Wei Lin fell silent for a moment. "I also understand His Majesty's temperament, but today you clashed with the Minister of War. I fear in the future..."
"Brother Wei, are you talking about Lord Li from the Ministry of War?" Xue Wanqiu held up new clothes against Wei Lin for comparison.
Xiao Ce answered with a smile, "Yes, Lord Li seems to have some issues with me."
Xue Wanqiu thought for a moment and nodded. Indeed, in the original story, Lord Li from the Ministry of War was a villain who constantly obstructed and suppressed Xiao Ce. But now, with the emperor she had personally supported on the throne, he was finished! Xue Wanqiu's fingers tightened slightly. These future obstacles must be eliminated one by one, and early!
As for Fang Zhiyi, saying a few good words for him would settle the matter. He was easier to fool than she had imagined. Xue Wanqiu admired her own foresight. She understood him so well. By merely using a tactic of retreating to advance—suggesting he marry a woman from a noble family—she had moved that fool to the point where he would rather offend his ministers than take a consort.
This was good. It saved her from having others interfere with her control over him.
There was just that woman who had been brought into the palace recently... However, palace news said she was quiet and well-behaved, and the Emperor hadn't had any contact with her.
For now, she would start by using Fang Zhiyi's hand to eliminate all the villains obstructing her brothers! Then, she would use the people's dissatisfaction with Fang Zhiyi to overthrow him! Xue Wanqiu almost couldn't help but laugh. She was so clever!
Her sudden smile stunned the three men.
This Fang Zhiyi, he should be arriving soon today. Perfect timing to discuss the matter of that old fool Lord Li from the Ministry of War.
In a building near the imperial mausoleum, the Fourth Prince looked at his Third Brother with hostility.
"What a rare guest. Has the Emperor come personally because he finds me an eyesore?" He still bore a grudge against his Third Brother for tattling on him. What was even harder to swallow was that this seemingly harmless Third Brother had suddenly become the dark horse, making him feel utterly deceived.
Fang Zhiyi didn't speak, just stared straight at him.
"Whether I keep my life or not is hardly necessary anymore, Your Majesty—no, Third Brother. If you want it, just take it. Why trouble yourself to make the trip?"
Fang Zhiyi continued to stare.
The Fourth Prince began to feel uneasy. Come on, if you want to kill or maim me, just say it! What's with the staring?
"Fourth Brother, from today onward, you are free. Your elder brother will grant you a fiefdom."
The Fourth Prince had long been mentally prepared for the Emperor to order his death. Hearing these words, he was momentarily stunned. But looking at his Third Brother before him, he shook his head. He couldn't be fooled by this guy again.
As evening fell, Xue Wanqiu was displeased. Fang Zhiyi hadn't come at all today! She would definitely give him the cold shoulder at the evening flower-viewing party!
As lanterns were lit, the Xue residence welcomed many guests. Anyone with eyes could see the Xue family was no longer what it used to be. It was almost common knowledge that the Emperor favored their only daughter, not to mention several popular young talents were closely associated with the family.
Listening to the guests' flattery, Xue Wanqiu felt a secret pride.
Is this the feeling of being the female lead? Is this the feeling of controlling everything? Amazing!
Just as she was thinking this, a commotion arose outside.
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived!"
"Her Highness the Princess Royal has arrived!"
"Concubine Yin has arrived!"
Xue Wanqiu felt scornful in her heart but quickly stepped forward to greet them, her face brimming with smiles. "Empress Dowager, you've come! The Princess Royal is here too? Wanqiu pays her respects to the Empress Dowager, to the Princess Royal!" She gave a slight curtsy. Everyone knew this was a special privilege granted by the Emperor, so no one commented.
The Empress Dowager glanced at her. This girl had her son, the sovereign of a nation, so lovesick he couldn't eat or sleep. She had quite a few criticisms of Xue Wanqiu, but due to her own reserved nature, she didn't show them.
"What grand airs the Miss of the Xue family puts on, refusing to kneel even when paying respects to the Empress Dowager." A sarcastic voice rang out.
Xue Wanqiu frowned, looking up to see a somewhat round face. After a moment's thought, she remembered—wasn't this the consort Fang Zhiyi was forced to take? What was her name... Yin Tao?
