"The child isn't clever, but he is obedient," Little Hei said.
Fang Zhiyi closed his eyes.
He knew Fang Qian was finished. Having killed his own son, the reigning emperor, before the eyes of all the ministers, Fang Qian was bound to be reviled by the whole realm.
Originally, he had intended to take on the role of the villain himself, but who would have thought Fang Qian would suddenly barge in.
"Your Majesty! Since the border is in peril, we shall make preparations at once!" one of the ministers snapped back to reality.
The others echoed in agreement.
But one official shook his head and said, "The Hu are at the peak of their military might, having already breached several cities in succession. It is unwise for us to contend with them now!"
Fang Zhiyi turned his gaze to the bearded official.
When the man saw Fang Zhiyi looking at him, he instinctively puffed out his chest.
If he could catch the eye of the late emperor, then surely his name would be remembered in the annals of history!
"I believe the Hu have never adapted to life in the Central Plains. Since the founding of our Great Yong dynasty, they have raided our borders many times, and every time they pillaged and then retreated."
Fang Zhiyi nodded, signaling him to continue.
Seeing this, the minister's confidence swelled: "At present, the frontier forces have already collapsed in retreat. It is not the best strategy for us to strike out now and clash head-on with them."
"Go on."
"Well, er, His Majesty had previously assembled two hundred thousand troops. I believe we should first wait."
"Wait?"
"Wait until the Hu have finished their pillaging and begin to withdraw, and then we pursue and attack! They retreat, we advance—they'll surely flee in disarray!"
Fang Zhiyi took a deep breath and glanced at the roster in his hand.
"You... are called Huang Chengyun, aren't you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, that is me!"
"Then let me ask you: wait until when? Until the border cities are plundered clean, slaughtered clean, and burned clean by the Hu? Until the besieged garrisons starve and run out of supplies? Or until the Hu march on the capital itself?"
Huang Chengyun was taken aback, swallowing hard: "Your Majesty, perhaps since you have just returned, you may not know—the treasury is now depleted. Maintaining provisions and arms for two hundred thousand troops is already extremely difficult. If we simply charge forward, I fear..."
"If the people are lost, we can relocate others from elsewhere; if cities are destroyed, they can be rebuilt. But if, if..." He glanced at Fang Zhiyi.
"Speak!"
"If we lose the battle? If we are defeated, we won't just lose those northern cities—the capital itself won't be defensible either!"
Little Hei sneered: "This fellow has a bit of cunning. In the original plot, after the war-hawk ministers died, he took the lead in proposing peace talks, even advocating for marriage alliances."
Fang Zhiyi stared at Huang Chengyun. After a long pause, he smiled.
Seeing him smile, Huang Chengyun smiled along with him.
"Huang Chengyun, I have a question."
"Your Majesty, I will answer to the best of my ability!" Huang Chengyun's attitude was impeccable.
"How would you describe men and women, old and young, in a single word?"
Huang Chengyun was stunned. What kind of question was this? But looking at Fang Zhiyi, he didn't seem to be joking. Huang Chengyun frowned, thinking hard.
This former emperor was quite an interesting fellow. At a time like this, instead of worrying about defending the capital, he asks him a question like this?
But no matter how long he thought, he could find no answer.
"Er, men, women, and children in general?" Huang Chengyun finally offered a guess.
At that moment, Fuhai, reeking of blood, walked in.
Fang Zhiyi's expression gradually darkened. He slowly shook his head: "Let me give you the answer—mass execution of the entire household!"
Huang Chengyun was stunned again. Come to think of it, that actually fit!
But the next moment, he was hoisted up by guards. Huang Chengyun finally realized what was happening: "Your Majesty! This—what is the meaning of this, Your Majesty!"
"From the day Great Yong began with me, I told all of you: Great Yong does not cede land, does not pay indemnities, does not agree to marriage alliances, and does not surrender! For scum like you to exist in this court, the emperor truly must have been blind!"
Fang Qian, standing at the door staring blankly at the corpse of his son, slowly turned his head, his eyes hollow.
Watching Huang Chengyun be dragged away, Fuhai shook his head. Indeed, it had to be the master—he killed people at the drop of a hat.
"Your Majesty! The Eastern Depot has taken control of all key offices in the capital, and the remnants of Qian Zhong's faction have all been brought to justice!"
Fang Zhiyi nodded, his gaze sweeping across the assembled ministers once more. Everyone lowered their heads. It was said the former emperor was formidable, but no one said it was to this extent! He was simply a tyrant!
"From this moment on, I speak, and you act." Fang Zhiyi leaned back into the dragon throne.
No one dared to oppose.
"General! Our, our grain will last less than three days!" A soldier covered in blood ran up to the city wall.
The old general, whose armor was already in tatters, looked resolute: "Wait a little longer. Word came earlier that His Majesty would lead the campaign personally!"
"General, but, but we..."
"Borrow grain from the townspeople! Tell the people that if the city falls, the Hu will slaughter everyone! Also, have all able-bodied men come up to help defend the walls! The women should not be idle either!" The old general's eyes were wide and fierce. He had served as the city's garrison commander for twenty years, and he would not let this city fall into his hands.
"Yes!" The soldier gritted his teeth and ran off.
In truth, everyone knew the townspeople had no grain left either, and the residents had begun helping defend the city seven days ago. Now, the garrison numbered fewer than a thousand! Outside were Hu troops numbering in the tens of thousands!
They rode fast horses beneath the walls, shouting as they passed, some even dragging captured townspeople behind their horses!
"Your Majesty...this general has done his best." The old general looked at the enemy outside, his lips quivering slightly.
There were several more isolated cities like this, all desperately waiting for aid from the court, waiting for a hope that seemed out of reach.
In the original plot, they had fought to the death without ever seeing those two hundred thousand troops—because those troops had been squandered by Fang Tianyun.
Another horn sounded outside the city—the Hu's signal to attack.
This was the eleventh time.
Hold once more. Just once more.
The old general gripped his notched blade.
"Prepare to fight!"
But after a while, the fierce assault they had anticipated did not come. A soldier rushed up from the tower: "The Hu are heading east!"
"What?" The old general couldn't quite process it. He hurried over, and when he reached the battlements, he saw the Hu army colliding with another force.
The old general's eyes filled with tears.
Finally, they had come!
"General! That, that is!" a deputy shouted in excitement.
The old general wiped his eyes and squinted into the distance. The next moment, his eyes flew wide in shock.
"The dragon banner! His, His Majesty truly has come to lead the campaign in person!" His hands were trembling, and he felt the urge to weep. He had thought he would die here—this was an isolated city, not even a major pass.
Yet His Majesty had personally led troops to relieve them!
What he didn't know was that there were five such armies in total.
Each one flew the dragon banner high. This was Fang Zhiyi's design: he had divided every available force into five contingents, led one himself, brought Fang Qian along as well, and even taken the young princes from the palace with him!
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
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."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
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.
