"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject has a memorial to present..." Two ministers from originally opposing factions stepped forward almost simultaneously.
The drowsy Xu Jiao immediately perked up. "Fight, fight! I have found you guys an eyesore for a long time! Boohoo, I miss my dear Crown Prince so much."
To her surprise, the Minister of Personnel took a half-step back. "Lord Hu, please present yours first."
Lord Hu hurriedly waved his hands. "Lord Li first, Lord Li first. The matter I have to report is not urgent."
Fang Zhiyi did not say anything. He had anticipated this outcome. For these officials, very few who managed to climb to this position and stand here were fools. Everyone understood that continuing to go tit-for-tat would benefit no one. This was especially true recently, given the Emperor's ruthless methods; nearly every investigated official was beheaded. Who could endure that?
"Huh? Why are these two deferring to each other? Could they have chickened out?"
Fang Zhiyi ignored Xu Jiao's inner voice and let out a light cough.
The Minister of Personnel cupped his hands toward Lord Hu. "Then I shall go first?"
"Please, please!"
It was ridiculously harmonious.
"Your Majesty, regarding the appointments and dismissals for the northern border army... this subject has sorted them out." He presented a memorial.
Fang Zhiyi took it from the eunuch, opened it, and took a look. The names of Xu Xiong and Xu Bao were prominently listed. Fang Zhiyi shook his head. This Xu Yuanzhi could have easily transferred his sons to the border army himself, yet he insisted on going through the official procedures. It seemed the Xu family truly valued daughters over sons.
At this moment, Xu Jiao also seemed to know about this matter.
"They must be transferring my second and third brothers to the border army. Boohoo, I really cannot bear to let them go... Why do you people not go yourselves? Every single one of you is a cowardly old turtle clinging to life!"
Fang Zhiyi continued to look at the list without saying a word, but the ministers who heard this inner voice darkened their faces.
They had now given up on infighting, and Xu Jiao's father was temporarily absent from the court. How dared she insult them in her heart?
That was right, even cursing them in her heart was unacceptable!
"Your Majesty, this subject believes that the conditions in the border army are harsh. Old General Xu's eldest son, Xu Hu, has already been stationed at the border for many years. The rest of his sons should be allowed to stay in the capital to accompany their family," someone stepped forward, bearing a treacherous look on his face.
"This subject seconds the motion!" Another person stepped forward.
This list had been shown to Xu Yuanzhi when it was drafted. The entire court knew that the Xu family established themselves through military merit. Old General Xu never formed cliques and factions, and he wanted his sons to establish themselves in the military as well. After all, this was the foundation of the Xu family. But now, since you, Xu Jiao, were unhappy with it, we would give you a helping hand!
Sure enough, Xu Jiao became happy.
"I did not expect that you old geezers could actually speak some human words. There are so many people here, so must my second and third brothers go? Those few military generals eat until their faces are shiny with grease every day, why not let them go?"
A few military officials felt somewhat innocent. From a factional standpoint, they were definitely biased toward the Xu family, but no one wanted to be arranged and criticized by a little girl like this, right?
"Your Majesty, this subject is willing to go and serve in the border army."
"This subject is also willing to go!"
Several more stepped forward in succession.
Military generals were straightforward. Having been called out by Xu Jiao's inner voice, they did not bother to hide it and stepped forward directly.
Fang Zhiyi looked at these men. Every one of them had made meritorious contributions. Initially, transferring them back was partly to consider their merits and let them enjoy some comfort, and partly to prevent them from growing too powerful at the borders. This Xu Jiao was really something, arranging things just by opening her mouth?
Fang Zhiyi deliberately frowned. "But the entire Xu family comes from a military background..." He first glanced at the empty seat below, which was previously Xu Yuanzhi's spot. Then, his gaze swept around and inadvertently met the eyes of the eager Xu Jiao before quickly looking away.
Seeing that so many people speaking up was useless, Xu Jiao's rebellious spirit flared up. She kept cursing Fang Zhiyi in her heart, calling him a black-hearted boss who only wanted to exploit the Xu family, and other similar remarks. Hearing this, several important ministers could not help but frown.
"Your Majesty! I... my eldest brother is already a general at the border! If my second and third brothers both leave, my mother will not be able to bear it!"
Plain and simple words without any twists and turns. Fang Zhiyi liked it very much.
He needed someone surnamed Xu to say this sentence themselves, and if it was Xu Jiao, that would be for the best.
As expected, the courtiers all looked elsewhere, and absolutely no one said anything.
"Since that is the case... Fine! I grant it! The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War shall discuss and draft a new list!"
Xu Jiao cheered and jumped for joy in her heart, so loudly that it made everyone feel somewhat irritated.
Once she opened her mouth, she could not stop, because she thought of another matter. "Your Majesty, I have another matter to report!"
"Absurd! Serving as an official in the court, you do not even refer to yourself as your subject in front of His Majesty. What are your intentions!" Someone took the opportunity to reprimand her.
"I..." Xu Jiao paused, cursing and swearing in her heart.
Fang Zhiyi, however, raised his hand to stop them. "It is no matter. She may say whatever she wishes. Just consider it a grace granted to Old General Xu."
The courtiers, who had been preparing to attack her en masse, indignantly shut their mouths.
Your Majesty, you just do not know how she curses you, otherwise you would definitely jump higher than any of us!
"Your Majesty, last time the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince made a mistake during the disaster relief, but keeping him locked up all the time is not a solution either. Why not let him go inspect the borders? It would also display Your Majesty's heavenly prestige!"
"Insolent!" The Left Chancellor became anxious and angry. With your status, how dare you dictate matters here?
Fang Zhiyi only slightly changed his expression, his tone a bit peculiar. "How come I did not notice before that you care so much about the Crown Prince?"
"I, I do not." Xu Jiao's face turned red.
The courtiers all complained in their hearts: Your Majesty, you have no idea! Her mind is full of those filthy matters between men and women! Your Crown Prince has already been stripped naked in her thoughts!
"Very well, as you wish," Fang Zhiyi said. Xu Jiao immediately knelt to give thanks, and in her heart, she began to praise Fang Zhiyi again.
"Although he is sometimes muddled, he is still quite good to his son. I will temporarily certify you as a good emperor!"
In the past, the courtiers would have certainly just laughed this off. But now, the things they experienced were different. They only felt that this Xu Jiao of the Xu family was a two-faced, backstabbing person, and moreover, a demoness!
The Crown Prince, Fang Jingqi, was also bewildered. He had been reflecting on his mistakes perfectly well when he was suddenly dragged out by his royal father's men, stuffed into a carriage, and sent off. When he learned that it was Xu Jiao who had pleaded for him again, the emotion in his heart was beyond measure.
This time, he would definitely perform well! Then, upon his return, he would beg his royal father to grant him a marriage! As for the bride, it would be Xu Jiao!
However, another secret decree had set off one step ahead of him. When the Crown Prince arrived after traveling thousands of miles, he saw Xu Hu, who had specifically come to welcome him.
"My place is truly lively lately. My father just returned to the capital, and now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived! Men, prepare the wine!"
Before the banquet, Xu Hu first spoke about the recent situation, and then said somewhat apologetically, "Originally, I had arranged for a deputy general under my command to be in charge of Your Highness's border inspection this time. But a sudden military situation arose, and he took his men out."
"Another subordinate has fallen ill... so I can only wrong Your Highness by having you follow me..."
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?!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
] [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!"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
