In the royal court, the several princes who had always been superficially friendly but secretly at odds stood neatly in a row. They chatted occasionally, putting on a display of brotherly love and respect, which left the court officials feeling even more bewildered.
Could the Emperor's method of having them take turns overseeing the state actually improve brotherly relations?
Fang Zhiyi came to clock in as usual, just waiting to get off work and go home. In truth, he didn't want to go home at all because the food at his own estate was too poor. Nowadays, he wandered around his younger brothers' homes to mooch meals, completely losing all face as the Crown Prince.
Who knew that the old Emperor would look at him before even speaking three sentences.
"The Crown Prince has done a great deed for our Great An this time!"
All eyes turned to Fang Zhiyi, who pointed at his own nose. Me? What did I do?
"The people he sent out have found a divine crop. Once planted, it can yield thousands of catties per acre! With this, the people of our Great An will be free from the suffering of famine. This is a great blessing for the world!"
The other princes all turned to look at Fang Zhiyi.
Wait, you told us you didn't want to be the Crown Prince, but then you turned around and presented a treasure?
Fang Zhiyi's heart was in turmoil, but his face remained calm.
"Yields thousands of catties per acre? Is it true?"
"Does such a divine crop really exist?"
"The Crown Prince truly carries the mandate of heaven and keeps the common people in his heart!"
The flattery of the officials arrived right on schedule.
"I have already examined the divine crop, and it is indeed a treasure. It has now been handed over to specialists for planting. We will see the results in four to five months, so we just need to wait for the good news. And then... Crown Prince, you have rested long enough. Starting tomorrow, you will resume your position overseeing the state."
The Emperor's words were full of praise, but to the other princes, it sounded like they had been played by Fang Zhiyi.
Fang Zhiyi's brain was spinning rapidly, but he could not grasp any clues.
It was not until after the court session ended that Zhang Dafu specifically asked him to stay behind, saying the Emperor wanted to see him. Fang Zhiyi once again arrived at the long-unseen study.
"You have rested for so long, isn't it enough?" the old Emperor asked.
Fang Zhiyi tilted his head. "When did I ever present a treasure to you, Father?"
"Hmph, you certainly don't have the brains for it. It was all thanks to the exceptionally brilliant Crown Princess I found for you!"
Fang Zhiyi frowned.
"You always thought she wanted to use your name for personal gain, but what was the result? The Crown Princess did it all for our Great An. Her younger brother also endured the hardships of traveling as a merchant just to find this divine crop called the sweet potato. Yet you, because of a minor mistake, had him imprisoned. If she hadn't explained it to me, I wouldn't have even known."
Fang Zhiyi's face darkened.
He had always been the one scheming against others, but today he was actually schemed against?
"He allowed his subordinates to kill someone. Is that also a minor matter?"
"The murderer has already paid with his life. He was unaware, so he can be pardoned." The Emperor's words carried an unquestionable firmness. "I heard the relationship between you brothers is quite good now? That is fine, but... you were born into the imperial family, so put away those little schemes. You are still too green to play retreat-to-advance with your father."
Fang Zhiyi's brows furrowed tightly.
"The second is good at martial arts, the third is not decisive enough, the fourth is full of conspiracies, and the fifth is too immature. Don't think I am keeping you in suspense. Tomorrow, I will announce to the whole world that you are the heir apparent."
Fang Zhiyi's head throbbed.
This old man was definitely sick in the head.
The old Emperor did not allow him to say anything more and directly had Zhang Dafu send him out. Fang Zhiyi returned home with a dark expression. From a distance, he saw a court official walking out of his estate, bowing toward the door before leaving. The Crown Princess, who returned the bow, smiled sweetly when she saw him return, but her smile was full of smugness.
Fang Zhiyi had once been a Daoist priest, and he knew one thing very well: a person must always trust their sixth sense.
And right now, the goosebumps on his body were warning him that there was something wrong with this woman.
As if knowing what he was thinking, the Crown Princess smiled and retreated to her own courtyard. Fang Zhiyi returned to his study, looking at the memorials that once again piled up on his desk, and closed his eyes.
Xu Ruyi was more terrifying than he had thought. She had clearly won the old Emperor's favor and would even enter the palace to meet him from time to time. And every time she went, the brotherly relations Fang Zhiyi had worked so hard to repair would deteriorate a bit.
Today, the old Emperor reprimanded the Prince of Chu for not being as good as his eldest brother. Tomorrow, he would interrogate Prince Xiang about whether he wanted to usurp his eldest brother's position. The old Emperor perfectly displayed the image of an old and stubborn, foolish ruler.
Thanks to Xu Ruyi's manipulations, Fang Zhiyi's image in the old Emperor's eyes was unbelievably good. However, because of this, when he met his younger brothers again, they were noticeably distant. Fang Zhiyi didn't explain anything. He knew that once certain rifts were created again, repairing them would not be an easy task.
He had slacked off for so long, only to go around in circles and end up right back where he started.
Listening to the Emperor announce his status as the heir apparent, the court was shaken, and the officials congratulated him one after another. Fang Zhiyi's face remained incredibly calm.
And as if to make Fang Zhiyi's path to the throne smoother, the old Emperor fell ill a few days later.
This illness was very strange. Even though the imperial physicians used all their methods, nothing worked. The old Emperor was somewhat regretful that he would not live to see the day the divine crop blossomed and bore fruit. But looking at Fang Zhiyi, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had completed some mission.
With the Emperor severely ill, the princes had to keep watch in the palace, which made Fang Zhiyi feel rather uncomfortable.
Because he could guess that while he was guarding the palace, that Crown Princess was definitely up to something.
"The court cannot be without a ruler. Eldest son, come here!" The old Emperor now found it difficult even to speak. Looking at Fang Zhiyi who leaned in, he felt somewhat gratified. "I know you have lived bitterly these past few years, but it cannot be helped. We are the imperial family. You... you must not hate your father."
He took a breath: "Starting tomorrow, you will... ascend the throne! You few, you must protect your eldest brother, do you understand?"
The other princes nodded silently, but none of their eyes looked toward Fang Zhiyi.
For the stability of the court, even though Fang Zhiyi was unwilling, he could only hurriedly ascend the throne. Looking at the officials kneeling below, he hadn't expected to still end up sitting in this position. His gaze swept around, and he quickly spotted a few unfamiliar faces.
That familiar sense of unease lingered in his heart once again.
"Your Majesty, there is something this old minister must say." A court official stepped forward.
Fang Zhiyi looked at him; it was Xu Ruyi's father.
"According to the system of Great An, after the Emperor ascends the throne, the other princes must go to their respective fiefdoms. Please make a decision soon, Your Majesty."
Following his voice, several court officials stepped forward: "For the sake of the empire, please make a decision soon, Your Majesty."
Prince Xiang looked up at Fang Zhiyi. Fang Zhiyi closed his eyes, looked at his brothers, and slowly nodded.
"Hmph!" Prince Xiang flicked his sleeves and left immediately. Closely following behind him were Prince Qi and the Prince of Chu. The youngest, Prince Wei, wanted to say something, but in the end, he just silently followed them out.
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...
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
