After Being Reborn, the Chancellor Just Wants to Take It Easy

Liu Zhenqing was a notorious powerful minister in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Rumor had it that he was ruthless, threw the court into chaos, and kept the young emperor as a puppet, harboring treasonous ambitions. But Heaven had eyes. In the end, Liu Zhenqing was shot through the heart and died miserably in the imperial palace. No one could say how many sins he had committed. All they knew was that even after his death, victims dug up his grave in the middle of the night and ground his bones to dust. After death, Liu Zhenqing reflected on his life. As someone who had transmigrated, and the cherished eldest legitimate son of a distinguished marquis's household, how had he ended up as a treacherous minister? It must have been because he had worked too hard and taken on too much. He vowed to treat himself well in his next life. But in the blink of an eye, he transmigrated into the body of a distant relative from the same clan, eight years later. He was still the eldest legitimate son, but now he was a gay man with his head full of romance. Everyone in the capital knew he was crazily pursuing General Huo Fenglie, the man who had dug up his former body's grave. Everyone around him also had a grudge against him from his previous life. He was under attack on all sides. Liu Zhenqing: ...Maybe I should just keep my head down? So the notorious minister gave up on revenge and decided to lie flat, focusing on getting away and enjoying a peaceful retirement as soon as possible. But just as he finally reached the city gate in a swaying carriage, the city was sealed off. When he turned around, the God of War Huo Fenglie, who should have been able to stand before an army without batting an eye, was disheveled and utterly uncomposed. He grabbed Liu Zhenqing's wrist tightly, lowered his bloodshot eyes, and spoke in a slightly unsteady voice: "You... where are you going?" He said, "You can't get away. Come home with me." Liu Zhenqing: ... Damn! Could he have recognized him? According to the rumors, he was the villain who had caused Huo Fenglie's elder brother's death, coveted his sister-in-law, and plotted to seize his country! Thinking of what had happened to his previous body, he trembled in fear.jpg The little wolf cub had finally carried home the bone he had been longing for. Before long, the people of the capital were burning with curiosity and gossip. Wasn't the great General Who Guards the Nation supposed to have someone he loved hidden away in his heart, a person he could never have, which was why he had rejected the emperor's arranged marriages several times? How had he started keeping a beauty hidden at home, too, and why was it that useless man who had once harassed him? So it really is true that even the fiercest man can't resist a persistent lover! [Content Warnings]: 0. Both leads are completely devoted to each other in body and mind, 1v1. 1. Entirely fictional setting! Please don't nitpick historical details! Everything is in service of the plot. 2. The writing is average, with modern expressions all over the place. This is not a proper historical-style novel. 3. Please don't make accusations or slap labels on anyone. There's no need to read too much into things. 4. You don't need to tell me if any of the above are dealbreakers and you drop the novel. Read with caution, and please don't read with hostile intentions. Upcoming: *It's Hard Not to Break Character as a Villain* Qiao Han transmigrates into a cultivation novel as a demon-clan villain. He's sent to infiltrate an immortal sect and cause trouble for the male lead, Xiao Jiuci. Xiao Jiuci is handsome, elegant, and supremely talented, the brightest star in the immortal sect. Yet one day he falls from grace and becomes everyone's target, enduring endless hardships before climbing back to the top. From beginning to end, he never wavers from his gentle and steadfast nature. Such a good person shouldn't have to suffer through a life of misery. Qiao Han refuses to accept it. Faced with his number-one male lead from the novel, Qiao Han decides to defy the System's character setup and change the plot. Goal: Use a fake good guy act to disguise himself as a villain, then pretend to be good again, and help the beautiful, strong, miserable male lead take the path to becoming a supreme hero! System: Warning! Warning! Serious warning! You're a villainous cannon fodder character. You have to carry out your mission. Qiao Han: Come on, that's my dream man! How can my dream man suffer and endure hardship? Fortune, beauties, rare treasures... They're his, his, all his! Others: Qiao Han %@&, he's definitely trying to take the crooked path and use you to climb the ranks. Xiao Jiuci: He's just a young junior who looks up to me. Others: Qiao Han %@&, maybe he likes you. Jiuci: Now that he's my junior fellow disciple, it's only the affection between brothers. Others: Qiao Han %@&, the way he's acting, he's definitely head over heels for you. Jiuci: ... Not long after, people start doubting Qiao Han's identity. Others: He's guilty! Jiuci: He's just trying hard to hide his feelings for me. Others: Something's wrong with him! Xiao Jiuci: He's jealous, throwing tantrums and acting out on purpose to make me respond. Others: He's up to no good with you! Xiao Jiuci: ...If he's up to no good, so be it. It's not like I won't let him... Others: ...Please rein in that love-brain! At last, the pivotal scene arrives. Xiao Jiuci must choose someone at the edge of a cliff, and Qiao Han disguises himself as a villain and holds hostage the two women who matter most to Xiao Jiuci. In the original plot, after Xiao Jiuci makes the wrong choice, Qiao Han reveals the truth, leaving him consumed with regret and allowing him to level up and break through. But this devoted fan who cherishes his dream man would never let him suffer. Qiao Han, his face covered: "You can only choose one." Xiao Jiuci's face gradually darkens, and he loses his usual gentleness. From what Qiao Han knows of him, he's truly angry. Qiao Han: "Hmph, you can choose both, too, as long as you give me..." "Either one is fine. It doesn't matter." "Huh?" The two women helping with the act: ??? "Whatever you want, Senior Brother will give it to you. Don't stand so close to the edge, it's dangerous." As Xiao Jiuci speaks, his eyes settle on Qiao Han's hands resting on the two women's shoulders. His voice turns low and hoarse, like a sword barely drawn from its sheath. "Come over here to Senior Brother." Seeing the stormy look in his senior brother's eyes, Qiao Han instinctively shivers. "Oh." He obediently walks over. The two women waiting for their part: We're done with this! You two shameless men! Do you really need us to act out the scene? Keep your public displays of affection away from us!! Wasn't this supposed to be a leveling-up story about a supreme hero with beauties all over the world? Qiao Han: ??? Has my dream man fallen from grace? Recommended completed novels: [Transmigrated into a Book, Xianxia] *After Becoming a High-Risk Master, I Turned the Tables* A master who actively resists tropes but ultimately gets played VS a disciple who meets all the conditions for turning evil but never does [Transmigrated into a Book, Historical Danmei] *I Rely on Breaking Character to Survive in the Male Lead's Hands* A survival-minded uke who pretends to be lovesick and follows the plot VS an emperor seme who bends himself with pure imagination and turns evil [Transmigrated into a Book, Post-Apocalyptic] *After Stopping the Beautiful, Strong, Miserable Male Lead from Turning into a Zombie* A zombie uke determined to stop the male lead from turning evil VS an ability-user king seme who can control everything zombies do Theme: Only those with a clear conscience can stand tall between Heaven and Earth