"Your Majesty, today's military report." Fang Zhiyi calmly handed the document to the Emperor.
The Emperor glared at him. "Fang Zhiyi, how dare you imprison me! Aren't you afraid of the people's wrath?"
"Wrath?" Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "You're a tyrant, and I'm a treacherous minister. Haven't we always deserved condemnation?"
"You scoundrel! Let's see how long you last. If I don't attend court for days, the ministers will grow suspicious. Loyalist armies will soon arrive—do you really think you'll survive?"
Fang Zhiyi shrugged. "The loyalist armies might be delayed. They're currently following your decree to suppress the Hu tribes."
"You—you forged an imperial edict!"
Fang Zhiyi shook his head again. "The edict was real, and so was the seal. Hardly a forgery."
The Emperor pointed at the names on the report.
"Duke of Liang, General Huang, General Xin—they are all loyal to the Great Yan dynasty. Do you really think you’ll live to see the end of this?" His voice trembled with fury.
Fang Zhiyi clicked his tongue. "Actually, I have an idea. It won’t be long now."
Seeing his smile, the Emperor felt an inexplicable chill.
For years, the Great Yan had suffered under Hu oppression, forcing three relocations of the capital. But now, with ample supplies, weapons, and the Emperor’s own decree, the armies finally unleashed their pent-up rage.
In just a year, the empire’s territory expanded by more than half.
Then, news arrived—the Emperor had passed away!
The sudden announcement stunned every general on the battlefield. The Emperor was dead?
Leaving some troops behind to secure the land and clean up, the armies hurried back. On the way, another message reached them—the Crown Prince had ascended the throne!
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi stood before the new Emperor. "If the Hu tribes return one day, how will Your Majesty respond?"
The Crown Prince hesitated. "Well... peace through diplomacy?" He had always emulated his father, indulging in pleasures within the Eastern Palace, demanding money when he ran out, and occasionally visiting brothels. Never had he imagined being dragged onto the throne so abruptly.
Faced with Fang Zhiyi’s question, the only answer that came to mind was surrender—ceding land, paying tribute, and submitting.
Fang Zhiyi sighed in disappointment.
Soon, the returning generals received more shocking news.
"The new Emperor has passed away!"
"The Second Prince has ascended at the late Emperor’s bier!"
The generals quickened their pace.
"The Second Prince has died of a sudden illness!"
"The Eldest Son of Prince Fu has taken the throne!"
Even fools could tell something was wrong.
"Fang Zhiyi has committed treason, murdering the Emperor! The court officials have been purged—some dismissed, others executed along with their families!"
Fang Bufan followed Wei Kaiyuan, listening as each report arrived, his heart pounding in his throat.
Had his father gone mad?
Thankfully, the capital was near. They could already glimpse the distant city walls.
"If foreign invaders come, how will Your Majesty respond?" Fang Zhiyi asked, his tone bored. The imperial bloodline of Great Yan was truly a joke—what kind of rulers were these?
"If enemies invade, I will lead the army myself!" The young man’s voice was firm.
Fang Zhiyi looked at him in surprise. Had a competent heir finally emerged from the collateral line?
The boy’s hands trembled slightly, but his eyes showed no fear. "If a treacherous minister seizes power, I will raise the Emperor’s sword and cut him down!"
Fang Zhiyi abruptly stood.
The young man swallowed hard.
"Good! Good! Remember your words today!" Fang Zhiyi laughed heartily. "Finally, I’ve hit the jackpot!"
In the 35th year of the new era, the Hu tribes were annihilated. Great Yan swept across the northern frontier, unstoppable.
That same year, the treacherous minister Fang Zhiyi poisoned the Emperor, installed the Crown Prince, poisoned him a day later, then saw the Second Prince ascend—only for the Second Prince to die suddenly. The Eldest Son of Prince Fu took the throne, but the new Emperor denounced Fang Zhiyi’s treason. Fang Zhiyi laughed and left. When the loyalist armies entered the capital, Fang Zhiyi had already been slain by Generals Shen Xun and Li Li.
Considering Fang Bufan’s battlefield merits and his estrangement from his father, the new Emperor pardoned him, stripping him of all titles and reducing him to a commoner.
In the 38th year, Fang Bufan returned from a day of hunting, handed the game to his wife, and called for Ah Bao. After changing clothes, he left for an unmarked grave—only to find someone had arrived before him.
"You’ve grown darker, young Fang," the Duke of Liang remarked.
Fang Bufan nodded. "Greetings, Your Grace."
Wei Kaiyuan patted his shoulder. The group stood silently before the blank tombstone.
Two more arrived—Shen Xun and Li Li.
Fang Zhiyi had been right. None of them were fools. With a little thought, they understood his intentions—even the new Emperor knew. Otherwise, Fang Bufan would never have been spared, nor would Fang Zhiyi’s grave remain standing.
But the world needed an explanation. Fang Zhiyi’s regicide was inexcusable.
When they ransacked his home, they found it empty—no treasures, no luxuries. Even the vases and paintings had been sold to fund military supplies.
The grand buildings he’d constructed for the court and the late Emperor? Within a year, they crumbled. Wei Kaiyuan led the demolition, revealing the shoddiest materials. The people cursed Fang Zhiyi as a corrupt official.
"Your father... wasn’t a good man," Old Man Huang said, arriving late. "But if I meet him in the afterlife, I’ll buy him a drink."
Fang Bufan was silent for a long time before speaking. "He was no loyal subject... but he loved his country."
Wei Kaiyuan took a deep breath. "Alright, let’s go! Didn’t you promise to introduce me to your daughter? I hope she doesn’t take after you—that’d be a tragedy."
"Can’t you say anything nice?" The Duke of Liang kicked him. "A man without a wife dares to mock others?"
"Almost there, almost."
"Hahaha! Young Wei, I have a distant cousin—plump and fair-skinned..."
"That description sounds odd."
"It’s how Fang—er, the old man—would’ve put it. I think it’s fitting."
"Wait—Brother Shen, you called my father ‘old man.’ Are you trying to claim seniority over me?"
"He’s been plotting this for a while."
"Li Li, shut up."
Ah Bao trailed behind, glancing back repeatedly before wiping his tears and hurrying after them.
"Quick Transmigration Bureau, huh?" Little Hei watched as a beam of light descended.
"Hm? Who’s that?" Fang Zhiyi paused mid-step.
"Dunno. Want me to eat that system?"
"Fifty percent chance they’re here for us," Fang Zhiyi analyzed.
"No kidding."
A streak of light shot toward them. Little Hei grinned. "They’re attacking first!" It snapped its jaws around the light, rolling on the ground. Fang Zhiyi observed for a moment.
"Move! More incoming!"
Several more beams crashed down.
Little Hei gulped with difficulty. "Exposed? Let’s go!"
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
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?!
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."
