The Emperor's "All-Star Eunuch Ensemble"

The cold wind blew past, sweeping up the stench of blood from the ground.

The Imperial Garden was a complete mess. Severed limbs and broken arms were scattered all over the place, and the originally bright and beautiful flowers were dyed a shocking dark red by fresh blood.

Wei Xian and Cao Chun stood frozen with ashen faces, looking in the direction where the assassin had disappeared. They didn't speak for a long time. This was not just a dereliction of duty; it was a humiliation! Two fifth-tier experts had actually let a fourth-tier junior escape right under their noses, and he had almost killed the Emperor.

"Your Majesty... Your servants deserve death!"

Wei Xian was the first to react. With a thud, he knelt before Wang Hao, his forehead knocking heavily against the bluestone slabs.

Cao Chun also led the remaining guards and eunuchs to kneel down in a rustling wave. "We deserve a thousand deaths!"

Wang Hao didn't speak.

He was still recalling every movement of that assassin, Ye Chen. Those smooth and flowing actions, that heaven-defying luck, and that standard protagonist catchphrase: "The day of my return shall be the day the Great Zhou perishes."

He looked down at his dragon robe, which was covered in dirt and the blood of that unlucky little eunuch, and then looked at the crooked melons and cracked dates kneeling on the ground.

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

"System, are you there?" Wang Hao asked weakly in his mind.

[The System is here. Detected that the host was attacked by the Child of Destiny 'Ye Chen'. Hidden task triggered: Survive.]

[Note: This assassin is one of the Children of Destiny of this world, bearing immense providence, and also possesses a bizarre artifact that boosts his providence. The host, who has not yet left the novice village, cannot completely kill him at present. It is recommended that the host accumulate strength and weaken his providence before making any plans.]

Just as expected!

It was confirmed! Just listen to the name Ye Chen.

There was no running away from it; that was the Child of Destiny, the protagonist!

Wang Hao's mouth twitched. This system was quite honest, directly telling him that the guy was a Child of Destiny and he couldn't kill him right now.

Didn't this mean that he could only lay low for now and wait for the guy to level up and come back to chop off his head?

"Your Majesty?"

Seeing that Wang Hao hadn't spoken for a long time, Wei Xian felt a little creeped out and cautiously raised his head to call out.

Wang Hao snapped back to reality, looking at the feminine old face in front of him with mixed feelings.

Although Wei Xian had failed to protect him properly, he had really risked his life to save him just now. In this world where the protagonist's halo was blindingly bright, if a boss like him didn't huddle closely with his underlings, he would truly be defeated one by one by the Child of Destiny.

"Rise." Wang Hao's voice was a bit hoarse, not knowing if it was because his voice cracked from shouting for rescue just now, or if he was just mentally exhausted. "The assassin's methods were bizarre. It wasn't your fault for losing the fight."

Hearing this, Wei Xian and Cao Chun both breathed a sigh of relief. Although this Emperor was young, he was easier to serve than the late Emperor and didn't take his anger out on them.

At this time, several other grand eunuchs who had received the news hurried over.

These people were also the original owner's personal entourage, or rather, the trusted aides left behind by the late Emperor to assist the Crown Prince. They were loyal and reliable.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, are you alright?!"

The eunuch running at the very front had a sinister appearance and sharp eyes. Although he was a eunuch, he exuded a ruthless aura.

The one closely following him had a cold face and carried a longsword in his hand. From his posture, he was a master swordsman.

There was also a chubby one with a kind smile piled on his face, looking like a Maitreya Buddha, but deep down, his eyes revealed cunning.

Looking at these three people, their names surfaced in Wang Hao's mind.

The sinister one was named Yu Tian, the cold one was Cao Qin, and the chubby one was Hai Fu.

Plus the two beside him, Wei Xian and Cao Chun.

Wang Hao's gaze swept across the faces of the five of them.

Wei Xian, Cao Chun, Yu Tian, Cao Qin, Hai Fu.

These names... why did they sound so familiar?

Wang Hao's heart skipped a beat, and a highly absurd association suddenly popped into his mind. He tried to connect these names with the infamous villainous grand eunuchs from the film and television dramas in his past life's memory.

Wei Xian... Wei Zhongxian?

Cao Chun... Cao Zhengchun?

Yu Tian... Yu Huatian?

Cao Qin... Cao Shaoqin?

Hai Fu... Hai Dafu?

Holy crap!

Wang Hao only felt the world spinning around him, and his vision went black.

What kind of godly lineup was this?

This was taking the villain role to the very end!

