Three Kingdoms: My Younger Brother, Cao Aman

(Over a million words, with no hiatus or abandonment, so read with confidence. Political intrigue takes center stage, with tight logic. The plot may move a little slowly because of that, but there is absolutely no filler.) When I was ragged and in disarray, I knew no way through the mist and rain. When I wear the imperial robes and crown, all under heaven will record the rise and fall of countless bones. Transmigrating as Cao Cao's older brother, Cao Qing knew that if he followed the rules, the land would ultimately be divided into three. So he quickly gave up the unrealistic dream of becoming a Han general tasked with conquering the west, and set out on his own path to usurp the Eastern Han, just like Wang Mang. From the start, Cao Qing forcefully crushed Yuan Shao's schemes, making a name for himself in Pei as the righteous young lord of the Cao family and securing the foundations he needed to survive. He then entered government service in Luoyang, beat Qian Tu to death with a staff, and shook the capital with his reputation, drawing the attention of the empire's highest decision-makers. Two years in Chenliu, three years in Wuyuan: not only did he earn unparalleled merit and receive the title Marquis of Champion, he also relied on Gao Shun to build the northern frontier's finest army, the Trapped Camp. He lived cautiously and deceptively, just as everyone under heaven expected him to! He worked hard to become one of the aristocratic clans' own, the most loyal dog Emperor Ling could ask for, and the most foolish man, utterly selfless and impartial... Gradually, he rose from a hundred shi to five hundred, a thousand, and two thousand shi; from General Fubo to General of the Left, Marquis of Champion, and General of Chariots and Cavalry. He came to possess everything he had never had before. Then the day finally came. Liu Hong was dying. He weakly took Cao Qing's hand and entrusted Liu Xie to him. At last, Cao Qing could speak. That night, Luoyang was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. That night, history finally began a new story. In later generations, people called him Emperor Gaozu of Great Wei. But Cao Qing didn't like that. If he had a choice, he'd rather hear what the Han loyalists called him: Wang Mang.