Usurp the Throne, Please

In the eyes of the gossipy masses in Luojing:

Xiao Shu is the new emperor who usurped the throne.

Xu Yanxing is the corrupt eunuch who served the deposed emperor.

When Xiao Shu leads his army into the palace hall, everyone cranes their necks to see what will become of Xu Yanxing.

Instead, they hear only the new emperor's first edict.

Xu Yanxing keeps her head right where it is and becomes Chief Palace Eunuch.

The gossipy masses: "...What's going on?"

From then on, everyone knows that the newly appointed Chief Palace Eunuch secretly supported the young emperor, helping him escape the Palace of Punishment, steal the throne from under his rivals, build his army, and ascend the throne. Naturally, she is now firmly in the emperor's favor and wields immense power.

Xu Yanxing, who has just received a warning from the System: "Heh..."

They say it's hard to know what's in another person's heart. If the emperor's satisfaction rating hadn't been dropping steadily, she might have believed the rumors, too.

Apparently everyone thinks she is enjoying the emperor's favor, but she knows only that the emperor is getting harder and harder to please.

With the satisfaction rating about to fall below its critical limit, Xu Yanxing can't figure out what she's done wrong. She can only curse under her breath and keep out of sight whenever possible.

At the palace banquet on the emperor's birthday, everyone steps forward with gifts and birthday wishes. Xu Yanxing hides so well that only a corner of her robe is visible.

Yet the emperor asks her, "Do you have a wish, my dear?"

Xu Yanxing steps forward respectfully. "I want for nothing. I only wish Your Majesty a long and prosperous reign."

"Is that so?" The young emperor slowly descends the steps and leans toward her, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable. "Didn't you want to make me more satisfied?"

"It's actually very easy," he says with a teasing laugh.

"All it takes is exchanging one person for another."

Though they share the surname Xiao, his cousins stand high above the clouds, while Xiao Shu lives in the Palace of Punishment, barely clothed and starving.

Until one day, a powerful eunuch who has already risen to the top bends down and takes his hand.

He thought that after so long in the dark, a ray of light had finally come to shine on him.

But he can always hear a voice belonging to the System reminding him:

All Xu Yanxing needs is a new tool to raise the emperor's satisfaction rating.

Their supposed partnership, forged in a desperate moment, is nothing but an elaborate play.

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Reader's Guide:

1. "Chief Palace Eunuch" is an official title for a eunuch serving in the imperial harem. The setting is fictional and includes many original elements, so please don't nitpick historical accuracy.

2. The female lead disguises herself as a man and is six years older than the male lead. The first half takes place before the male lead ascends the throne.

Theme: No matter how many hardships we face, kindness never dies