Two mornings later.
Li Mo strode forth with vigor and pride, leading a group of Hidden Dragon Ranking prodigies who had volunteered to help. Donning emotionless sunglasses, they set off toward the headquarters of Hengtong Trading Company in the imperial capital.
Since he had offered an irresistible sum—and given that the Hundred Flowers Grand Festival was an imperial-sanctioned event—the trading company had worked swiftly. Even Sun Gui had personally overseen operations, working tirelessly for two days and nights to gather all the necessary supplies.
As the financier, Li Mo was heading to the headquarters today to inspect the goods alongside a delegation of high-ranking officials.
"Come back early," Ying Bing said, smoothing out the wrinkles on his collar.
"I know, don’t worry. I’ve got plenty of friends with me," Li Mo replied, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before stepping out under her watchful gaze.
Once he left, she settled into a quiet corner, brewing a pot of tea while pulling out a large-headed doll and a book.
Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi exchanged glances, confusion evident in their eyes.
Weren’t they just at odds yesterday?
And now, this morning, she was sitting here with a cup of tea and a doll, waiting like a devoted wife for her husband to return?
"Little Bing’er, what kind of love potion did Li Mo feed you yesterday?" Shang Qinqing asked, disappointed at missing out on a classic "chasing the wife to the crematorium" trope.
"He didn’t feed me any love potion," Ying Bing replied, her brow twitching slightly as she shook her head.
"Then what did he do?" Qin Yuzhi pressed, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Nothing."
"I don’t believe it."
Qin Yuzhi’s expression turned serious as she shared a conspiratorial look with Shang Qinqing. The two then proceeded to stage a loud, not-so-secret discussion.
"Hey, how about we sneak into Little Bing’er’s dreams tonight and take a look?"
"Good idea. Just make sure you don’t fall asleep—I’ll take you along."
Ying Bing: "..."
Could they be any louder?
Besides, her dreams weren’t exactly safe. Only someone irrational would risk danger just to peek.
But these two…
One was a former deity of marriage and matchmaking, a heavenly red string-puller who had once dragged her entire clan into crafting oversized cloth dolls just to indulge in her shipping fantasies—was there anything she wouldn’t do?
The other was practically a walking catastrophe, a being so terrifying that the Great Shang’s higher-ups had unanimously decided to seal her away in eternal slumber underground…
"..."
After a long silence, Ying Bing finally spoke softly, "He said he sponsored the Hundred Flowers Grand Festival… because he didn’t want others looking at me."
She recounted the previous night’s events with a straight face, oblivious to the faint glow of warmth in her usually cool and distant eyes.
Though her tone remained flat, Shang Qinqing clutched her chest as she listened, her blood sugar spiking dangerously.
After a moment, her expression turned complicated.
That guy always seemed like such a mild-mannered gentleman—who knew he could be so domineering?
If that little monk had been like this, maybe she wouldn’t have had to wait so long…
Ah, well. The current sweetness was heavenly enough—she’d enjoy it while it lasted.
Qin Yuzhi pursed her lips. "Tonight’s dream material is settled, then."
"Oh, speaking of which, have you read the latest chapter of The Tyrannical Empress Falls for Me? I really want to check it out."
"I haven’t yet! It’s already out? At least Ouyang knows his place—where did it leave off?"
Qin Yuzhi’s eyes sparkled.
Only those who had read it knew just how addicting that story was.
Especially since it was based on real events.
In fact, it was even slightly ahead of reality…
What was this called?
Preemptive shipping!
And it wasn’t just them.
Even Ying Bing, sipping her tea quietly, subtly pricked up her ears.
"Baby-making."
"Pfft—!"
Tea sprayed across Shang Qinqing’s face. She turned to see Ying Bing’s lips slightly parted, her usually composed and frosty demeanor replaced by a dazed, almost soul-departed expression.
After all, the Phoenix Heaven Empress had weathered countless storms in her life.
But childbirth?
That was uncharted territory.
She had never even considered it.
Shang Qinqing wiped the tea off her face and chuckled. "Little Bing’er, we’re just talking about a book. Why the big reaction?"
"The weather’s cold. I’m coughing."
Everyone knew that Shang Qinqing, Qin Yuzhi, and many others treated The Tyrannical Empress Falls for Me as a spoiler-filled preview.
Sure, the comic explicitly stated, "This story is purely fictional. Any resemblance to real events is purely coincidental."
But if it overlapped with reality… well, coincidences happened, right?
"B-Baby… making…" The frosty immortal’s mirror-like eyes seemed to crack, her gaze unfocused.
Shang Qinqing waved a hand. "They haven’t actually had the baby yet. The comic just ends with Jiang Chen and the empress discussing baby names."
"I bet Ouyang just didn’t know what names to pick, so he stopped there," Qin Yuzhi speculated.
"What names would work… Wait, we don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl yet."
Shang Qinqing pondered for a long moment before turning to Ying Bing.
"Little Bing’er, do you prefer sour or spicy food?"
Ying Bing: "?"
She actually paused to think before answering, "Sometimes sour, sometimes spicy."
Li Mo had a habit of making hotpot and barbecue, which had gradually conditioned her palate toward spicy flavors. Though occasionally, she craved sour—like a couple of nights ago…
"Tsk…"
Faced with such an ambiguous answer, Shang Qinqing swiftly delivered her expert verdict, showcasing her matchmaking credentials:
"Twins! A boy and a girl!"
"Cough… cough…"
"Little Bing’er, you really do seem sick. So, how about Li Jinlong for the boy and Li Yufeng for the girl?"
"?"
Ying Bing frowned slightly.
"Jinlong and Yufeng don’t sound good."
"True, let’s think of something else."
Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi sighed in relief.
They’d gotten so carried away with their shipping frenzy that they’d slipped up.
The male lead of The Tyrannical Empress Falls for Me was named Jiang Chen—not Li Mo…
Thankfully, Little Bing’er seemed feverish today—her neck and ears were tinged red, probably too muddled to notice the inconsistency.
"Wait, that’s not…" Ying Bing began.
"Ah, never mind that. So, I heard a lot of stunning beauties have arrived in the capital for the festival?"
Shang Qinqing, ever the master shipper, deftly changed the subject.
"Right. Actually, many were already here—only a few came from more remote regions," Qin Yuzhi chimed in, eager to move past the awkwardness.
"The daughter of the mermaid clan’s chief, for one. Not only is she breathtakingly beautiful, but her tears also turn into precious pearls."
"And the daughter of the Fangzhang Island’s master—an incredible cook. I saw her in a dream once. Adorably cute."
"Oh, and in their dreams, I also saw—mmph!"
Qin Yuzhi’s mouth was abruptly covered by Shang Qinqing.
But Ying Bing had already heard.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
