On the very day they were plotting, unusual movements were also occurring in the capital.
"Audacious eunuch! How dare you barge into this Dowager's chambers! What insolence!" The elderly Dowager Empress's wrinkled face twisted in fury, her voice brimming with rage.
Eunuch Li, hands clasped behind his back, sneered coldly. "By the Emperor's decree."
The Dowager Empress froze. The palace maids and female officials in her chambers exchanged glances, but none knelt. Indeed, while outsiders might still play along with this puppet emperor, the Dowager had no patience for such pretenses—and her servants naturally shared her disdain.
"Sima Rui has brought chaos to the inner court, poisoned the Empress, and defied the natural order of heaven and man. Her crimes warrant execution. However, in consideration of her status as Dowager Empress, she is to be imprisoned immediately, pending final judgment!" Eunuch Li finished reading the decree and extended his hand. "Will you receive the edict?" The imperial scroll slowly fell to the ground.
"You—!" The Dowager clutched her chest, nearly fainting from rage. "He dares issue such an edict? He’s nothing but a commoner!"
"Insulting the Emperor adds another count to your crimes," Eunuch Li replied calmly. "Additionally, by oral decree: the female officials in the Dowager’s chambers—spare none."
"Treason! Guards!" the Dowager shrieked.
Eunuch Li smiled and raised a hand to stop her. "Dowager, don’t bother. From today onward, the Imperial Guards answer directly to the Emperor."
"What?" The Dowager’s face was a mask of disbelief.
"Proceed." Eunuch Li waved, and the eunuchs behind him surged forward. Anyone could see—these eunuchs were actually skilled in martial arts! Their moves were ruthless, and in moments, every female official in the chamber lay dead.
Two eunuchs hauled the Dowager up. Eunuch Li stepped forward, picked up the imperial decree, and stuffed it into her mouth to muffle her wails.
"Take her away."
At the right wing of the Imperial Guards, the commander—a loyalist of the Sima family—was drinking and cursing. He railed against Zheng Tai, that lucky upstart, and Wei Xun. After General Wang was killed by Sima Cheng, Zheng Tai had taken temporary command of the Imperial Guards, while he himself, as a follower of the second young master, faced relentless sidelining.
Even that useless Wei Xun had been promoted three ranks. What kind of luck was that?
Mid-rant, the door burst open.
"What? Who dares interrupt—" Before he could finish, his vision shifted. With a dull thud, he saw his own feet—how could he be sure? These were new shoes, and he hadn’t even paid for them yet.
Wei Xun strode into the room, glanced at the headless corpse, and unfurled an imperial decree. "From this moment, I command the right wing!"
Meanwhile, at the Western Mountain Camp outside the capital, news of the general’s fatal fall from his horse spread through the ranks. The soldiers remained silent as the impassioned deputy addressed them—they were used to following orders.
The newly appointed head of the Imperial City Bureau stood guard at the Meridian Gate, awaiting the Emperor’s command, while the corpse of his predecessor lay not far away.
Fuhai considerately draped a cloak over Fang Zhiyi’s shoulders as the Emperor gazed from the palace walls.
"Fuhai, have you ever wondered about the letters I had you deliver?" Fang Zhiyi suddenly asked.
Fuhai shuddered and bowed his head. "Your Majesty, this servant does not dare to be curious."
"You’re a man of many thoughts. How could you not wonder?"
Fuhai kept his head lowered. "Some things are better left unquestioned."
"Hahaha! You’ll live a long life," Fang Zhiyi laughed before turning away. It was time to inspect the results.
Back then, he had sent the same message to all those sidelined officials: promises of a brighter future. For those drowning in frustration, such promises were fuel. Along with the messages came silver—no small thing for men who relied solely on meager salaries, some struggling to feed large families.
With each promotion, their faith in Fang Zhiyi grew—and so did their hopes for their own futures.
The conspirators of Sima Cheng’s faction had just finalized their plans to act upon returning home. But the moment they opened their doors, blinding torchlight flooded their vision. Armored soldiers had surrounded Sima Cheng’s residence, sealing it tight.
By dawn, the common folk resumed their daily toil, oblivious to the night’s upheaval.
The Sima family’s plot to rebel was publicly exposed—a crime of the highest order, punishable by the extermination of nine generations! Yet the Emperor, in his mercy, acknowledged the Sima clan’s past contributions. He stripped all Sima descendants of their ranks, barred them from office forever, and confined the Dowager Empress, Sima Jue, Sima Cheng, and their bedridden patriarch together, declaring he would "care for them in their twilight years."
The realm praised the Emperor’s benevolence.
Only the Sima faction’s remnants were left dazed. How had the world turned upside down overnight? The imposing figure on the throne seemed almost unfamiliar.
"By Our decree," Fang Zhiyi announced, his voice icy and commanding, "the positions of Chancellor and Grand Marshal are abolished. Henceforth, governance shall be conducted through a Council of Ministers."
One official, steeling himself, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, this humble subject has a word—"
"If you hesitate to speak, then don’t."
The man choked on his words. Fuhai leaned in and whispered to Fang Zhiyi.
As the official opened his mouth again, Fang Zhiyi cut him off with a cold laugh. "Wan Ji, a mere vice minister, yet you own four estates outside the capital? Your salary seems… excessive."
Wan Ji gaped. How did the Emperor know about his estates?
"Take him away. Investigate thoroughly!"
In a secluded courtyard, the Sima family exchanged bewildered glances. Inside, the paralyzed Sima Ci finally pieced it together—he’d been fooled! That seemingly foolish Emperor had played him from the start, making his first move the moment he began mingling with eunuchs. Sima Ci had dismissed him too easily, never suspecting a thing!
The courtyard gate creaked open. A eunuch entered, flanked by two grim-faced men.
"Esteemed Sima lords, are you comfortable here?"
"You—! Who are—?" Sima Jue recognized the eunuch—his father’s spy planted near the Emperor—but couldn’t recall his name.
The eunuch smiled. "No need for introductions. Why would a Sima lord remember a castrato’s name? Still, I am Cai Guang, of the Eastern Depot. By imperial authority, I hold the power to execute first and report later."
Sima Jue muttered, "The Eastern Depot… the Eastern Depot…" Suddenly, his eyes flashed. "I understand now! Father, I understand!" The Emperor had woven a web using these overlooked eunuchs—all of them his eyes and ears!
"But what’s the use?" Sima Ci lamented inwardly. He, too, had connected the dots—even his newest concubine must have long been aboard the Eastern Depot’s ship.
Fang Zhiyi granted Sima Ying her freedom, but she refused to leave. Watching him consolidate power with practiced ease, witnessing the rise of one new institution after another until no dissent remained in court, she realized she had underestimated this Emperor all along.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
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.
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
