The sound of heavy slapping ended their conversation. They watched as Lin Yanqing, her face dark with anger, walked out of the broken-down temple.
"What's her problem now?"
"Shh, keep your voice down."
They were afraid of Lin Yanqing. Initially, they had looked down on her because she was a woman, but they had gradually been intimidated by her domineering and ruthless demeanor.
Fang Zhiyi learned the news of Lin Yanqing's disappearance and then looked at Liu Acai's smug, sneering face. "You..."
Liu Acai waved his hand. "Just a little trick, a little trick! No need to praise me!"
This guy is really quite wicked, Fang Zhiyi thought, shaking his head helplessly. He could only hope that if Liu Acai ever went to hell, he wouldn't be assigned to dig the nineteenth level.
Nian'an was greatly favored by the Emperor. Also, because rebellions were erupting everywhere, with several rebel forces fighting back and forth against the imperial suppression armies, the Emperor was deeply worried.
He didn't really care about the rebellions themselves, but he knew that if left unchecked, his throne would become unstable.
However, the money had all been spent on his own pleasures. The army's pay had not been fully distributed, and because of this, those rebel armies had been able to gradually grow stronger.
Hearing the Emperor's sigh, Nian'an knew his opportunity had come.
"Your Majesty, this humble official has a plan that could relieve the immediate crisis."
The Emperor looked at him in surprise.
"That Fang Zhiyi possesses considerable wealth."
Who would have thought that upon hearing this, the Emperor's expression gradually turned serious. He looked at Nian'an and remained silent for a long time.
Just as Nian'an was growing uneasy...
"Ah," the Emperor sighed. "What you say, how could I not know? It's just... now, too many people in this court have ties to him. Even I..."
Nian'an's heart sank, but he gritted his teeth. "I have a plan that can both remove this local tyrant and ensure Your Majesty's interests are not harmed. Moreover, it will provide even more funds for suppressing the rebellions afterward!"
"Oh?" The Emperor became interested. He had also heard that the lottery business was growing larger and larger, and there was something called the Slumber Moon Pavilion. Yet, the funds entering his private treasury hadn't increased much; in fact, they had even decreased somewhat. He also felt some dissatisfaction toward this legendary Fang Zhiyi, but he couldn't find a suitable pretext to move against him. As the Emperor, he couldn't just kill anyone he disliked. He still needed to maintain some semblance of propriety, not to mention that almost all the civil and military officials had some connection with this man.
It was a very unpleasant feeling.
"Your Majesty, summon him to the capital, saying you wish to reward him. Once he enters the palace, apprehend him immediately!"
The Emperor was puzzled. "Why?"
"I have a way to force him to produce that anti-counterfeiting coating. Then, Your Majesty can issue the lottery tickets in the name of the Imperial Family. Though I am untalented, I am familiar with many of Fang Zhiyi's methods. I will share Your Majesty's burdens..." Nian'an's voice gradually lowered, becoming so fragmented that the eunuch not far away looked confused.
The Emperor suddenly understood. "Good, good, good! I indeed did not misjudge you! My dear minister! You, you are truly clever!"
Nian'an bowed deeply, a smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
Fang Zhiyi, your good days are over. Now I have the Emperor's backing. And you?
Meanwhile, Fang Zhiyi had finally lain down on a soft, large bed and let out a comfortable sigh.
"Look at you, lazing about like a salted fish," Little Hei circled continuously. "That godson of yours is about to make trouble for you."
Fang Zhiyi smiled. "That guy really holds a grudge. Little Hei, do you know what sound a fox makes?"
Little Hei shook his head. "I never really paid attention."
"The Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng be king."
Little Hei looked utterly confused. "Really?"
The next day, not long after the imperial edict summoning Fang Zhiyi was sent out, the entire entourage escorting the eunuch came running back.
The Emperor was bewildered. "What happened?"
Nian'an was also puzzled. Looking at these people, they seemed as if they had been robbed.
Before they could speak, urgent reports began pouring in from outside: "Your Majesty! Urgent military report! Rebellions have broken out in the four southern provinces! The rebels killed the gate guards and opened the city gates for the rebel army!"
"Your Majesty, the rebel army north of the Huai River has begun marching toward the capital!"
"Your Majesty..."
The eunuch holding the imperial edict, his legs giving way, also knelt down. "Your Majesty, the place you sent me to... has also fallen into the hands of the bandit army. We ran right into their scouts!"
"Ah?" The Emperor plopped down onto his stool.
Nian'an was shocked. Just when he was about to get his revenge, why... But then he thought, if Fang Zhiyi fell into the hands of the rebel army, wouldn't that also mean his death? Thinking this, he felt somewhat relieved. Such a vile villain would surely be the rebel army's primary target.
News from the front lines quickly spread back. Some armies, lacking pay, had defected or mutinied. The rebel armies merged into one force, advancing with unstoppable momentum. In just over a month, the rebel army was at the city gates.
Nian'an supported the Emperor, whose legs were weak, as they went up the city wall to survey the situation, but his mind was calculating his next move.
The rebel army below was well-trained and well-equipped. If he didn't know their identity, Nian'an would have thought they were coming to protect the Emperor. These rebels looked quite wealthy. Then he saw a somewhat familiar face among them but couldn't remember where he had seen it.
That night, after attending to the Emperor, Nian'an had just lain down when he suddenly sat up. That's it! The commanding general was the son of a hunter from the western suburbs! Back when his father was injured by a wild beast, Fang Zhiyi had hypocritically sent him food and drink!
Instantly, a terrifying conjecture formed in his mind.
Fang Zhiyi had curried favor with corrupt officials, using businesses like the lottery and the Slumber Moon Pavilion to amass wealth on a large scale, but in reality, he was secretly providing supplies and weapons to these rebel armies... Corrupting court officials on one hand, while strengthening the rebel forces on the other?
Right! The Slumber Moon Pavilion? Those branch stores! After all, Nian'an was the male lead; he understood. These so-called branch stores were merely a front. Besides amassing wealth, their biggest function was to collect intelligence!
The people frequenting the Slumber Moon Pavilion were all "high society," so naturally, a lot of information circulated there daily. This could explain why the resistance in various provinces was always so easily broken.
"Impossible..." Moments later, Nian'an shook his head again. How could Fang Zhiyi have foreseen such things? He was overthinking it.
He smiled self-deprecatingly. Indeed, smart people like him were prone to overthinking.
But what should be done now? Perhaps tomorrow he should advise the Emperor to move the capital? Avoid the enemy's sharp edge for now. As long as they waited for the imperial princes stationed in various regions to arrive, they could turn the situation around.
However, that very night, the gates of the imperial city were opened from the inside.
The sounds of killing and shouting woke Nian'an. He fell out of bed and heard his own mansion gate being pounded violently.
That night, Nian'an hid in a latrine, barely avoiding three waves of searches. Then he disguised himself as a beggar and slipped out of the city. He heard from the fleeing refugees that the Emperor had been hanged by the rebels inside the palace.
Nian'an sighed with emotion.
"Did you hear? The one who opened the city gates and surrendered was the Grand General."
"Ah? Impossible."
"That treacherous official!"
Nian'an kept his head down. He needed to escape quickly.
But he never expected that while passing through the second checkpoint at the city gate, a man walked straight toward him, then grabbed him and looked him up and down.
Nian'an wanted to break free, but when he saw the man's face, he froze.
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers 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.
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?
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
