"Xiao Jingyuan killed my daughter and the child in her womb. While I, a humble commoner, was overwhelmed with grief, he listened to the words of his whore empress and initiated a massacre against my Su family in the capital."
"No matter how deep the foundations of my Su family were, we could not withstand the targeted suppression of two generations of emperors. Today, all that remains are a few personal connections."
"Other than that, there is nothing left."
When Su Pengcheng said these words, his tone carried an unprecedented desolation. Clearly, in his heart, this "nothing left" referred to far more than just everything the Su family of the capital once possessed.
More than anything, it referred to the members of the Su family who had died unjustly, especially his daughter.
Ren Tianye now completely understood Su Pengcheng's hardship. He personally helped the old man up and said softly, "Please rest assured, Elder Su. This world is about to change."
"The hardships and bitter hatred of the past should also come to an end."
"I, the Grand Commandant, dare not promise how prosperous and enlightened I can make the world in the future, but there is one thing I can guarantee: I will slaughter every last one of those love-struck fools in this world!"
Su Pengcheng's body trembled, and he suddenly fell to his knees again. "I, Su Pengcheng, on behalf of the Su family of the capital, kowtow in gratitude to the Grand Commandant!"
Ren Tianye could not help but help him up once more.
Immediately after, he began to discuss with Su Pengcheng how to appoint the men under his command, especially what official titles they should be granted, once he took control of the great power of Great Yu in the next couple of days.
After all, as he assumed control of major affairs, he could not mistreat these brothers who were wholeheartedly seeking the merit of supporting his ascent.
On this matter, Su Pengcheng proved to be highly insightful.
As a member of a centuries-old noble family, the various suggestions he proposed aligned perfectly with Ren Tianye's thoughts.
Just as the two were chatting joyfully, a eunuch's shrill voice suddenly rang out outside the side hall. "My lords, wonderful news, wonderful news..."
"His Majesty has awakened!"
"His Majesty has awakened!"
What?
Ren Tianye stood up abruptly.
He rushed out.
He even grabbed the leading eunuch by the collar and asked coldly, "What did you say? His Majesty has awakened?"
The various ministers in the White Tiger Hall also hurried out, all impatiently asking questions.
"Is it true? Has His Majesty really awakened?"
"His Majesty is truly blessed by heaven! To survive such a great disaster means great fortune is sure to follow!"
"Heaven bless our Great Yu!"
...
Ren Tianye's facial expression remained unchanged, but in his heart, he was instantly depressed. He almost wanted to curse.
Are you kidding me?
Just a moment ago, so many imperial physicians had clearly stated that Xiao Mingzhao was extremely severely injured, and there was even a possibility that he might never wake up at all.
He had been secretly rejoicing.
He felt that a comatose person would be the easiest to control.
But in the end...
How long had it been?
Less than a few hours, right?
And he was already awake?
He knew that Xiao Mingzhao, Ye Fan, and the youth from the Li family were all the same type of people, absurdly resilient, but no matter how absurd, it shouldn't be this ridiculous!
This vegetative state only lasted for a few freaking hours?
Ren Tianye could only try his best to calm his mind.
He revealed a smile and said excitedly, "His Majesty is indeed blessed by heaven. I shall go with you lords to present our advice."
He walked ahead, his eyes quickly glancing to the side. His lieutenant, Wang Ming, had rushed over from outside the palace and quickly leaned in. Upon hearing Ren Tianye's orders, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
He almost instinctively looked at the ministers following behind.
Hmph, hopefully, the Empress wouldn't say anything she shouldn't. Otherwise, every single person who heard her words would be sent straight to hell!
He immediately went to make the arrangements.
Ren Tianye walked briskly and soon arrived at the entrance of Xiao Mingzhao's bedchamber.
Sijun Hall!
Pei Jingzhi had also heard the news and hurried over.
As soon as he arrived, he said impatiently, "His Majesty is awake? Let us quickly go in and pay our respects."
"Why is Lord Pei in such a hurry? His Majesty has not recovered from his severe injuries. Although he has awakened now, how can he tolerate so many people going in to present advice all at once? Wouldn't that disrupt His Majesty's recovery?"
Su Pengcheng said leisurely.
This was both spoken to Pei Jingzhi and a gesture to show his stance to Ren Tianye. No matter how important his position was in Ren Tianye's heart right now, he absolutely could not wade into today's muddy waters.
As an elder statesman who had served three emperors, how could Pei Jingzhi not understand these principles? But what he wanted was to dismiss Ren Tianye in front of His Majesty and return a clear and just sky to the capital.
He immediately said, "Although what you say is correct, when His Majesty issues an edict, we subjects must be present. Otherwise, if His Majesty's verbal edict is altered by treacherous and malicious villains, it would endanger the state."
As he spoke, he looked at the many ministers.
These ministers either nodded in agreement or remained silent, showing various different stances.
Just as they were arguing endlessly, the eunuch responsible for caretaking inside Sijun Hall came out to deliver a message. "His Majesty's verbal edict: summon Ren Tianye to enter and present advice!"
Ren Tianye's eyes lit up, and he was about to step inside when Pei Jingzhi quickly said, "Eunuch, is only Ren Tianye summoned? What about us? We request an audience."
"His Majesty's explicit decree is to only summon Ren Tianye inside, and to dismiss all attendants. No one is allowed to eavesdrop privately. Lord Pei, you have not been summoned."
Pei Jingzhi instantly felt attacked by dead memories.
Last night at the Yuchen Estate, he originally had a great opportunity to rescue His Majesty. But at the most critical moment, His Majesty insisted on waiting for Ren Tianye.
He even said that the posture in which Ren Tianye charged in to save him would definitely be very handsome. As a result, important matters were delayed, leading to this current situation.
This time, it was exactly the same!
Pei Jingzhi suddenly felt incredibly exhausted in his heart.
"Your Majesty, your subject Ren Tianye pays his respects to Your Majesty..."
Ren Tianye entered the Empress's boudoir, shouting respectfully with his mouth, but his body was very honest. He didn't even kneel. Instead, he maintained a cautious demeanor, as if trying to probe Xiao Mingzhao's true intentions.
"Tian... Tianye, you're here..."
Xiao Mingzhao's breath was as weak as a thread, but it clearly carried a bit of lingering affection. "I... I haven't seen you in a long time. I wonder... I wonder what you look like now?"
"Come closer, let me take a good look at you."
Ren Tianye wouldn't refuse this small request, but he still maintained his vigilance. What if this Xiao Mingzhao had secretly practiced some peerless martial arts and wanted to take this opportunity to kill him?!
He had to be careful.
The result showed that this caution was unnecessary.
Xiao Mingzhao had no intention of harming him. Instead, she said softly, "Tianye, you... you are exactly as I imagined, even more heroic than before. It... it was I who misjudged people in the past, mistaking gravel for stars and burying the true stars. I... now, deeply regret it."
When these words fell into Ren Tianye's ears, they made his stomach churn with nausea.
Damn it, as the ruler, having finally awakened with great difficulty, instead of quickly arranging the important affairs of the state and family, she was once again spouting all this nonsensical romantic drivel. This Xiao family was truly full of geniuses!
Clearly two levels higher than the Oirat exchange students!
"Tianye, that night, I was waiting for you to come save me. Why... why didn't you come?"
"Tuoba Xiang had too much power; it required some time to break in." Ren Tianye casually dealt with the question, already somewhat impatiently saying, "Your Majesty, right now the court is in turmoil and the world is unsettled. Your Majesty should give some instructions on how to stabilize the general situation."
"The ministers are all waiting outside."
...
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
