Sima Cheng and Sima Jue began to clash, right after Fang Zhiyi appointed Sima Jue as the Chancellor. Though neither would bring their conflict into the open, their underhanded maneuvers never ceased.
However, when it came to political struggles, ten Sima Chengs were no match for a single Sima Jue. So Sima Cheng turned to his younger sister for help. He knew she was clever and had always been closer to him. Unsurprisingly, Sima Ying offered him some advice.
The first step was to remove their father Sima Ci and Sima Jue’s loyalists from the military. Armed with the list his sister provided, Sima Cheng began his purge—transferring deputy generals to the south, promoting minor officers, and overhauling the entire chain of command. The upheaval left the army in turmoil.
When Sima Ci caught wind of this, he confronted Sima Cheng. But by then, bolstered by the support of his brother-in-law the Emperor and his sister the Empress, with the military now under his control and a shrewd strategist by his side, Sima Cheng stood his ground, claiming he was merely reorganizing military affairs.
Sima Ci was no fool. He ordered an investigation and soon discovered his two sons were locked in a covert power struggle, dragging the entire Sima family into the fray. The old fox quickly pieced things together—whether Fang Zhiyi had instigated this or not, the man had to go. His daughter was already pregnant with the Emperor’s child. Even if it was a girl, they could always swap it with a boy from the family later.
Sima Ci planned to call a family meeting to mediate this pointless feud and arrange for Fang Zhiyi’s discreet elimination. But that very night, he suddenly collapsed, paralyzed and mute. As he lay helpless in bed, his mind raced back to the lotus seed porridge his concubine had served him the night before. His eyes widened in horror—could it be?
News of Sima Ci’s stroke sent shockwaves through the court. Sima Cheng grew even bolder, openly trading insults with Sima Jue during court sessions. If not for the intervention of others, he might have already resorted to violence, relying on his brute strength to pummel his younger brother.
“What exactly did you say to him?” Fang Zhiyi asked Fuhai after witnessing the spectacle.
Fuhai smiled. “Your Majesty, I merely mentioned that Sima Jue has been privately courting officials, deliberately excluding Sima Cheng.”
“That’s all?”
“And that the courtesan he fancied at the Crimson Pavilion was taken by Sima Jue.” In truth, Fuhai had orchestrated the gift, cleverly arranging for an ambitious minor official to present her. At the time, with Sima Jue about to assume the Chancellorship, gifts and beautiful women poured in from all sides. He hadn’t paid much attention, giving the eunuchs ample room to spread rumors. Besides, the Sima family knew many palace eunuchs were on their payroll. Sima Cheng hardly doubted the story.
Especially when he saw his younger brother basking in the glory of his new position—it stoked his resentment.
That afternoon, Sima Cheng was ambushed on his way to a tavern. Though unharmed, he immediately blamed Sima Jue, linking the attack to their earlier confrontation in court.
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi left the palace for the first time, heading straight to the Sima residence. At the sight of the bedridden Sima Ci, tears welled in his eyes.
“My mentor! My father-in-law! How could this happen so suddenly?” The Sima family members present were stunned—the Emperor truly cared for Sima Ci? They had only heard rumors, but now they saw it with their own eyes!
After a tearful display, Sima Jue finally persuaded him to return.
Sima Jue wasn’t faring well either. Between fending off his elder brother’s provocations and handling endless government affairs, the usually sharp-minded statesman felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. He kept a close watch on the Emperor, but Fang Zhiyi seemed content to idle away in the harem.
With his father paralyzed, unable to speak or move, Sima Jue could no longer seek his counsel.
Fortunately, the Emperor remained firmly on the Sima family’s side. The next day in court, Fang Zhiyi lavished titles and rewards on a new batch of Sima relatives, elevating the family’s prestige to unprecedented heights. The only thorn in Sima Jue’s side was his elder brother’s relentless troublemaking—but he wouldn’t last long. The court was already under Sima Jue’s control. What good was military power if his troops couldn’t be fed?
Meanwhile, in his sister’s palace quarters, Sima Cheng sat grim-faced before Sima Ying. He had never realized just how politically astute his younger sister was.
“Elder Brother, military tactics don’t work in court politics. There are rules here. If you keep acting recklessly, someone will impeach you.”
Sima Cheng clenched his teeth. “Impeach me? I’m the Grand General! I command a million soldiers! How dare Sima Jue move against me?” He paced back and forth. “If he pushes me too far, I’ll return to the northwest and raise an army!”
