The Throne Is Hard to Refuse

[My next novel will be I’m the Scoundrel Who Seduced and Abandoned the Deposed Crown Prince. See the blurb below and please add it to your collection!] Jin Dynasty’s great general Feng Li returns to the capital in triumph, only to die as a victim of the emperor’s political schemes. Unexpectedly, after his death, he transmigrates to another world and becomes the emperor’s elder brother, who is about to be married off. As they say their farewells in front of the Hall of Diligent Government, the emperor helps him to his feet and whispers, “Seventh Imperial Brother, remember, you’re nothing but my substitute. Zhou Zhaoning thinks only of me. What a shame he’s a man.” The original owner, who shares his name, spent ten years as a hostage in an enemy country and suffered through countless hardships before finally returning home. He thought his misery was over, only to be humiliated all over again and married off as a substitute. “A substitute husband for the regent. How exciting.” Feng Li spent his last life surrounded by corpses, blood, and flashing blades. This time, he can lounge around and wait for death as a political figurehead. Perfect! He has it all planned out, but he soon discovers that the regent is even harder to handle than the wicked emperor. The man is ruthless and merciless, tyrannical and lawless. The moment anything displeases him, he takes his anger out on Feng Li. He even uses him to put on a show for the emperor’s darling. The emperor summons Feng Li to the palace and makes him kneel. Feng Li is in the middle of trading verbal blows with the guards when the regent comes to take him away, furious enough to make the emperor cry. Oh, he gets it. The regent wants to make the emperor jealous. The emperor accuses Feng Li of colluding with the enemy. He can’t be bothered to defend himself, so the emperor has two more bone-piercing spikes driven into him. Tsk. It doesn’t hurt that much, not compared with the arrow through his heart from back then. The regent storms into the prison to rescue him. Looking at the regent’s bloodshot eyes, Feng Li asks in confusion, “All I did was get blood on his imperial robes. There’s no need to be this angry, is there?” “So I’ll take the punishment. Should I go sit in solitary confinement or kneel in the study? I’ll go by myself.” “Come back.” “Zhou Zhaoning, everything would be perfect if you’d just stay away from me.” “Don’t make me say it again.” Feng Li walks out stubbornly, chin held high, but the stern-faced regent immediately pulls him into his arms. Later, the regent, who was rumored to be devoted to the emperor, stages a coup and kills the emperor. Then he picks up the imperial robe he had thrown away and asks, “Why aren’t you wearing it?” Feng Li is bewildered. Is this how a substitute is supposed to be treated? He replies, “I told you, I just want to laze around.” “Then laze around. This prince will make sure you keep the throne.” The regent is still the powerful man who rules the court, but now a pair of illicit lovers share the imperial bed. [A cold-faced but warmhearted regent x a free-spirited, open-minded prince whose brilliance lies beneath the surface] Content warnings: 1. Not for readers who only care about the bottom, or who want nothing but feel-good wish fulfillment. There is some physical abuse early on. Everyone has different limits and preferences, so please leave if you dislike it. We all have different tastes; don’t force yours on others 2. This is not a serious political intrigue story. The author is very serious about the couple. They are each other’s first love, with a fake-substitute setup and plenty of tension. They are both strong characters. Come for the fun; readers who love detailed historical research and deduction may want to pass 3. The bottom isn’t a general in the traditional sense. Having died once, he lets loose. If you want a bottom who immediately starts slaughtering his way through everyone in chapter one, this isn’t for you. If you want a bottom who does nothing while the top spoils him rotten, this isn’t for you either. The bottom has his own personality and emotional journey, so please don’t come in with fixed ideas about what “a great general should be like” Coming soon: I’m the Scoundrel Who Seduced and Abandoned the Deposed Crown Prince. See the author’s page [Ruthless, sinister, reborn deposed crown prince x passionate, straightforward genius engineer] Warning: The top is ruthless and controlling, and forces the bottom into a relationship. He is not a good person. Read with caution Lu Chengguan, a twenty-two-year-old genius engineer, is caught in a laboratory accident and transmigrates straight into the body of a spoiled young master of a duke’s household. Not important. He just wants to do research and development. He is handpicked to join the emperor’s top intelligence agency, the Nightwatch Office, becoming the emperor’s trusted hawk and hound and rising to the top overnight. Not important. He just wants to advance the cause of technology. Until his first day on the job, when he gets drunk and accidentally wanders into Xichang Hall, where the deposed crown prince is imprisoned. The man is dressed in white as bright as snow, with peerless beauty. Lu Chengguan falls for him at first sight and, emboldened by drink, rashly confesses his feelings. At that time, the deposed crown prince Wei Jun has just been reborn. He loathes the imperial palace and court, and thinks only of bathing the palace in blood and overturning everything. When Lu Chengguan dares to offend him, Wei Jun is already intent on killing him as he grips his neck. But the man trembles in his grasp, eyes red, and still dares to make an audacious offer: “Do you want to defy fate and change your destiny? Give me a year, and I’ll make you a flintlock.” Wei Jun later realizes that Lu Chengguan is no spoiled fool. He is an unparalleled statesman, capable of shifting the balance of the whole world by himself. Lu Chengguan waves a hand indifferently. “This level of productivity is nowhere near enough.” Wei Jun clasps his hand and pledges himself to him. “Share the realm with me.” Remembering how Wei Jun killed without blinking, Lu Chengguan’s common sense tells him to back away. “No need. It really isn’t necessary…” Wei Jun’s gaze darkens, each word cold as ice. “Are you seducing me and then abandoning me?” They have different beliefs, incompatible ideals, and completely misaligned values. Lu Chengguan explains it to him ten thousand times. In response, Wei Jun presses forward step by step, claiming him with overwhelming possessiveness and forcing him into a relationship he cannot escape. After exhausting himself to flee to a neighboring country and disappear among the common people, Lu Chengguan thinks he has finally gotten away. But cavalry surrounds the city. The man appears in full armor, gazing at him with dark eyes: “This isn’t over. You won’t escape me in this life or the next.” Theme: Ten years of hardship cannot extinguish a fervent heart