From Shadow Guard to Empress [Book Transmigration]

You Shu finds himself inside a book as one of the male lead's shadow guards. He assumes he's landed in a political intrigue story: stick close to the male lead, and he'll eventually rise to the top, all while watching the hero dominate the world, build a harem, and reclaim the realm. But somehow, things veer off course. The proper brotherly bond of a feudal society suddenly changes into something else, and before he knows it, he's been promoted to empress. As the shadow guards cheer, he stares blankly at the imperial seal being placed in his hands. Xiao Weixin spent over twenty years hiding his abilities, pretending to be sick and good-for-nothing. He carefully plotted to seize the throne and avenge his mother. But one day, he suddenly noticed that his little shadow guard had a lovely smile, and his fox tail gave a furtive wag. You Shu, exasperated: Your heroine is smiling all coyly at the female antagonist. Don't you think that's weird? Xiao Weixin: Oh. You Shu: Without the support of the heroine and the female antagonist's factions, can you really pull this off? Xiao Weixin: Mm. You Shu: I've worried myself sick doing all this for you… Xiao Weixin: You're going to be empress. Watch what you say, or the officials will come after you. You Shu: … The male lead might actually be crazy. The shadow guards: We've never had such a glorious moment in our lives. Even shadow guards get to have their day! A shadow guard's wildly misdirected path to promotion. Coming next: The Book Is Complete As the most useful villainous henchman in the book, Ji Li is devoted to his work and never complains, a model employee through and through. Whenever the romance between the hero and his love interest hits a wall and the plot stalls, it's his cue to show up and stir up trouble. Foolish, malicious, arrogant… those are the traits the author gave him. With his pretty, delicate face, Ji Li eagerly appears at every point of conflict between the hero and his love interest, making a fool of himself with one idiotic scheme after another. The comment threads hating on him once reached three hundred replies. But when the author typed the final word and announced the book was complete, every character in the story suddenly gained self-awareness. The long-suffering hero and his love interest were passionately embracing one moment, then the next they were fighting each other to the point of bloodying their heads over Ji Li. After the story ended, everyone set off on their own new paths. Only Ji Li remained confused, unable to understand why overnight he'd gone from a universally despised wastrel to everyone's favorite darling. Yu Baitu was the first character in the book to become self-aware. Once he realized he existed only as a useful prop to highlight the two neurotic lovebirds, he continued to quietly play the role of their “kind, upright, selfless” friend, barely managing to avoid being killed off in the end. But even the author, who created him, had no idea that beneath Yu Baitu's polished, refined exterior, his eyes had long been fixed greedily on Ji Li… Yu Baitu is no elegant gentleman, admired for his noble character. He's the very definition of a cultured scoundrel. Hypocritical, obsessive scoundrel top x adorable, hardworking, not-so-bright bottom Theme: Face difficulties together