The City Lord Is Bent on Dying

The city lord has looped through time eight times, trying every strategy to save his country, yet every time it ends with the nation falling. He has been killed by poisoned arrows, a rain of arrows, and a hail of blades; hanged, drowned, crushed, trampled by horses. He has experienced every imaginable way to die. He's so tired of dying. And as a side effect of the time loops, he has hyperthymesia. When the ninth loop begins, the moment he ascends the throne, the city lord focuses on three things: How to break up the troops, how to encourage rebellion as quickly as possible, and how to make sure his corpse stays intact. After waiting in vain, he presses the button to speed up the country's destruction himself. He sees a group of old ministers standing firm as they remonstrate with him. Out, and don't get in the way of my squandering the empire. He glances at the palace women. You're so ordinary-looking, yet you want to be my concubine? Out. The only beauty I need is the one in my mirror. Meanwhile, at the home of a powerful rebel family, Ziyu has failed to escape after hitting their young master on the head. His father catches her and is about to silence her for good. Ziyu makes a snap decision: I'll go to the palace as a spy. The family's adviser calculates the signs: This girl is the turning point. All his people in the palace have been wiped out, so let this maid give it a try. So Ziyu packs her bags, changes her appearance, and heads to the palace. She spends her days lazing around and watching the gossip, living the good life. Unfortunately, the empress dowager has poor eyesight. She thinks Ziyu is a sweet, unpretentious young woman and sends her to deliver something to the emperor. And so Ziyu ends up watching the emperor get assassinated. ...The emperor survives, but then he wants her to help with another assassination attempt. What a lunatic! With no choice, Ziyu agrees. But the poison in her body takes effect, and she loses her memory. Emperor Tianqi is all ready to die in style, but he waits and waits, and the woman who promised to help with the assassination never shows up. How dare she stand him up? The emperor is furious, but then he sees her happily flirting with the young lord in the imperial garden... Damn it. Ziyu: I was a spy pretending to be a lazy palace maid, but somehow... I became the empress. City Lord: I wanted to be a foolish ruler who did nothing but squander the empire, but somehow... I became a wise ruler. Young Lord: I was a genius, a dashing young master from an aristocratic family, but somehow I became the city lord's lackey, forced to shoulder the banner of rebellion. Everyone else: We've got it worse! We live in constant fear, walking on thin ice. Going to court is like going to a funeral. We're exhausted! Empress Dowager: I came out on top. An amnesiac fake palace maid, real spy vs. a hyperthymesiac city lord bent on squandering his empire vs. an aristocratic young master forced to lead a rebellion Theme: Sometimes the future may look bleak, but a change in perspective can reveal a way forward.