Chapter 79

Su Linlang looked up at Zhang Hao and asked, still holding her phone, clearly uncertain and having specifically searched for information. After all, with Su Linlang's experience, everything looked real to her.

Zhang Hao was not surprised. He had already confirmed the time in the Legendary World, which was already 2018, so it was expected that there would be new models. However, he was not clear about these details and did not bother to distinguish, so he took them all out.

"Oh, these are all gray market goods. They are indeed genuine. You say Chanel hasn't released this model, so it might not have been officially launched yet, but the design is already in place internally. This is probably a display piece. These items don't have certificates or serial numbers, so you can just treat them as knockoffs. Anyway, these were given to me by a business friend. I didn't spend any money on them," Zhang Hao explained.

"Wow, Big Brother Da Peng, what does your friend do? That's amazing. And you, I knew about your trading company before, but I didn't know you could find such a powerful business partner," Su Linlang said, somewhat speechless.

"Pretty good, I guess. We're kindred spirits," Zhang Hao winked.

"Pick whatever you like. Just say they're knockoffs if you take them out. Otherwise, there's no way to prove it. Don't be polite with me; I don't need them anyway."

Su Linlang was not shy, but Shu Yun was a bit hesitant. Zhang Hao secretly touched her thigh, hinting that they didn't need to be so formal now. In the end, Zhang Hao and Su Linlang helped her pick a few items.

That evening, Su Linlang and Shu Yun had some things to do and did not stay long at Zhang Hao's place. Zhang Hao asked Shu Yun to call him before she went home so he could give her a ride.

As they were leaving, Su Linlang secretly threw a box to Zhang Hao, "Here, a gift for you. But given your current wealth, you probably won't care. Anyway, it's a token of my appreciation."

Zhang Hao opened it and saw a Hermes belt. Su Linlang was very considerate, knowing that the value of the gifts she and Shu Yun gave might differ, even though they were both heartfelt. She clearly felt it might not be good for Shu Yun to see, so she gave it to Zhang Hao secretly.

Zhang Hao leaned in and kissed Su Linlang's delicate cheek, "You don't need to be so secretive. You are very considerate, and Xiao Yun is also very generous."

"Hmph, you got my face all wet," Su Linlang said, feigning displeasure, but her cheeks were flushed. She finally rolled her eyes at Zhang Hao, "Alright, I get it. Who made you two a couple? Maybe you understand Xiao Yun better than I do."

After seeing Su Linlang and Shu Yun off, Zhang Hao went to the warehouse, took some things, and returned to the Three Kingdoms world.

In the De Yang Hall of the Northern Palace in Luoyang.

Zhang Hao watched the ministers leave, noticing that many of them were still arguing. He couldn't help but shake his head. Sometimes, having too many smart people isn't a good thing. Regardless of their positions, their different ideologies often led to conflicts, and they all tried to find ways to support their arguments.

For example, some emphasized authority, others focused on the people's livelihood, and some valued balance. There were also differences between the military and the scholars. In short, various disputes never ceased.

However, after more than a month of discussion, and with the detailed information Zhang Hao provided and his unparalleled authority, the various systems of the Great Qian were almost complete. Although they might not be perfect, the framework was there, and adjustments could be made as needed.

He stood up, stretched, and took a deep breath, feeling much more relaxed. With this matter resolved, he could free himself from the tedious affairs. In the future, he would only handle the government affairs that interested him or met his requirements. If they did, he could let go of them.

This would give him ample time to explore or enjoy.

Speaking of which, after capturing Luoyang, Zhang Hao had another bountiful harvest of temporal energy. However, this time he did not rashly open a new world. After all, the Three Kingdoms world was not yet fully stabilized, and without enough time, even if he opened a new world, he would not have the time to explore it.

Now, he could put this on the agenda, but it would only be for preliminary exploration. If he wanted to use the human and material resources of the Three Kingdoms world to conquer a new world, it would take more time, until the situation in the Three Kingdoms world was completely under his control.

Thinking about these matters, Zhang Hao headed directly to the rear garden, which was now his and his concubines' residence.

"Roar..." A joyful cry woke Zhang Hao. Looking up, he saw Little Dragon Horse galloping over and diving into his arms, its big head moving around. This little guy was always very close to Zhang Hao, and thus was also very affectionate with the people around him.

Petting its smooth, clean fur, Zhang Hao noticed that Little Dragon Horse was holding a frisbee in its claws. He was speechless. Clearly, Little Dragon Horse had been playing a game with someone.

Good grief, you are such a fierce and handsome beast, how can you enjoy playing frisbee like a puppy?!

