"Qingqing, are you saying that capturing a city—the way to scare off the enemy is to slaughter the whole town?" Wei An asked as he watched his own soldiers drilling, his tone casual.
"Of course. Since ancient times, sacking a city has always been the most effective tactic," He Yinqing said, the words rolling off her tongue as if they weighed nothing. "That Fang Zhiyi is a worthless man. If he had any backbone, he'd have butchered every last one of those steppe barbarian tribes—a few good massacres and they'd have learned to fear him. Why is he still dancing around like this?"
Wei An looked at the side of He Yinqing's face and nodded eagerly. "Right. You're right. It's just that Fang Zhiyi has too much power right now—the emperor can't touch him. Otherwise I'd have already gone to the border and claimed the seat of Grand General."
"Of course. Naturally." He Yinqing smiled and turned to meet his gaze.
The air seemed to freeze.
It took a long moment before Wei An looked away, flustered. "Speaking of which—you said someone's been copying your beauty shop?"
At that, He Yinqing huffed in frustration. "Right there on the next street over—suddenly three or four cosmetic shops opened up. I sent someone to check, and their products are almost identical to mine!"
"Who could it be... aren't those formulas only known to you?" Wei An asked.
He Yinqing's face twisted with anger. "Only one person could have done it! Only her—she saw me making my products once. I never thought she'd stoop to this."
"You mean—the princess?"
Wei An's expression darkened.
No matter who it was, anyone who upset his Qingqing was not acceptable.
"Has the emperor done anything about it?"
"He's spending all his time with those ministers now—he hasn't come around in ages. And you know what the worst part is? They're selling at a lower price than me! Half the customers have gone over to them!"
Wei An's heart secretly leapt at the news that the emperor hadn't visited Qingqing in a long time, though he quickly suppressed the feeling. "Since..."
Suddenly, a man came rushing up, breaking their conversation.
"Marquis of Ding'an—urgent summons from the emperor!"
"What is it?"
"They say the Border General, Fang Zhiyi, has returned to the capital!"
"What?" Wei An was stunned—Fang Zhiyi dared to leave the border troops and come back on his own? Excitement surged through him. "Qingqing, I must go. Wait for me."
He ran a few steps, then turned back. "Qingqing—if I go to the border, would you come with me?"
He Yinqing looked at his face—ah, he really was more handsome with that makeup on.
"Of course!"
"Good! Wait for me!" Wei An felt his moment had come. As long as Fang Zhiyi came back, the emperor would surely seize the chance to take him down!
But reality didn't unfold as he'd imagined.
Fang Zhiyi did return—his stated reason being that he'd come back to report on his duties, and he'd volunteered to do so. He'd brought fewer than a hundred soldiers with him.
However, he'd just won a major victory. On his way back, he'd made sure to spread the word everywhere, so that almost every town along the route heard how Border General Fang Zhiyi had thoroughly trounced those steppe savages!
In reality, Fang Zhiyi had merely clashed with a few hundred steppe tribesmen, "captured" their horses and other goods, and then reported to the court that he had crushed a steppe coalition of tens of thousands and seized countless spoils.
It was a safe bet.
"Zhiyi! My Grand General—you're back at last!" In the great hall, the emperor put on a display of respect for his meritorious minister, though he was quietly irritated by the way the generals standing beside Fang Zhiyi stared straight ahead, paying him no deference.
"Your servant greets the emperor. Wearing armor, I cannot perform the full formal bow—I beg your pardon."
"No fault, no fault!" the emperor said magnanimously. "Take a seat!"
A stool was brought, and Fang Zhiyi sat down with a thump—while the generals behind him remained standing.
"Sit, all of you sit. You who guard my borders have worked hard." The emperor gestured to them.
But the generals didn't move an inch.
"Sit." Only when Fang Zhiyi spoke did the generals sit, then all chimed in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
A knot formed in the emperor's chest.
The atmosphere in the court grew tense.
It was Fang Zhiyi who finally broke the silence. "Your Majesty, the reason for my return is to personally report on the recent situation at the border."
The emperor mustered his composure. "Go on, go on."
"After several engagements, the border troops have captured a number of steppe cavalrymen. Through persuasion, they have been incorporated into the imperial defenses of our Jin state. Additionally, several of my officers have distinguished themselves repeatedly... In this great rout of the steppe coalition..."
The ministers listened with growing unease. Previously, he had been submitting memorials lamenting that the border troops were understaffed and the steppe cavalry were ferocious—so why was he now boasting of commanding a well-equipped, powerful army? Moreover, the names Fang Zhiyi mentioned were completely unfamiliar to them, yet with military merits and battle records laid out so plainly, no one could argue.
"A formidable roster of generals indeed!" The emperor nodded repeatedly, but his mind was racing—what position could he give Fang Zhiyi to keep him in the capital, so he could deal with him later?
"Of course. When they heard I was returning to report, they were loath to let me go. You should know—though I've brought back only a few dozen men, when I set out, tens of thousands of soldiers wanted to follow me, to come pay respects to Your Majesty and offer thanks for your grace."
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the hall.
If the earlier talk was just bragging about strength, this line carried a hint of threat.
Bringing tens of thousands to the capital for a report? What are you planning—a rebellion?
The emperor caught the implication too, and his brows knitted in a frown.
"General—I forgot to send word back that we've arrived safely..." one of the generals muttered.
The emperor looked at that general.
Fang Zhiyi scolded him loudly, "Idiot! In front of His Majesty—why are you muttering under your breath?"
"Yes—sir! It's time to send the signal! If we don't, the brothers at the border will worry!" that blockhead shouted at full volume.
"I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness. These men truly worry too much—they're always afraid I'll run into bandits on the road... If Your Majesty would permit them to send the message?"
"Go." The emperor gritted his teeth, forcing the word out after a long pause.
No wonder Fang Zhiyi had dared to come back! He'd clearly taken the entire border army under his own command by now!
Wei An suddenly stepped forward. "Fang Zhiyi! You are insubordinate to the extreme! Are you threatening the emperor with those words?!"
The entire court gasped.
Are you an idiot? Everyone can hear what he's implying—but you had to say it out loud? Now you've backed the emperor into a corner. And besides—Fang Zhiyi just returned from a famous victory known across the land. Does anyone think the emperor could possibly execute him over this?
Fang Zhiyi turned to look at the pretty-faced young courtier. After a long moment, he asked, "Ah... miss, your voice is a bit gruff, isn't it?"
His utterly serious expression was enough to make some officials snicker.
"Fang Zhiyi! You dare insult me—the House of Marquis of Ding'an has greater merits than your Fang family! How dare you humiliate me like this!" Wei An was livid.
Fang Zhiyi gazed at him steadily for a while. "House of Ding'an?" He turned to the emperor. "Your Majesty—even the House of Ding'an cannot send a lady to attend court."
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)
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
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?!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
