[Two Male Leads + Ancient-Style Political Intrigue + Pretending to Be a Lazy Big Shot + Scheming Crown Prince + Forced to Become a God While Lying Flat + Equally Matched Lord and Subject]
[Carefree, Lying-Flat Young Master of a Marquis’s Household × Crown Prince with Overwhelming Possessiveness]
The capital’s greatest unsolved mystery: How did the young master of the Marquis of Xiang’s household, who dozes off every day, become the apple of the Crown Prince’s eye?
On the surface, Zhou Li’an is gentle and laid-back, a wastrel who knows only how to latch onto powerful people.
In secret, his discussions in the Eastern Palace astound the Grand Tutor, while his proposals in the Hall of Political Affairs leave every official shaken!
When distant relatives come calling to mooch off the family, hoping to bully the marquis’s few heirs, he casts off his lazy facade and makes an example of them, sending them straight to prison.
When palace consorts scheme and plot to assassinate the Crown Prince, he plans several moves ahead and takes them all down in one fell swoop.
What is the strongest person most afraid of? Trouble!
Every day, Zhou Li’an tries his best to keep a low profile and stay out of the power struggles of the imperial court.
But the lofty Crown Prince simply refuses to leave him alone.
“There will be no harem in the future, and no one else.”
“Only you. You are the one and only love of my life.”
Zhou Li’an looks at the scheming Crown Prince closing in on him step by step and swallows nervously.
It’s over. He latched onto this powerful patron too tightly, and now he’s gotten himself caught up in it too!
In this story of a max-level big shot trying to retrain while lying flat, who’s really playing whom?
TIP: The male lead was a research PhD in his previous life. His knowledge gives him a huge edge, and he stays sharp throughout.
Content warnings: older love interest, amnesia trope (you can skip Volume Four), a secondary couple (older-generation relatives, about 2% of the novel), one-on-one romance, both leads have no prior romantic or sexual experience, happy ending, equally matched leads
The writing style throughout this piece is exceptionally delicate and restrained. When depicting the characters' hidden emotions, it never resorts to ostentatious displays of language. Instead, it subtly reveals their emotions through a simple gesture—a clenched fist followed by a quiet release—or a brief, hesitant exchange of words.
It's great! The main characters are intelligent throughout, and the interactions between the two are also very enjoyable. Each character has their own mission (I'm at a loss for words, sorry). For example, Chu Jinyao learned the arrogance of Consort Shu when she was young (sorry for the inaccurate description), but after many years in the Cold Palace, she studied poetry with Chu Xiyue, etc.
It's so beautiful! So sweet. Hope the author keeps updating!