The Emperor rarely held a palace banquet, but this time he did so to celebrate the Crown Prince's steady governance of the court affairs. He also intended to announce Shangguan Lin as the new Empress.
At the banquet, Fang Zhiyi locked eyes with Lin Chengze, whose gaze was shadowed with malice.
Little Hei glanced at Fang Zhiyi, then bared his teeth in imitation of Fang Zhiyi's smirk before charging toward Lin Chengze. Lin Chengze's expression shifted from resentment to shock, then disbelief. He first looked down at himself, then back up at Fang Zhiyi.
Fang Zhiyi remained composed, merely smiling at him.
Lin Chengze deliberately moved toward Fang Zhiyi, who also stepped forward slowly. Fortunately, no one noticed them.
"What's wrong? Why aren’t you smiling? Isn’t the world beautiful?" Fang Zhiyi asked.
"You—you knew all along, didn’t you?" Lin Chengze's shrill voice trembled.
"Mhm." Fang Zhiyi shrugged. "Didn’t you say I didn’t understand the beauty of the world? Well, now you’ve experienced it. So, is it beautiful?"
"You—" Lin Chengze's face twisted. "Fang Zhiyi, just you wait!"
He was confident that even if he and Fang Zhiyi had switched places, he could still destroy him. Today, his master would become Empress, and he himself would rise as a powerful eunuch. Unlike Fang Zhiyi in his past life, he wouldn’t show mercy—he would spare none of them.
"Fang Zhiyi, do you really think the Emperor doesn’t know about your Crown Prince faction? Hmph."
The two parted ways—one smiling broadly, the other dark-faced.
After three rounds of drinks, the Emperor stood. "Today, I am pleased to announce something important. I have decided—"
The courtiers fell silent.
"—to appoint Shangguan Lin as my Empress!"
Only a few officials voiced their approval, while the rest remained silent.
The Emperor frowned. "Why such expressions? Are you dissatisfied with my decision?" His gaze flickered toward the Crown Prince, seated nearby, a trace of wariness in his eyes. "I know the Crown Prince has governed well recently, but he has also formed factions for personal gain. I hereby strip him of his regent duties pending further review!"
After all, he was the Emperor—he couldn’t possibly be ignorant of the Crown Prince’s actions.
Aside from Prince Rui, who looked pleased, most ministers remained silent. Behind Shangguan Lin, Lin Chengze smirked inwardly—with the Crown Prince’s faction fallen, Fang Zhiyi was finished.
The Emperor grew furious. "Have you all gone deaf?"
The Crown Prince hastily rose. "Imperial Father... this son obeys—" Before he could finish, Fang Zhiyi stood.
"Your Majesty, I, Fang Zhiyi, respectfully request your abdication."
The words struck like thunder. The Emperor glared. "Do you know what you’re saying? Guards!"
Two imperial bodyguards stepped forward, but before they could take two steps, two other guards pressed blades to their necks.
"You—you dare rebel?" The Emperor panicked.
"I respectfully request Your Majesty’s abdication," Fang Zhiyi repeated calmly. "The people suffer under your rule. As the Son of Heaven, you neglect governance, impose harsh taxes, and stir unrest. Revolts have erupted across the land. Only the Crown Prince has stabilized the situation. Your Majesty, step down for the worthy."
His words were firm. Then, a second person stood—Vice Minister Liu. A third—General Zhenyuan. A fourth, a fifth... nearly every minister present rose.
"We respectfully request Your Majesty’s abdication!"
"You—you traitors! Guards! Guards!" the Emperor shouted. Beside him, Shangguan Lin gaped in shock. Lin Chengze was stunned—how had Fang Zhiyi swayed so many? His own spies had reported only minor, insignificant alliances.
Fang Zhiyi glanced at him and smiled. Playing the spy game? I’m your ancestor.
"Your Majesty, save your breath." Fang Zhiyi stepped forward, patting the Crown Prince’s shoulder to signal him to sit calmly.
"The entire capital no longer stands with you."
The Emperor collapsed onto the throne, drained of vitality. Fang Zhiyi looked at him, Shangguan Lin, and the others. "Since Your Majesty enjoys presiding over harem disputes, you’ll have plenty of time for that now."
Harem schemes? Take your time. By the time you’re done, the throne will have changed hands.
The Crown Prince ascended swiftly. Upon his coronation, he enacted Fang Zhiyi’s proposed tax reductions and launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
It was the usual purge—investigating corrupt officials, confiscating assets—but Fang Zhiyi also ensured Prince Rui couldn’t flee. The influential Xu family, dominant in the tea-horse trade, was another target. To ordinary folk, they were untouchable. To Fang Zhiyi now, crushing them was effortless—no elaborate charges needed.
Prince Rui’s crimes were exposed, including the tragic Xinghua Village massacre. His entire household, save servants, was executed.
The harem became the Retired Emperor’s prison. At Fang Zhiyi’s urging, the new Emperor married Vice Minister Liu’s daughter, Liu Ning, devoting himself to governance. Under his teacher’s guidance, the faltering nation stabilized and flourished anew.
New faces entered the harem—Xu Yan'er, seized from the condemned Xu family, was sent as a maid to the Retired Emperor.
Shangguan Lin stared blankly, dazed by her abrupt retirement alongside the Emperor.
Lin Chengze was shattered. He realized most of his intelligence network had been double agents loyal to Fang Zhiyi. Now blind to the outside world, his status crumbled with the Emperor’s fall.
When he spotted the hollow-eyed Xu Yan'er, hatred flared. He lunged at her, but both, broken, fought to a stalemate.
Eunuchs and maids watched, occasionally commenting.
"Little Hei, do you eat systems?" Fang Zhiyi asked curiously.
Little Hei bared his teeth and shook his head. "No, no."
"Then leave it be?"
"Only option. It’s harmless now." As a harem system, it was indeed useless.
Lin Chengze begged to see Fang Zhiyi, desperate to plead for mercy.
"Fang Zhiyi! I was wrong!" he cried, but no one listened. The harem was lifeless, many servants transferred to new palaces.
When relayed this, Fang Zhiyi laughed.
"He’s not sorry—he just lost the high ground." Tossing a silver ingot to the messenger, he dismissed him with thanks.
A decade later, Fang Zhiyi resigned and left, unsettling the new Emperor and court. Only a deranged old eunuch in the desolate harem muttered, "He’s gone back... he must have gone back..." Gazing toward the distant Xinghua Village, he strained to see the past.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
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.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
Heart] Chen Yi traversed the cultivation world for eight hundred years, charging his way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just as he was outwitting his 81st Heavenly Tribulation to ascend to immortality, he was suddenly pulled into a chat group called the "Multiverse Transmigrators Support Group." To his surprise, the group was filled with nothing but fresh-faced newbies who had just transmigrated. [Help! I transmigrated into a disgraced concubine in the cold palace, and the tyrant emperor is about to execute me!] [I ended up as a cannon-fodder villain, and the protagonist is still chasing me—WTF!] [I woke up as the protagonist’s father, but I’m about to be sacrificed in a ritual! What do I do? Urgent!!!] Chen Yi stared at the chaotic flood of desperate pleas in the group and fell into deep thought. "Seriously? You drag me into a newbie transmigrator chat group… only after I’m one step away from becoming an immortal?"
