On my first night as a puppet emperor, I received three “pledges of allegiance” on the dragon bed:
The empress slipped off her phoenix robes, revealing whip marks across her back. “Your Majesty, my military seal in exchange for a promise.”
A talented lady presented a bloodstained score. “This piece can kill, and it can also... please Your Majesty.”
Even the most inconspicuous maid from the laundry bureau knelt and offered up a ledger. “Your Majesty, this servant is willing to calculate all the wealth in the realm, and the hearts of its people.”
I wanted to be a wise ruler, but they taught me:
“Your Majesty, to keep your seat on the dragon throne, you must first learn... to resist temptation.”
So by day, I outmaneuvered powerful ministers; by night, I “studied” with them
learning statecraft, the art of keeping power in balance, and how to make the empress dowager, who ruled from behind the beaded curtain,
finally lift the curtain herself and step into my arms.
Later, when I finally held all power in my hands,
the empress dowager pinned me before the beads she had once ruled behind, her fingertips tracing the collar of my imperial robe.
“Emperor, your final lesson, ”
“Let me teach you how to defy your superior.”
[A seemingly innocent but secretly ruthless puppet emperor × a cast of dangerously capable heroines]
A friendly warning: this isn't a harem rivalry story. It's high-end emotional investment. Whose study credit will His Majesty award today?
