Calamity-Bringing Charlatan Simulator [Quick Transmigration]

[World One Complete] After dying one day, Ming Yan was bound to a System called the Charlatan Simulator and sent straight to ancient times. The System told him that being deceived by charlatans was often an unavoidable part of a dynasty's fate. His task was to play these swindling charlatans, make the ruler obey his every word, trick the people into serving him, and ultimately rise to a high position as a fraud. Ming Yan blinked. Got it. I have to deceive people? And so Ming Yan began his diligent career as a charlatan. He did an excellent job: people built statues in his honor and worshiped him in every home. His target was so thoroughly deceived that he was utterly besotted with Ming Yan, never daring to disobey him and waiting eagerly for his every command. System: ... He did achieve the goal, but... wasn't there something a little off about how it happened? This wasn't supposed to be the Tyrannical Favorite Consort Simulator, was it?! [Jade Branches and Golden Leaves] In a time of chaos, heroes vied for supremacy. An immortal from a distant sacred mountain suddenly entered the mortal world, giving out porridge, treating the sick, and sheltering the people... Like a white crane, he stood apart from this filthy age. After saving one of the warlords in peril, the immortal faced the new king's offer of thanks, swept back his sleeve, and revealed a wrist draped with precious jewels. "I'm still missing a red agate bracelet to complete the look." He gently shook his wrist. "General, would you grant me one?" An immortal of such noble and precious bearing deserved to be kept in luxury. And so, a fake Cloud Palace was built on earth, but a real immortal was enshrined within. [On the Jade Terrace] The statue at the young emperor's bedside came to life. The Bodhisattva carved from jade extended a pale hand and bowed his head compassionately, listening to the boy's innocent prayer and becoming his only protector in the imperial palace. Later, the young man stood in court, gazing obsessively into the Bodhisattva's eyes. Just as he had when they first met as a child, he made a great vow to the Bodhisattva. "I wish for the Bodhisattva to always remain by the people's side and protect our dynasty's peace." The Bodhisattva smiled and granted the young man's wish. The young emperor did not yet know that this was the last time the Bodhisattva would bow his head for him alone. From then on, no matter how many selfish desires he had, they would be nothing but delusions, never enough to make the Bodhisattva bow his head. [Immortal in the Painting] For some reason, a painting had been mixed in with the tribute from Jiangnan. In the scroll, a person stood with an umbrella at the head of a bridge, their figure like that of an immortal, but their features were blurred. Curious, the emperor hung it in his study and studied it day and night, at last thinking of a way to complete the image. On the night before he was about to put brush to paper, a soft laugh woke him from a nap at his desk. The emperor lifted his head in terror and met a face more perfect than any he had seen in his dreams a thousand times over. The immortal in the painting took his hand and guided his fingertips over his own brows and eyes. "Benefactor, look. This is what I look like." [The Enchanting Serpent] A young prince found a beautiful snake while hunting. The demon snake needed jewels to be coaxed, and many hearts to be fed. With just one glance, it had everyone in the prince's manor wrapped around its little finger. The prince knew that one day he would be unable to keep it. At last, when the prince laid his heart bare in a confession, the demon snake coiled around his neck and softly said, "But Your Highness, I'm a demon. I eat human hearts." How could a monster that ate hearts understand mortal love? Later, on the day he ascended the throne, the new emperor placed an almost reverent kiss on the demon snake's lips. "You said the heart of the true dragon's son tastes best... Now that I've taken the throne, why don't you eat my heart, so we can stay together for all eternity?" You said demons have no hearts. That's all right. Eat mine, and surely you'll understand. [A Pearl Buried in Dust] A new dynasty welcomed a special guest: dressed in plain clothes and with white silk covering his eyes, he was like drifting dust that might vanish at any moment. The new emperor knocked on his bamboo door three times, leaving this ethereal figure behind. No one knew where he came from, and no one dared enter the humble courtyard without permission. Yet every time the moon rose above the branches, that figure would appear in their dreams, impossible to touch or grasp, like a reflection of flowers in water or the moon in a mirror. More than ten years later, the emperor who had bowed and begged him to stay passed away. He should have left with his former master, too, but someone refused to let it all remain a dream. "Teacher." The young man, still dressed in his Crown Prince's robes, seized his wrist. "Am I really not as good as my father?" - The cover uses a template. - This is a fictional world. If I can't rein in the story, it may get a little long, but I suppose it could also count as a slow transmigration. - These are not typical split personalities. Most of the smaller worlds will have a bit of angst near the end. I like the flavor of longing for what you can't have and being unable to hold on to it. :-P - I'll keep the political maneuvering as simple as possible, so it might feel a little rushed. Please bear with me. - Anyone who has intimate interactions with the protagonist will be faithful. Even emperors have to be faithful for me. Theme: Accept your fate and act accordingly.