If You're Rebelling, Don't Drag Me Into It!

Column advance reservation for an ancient-style danmei novel: After Saving the World as a Villain

An attacking lead who writes himself as following the ruthless path but is actually a scoundrel x a delicate, sickly, seemingly innocent but secretly calculating emperor who is the receiving lead

Heaven won't drop a pie from the sky, but it might drop a throne.

Rong Lian's birth mother was a lowly palace maid, and he himself had been frail and sickly since childhood. But fate had secretly lent a hand: his two older brothers had both died in accidents, leaving him as the sole heir.

The late emperor was silent, the empress dowager wept, and the officials whispered among themselves. Under the doubtful gaze of everyone around him, Rong Lian ascended the throne. Looking out at the vast realm beneath his feet, he rubbed his hands together, ready to make a great start and become a wise ruler praised by all.

On the first day of his reign, the emperor suddenly coughed up blood, and the coronation ceremony was forced to stop.

In the first month of his reign, the emperor was gravely ill and stopped attending court. He ordered Prince Jing to act as regent and take charge of all court affairs and sacrificial rites.

In the second year of his reign, the emperor moved to the hot springs in the western suburbs under the pretext of recuperating, and never appeared in public again.

...Alas, Great Yan was doomed.

Going to court was too tiring, discussing affairs of state was too tiring, and being a wise ruler was even more exhausting. Rong Lian simply became a hands-off ruler, invented the secret identity of "Lin Yan," and went to while away his days at the neighboring Yunjia Academy.

The academy was a wonderful place, with beautiful scenery and abundant spiritual energy. It was lively, and there was always some new amusement to watch:

Today, the Alchemy Hall was taking bets on the outcome of a sword challenge. Tomorrow, Pei Zhao of the Sword Hall would come up with another new move. The day after, someone from the Minglun Hall would post on the forum, calling on everyone to sign a petition declaring that the emperor couldn't be trusted and that they should ask the regent to don the imperial robes and take the throne instead!

Rong Lian: Hmm, that makes sense... Wait, am I supposed to rebel too?

Pei Zhao, the Sword Hall's top student, was born with a sword physique and cultivated the ruthless path. He was the greatest genius Great Yan had seen in a century. He should have been a lofty, aloof beauty, but before entering the academy, he had mingled with every sort of riffraff in the streets. At heart, he was a genuine scoundrel.

The first time he met Lin Yan, he looked down on him in every way: this guy was both a good-for-nothing and delicate, and a gust of wind could knock him over. How had he even gotten into the Sword Hall? He might as well drop out and go home.

Before long, the entire Sword Hall saw their ruthless-path top student embracing a new student from the Outer Dormitory from behind and teaching him to practice swordplay, hand over hand.

Pei Zhao: ...Now I get it.

Pei Zhao had thought this junior fellow was a delicate, pampered, precious big cat. That was until, by pure chance, he witnessed the other man's murder with his own eyes.

Rain poured down. Candlelight flickered dimly, and only a flash of lightning lit the hall as bright as day.

The young emperor had exquisitely fine features, and skin so pale it was nearly translucent. A touch of bright red blood stained his lips. As he bent over, a lock of black hair slid down over his shoulder.

His phoenix eyes tilted slightly upward. Reflected in the blade, they looked calm and indifferent, yet somehow looked down on everything.

"My life is the life of Great Yan," he said carelessly. "So whoever threatens that life must die."

The same face that had appeared countless times in Pei Zhao's mind: smiling up at him beneath the dim lights of a gambling den, and, not long ago, burning with fever and flushed all over as he begged Pei Zhao for a kiss.

1. An immortal-cultivation academy setting, one-on-one romance, happy ending. The leads are senior and junior fellow disciples. Overall, it's a sweet slice-of-life story about academy life. The court plot is mostly background and won't involve overly complicated schemes. Includes a small amount of forum-style writing.

2. The receiving lead's secret identity will probably be exposed at the end of Volume One.

3. The attacking lead's ruthless path is subject to his own interpretation.

Theme: The emperor must bear the weight of all the people.