The First Victim of Overindulgence

[Main Story Complete] Gu Ping has been captured. Chen Yan’s three-hundred-thousand-strong army has reached the city walls, and the city is all but certain to fall. The rebel pressed a blade to Gu Ping’s throat. The wind on the battlements chilled the blood on his skin. They actually planned to trade him for the Prince of Qin’s retreat. Gu Ping thought, What kind of rumor could get someone killed like this? He was nothing but an insignificant aide at the Prince of Qin’s side. Oh, right, because of this face of his, he’d also been saddled with the reputation of a royal favorite. Rumors spread from person to person until they could get someone killed. Even a lowly wage slave could be turned into the apple of someone’s eye. Who was Chen Yan? The man who ruled the realm, cold and ruthless, and the fearsome God of War of the Great Sheng Dynasty. From a distance, Gu Ping saw Chen Yan raise his bow. He wasn’t even wearing armor. How confident of him. Chen Yan was going to kill him. Damn it. As expected, everyone who played political games was rotten to the core. The blade at Gu Ping’s throat trembled, and his blood suddenly spattered out. … Later, when Gu Ping had risen from a lowly, unknown servant to the highest ranks of the court, he still couldn’t understand. Why had Chen Yan raised his bow that day, only to lower it again? His unfathomable eyes had been fixed on Gu Ping, yet he had actually waved his hand and ordered three hundred thousand troops to withdraw without a trace. And how was it that Chen Yan, with his cold heart and that face of a heartless emperor, still had an empty harem? One paycheck, two jobs. Gu Ping was so tired he kicked out in his sleep. Chen Yan climbed up from the footstool, his face darkening. * The moment Chen Yan first met Gu Ping, he knew the man was rebellious to the bone. Despite his foxlike face, he was utterly heartless. And yet Chen Yan wanted to make him his own. He didn’t want to break those bones and hide him away in the harem. He wanted Gu Ping to stand openly at his side, make their names known to the world, and rule together in court. [Reader’s Guide] 1. A little melodrama, a little possessive pursuit 2. A romance that’s bittersweet and sweet 3. An alternate universe, very much an alternate universe Next novel: After Transmigrating into a Self-Destructive Fainthearted Emperor, available in my author’s collection Wei Shu transmigrated into a book, becoming a sickly tyrant. The tyrant was captivated by beauty and forcibly summoned Xie Zhan, the most celebrated gentleman in the land, to the palace. Wei Shu knew that Xie Zhan seemed as gentle as jade and as ethereal as an immortal, but was actually deeply scheming and ruthless, a smiling tiger with a heart of black. At the end of the original novel, the tyrant was poisoned to death with a cup of wine, and Xie Zhan supported a new emperor and took control of the realm. Wei Shu had planned to send him away, but the moment he gave the order, he started coughing up blood. If he didn’t follow the original plot, he would die. So every day, he had to put on an act and flirt with the male lead. At first, Xie Zhan refused to give in. In the original novel, the tyrant had forced him into a kiss. Wei Shu leaned in, tore open Xie Zhan’s collar, pinned him to the bed, and bit down hard on his thin lips. Tasting the faint metallic tang of blood, Wei Shu released his teeth, seized Xie Zhan by the throat, and ground out, “You are no more than one of the people in my harem!” With that, he got up and slammed the door behind him. He sighed with relief: Finally, I can clock out. … Xie Zhan watched him leave, his gaze unfathomable. After a long moment, he reached out and lightly touched the corner of his bitten lip: “Your Majesty, if you mean to pretend you have feelings for me, why not put a little more effort into it?” * At last, the day came when Wei Shu could fake his death and escape. He had long since made secret arrangements, switching Xie Zhan’s poisoned wine for a fake-death potion. Then he had someone set the palace ablaze. By the time Xie Zhan arrived, all that remained was a handful of charred bones. But after escaping, Wei Shu heard that Xie Zhan had gone mad overnight. The imperial gardens were searched down to the last inch, and countless people were dragged into the upheaval. Wei Shu: That’s terrifying. Good thing I already got away. Theme: If freedom is at stake