"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.
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
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."
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?!
