For a time, all the officials in the White Tiger Hall fell silent.
Ren Tianye nodded in satisfaction. This matter could basically be considered settled.
First, he would act as a powerful minister. Then, in two or three years, after winning the hearts of the people, he could have that Son of Marquis Xuan'en abdicate the throne to him.
Although this path to ascending the throne was a bit slower, it was much more stable.
It suited his intentions perfectly.
After briefly discussing matters with the ministers, Ren Tianye went to the side hall to rest. Su Pengcheng followed behind and walked in.
"Pengcheng, your recommendation this time is very much to this Grand Commandant's liking."
"This Grand Commandant will remember this great merit of yours."
Su Pengcheng cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Grand Commandant. However, this commoner's recommendation of the Son of Marquis Xuan'en was not entirely for Your Excellency's sake."
"Oh?" Ren Tianye was surprised. "Then for what else?"
"For this realm!"
This topic was suddenly elevated so high that for a moment, Ren Tianye almost felt as if Su Pengcheng had transformed into Pei Jingzhi. However, considering the immense reputation the Su family of the capital used to have, serving as a role model for all scholars in the world, and that Su Pengcheng, despite his old age, still possessed the gentle refinement of a gentleman, it was not unusual for him to say such things.
"It seems you have quite a bit of trust in this Grand Commandant!"
Ren Tianye thought Su Pengcheng was still paving the way for him, but unexpectedly, Su Pengcheng said, "This commoner naturally trusts Your Excellency the Grand Commandant. Ever since Your Excellency annihilated the thirty thousand barbarian troops outside the northern city of the capital and swept clean the barbarian soldiers within the Imperial Chen Manor, my Su family of the capital has decided to follow your lead from now on."
"But..."
"Supporting the Son of Marquis Xuan'en does indeed involve my own selfish motives."
Ren Tianye finally understood. There was a hidden meaning in Su Pengcheng's words. His expression turned slightly solemn as he said, "Then tell me, what exactly are these selfish motives?"
Su Pengcheng fell to his knees and said, "This commoner only wishes that the Emperor of this Great Yu realm, even if he is manipulated by others, even if he willingly becomes a puppet, must absolutely not be of the late Emperor's bloodline. We cannot allow the late Emperor's bloodline to affect the destiny of the nation!"
"And affect the thousands upon thousands of common people under the heavens!"
Ren Tianye frowned slightly and said, "If I remember correctly, the glory of your Su residence was stripped away by Xiao Mingzhao, wasn't it?"
"Why do you hold such a deep grudge against the late Emperor?"
"Is it because he married a prostitute to be his Empress?"
Without realizing when it started, old tears were already streaming down Su Pengcheng's face. "Grand Commandant, my Su family of the capital has served as historians for generations. A single word from us could be passed down to future generations; a single stroke of our pen could determine moral principles. We controlled the civil service examinations for generations, with disciples and former subordinates spread throughout the court and the countryside. Half of the world's scholars came from our Su school. We were illustrious for hundreds of years. As long as His Majesty did not commit an act of universal condemnation, how could he so easily reduce my Su residence to such a state?"
"Everything started with the late Emperor, Xiao Jingyuan!"
Su Pengcheng's tears could no longer be controlled. "This is a secret that has been hidden in my heart for decades. Today, I will tell it all to the Grand Commandant."
"I once had a daughter, who grew up to have a face like a flower and the moon, graceful and elegant. She once met Xiao Jingyuan by chance. Xiao Jingyuan was completely captivated and deeply infatuated with her, and afterward, he swore an oath that he must marry my daughter."
These words actually gave Ren Tianye a slight shock.
He never expected that the Su family of the capital had almost become imperial relatives in the past, and with the esteemed status of an Empress at that!
However, that was clearly not the case right now.
What had happened?
Were they retaliated against after rejecting the late Emperor?
Su Pengcheng continued, "Xiao Jingyuan went mad for my daughter. He once waited outside my Su family's courtyard day after day, and even when he was beaten by those who didn't know his identity, he did not give up."
"He would bring my daughter her favorite sweet sticky cakes, keeping them warm against his chest, and personally deliver them on a fast horse."
"Later, when Xiao Jingyuan learned that my daughter was already engaged, he cried bitterly, yet he took the initiative to play the matchmaker, helped select the betrothal gifts, and was willing to help her achieve happiness."
Before Su Pengcheng's voice had even faded, Ren Tianye was shocked again.
He thought to himself that this was Su Pengcheng's fault. Xiao Jingyuan was the Son of Heaven of Great Yu. Since he had gone to such lengths for his daughter, it was just a paper betrothal—breaking it off would have sufficed. How could he actually defy the Emperor's wishes like that?
But unexpectedly, Su Pengcheng added, "Seeing Xiao Jingyuan's sincerity, I had no choice but to risk my old face, break off the engagement, and marry my daughter to Xiao Jingyuan."
"After their marriage, Xiao Jingyuan doted on my daughter to the utmost. He once promised her: one couple for a lifetime, leaving the inner palace empty, with only her alone."
Hearing this, Ren Tianye was genuinely a bit baffled.
He pondered for a moment. This Xiao Jingyuan was indeed a bit lovesick, but it wasn't a big problem, and he had solidly treated Su Pengcheng's daughter as his unattainable true love.
There was also nothing wrong with Su Pengcheng's actions. So how... could such immense hatred have been born?
"Originally, it should have been a time of great success for my Su residence, and this commoner was indeed proud for a few years. But I never imagined that one day, when Xiao Jingyuan went on an incognito inspection tour outside the palace, he passed by a red-light district."
"He saw the Prostitute Empress."
"When he first saw her, he merely felt that the Prostitute Empress somewhat resembled my daughter, which sparked his curiosity. But through various events afterward, he grew increasingly fond of the Prostitute Empress, summoned her into the palace, and titled her a Noble Consort."
"Going even further, he abolished my daughter's position as Empress and crowned the Prostitute Empress as Empress."
Ren Tianye: "???"
No way, what the fuck!
"If it were only that, it would have been fine." Su Pengcheng said, "I would just consider my daughter to have thin fortune."
"But Xiao Jingyuan, influenced by the bewitching words of that Prostitute Empress, wanted to keep only the Prostitute Empress alone in the inner palace, so he took a knife and personally killed my daughter!"
Ren Tianye stood up abruptly.
His face was full of shock!
Killed?
He killed his own true love?
For a prostitute?
Damn!
So Xiao Mingzhao's crazy streak was passed down from here!
"At that time..." Su Pengcheng's voice grew significantly louder. The tears on his face dried and flowed again, flowing and drying, as thousands of pains surged into his heart: "At that time, my daughter was already six months pregnant. Xiao Jingyuan, with one knife, took two lives!"
Ren Tianye was so shocked that he was somewhat speechless.
Six months pregnant!
That was Xiao Jingyuan's own damn child!
And as a result, he killed them?
Is he a fucking human?
Is he even a person?
Fuck... Soon after, Ren Tianye also felt a bit like laughing.
The kind of laugh that comes from extreme anger.
"The late Emperor? Xiao Jingyuan?"
"Absurd, simply absurd!"
"A prostitute who had been played with by others, he treated her like a treasure and married her into the palace, and even fucking killed his own true love and his unborn child for her..."
"Does the bloodline of this Xiao family carry some twisted genes?"
"Fuck!"
...
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!
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
] [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!"
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...
