"I am indeed a corrupt official," Fang Zhiyi nodded.
"Hah, and a capitulationist too."
Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "But I am not a capitulationist."
"Oh? Wasn’t it you who ceded territory and paid reparations every time we negotiated with the Hu people? Fang Zhiyi, have you had too much to drink?" someone mocked.
Fang Zhiyi smiled faintly. "Young General Wei drove the Hu people back beyond the old capital. Today, the Hu envoys came, and I was not in court. So, gentlemen, what do you think the outcome will be?"
The crowd fell silent.
"You overestimate me too much. These secret guards watch me day and night—do you think the Emperor doesn’t know about my corruption? When I eliminate dissenters, do you think I don’t need the Emperor’s approval? When I cede land and pay reparations, do I, Fang Zhiyi, even have the authority to slam the table?"
Someone immediately stood up and pointed accusingly. "Fang Zhiyi! Stop spreading your poisonous lies here! How dare you shift the blame onto His Majesty! I—I’ll cut you down!"
He looked around for his sword but forgot he was now just an old farmer.
"You’re not fools. You just refuse to believe that your Emperor is the root of all this," Fang Zhiyi sighed.
The crowd erupted in anger.
Duke Wei suddenly coughed. "Everyone, sit down."
They all gave the old duke some face. Once the room quieted, Duke Wei spoke. "My son has been fighting the Hu people all this time, and it was Fang Zhiyi who supplied him with provisions and arms. Knowing he had no one else to rely on, my son privately asked me to disguise men as merchants to deliver the supplies."
He gave Fang Zhiyi a deep look. "But I must ask the Chancellor to choose his words carefully. My Wei family has always been loyal. We do not wish to hear anything against His Majesty."
Fang Zhiyi smiled and nodded. "I invited you all here today to ask for one thing."
He stood. "On the lands occupied by the Hu people, our citizens suffer worse than death—slaughtered at best, eaten at worst. Surely you’ve heard."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
"Do you not feel ashamed, leaving the restoration of Great Yan to a single young man from the Wei family?"
"If you hadn’t interfered back then, why would we have retired to farm?" someone snapped.
Fang Zhiyi looked at him. "And if I hadn’t, what difference would it have made?"
"I know you all despise me. Even now. But things are different today. I have money now, and money means war. You are all free men. The question is—can you old generals still wield your blades?"
His tone was laced with mockery. "Or are you all inferior to a young Wei?"
"What did you say?!"
"Fang Zhiyi, though we’ve retired, we remain subjects of Great Yan. The Hu have retreated. Raising a private army now would be no different from rebellion!"
Fang Zhiyi sat back down. "The Hu have retreated? Are you all living in a dream?"
Just then, Fang Zhiyi’s trusted aide, Abao, hurried in. Glancing at the gathered men, his heart pounded.
"Sir! The Emperor has agreed! He’s ceded the entire north to the Hu, plus three million taels in reparations. He’s ordered the Wei army punished, and—and..."
Every eye in the room widened.
"And what else?"
"He’s handing Wei Kaiyuan over to the Hu for execution!"
The hall fell deathly silent.
"How… How could the Emperor be so blind?"
"We won! Why would he do this?"
"Old Wei? Old Wei?"
Duke Wei snapped out of his daze and turned to Fang Zhiyi. "Since you foresaw this day, Chancellor, what do you propose?"
"March into Hu territory and wipe them out—every last one."
A collective gasp filled the room.
"As for the Emperor, I’ll keep him placated. You needn’t worry."
Silence again. On one side, their loyalty to the throne. On the other, Yan’s land and its suffering people.
"At the very least, I know Wei Kaiyuan does not deserve to die."
Duke Wei slammed the table. "Chancellor Fang, you said you’d provide funds and arms. Do you stand by that?"
Fang Zhiyi pointed to his head. "On my life."
"Good! It’s been too long since I last took the field. Let’s see if my blade still cuts."
One by one, they stood. Fang Zhiyi raised a cup of tea in salute. As they drank, unseen hands slit the throats of several hidden guards.
"Chancellor Fang, we’ll settle our grievances later. But this time—don’t stab us in the back!"
Someone threw down the threat before leaving.
Duke Wei stared at the dead guards, wanting to speak, but in the end, only sighed.
"Chancellor, you may have gone too far," Shen Xun said hesitantly. He was beginning to find Fang Zhiyi harder to read.
"Too far? There’s further yet to go. Abao."
Abao scurried over. Fang Zhiyi studied him—a man neither good nor bad, but fiercely loyal. In the original tale, he went unmentioned, yet he followed Fang Zhiyi into exile and died beside him on the road.
"Here’s the key to my vault. From now on, you’ll liaise with these generals. Give them whatever they ask for. If it’s not enough, I’ll find a way."
"Y-yes, sir." Abao trembled as he took the key, sensing the weight of history in his hands.
Li Li emerged slowly from behind a screen.
Looking at the two young men, Fang Zhiyi smiled. "It seems I’ll be dragging you both down with me."
Li Li clasped his hands. "At your service, Chancellor!" Like Shen Xun, he was straightforward, but these days had shown him that Fang Zhiyi wasn’t the man everyone thought.
After all, what kind of villain sends his only son to the front lines?
Of course, he didn’t know Fang Zhiyi had always taken a hands-off approach with his "cheap son."
"Rest assured, I’ll secure you both a bright future."
In the palace, the Emperor paced anxiously.
Had he conceded too much? The thought of parting with three million taels made his heart ache. If only Fang Zhiyi were here! Really, it was just a son’s death—was it such a big deal?
After much deliberation, he decided to summon Fang Zhiyi.
After all, the handover of reparations would require Fang Zhiyi’s touch. He needed to set him straight.
Perhaps due to the Hu envoys, the palace guards were more vigilant than usual. Fang Zhiyi entered calmly, surprising the Emperor. Had he come around so quickly?
No matter.
The Emperor rattled off a long list of demands, and Fang Zhiyi nodded at each. Relieved, the Emperor dismissed him with a wave.
At a corner, Fang Zhiyi spotted Li Li leading a patrol. Their eyes met, and Li Li gave a slight nod.
Fang Zhiyi smiled.
In a dungeon, several blindfolded eunuchs were dragged in.
When the cloths were torn away, they saw Fang Zhiyi before them.
"Chancellor Fang, what is the meaning of this?"
"Sir, this is no time for jokes. We must return for roll call!"
Fang Zhiyi pulled up a stool. "Do you want to die?"
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.
ither go to a cultivation world where a single sword strike can defeat ten thousand enemies. Or they travel back to historical dynasties to alter history and wield imperial power. At the very least, they'd go back a few decades to get rich using their future knowledge and build a harem. Who the hell would transmigrate here!
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?"