“Elder Brother!” Sima Ying paled, glancing nervously at Fang Zhiyi nearby.
Sima Cheng barely spared the Emperor a glance. To him, Fang Zhiyi was nothing more than a puppet—no threat at all. “Don’t worry. When the time comes, your Emperor husband will remain your husband, you’ll still be Empress, and I’ll keep my title as Grand General!”
“Must you and Second Brother fight to the death?” Sima Ying pressed.
Sima Cheng waved her off. “You’re a woman—you wouldn’t understand.”
“If that’s the case, I have an idea. But…” She turned to Fang Zhiyi. “We’ll need the Emperor’s help.”
The next morning, the moment Fang Zhiyi took his seat in court, he sensed the tension. Sima Cheng stood at the front, isolated, while Sima Jue appeared perfectly at ease.
“A lack of wits leads to ruin,” Fang Zhiyi mused silently before speaking. “As you all know, my mentor, my father-in-law Sima Ci, who has toiled his entire life, has suffered a stroke!”
“I have decided to bestow upon Sima Ci the title of Prince of a Different Surname!” The announcement sent shockwaves through the assembly. The first to step forward in protest was Sima Jue.
“Your Majesty, this must not happen!” He knew full well—the Sima family aimed for the throne, not some princely title. Accepting this would sever their claim to the empire!
“Huh?” Fang Zhiyi feigned confusion.
“Hypocrite.” Sima Cheng seized the moment, stepping forward. “Your Majesty’s grace in granting a princely title—unprecedented in this dynasty—and yet you refuse? What are your true intentions?”
Sima Jue seethed. He had always known his elder brother was impulsive, but now he realized the man wasn’t just thoughtless—he was an outright fool.
Gritting his teeth, Sima Jue replied, “Your Majesty, the Sima family wishes only to serve the throne, not seek titles. Such an appointment would invite public criticism. I’m certain my father would never accept it.”
Your father is paralyzed! And you use him to threaten me? Fang Zhiyi screamed inwardly, though his face showed only hesitation. After a pause, he turned to Sima Cheng, who subtly nodded.
“Ah! General Sima Cheng recently returned victorious from battle. I hereby promote him to Grand Marshal of the dynasty, ranking among the Three Excellencies!”
host is extracting the Celestial Bone of the Destiny's Female Lead! The Destiny's Great Villain System has successfully bound!] Mo Tianxiao: "Destiny's Great Villain? Me?" Looking at the radiant Celestial Bone in his hand and the beautiful woman lying on the bed, Mo Tianxiao felt somewhat confused. How could he, a law-abiding citizen, become a villain? Mo Tianxiao: "Fine, villain it is then. With the system here, even a Chosen One isn't unbeatable." [Ding! Detected 18,653 Chosen Ones in this world. Please seize the destiny of all protagonists to become the true Destiny's Great Villain!] Mo Tianxiao: "Seize how many?! What kind of lousy great villain is this? I'm a perfectly good citizen!"
mance] After transmigrating for eighteen years, Lin Qi lived as an utterly ordinary herbalist in the countryside. One day, he kindly brought home a sickly, beautiful girl covered in blood. They married in a flash and began their blissful, intimate life together. Right then, his long-delayed system finally activated. [Warning! Host detected in contact with the "Crimson Calamity," the world-ending witch!] Lin Qi looked at the adorable wife currently curled in his arms, who couldn't even open a jar lid and trembled at the sight of a mouse. Lin Qi: "System, are you insane? This is clearly just a weak and delicate sickly girl!" Thus, Lin Qi treated the system as a "Contrast System," where taking care of his wife made him stronger. Combing his wife's hair rewarded him with [Free Attribute Points]. Taking his wife out for sunshine rewarded him with [Forbidden Spell: Arcane Explosion]. Lin Qi: "This soft life tastes so good!" ... Yet, in the eyes of outsiders: The strongest Beastkin Assassin: "That man dissected a Beast King with a common skinning knife! That was a show of force towards the powerful!" The Holy Son of the Radiant Church: "I infiltrated his home as a tutor, but he had me babysit the children... He must have seen through my disguise!" The World-Ending Witch, Felucia: "I hid all the way in the countryside. How is it that the husband I married on a whim is stronger than I was at my peak?"
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)
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
