After Zhou Hong left the Qingfeng family, he came to a restaurant.
Zhou Hong remembered that before he transmigrated to Earth, he often came to this restaurant, which was his favorite in the entire Imperial Capital.
The boss of this restaurant had a beautiful and lovely daughter, who was in the prime of her youth. Moreover, she was a little fan of Zhou Hong.
"Oh, Zhou Hong, you're here. It's been a while since you've been here." When Zhou Hong walked into the restaurant, he was met by the proprietress. Seeing Zhou Hong, she hurriedly greeted him.
"Proprietress, long time no see."
"Yes, I heard you were in trouble and in a coma," the proprietress asked with concern.
"Yes, but I woke up a few months ago."
Zhou Hong sat down at a table by the window.
If it were before, the proprietress's daughter would have been happy to see Zhou Hong and would have come to greet him personally.
However, today, he didn't see her.
"Proprietress, where is Little Bean Sprout?" Zhou Hong asked the proprietress in confusion. Her daughter's nickname was Little Bean Sprout.
"Alas!" The proprietress sighed deeply, a hint of indescribable helplessness flashing in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Did something happen to Little Bean Sprout?" Zhou Hong asked, confused.
"She was forcibly recruited into the palace and became a palace maiden. We haven't seen her for several months," the proprietress said.
"Became a maiden?"
"Yes, about five months ago, someone discovered her beauty, and she was taken away by people from the palace. Once you enter the deep palace, your parents become strangers. It will be difficult for us to see her again."
Zhou Hong chuckled and quickly said, "This isn't a bad thing. Being a maiden, she can learn a lot in the palace, and the palace has a rule that after the age of 25, she can leave the palace and return."
"She can't come back," the proprietress said sadly.
"How so? Many maidens are chosen for the palace every year, and they can usually leave freely after 25. Unless, before that, they are favored by the Emperor and become a concubine or something."
"Yes, she has been favored."
"Ah," Zhou Hong was startled.
"No way, Little Bean Sprout was chosen as a concubine?" Zhou Hong felt a strange feeling in his heart, but it was also within reason. After all, Little Bean Sprout was quite beautiful. Before Zhou Hong transmigrated to Earth, he thought she had the makings of a great beauty. He wondered who she would end up with, but unexpectedly, it was the Emperor.
"She's not a concubine, but a Talent. If she were a concubine, then so be it. But as a Talent, she can barely see the Emperor's face, and she will be confined to the palace for life. In the depths of the palace, there are probably not 500, but 300 Talents. How many people have spent 100 years in the depths of the palace without ever seeing the Emperor's face."
Zhou Hong nodded. No wonder the proprietress looked so worried. Indeed, Talents were the lowest rank among all imperial concubines. To put it bluntly, they were reserves, and many of them never saw the Emperor even once in their lifetime.
"What does this old immortal Emperor want with so many women?" Zhou Hong cursed angrily.
"Hush!" The proprietress quickly hushed him, her face changing greatly.
"Zhou Hong, don't talk nonsense. If this gets out, our restaurant will be torn down."
"Heh heh, I won't say it then. The usual, hurry up and bring me wine and food."
"Okay."
Just then, a few more guests arrived outside the restaurant. Judging by their attire, they looked like royal descendants.
"Yo, isn't this that guy, Zhou Hong?" As the royal descendants walked in, they saw Zhou Hong at a glance and exclaimed.
Zhou Hong looked up and immediately recognized them as the eighteenth prince of the Purple Firmament Empire.
Years ago, this eighteenth prince had tried to recruit Zhou Hong to be his subordinate and assist him in ascending the throne in the future, but Zhou Hong had refused.
From then on, this eighteenth prince had been looking for trouble for Zhou Hong everywhere.
In the past, Zhou Hong, out of respect for the other party's status, dared not get into any conflict with him. Every time he caused trouble, Zhou Hong tried his best to avoid him.
He didn't expect to run into them again today while having a meal at this restaurant, and they still spoke in the same tone as before. It seemed they were going to cause trouble for Zhou Hong again.
Zhou Hong also felt a bit of a headache. This eighteenth prince had decent talent himself and was currently in the early stage of Fusion.
"Eighteenth Prince, it's you. You're here to eat too." Zhou Hong stood up and said calmly.
"Bold! How dare you not kowtow and pay your respects when you see the Eighteenth Prince," a follower behind shouted.
"Heh heh, you dog servant, if you dare to speak to me like that again, don't blame me for being impolite." Zhou Hong was also angry. He had been bullied by this eighteenth prince all along, and now, Zhou Hong didn't want to be bullied anymore.
The Eighteenth Prince snorted and said, "Zhou Hong, I didn't expect your temper to have grown after you woke up."
"Thank you for your concern, Eighteenth Prince. After I woke up, not only has my temper grown, but my cultivation has also increased. I am now in the late stage of Fusion." Zhou Hong deliberately revealed his cultivation level, hoping that the Eighteenth Prince would be wary of him after knowing it and stop bothering him.
Although Zhou Hong didn't fear the Emperor, he didn't want to waste his time and energy dealing with such matters.
"What did you say? You are now in the late stage of Fusion?" The Eighteenth Prince was suddenly shocked. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Yes." Zhou Hong immediately unleashed his aura.
"It is indeed the late stage of Fusion." The Eighteenth Prince sensed Zhou Hong's aura and immediately judged that Zhou Hong was not lying.
For some reason, seeing Zhou Hong's extraordinary talent, he felt a surge of jealousy. However, it also strengthened his resolve to recruit Zhou Hong as his subordinate. If he had talent like Zhou Hong to assist him, there would be a chance to ascend the throne in the future.
"Zhou Hong, I, this Prince, invite you once again to become my subordinate. What do you say?" the Eighteenth Prince said immediately.
"Sorry, I don't want to be anyone's subordinate, let alone a prince's." Zhou Hong refused without hesitation. He had thought that revealing his strength would make the Eighteenth Prince stop pestering him, but unexpectedly, he invited him again, wanting Zhou Hong to be his subordinate. He didn't even consider who he was and whether he was worthy.
"Zhou Hong, don't be ungrateful. Our Eighteenth Prince has invited you repeatedly, which is already giving you enough face. So what if you are the number one genius of the Purple Firmament Continent? Can your status be nobler than our Eighteenth Prince?" A follower behind shouted, seemingly very displeased with Zhou Hong's repeated refusal.
The Eighteenth Prince's face also twitched. Seeing that Zhou Hong had refused again, he was a little annoyed.
"Zhou Hong, don't be in a hurry to refuse. I'll give you some time to consider," the Eighteenth Prince said, still unwilling. If Zhou Hong hadn't broken through to the late stage of Fusion and had great prospects, he wouldn't have invited Zhou Hong again.