A Guide to Starting Over as a Treacherous Official

[A beautiful, scheming minister who is “forced” to reform X a loyal minister who seems wickedly upright but is secretly a hopeless romantic] As a notorious court official, Pei Yan had done plenty of outrageous things. But the most outrageous was going to great lengths to seduce his political rival and get him into bed. Then karma came for him. The very person who had slept beside him the night before submitted an impeachment memorial the next morning and sent him to prison. “...” Pei Yan smiled. Well, well. Tired of being a corrupt official, Pei Yan went along with his punishment. But when he opened his eyes, he found himself in a strange dynasty called Great Zhou, and had somehow become bound to a “Virtuous Official System.” The System told Pei Yan that he was now Pei Heqing, a well-connected censor who spent every day eating, drinking, and having fun. Recently, someone had falsely accused him of abusing his position to embezzle military funds. To clear his name, he had to find the real culprit. The Grand Commandant Shen Chengjun was the most suspicious. Pei Yan approached and tested Shen Chengjun, half convinced and half doubtful, only to feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Why was this man so much like his former political rival and former bedmate??? * Pei Yan spent several days behaving himself to qualify as a virtuous official. The more he investigated, the more he realized the embezzlement of military funds was no simple matter. The dynasty seemed peaceful and prosperous, but behind the scenes, the forces at play were tangled and complex. He spent a long time maneuvering among the different factions, until at last he couldn't take it anymore. He didn't want to do this anymore! He was going to retire to the countryside!!! So, at a banquet, when an assassin crept toward the emperor and drew his blade, Pei Yan leaped forward and shielded the emperor with his body. The sword pierced his heart. Blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, Pei Yan smiled at the emperor. “If I can save Your Majesty, then my death is worthwhile.” With that, he slowly fell to the ground before all the assembled officials, successfully crafting the image of a virtuous minister whose death brought tears to every eye and sorrow to every heart. * At the memorial service, before the emperor had even finished his eulogy, Pei Yan had already galloped off to settle in a remote mountain village. Ignoring the System's furious accusations that he was cheating, Pei Yan happily planted beans on the southern hillside. When the grass grew thick and the bean sprouts were sparse, leaving him with nothing to eat, he used his silver tongue to charm the lady next door into giving him a few eggs. Then one day, he came home with his hard-won eggs and opened the door. The eggs in his hands suddenly slipped from his control and shattered all over the ground. Grand Commandant Shen, who was rumored to have gone mad with ambition after Pei Yan's death and expanded his power until he held the capital in the palm of his hand, stood in the middle of the thatched cottage with a dark expression. He stared at Pei Yan and sneered. “Lord Pei, it's been a while.” “Should I call you Pei Heqing or Pei Yan?” #Political rivals can't become wives #What should I do when my political rival won't leave me alone? Reader's guide: 1. There were misunderstandings in their past lives. The two leads never hurt each other, and never will. 2. Both are reborn, and both have a System. The main story will mention that the gong has one too. They are each other's only love, in body and heart. 3. There may be some illogical parts. Feel free to point them out. 4. I'll write seriously; read however you like. Hope you enjoy~ A preview of my upcoming novel, The City of Revelry. It's my next book, so if you're interested, please add it to your favorites~ [A beta who works as an enforcer by day and a killer by night X a noble alpha who pretends to be a playboy] In the Alliance capital, there was an underground city where the alpha nobility indulged in lives of luxury and excess. Here, alphas could ignore every rule and regulation. To them, the enforcers tasked with keeping order in the city were little more than decorations. That was why people called this place the City of Revelry. * When Alliance heir Lu Chengzhou first visited the underground city for a business engagement, he got lost and wandered into the slums. There he happened upon a drunken noble alpha getting handsy with an omega child. The child's clothes were in tatters, and they were crying their heart out. Lu Chengzhou was just about to step in when an overwhelmingly powerful wave of alpha pheromones suddenly slammed into the scene, pinning the noble alpha to the ground so he couldn't move. Someone in an enforcer's uniform emerged from around the corner. Their gleaming leather shoe ground down on the gland at the back of the noble alpha's neck. Looking down with a cold expression and an equally cold voice, they said, “If your hormones are out of control, go get your glands removed. Stop looking for trouble.” Amid the noble alpha's screams, Lu Chengzhou heard his own heartbeat growing louder and louder. * The enforcer had appeared suddenly and disappeared just as quickly. After beating up the noble alpha, they left with the child. Lu Chengzhou didn't get a chance to introduce himself, so he had no choice but to return to his private room. His business partner had had too much to drink. With liquor-fueled enthusiasm, he claimed there was a very well-behaved omega server here and insisted on introducing them to Lu Chengzhou. Ignoring Lu Chengzhou's protests, he ordered someone to bring in the server called Xiao Jin. The private room's door swung open. Beneath the dazzling, hazy lights, the person who had flashed into view earlier and made Lu Chengzhou's heart pound was now wearing a server's uniform. Surrounded by the harmless scent of omega pheromones, they politely greeted him. “Good evening, Young Master Lu.” Lu Chengzhou: “?” * After the drinking party, Lu Chengzhou returned to his room. When a sudden heat spread through his body, he realized his drink had been drugged. The door opened, and the server burst into the alpha's territory, wrapped in the enticing scent of omega pheromones. Lu Chengzhou told him to get out, but he acted as though he couldn't understand, wrapping his arms around the alpha, who was burning with drug-induced desire, and kissing him. In the throes of passion, the alpha frantically searched for the omega's gland, but couldn't find it. The omega pheromones in the room were slowly fading, too. “Where are your pheromones?” Lu Chengzhou asked, his eyes red. Jiang Jin blinked, pulled down his shirt to reveal the smooth, unmarked nape of his neck, and curled his lips into a smile. “What are you talking about, Young Master Lu? I'm a beta.” As the alpha stared in shock, Jiang Jin slowly pressed the cold barrel against Lu Chengzhou's temple. “In your next life, try being an alpha with better eyesight.” Reader's guide: 1. Jiang Jin is a real beta. 2. I'll add more later, once I've thought of it. Theme: Love can transcend death and separation