Yin Tao's voice was not soft. Many turned to look. Some watched with amusement, while others were surprised. Did Concubine Yin not know that Xue Wanqiu's exemption from kneeling was tacitly permitted by the Emperor?
Xue Wanqiu felt awkward.
The identity she had crafted for herself was that of a brilliant, resourceful beauty, transcendent and peerless... But suddenly receiving a direct blow like this threw her into inexplicable panic.
"I, I..." she stammered, constantly glancing at the Empress Dowager, waiting for her to say it was fine. From her understanding of the Empress Dowager, this shouldn't be a problem.
Sure enough, the Empress Dowager opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a word, Yin Tao spoke again: "Wow, knowing your mistake but not correcting it. Are you waiting for the Empress Dowager to bow to you?"
The words fell, and the entire hall fell silent. Xue Wanqiu was stunned for a moment, her mind in turmoil. This accusation was a huge hat to pin on her!
Yin Tao, however, acted as if she didn't see her panic. Turning to the Empress Dowager with a curtsy and a smile, she said, "Your Majesty, you have always been magnanimous and do not fuss over such matters with juniors. But Miss Xue is, after all, someone His Majesty values. If she is so 'casual' in public and a censor sees it, they might well impeach the Xue family for 'failing to properly educate their daughter.'"
The words seemed to consider the Xue family's interests, but in reality, they tied "lack of propriety" and "bringing trouble to the family" together. If Fang Zhiyi were present, he would definitely give her a thumbs up.
The gazes of the surrounding guests fixed on Xue Wanqiu—the transcendent composure they had praised moments ago now seemed more like arrogance born of favor, a lack of understanding.
The smile froze on Xue Wanqiu's face. She wanted to argue that "it was just a minor point of etiquette," but under the guests' scrutinizing looks, her words stuck in her throat: "I... I..."
But Yin Tao gave her no chance, adding softly, "Furthermore, the Empress Dowager is the sovereign, we are subjects. What logic is there for the sovereign to wait while a subject perfunctorily pays respects? Miss Xue, with such airs, could it be you consider yourself..." She deliberately paused, her eyes sweeping over Xue Wanqiu's pale face, "...someone on equal footing with the Empress Dowager?"
"Gasp—" A low murmur of shock finally rippled through the crowd. These words were too heavy, practically pointing a finger and accusing Xue Wanqiu of "overstepping her station"!
The Empress Dowager glanced at Concubine Yin with some surprise, a slight smile touching her lips. She hadn't noticed before, but this young girl was quite shrewd. It made her inexplicably fond of her.
Just then, Xue Wanqiu's parents, having heard the news, hurried over. Unlike their daughter, both were extremely traditional. They immediately knelt on the ground, begging the Empress Dowager for punishment. Xue Wanqiu watched, her brow furrowed, but before she could say anything, her mother, Xue's Mother, yanked her arm, nearly making her stumble.
The self-important Xue Wanqiu only felt her face burn with shame. Resentment welled up in her heart. The image she had built up for so long was ruined today! All because of this meddling concubine! She'd make Fang Zhiyi have her killed later! Have her killed!
"Your Majesty, please forgive her! My daughter is unruly; it is my failure in teaching her proper conduct!" Xue's Mother also knelt down, turning back to glare at Xue Wanqiu with eyes full of urgency and anger. She reached out and gave her another sharp tug: "Kneel down at once and beg for forgiveness!"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
【Prologue: The Beginning of It All – Use holy water to heal the saintess tainted by demonic energy, then converse with her.】 Shen Nian stared at his older sister sipping yogurt, lost in thought. So you’re telling me my sister is the saintess, and yogurt is the holy water? 【Main Quest 1: Brave Youth, Become an Adventurer! Reward: Rookie Adventurer Title.】 【Side Quest 1: Find the Adorable Kitty! Reward: 1000 Gold Coins.】 Shen Nian: "Wait, I’m a high school senior here—did some guy who got isekai’d accidentally bind his system to me?" Hold on, completing quests gives gold rewards? Titles even boost stats? Is this for real? (A lighthearted, absurd campus comedy—not a revenge power fantasy.)