If that Ye Chen was the destined protagonist, then this group of people around him was simply a standard "Villain All-Star Team"! Every single one of them was a major boss who got rubbed against the ground by the protagonist in their original stories!

Look at this roster: the Nine Thousand Year Old Wei Zhongxian, Eastern Depot Director Cao Zhengchun, Western Depot's Flower Yu Huatian, Eastern Depot's God of Death Cao Shaoqin, and the unfathomable Hai Dafu.

Wang Hao felt like life was no longer worth living. Is God playing a joke on me?

Assigning me such a bunch of subordinates—is it because I'm not dying fast enough, or does He want to completely cement my title as a "foolish and tyrannical ruler"?

"Your Majesty? What's wrong? Are you injured somewhere?"

That chubby Hai Fu leaned in and asked with a face full of concern. That deep care couldn't be faked.

Wang Hao took a deep breath, looking at these five faces written all over with loyalty.

Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to accept his fate.

Since he was destined to be a villain, he had to establish the prestige of a villain. These names sounded awkward, so why not...

Wang Hao pointed at the five of them with a trembling finger and said in a tone devoid of the will to live:

"I... I am fine. It's just that I feel your names sound a bit petty and don't match my status."

The five of them were taken aback and looked at each other in dismay.

At a time like this, how did His Majesty still have the mood to change names?

Wang Hao pointed at Wei Xian. "Wei Xian, from now on, change your name to... Wei Zhongxian. The meaning is... um, loyal to the ruler and virtuous."

Wei Zhongxian was overjoyed. A name bestowed by the Emperor was a tremendous honor! Moreover, the words "Zhongxian" sounded high-end and classy!

"Cao Chun, from now on, you are called Cao Zhengchun. Righteous and awe-inspiring, honest and plain."

"Yu Tian, change your name to Yu Huatian. Grace shared equally, cultivating fertile fields."

"Cao Qin, you shall be called Cao Shaoqin. Young and promising, decreed by heaven."

"As for you, Hai Fu," Wang Hao looked at the fat man, "you shall be called Hai Dafu. Great wealth and honor, guard my money bag well."

After saying these five names in one breath, Wang Hao felt as if he had exhausted all the strength in his body.

He seemed to see the gears of fate making a strange clicking sound at this moment, which was a cheerful sonata leading to the abyss.

However, these five grand eunuchs had absolutely no such awareness.

They only felt that these names sounded nice and had excellent meanings, showing His Majesty's high regard and trust in them!

The five of them knelt down in unison, their loud voices echoing through the Imperial Garden:

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the names! Your servants Wei Zhongxian, Cao Zhengchun, Yu Huatian, Cao Shaoqin, and Hai Dafu will definitely spill our blood and brains for Your Majesty, and will not hesitate to die ten thousand times!"

Especially Wei Zhongxian, his face flushed red as if he had become ten years younger.

Hearing this, Wang Hao's footsteps paused.

Looking at these five "major villains" kowtowing and thanking him, he suddenly felt the sky darken.

Life is really meaningless and so tiring.

I am a foolish emperor destined to be killed by the protagonist, my subordinates are five grand eunuchs destined to die horribly, outside is a world rampant with demons and monsters, and my father is a joke who died in a bizarre bed incident...

Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of anxiety and the lingering shock of his recent brush with death, Wang Hao's eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed stiffly backward.

"Your Majesty!"

"The Emperor has fainted!"

"Quick! Pinch his philtrum!"

"Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician!"

"I have a secret technique called artificial respiration, we can give it a try."

The eunuchs instantly descended into absolute chaos. The five great eunuchs, who had been so majestic and awe-inspiring just moments ago, were now running around in a frantic panic, making complete fools of themselves.

Wei Zhongxian shoved aside Hai Dafu, who was attempting to give Wang Hao artificial respiration, and bellowed, "Get out of the way! My internal energy is profound, let me do it!"

Cao Zhengchun shouted, "Lock down the news! Anyone who dares to leak the fact that His Majesty has fainted will be executed without mercy!"

Yu Huatian, his face dark and gloomy, commanded the imperial guards, "Lock down the Imperial City! Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find that assassin! No matter who they are, for daring to harm His Majesty, I will grind their bones to dust and scatter their ashes to the wind!"

Amidst the pandemonium, the unconscious Wang Hao was frantically hoisted onto the imperial palanquin by the flustered crowd. They rushed him toward his bedchamber in a hurry, carrying him as if he were a corpse.

And so, following the utter chaos of this night, an era belonging to the grand villain Wang Hao and his all-star eunuch troupe raised its curtains in the midst of a sheer farce.