Looking up toward the rear garden, Zhang Hao saw that although the Southern and Northern Palaces of Luoyang were not as lush as various imperial gardens, they were not lacking in vegetation and specially introduced streams. Plants were collected from all over, with flowers and trees for all four seasons, ensuring that the palace was always scenic.

It was clear that the ancient emperors had access to and could use an abundance of luxurious resources. But Zhang Hao enjoyed it very much.

At a pavilion corner, two beautiful little girls ran over, calling out Little Dragon Horse's name, which Zhang Hao had given it—Little Bai. Seeing Zhang Hao and the others, Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao smiled beautifully and came forward, "Husband, are you done with your work?"

Leading Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao to the rear garden, Zhang Hao heard beautiful music coming from the warm pavilion. He motioned for the palace maids not to disturb them and walked in. He saw Cai Yan and a beautiful woman playing instruments, occasionally discussing something.

Cai Yan was elegant and graceful, with a demeanor that few could match. But the other woman was no less impressive. Her face and figure were exquisite and charming, and in terms of appearance, Cai Yan could not compare.

What was even more special was the woman's unique aura, like the most beautiful flower or the brightest star, naturally attracting others' attention. Her every smile and frown was mesmerizing.

Even after seeing her for ten days and having intimate moments with her, Zhang Hao still felt his heart race.

Such a beauty was extremely rare, even in the Three Kingdoms world, where the land was rich in qi and produced many talented people.

She was none other than the famous ancient beauty, the "Moon-Closing" Diaochan. Since coming to the Three Kingdoms world, Zhang Hao could not help but be attracted to this woman. But it wasn't until ten days ago that he first met her and, without hesitation, added her to his harem.

Speaking of Diaochan, one cannot avoid mentioning Wang Yun. In many historical records or novels, the relationship between the two is described differently.

In this world, Diaochan lost her parents in the Yellow Turban Rebellion when she was young and was taken in by Wang Yun, becoming a servant in his household. As she grew older, her beauty became more prominent. Diaochan learned music and dance and became a performer in Wang Yun's household.

The story of her being adopted as a daughter is not mentioned, probably because Wang Yun wanted to use her to deal with Dong Zhuo and thus adopted her as a daughter.

What made Zhang Hao both comfortable and somewhat surprised was that Wang Yun did not take advantage of such a beauty. The reason for this, he did not know.

In any case, Zhang Hao was grateful to Wang Yun. Of course, Wang Yun was no longer needed at this point.

Just ten days ago, Yang Biao, Ma Rizhan, and Wang Yun plotted to take Liu Bian and Liu Xie to Ji or You provinces to raise the banner of the Han dynasty again.

Although Luoyang was already completely under Zhang Hao's control, and Wang Yun and the others did not know about listening devices or cameras, their plot was clearly understood by Zhang Hao.

At first, Zhang Hao did not act, but waited quietly to see how many people would be involved. Although he had already purged some officials, he had not touched those with good reputations. Whether they were loyal to the Han dynasty was only known to them.

Now was the perfect time to identify and deal with these people, to set an example.

In the end, Yang Biao and others managed to rally many officials and aristocrats. Just before they acted, Zhang Hao mobilized the Divine Might Army and captured them all.

At that moment, Zhang Hao thought of Diaochan and sent people to Wang Yun's residence to investigate. Sure enough, he found this stunning beauty and immediately added her to his harem.

Although she did not have a deep relationship with the Wang family, Wang Yun had taken her in and raised her, and she knew many people in the household. So, on the same day, after being taken by Zhang Hao, she began to plead for mercy.

Zhang Hao did not refuse. He had no intention of exterminating the entire family. Unless it was something that deeply offended him, he preferred to punish only the guilty and not involve their families. As for whether their families would seek revenge, with Zhang Hao's current status and power, it was not a concern.

Moreover, with the moral high ground, there would not be many who would dare to seek revenge. After all, in this era, imperial authority was supreme, and few who were wronged by the emperor dared to seek revenge.

Not involving their families did not mean he was lenient with Yang Biao, Wang Yun, and others. All those involved were executed. Even though Yang Biao, Ma Rizhan, and others had high reputations and many people came to plead for mercy, Zhang Hao did not listen. In the end, those who pleaded understood his resolve.

After all, treason was the most hated crime by rulers in any era.

Clearing out these people indeed had a deterrent effect. Many officials from various counties and regions began to submit their loyalty, and some of the powerful families also accepted their fate. After all, Zhang Hao had no qualms about the powerful Yuan and Yang families, let alone them.