Ladies, You Still Have Your Charm

Synopsis:

Chi Yu served diligently as emperor for seventeen years. Throughout his reign, he fulfilled his duties and governed with benevolence, bringing relief to a troubled realm. He lived on tenterhooks, and it was a miserable, exhausting life.

In his eighteenth year as emperor, he worked himself to death.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the year he had first ascended the throne.

The vast empire he'd fought so hard to build, its people living in peace and its neighboring nations paying tribute, was all gone!

Sitting on the throne and gazing at the old men below, Chi Yu knew they were about to urge him to produce an heir again.

Remembering the arguments he'd had in his previous life over filling the harem, he was so tired of it all that he decided to go mad and offend everyone. “Minister, stop spouting such backward nonsense. I think you still have plenty of charm yourself~”

“Minister Li, if we're talking about who inspires the most tenderness, how could your youngest daughter compare to you?”

“Vice Minister Wang, I think you're quite the beauty yourself.”

“...”

Chi Yu managed to disgust every old man in court, successfully earning himself two days of peace and quiet.

Just as he was about to roll up his sleeves and restore the glorious empire he'd built in his previous life, his personally appointed regent and childhood friend, Ji Yanshu, stormed into the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Grabbing Chi Yu's hand, he pressed it against himself. “Your Majesty, I still have plenty of charm too.”

Chi Yu was dumbfounded. “Huh? Wh-what?!”

*

Tips:

1. A short story, a very short one.

2. Both leads are each other's only partners; happy ending. Check the tags.

3. There are several other short stories in my collection. Feel free to check them out.

4. Inline comments are open. I read all the comments, and the author never deletes them.

5. Leave criticism if you like, but please don't give writing advice. No need to tell me if you drop the story.

Theme: Love must remain steadfast, and perseverance can wear through stone.