I Am the New Master of the Heavenly Court

Only after being widowed and then divorced does Su Cheng learn that his ex-husband was actually the Heavenly Emperor of the Ninth Heaven.

And just after divorcing the Heavenly Emperor, he receives a notice that he's to ascend the throne.

"Hello, mortal. Before our emperor descended to the mortal realm, he left an imperial edict. Should anything happen to him, the throne is to be passed to you immediately!"

Su Cheng: What kind of scam is this? If he's the Heavenly Emperor, then I'm the Retired Emperor.

The celestial official who delivered the message rushes him up to the heavens on a crane. After taking in the breathtaking, oxygen-starved scenery of the Ninth Heaven, Su Cheng is stunned.

Su Cheng: What do I get out of becoming the Heavenly Emperor?

"Of course there's a perk!" The celestial official beams. "You can slap the God of Death and the King of Hell twice each, and they'll even praise you for doing a good job!"

Give me something useful, would you?

After taking over the Heavenly Court, Su Cheng expects a life of luxury and endless revelry. Instead, he discovers that, somehow, his ex-husband managed the place so badly that the Heavenly Court is saddled with astronomical debts.

The money is supposedly owed to some ancient, immensely powerful god. They've warned that if the debt isn't paid off within three years, they'll raze the Heavenly Court!

Su Cheng has no choice but to "enslave" his brain-addled staff in blatant violation of labor laws, while frantically searching the Three Realms for clues to his ex-husband, the God of Death. He searches every corner of the realms and posts missing-person notices everywhere, determined to make the debt go back to its rightful owner. But months of searching yield no results.

Reading about his ex-husband's past exploits, Su Cheng can't help wondering: How desperate for staff was the Heavenly Court to make the God of Death its emperor?

A celestial working overtime nearby mutters to himself: If a stingy boss like you can be the Heavenly Emperor, why can't our big brother?

Meanwhile, in the Underworld:

The God of Death and the King of Hell sit at a table together, sipping tea.

The King of Hell: Big brother, our new emperor is hunting you down.

A blush spreads across the God of Death's pale cheeks. "It's because he loves me so much. He can't wait to see me."

The King of Hell doesn't dare say a word, but inside he's screaming: Big brother, the missing-person notice clearly says "Wanted, dead or alive"!

The God of Death rises and heads for the door, his towering, mighty divine form suddenly changing into that of a human.

The King of Hell: Big brother, where are you going?

The God of Death stops but doesn't turn around. The tips of both ears are suspiciously red. "Ahem, I heard he's hiring a personal secretary."

The King of Hell: Wouldn't that mean running errands for him?

Excitement lights up the God of Death's eyes. "That's an option?"

The headline of the Heavenly Realm's gossip magazine later reads:

[Marriage Survival Battle: Divorced Men Are More Attractive, But His Second Chance at Love Is With His Ex!]

[Is the God of Death Actually Dead?]

[The New Emperor and His Personal Secretary: The Story So Far]

[An Urgent Need to Establish Labor Laws in the Heavenly Realm]

[Love Means Giving You the Entire Heavenly Court]

[The Mortal-Immortal Romance Made Real: The God of Death and His Mortal Husband]

Couple: A loyal, repressed, crazy top x an all-rounder, unlucky, sharp-tongued bottom

Content warnings and included themes:

1. A story of a weak, hot-tempered boss and a crafty employee outsmarting each other.

2. The bottom isn't purely human.

3. Both are sexually inexperienced.

4. Author's setting: The mortal realm has legalized same-sex marriage.

5. This story contains a small amount of GL and BG.

5. The first half is comedic, and the latter half is more serious, but the overall tone is lighthearted.

6. HE.

Theme: Even in adversity, keep moving forward! After the storm comes the rainbow!