Future historians would only record Fang Zhiyi as a foolish and debauched ruler, who fraternized with the lowest eunuchs, indulging in pleasure all day, while he, Sima Ci, steered the affairs of state, salvaged the dynasty, and earned his place in history!
"Your Majesty, the decision is yours to make," Sima Ci had already made up his mind. What trouble could a bunch of eunuchs possibly stir up? Besides, many of them were on his payroll, working for him.
Fang Zhiyi inwardly sighed in relief, though his face still showed delight. "Really? Thank you so much, Teacher!"
Yet, on that very day, upon returning home, Sima Ci received a secret report: the Emperor had accidentally fallen into the water while playing with the eunuchs and fallen ill.
Sima Ci frowned. Was Fang Zhiyi really this fond of amusement?
Soon after, a letter arrived before him—written by Fang Zhiyi—explaining how overjoyed he had been, leading to his accidental fall. He estimated he wouldn’t be able to attend court for a while and thus entrusted state affairs to his father-in-law, filling half the letter with flattery.
No one disliked hearing praise. Though Sima Ci knew Fang Zhiyi was buttering him up, it was done so smoothly. To him, Fang Zhiyi was still sensible—he knew which side his bread was buttered on.
From that day onward, the imperial harem grew much quieter. Sima Ci even visited Fang Zhiyi, and seeing his sickly appearance, he felt a pang of concern. After all, Fang Zhiyi was the most suitable candidate they had found in years—he mustn’t die. Immediately, he dispatched several imperial physicians to tend to the Emperor.
Meanwhile, palace informants relayed that Fang Zhiyi, bored in bed, had discussed work arrangements with a few eunuchs. His personal eunuch, Fuhai, was appointed head eunuch—literally titled "Head Eunuch," overseeing all eunuchs. Worried Fuhai might be overworked, Fang Zhiyi assigned him two deputies, then selected a few others as "executors"—essentially those tasked with organizing entertainment for the Emperor. Below them were the attendants, whose duties remained unchanged, followed by the ordinary eunuchs.
Hearing this, Sima Ci merely laughed. This Emperor was indeed foolishly endearing. At least he wasn’t cruel—otherwise, future history books would surely brand him the worst tyrant of all time!
Fang Zhiyi, however, knew the hardest step had been taken.
The newly appointed eunuchs standing before him had been handpicked by Fuhai—trustworthy men. After being rewarded with trinkets from the Emperor’s chambers, they knelt and kowtowed fervently in gratitude.
"Master, what next?" Fuhai whispered.
Fang Zhiyi sighed. "Now, we endure."
Eunuchs in the palace were granted leave—those with nearby families visited home, while those from afar wandered the streets, buying goods.
But this time, three eunuchs left the palace with grim expressions.
They exchanged the Emperor’s rewards at an antique shop, then split up.
When Wei Xun’s door was knocked upon, he was startled. Seeing a eunuch—disguised in commoner’s clothes but unmistakable to a seasoned palace guard like himself—standing there left him even more bewildered. What business could a eunuch have with a mere Imperial Guard captain?
"Lord Wei, my master sent you a reward," the eunuch said plainly, dropping a pouch of silver before leaving, ignoring Wei Xun’s stunned silence.
The same scene played out in two other households, leaving all recipients equally confused.
Back in the palace, Fang Zhiyi studied a small ledger. With these eunuchs, he was no longer blind—they were everywhere, privy to every rumor and secret in the palace.
"Commander Wang Zhong embezzles from his subordinates? Is this true?"
Fuhai glanced at the young eunuchs playing outside before answering, "Yes, Master. Eunuch Lin often mingled with them."
"And the names on this list—can they be trusted?" Fang Zhiyi’s finger traced each one.
Fuhai hesitated. "I’m not sure. Eunuch Lin compiled it, but these men all resent Wang Zhong. Still, with the Sima family backing him, they only dare complain in private."
Fang Zhiyi’s finger paused at one name. "Deputy Commander Li Li—he’s not from the Sima faction?"
Fuhai shook his head. "No. Li Li served the late Emperor for years and was nearly promoted to commander, but... after His Majesty’s sudden passing, the matter was shelved. Then Wang Zhong was transferred from the border army to take the post."
"The border army? No wonder he brought his corrupt ways here," Fang Zhiyi muttered, tapping his fingers.
"Fuhai, I need you to take a risk."
That day, Fuhai hurried out of the palace, his robes bulging, his face a mix of worry and excitement.
Following the Emperor’s instructions, he showed Li Li a secret letter handwritten by Fang Zhiyi. Li Li’s expression shifted from shock to fury, then hesitation—and finally, a flicker of greed.
Fuhai’s heart pounded. He had no idea what the letter contained.
Li Li suddenly laughed and clapped Fuhai’s shoulder. "Eunuch Fuhai, you’ve chosen your master well."
Swallowing hard, Fuhai nervously produced an imperial jade pendant. "Lord Li, this is also a gift from His Majesty."
Li Li stood straight, accepting it reverently. "My gratitude to the Emperor!"
From then on, items began disappearing from Fang Zhiyi’s chambers—given away or sold—much to Fuhai’s dismay. These were valuable treasures!
Fortunately, after Fang Zhiyi whined to his father-in-law about his empty coffers, Sima Ci generously replenished the imperial purse, halting the fire sale.
Sima Ci remained unsuspecting. His spies reported nothing amiss—just eunuchs bringing trinkets from outside—so he focused on state affairs and the distant war, overwhelmed by his duties.
Unbeknownst to him, Fang Zhiyi had orchestrated "accidents" for those very spies—broken fingers, "unfortunate" nail losses—leaving them all subdued.
Fuhai had never imagined so many methods of torment existed. His fear of Fang Zhiyi grew. Even if he weren’t the Emperor, just one of his schemes would have the censors railing for days.
One spy had "accidentally" shattered the Emperor’s favorite teacup. Dragged away by Eunuch Lin’s men, he returned pale as a ghost, refusing to speak. Days later, another cup broke, and his companion finally understood his suffering.
Fuhai mastered the carrot-and-stick approach. Handing out silver notes to the two spies, with Eunuch Lin looming behind him, their surrender was instant.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
