial law, punishing nobles for harming commoners only brought animosity from both major and minor aristocrats. Upon returning to Heaven Dou City, she faced reprimands from Xue Ye for being too immature.

Audits revealed rampant corruption. Wherever she investigated, scandals erupted like wildfire. Some financial records had been in deficit for decades, even centuries, yet no one had spoken up.

If officials embezzled only 30% of funds, they were considered paragons of integrity. It wasn't uncommon to see cases where 70–80% of funds were siphoned off. Some genius officials even fabricated additional expenses to embezzle not only all allocated funds but also extract more from unrelated sources.

Occasionally, audits exposed acts of treason—collusion with enemy nations, covert preparations for rebellion, or actual separatist movements.

Without Title Douluo-level guards and her god martial soul, the Seraphim, Qian Renxue believed she would have been assassinated seven or eight times already, given the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince's meager defenses.

Honestly, Qian Renxue often reminded herself that she was merely an infiltrator. Her sole task should have been maintaining her cover. Yet circumstances forced her to act as a workhorse, expending immense effort for the Heaven Dou Empire's survival.

She'd lost track of how many problems she had resolved for the empire over the years. The deeper she delved into the noble class's chaos, the more convinced she became that the Heaven Dou Empire was doomed.

Xue Ye's negligence added to her frustration. He shifted all responsibilities onto her while simultaneously curbing her efforts.

Recently, Xue Ye seemed to have entered a bizarre mating season, constantly indulging in the harem palace and shirking governance.

If that were all, Qian Renxue might have grudgingly tolerated it. But whenever Xue Ye left the harem palace, it was either to assign her more busy work or to reprimand her, keeping her under constant pressure.

To make matters worse, her absence from the Spirit Hall and her grandfather Qian Daoliu's retreat from active involvement left her exposed. That woman, Bibi Dong, had been quietly creating obstacles for her, to the point where even assistance from the Spirit Hall had become unreliable.

In recent years, Qian Renxue felt as if she were drowning in crises, trapped in a perpetual state of turmoil.

It is said that in the Star Dou Forest, there exists a special soul beast called the Skyshaking Roar. Though its overall quality is mediocre, it possesses a unique innate ability to convert stress into a powerful roar. With enough pressure, even a century-old Skyshaking Roar can kill a ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

Qian Renxue thought that if she were a Skyshaking Roar, given the amount of pressure she endured, not to mention ten-thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears, even a hundred-thousand or two-hundred-thousand-year-old one wouldn't be able to withstand her roar!

Sometimes, Qian Renxue would ponder whether she should heed the advice of her nominal mentor, Ning Fengzhi, and adopt a more aristocratic attitude—less concerned with trivial matters, abandoning useless emotions, and viewing problems purely from a standpoint of interest and benefit.

Though this perspective conflicted with her Seraphim Martial Soul and the ideology of the Spirit Hall, Qian Renxue had to admit that times seemed to have changed, and her traditional methods might be outdated.

If everything was as it should be, why would she, the heir to the Spirit Hall, have to infiltrate the Heaven Dou Empire in the first place?

With that thought, Qian Renxue sighed, shaking off these idle musings. She began to review the documents slowly, though her absentmindedness was evident to anyone watching.

Initially, Qian Renxue had no intention of addressing the matter concerning Chen Ming immediately; she planned to sleep on it.

However, just then, a spy planted by the Spirit Hall within the imperial palace came to report that Emperor Xue Ye had ordered eunuchs to dispatch the dark guards to investigate Chen Ming's family and deliver Chen Ming's documents to the Crown Prince's residence.

This completely shattered Qian Renxue's plan for rest. Already dealing with discomfort from her menstrual period, her lower abdomen started to churn uncomfortably. Gritting her teeth, she got up to handle the situation.

After formally receiving the eunuch, completing the necessary procedures, and retrieving the documents she had already reviewed, Qian Renxue sat in her study. Under the dim light of her desk lamp, she pressed her temples and worked to calm her emotions.

Watching this scene, a middle-aged woman appeared by Qian Renxue's side, her face full of concern.

"Young Mistress, you must prioritize your health," the woman urged.

"Aunt Mei, I understand," Qian Renxue sighed softly, replying in a calm tone.

The woman, called Aunt Mei, had been sent by Qian Daoliu to look after Qian Renxue. A collateral member of the Qian family, Aunt Mei had not inherited the Seraphim Martial Soul but was still a powerful Control-type Soul Douluo.

Because of her absolute reliability and her ability to act without exposing ties to the Spirit Hall, Aunt Mei was highly trusted by both Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue.

Though the Snake Lance and Porcupinefish Douluo were dependable, their gender made it unsuitable for them to always remain by Qian Renxue's side. Aunt Mei, therefore, was tasked with guarding Qian Renxue during such times and was the only person who could regularly serve as her familial confidant.

However, there was an awkward aspect to their relationship: by lineage, the eighty-year-old Aunt Mei technically belonged to the generation of Qian Renxue's grandson's grandchildren. Both of them tacitly chose to ignore this detail in daily interactions.

PS: Here we go again, another douluo fanfic with Qian Renxue added to the harem. Seriously, Qian Renxue can't catch a break.