The Tyrant, the Demon Queen, and Their Imperial Consort

[Multiple love interests! The stock market is risky, so invest with caution!]

"I fell from the edge of a cliff, only to land in your arms."

Among the tribute offerings sent to the Great Yin Dynasty by its vassal states this year was an assassin bold enough to try to kill the emperor.

But the inept assassin only managed to stab the emperor's sleeve.

Gu Jingyan hails from the coastal state of Yun. He is the ruler's eldest son, but his mother was a captured merfolk slave, so he has always been an overlooked weed with no hope of inheriting the throne.

The ruler of Yun levies exorbitant taxes and oppresses his people. Every inch of its pavilions and towers, gilded and carved with jade, stands upon a foundation of the people's bones.

Just then, snakefolk from the Western Regions poured out of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, threatening Yun's borders. Gu Jingyan concealed his identity and joined the army, protecting Yun's borders for three years. But he couldn't overcome the ruler's suspicions and was betrayed from behind.

With every path closed to him, Gu Jingyan decided to imitate the plot of the storybooks his late sister had loved: he would assassinate the emperor and empress of the Great Yin Dynasty, Yun's suzerain state. He wanted nothing more than to have his entire clan executed.

Two suitors submitting their applications:

NO. 1

Name: Xiao Duo

Position: Emperor of the Great Yin Dynasty, a tyrant in the eyes of the vassal states, a ruthless conqueror, and the liberator of the Sea Kingdom.

Age: 24

Experience:

1. A cold-blooded politician, an ambitious usurper who murdered his brother, a man who has purged the court in blood many times, and an ardent fan of executing entire clans.

2. Led three great expeditions against the snakefolk tribes. When he personally led his troops, they swept over the land like wind through grass, and all submitted to his might.

3. Signed the decree banning slavery and cracked down on the capture of merfolk from the Sea Kingdom.

Yet wherever the emperor went, the people bowed in worship, all under heaven gave him their allegiance, the rivers ran clear and the seas were calm, and peace prevailed throughout the land.

NO. 2

Name: Jiang Fu

Position: Empress of the Great Yin Dynasty, the "Witch Empress" in the eyes of the vassal states, the "Holy Maiden" of the Southern Domain, high priestess of the state religion, commander of the imperial guards, and General Weiyue, who stands before the imperial palace.

Age: Unknown

Experience:

1. United the 108 tribes of the Southern Domain and was revered as the "Holy Maiden."

2. The greatest master of witchcraft and sorcery in the world.

3. After representing the Southern Domain in a political marriage to the emperor of the Great Yin Dynasty, she became the dynasty's undefeated general, swept the snakefolk tribes from the Western Regions away, and pushed the defensive line all the way to the foot of Kunlun.

The "Holy Maiden" is a "Goddess" sent down from heaven, a "War Goddess" under the command of the Celestial Maiden of the Ninth Heaven in the eyes of the people, and the Great Yin Dynasty's "living goddess," who saves the people from misery.

Theme: Fight for all under heaven.