"Minister, have the men been dispatched yet?" The Emperor changed the subject.
Fang Zhiyi nodded: "They have, twelve in total. The imperial decree will surely be delivered."
The Emperor was satisfied: "Now, how should we deal with Wei Kaiyuan when he returns?"
Fang Zhiyi glanced around and made a gesture to the Emperor.
The Emperor's brows relaxed completely. Indeed, Fang Zhiyi was truly a good Prime Minister, so attuned to his thoughts!
Fang Zhiyi did as he said.
Upon returning home, he encountered Shen Xun, who had come to visit with his son, followed by Li Li.
Fang Zhiyi was pleasantly surprised—this was an unexpected delight.
Immediately, he warmly received Shen Xun and Li Li, even ordering the servants to prepare a feast. Shen Xun was flustered by the hospitality. Recalling recent events, he steadied himself.
"Prime Minister Fang, regarding the matter of your son..."
Mentioning Fang Bufan only made Fang Zhiyi's eyes flare up: "That disgrace! Have you caused trouble again?" He bent down to remove his shoe, ready to beat Fang Bufan. Shen Xun hurriedly intervened, while Li Li was stunned. He had only accompanied Shen Xun to gauge the situation, never expecting the Prime Minister to resort to violence so quickly.
"Prime Minister, please calm down! Your son hasn’t done anything wrong."
Fang Zhiyi looked at Shen Xun, his expression shifting rapidly: "Good then. I entrust my son to you, Minister Shen. Scold him or beat him as needed—don’t hold back!"
"Prime Minister, what exactly... what has Shen Xun done wrong?" Shen Xun finally blurted out.
If Fang Zhiyi had merely reprimanded or impeached him, he would have understood. But the Prime Minister’s recent behavior had left him uneasy.
"Done wrong?" Fang Zhiyi paused, then laughed. "You’ve done nothing wrong, Minister. It is I who am at fault."
Shen Xun stared at him in shock.
"Let’s drink, gentlemen!" Shen Xun and Li Li, being military men, had little resistance to alcohol. Besides, they couldn’t refuse the Prime Minister’s hospitality. The three sat down and began drinking.
After several rounds, Fang Zhiyi suddenly waved his hand: "I entered officialdom young, and I earned my position fairly." He poured wine for Shen Xun, who accepted it respectfully, then filled Li Li’s cup.
"But back then, the Emperor was young, and the court was in chaos."
Shen Xun nodded repeatedly—he knew that history.
"Minor officials like me had no chance of rising—until one day, I met the Emperor. After a conversation, he took a liking to me. From then on, my career soared."
Shen Xun grew uneasy. Why was Fang Zhiyi reminiscing?
"In the 32nd year of the old calendar, the barbarians invaded. I petitioned to resist them. That night, the Emperor summoned me to the study and spoke with me at length." Fang Zhiyi’s grip on his cup tightened, veins bulging on his hand.
Li Li noticed this detail.
He had joined the court later and knew little of this incident. Fang Zhiyi? Opposing the barbarians? Nonsense! Everyone knew he was a pacifist.
Fang Zhiyi took a sip and lowered his voice: "The world calls me a treacherous minister."
Shen Xun was terrified. If others said this, fine—but for the Prime Minister himself to say it? And to him?
"But they don’t know... they don’t know."
Fang Zhiyi’s gaze grew distant: "I, too, grew up reading the classics. I understand that every man bears responsibility for his country’s fate."
The two men stared at him in disbelief.
"But what could I do? The world sees a villain, but who has seen my struggles?"
"The military funds for Liaodong—I embezzled them! You knew that, right?"
Neither dared respond. They regretted coming today. After this conversation, their heads might roll tomorrow—Fang Zhiyi had executed several officials before.
"Did you see me spend that money? This residence looks exactly as it did when I first arrived!" Fang Zhiyi stood and pointed upward.
"It was for The Imperial Concubine’s moon-viewing pavilion."
At this, Li Li sobered instantly. Shen Xun turned to exchange a shocked glance with him.
"The former head of the Ministry of War—I submitted a memorial, the Emperor approved it." Fang Zhiyi drew a finger across his throat. "Executed."
"You all say I killed him, but why would I? I barely knew him!" Fang Zhiyi staggered, and Shen Xun rushed to steady him.
"Resisting the barbarians... the border troops had no funds." Fang Zhiyi slumped back into his seat. "Then, a young general emerged from the Liang State’s household. When I saw the barbarians retreat, it was glorious!"
He took a fierce gulp of wine: "But a few days ago, you saw—he’s being recalled to the capital."
Shen Xun and Li Li sat rigidly. Were these words meant for their ears? Yet piecing it together, they realized Fang Zhiyi was merely the Emperor’s scapegoat.
No wonder his temperament had changed—even his son wasn’t spared.
It all made sense now!
"Regardless, I ask you both to take my useless son away. Let him learn what the border soldiers endure while he wreaks havoc under his father’s name!"
Fang Zhiyi bowed deeply.
The two exchanged glances and hastily returned the gesture.
"Prime Minister, I cannot promise much, but I accept this task," Shen Xun said, deeply moved.
Watching them lead away his dozing, foolish son, Fang Zhiyi sighed in relief, his drunken gaze clearing.
"I can’t clear my name, but at least I can shift some blame."
"Do you think the Prime Minister was sincere today...?" Shen Xun couldn’t help asking.
Li Li immediately raised a finger to his lips in warning.
"It didn’t seem feigned," he whispered. After Fang Zhiyi’s "heartfelt confession," even a fool could see the truth. Why had so many impeachment memorials against him vanished? People said he suppressed them, but now it was clear—the Emperor simply ignored them.
A Prime Minister held great power, but without the Emperor’s approval, could he embezzle funds or impeach colleagues? The more Li Li thought, the more it made sense.
How pitiful. Li Li shook his head. As an overlooked imperial guard captain, he understood the frustration—like a general forced to obey a eunuch’s orders.
Meanwhile, in the northern Liang region, Wei Kaiyuan’s army rested. By candlelight, Wei Kaiyuan studied the map, planning the next advance. Along the way, he had absorbed scattered border troops, and now his forces were formidable—victory seemed within reach!
"Report! A courier from the court has arrived!" A soldier rushed in.
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
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."
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
