When the Puppet Emperor Becomes a Heartthrob - Chapter 1

It was June, the peak of summer, and the heat was scorching. Even while cooling off with ice taken from the ice cellar, Xi Huai could not help but crave the comfort of air conditioning.

Xi Huai was flipping through memorials in a state of agitation. Beads of sweat, as large as beans, rolled down his temples and seeped into his collar, dampening his ornate and exquisitely embroidered dragon robes.

The court lady fanning him from behind caught a glimpse of this, shuddered, and immediately accelerated the movement of her heavy palm-leaf fan.

Xi Huai pretended not to notice and sighed inwardly. He had long since grown accustomed to the court lady’s timidity.

Not long ago, he had been in his air-conditioned room, happily sipping a three-dollar-and-fifty-cent soda while surfing the web.

However, because he had inadvertently read a political intrigue novel and shared the same name as the cannon-fodder character, he had started “pointing out the country’s problems” in the comment section. He criticized the author for messy logic, trashy writing, and turning a political drama into a mindless story. As a result, he transmigrated into the book.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in an antique palace, having become the Emperor of this country.

In the original story, the young Emperor of the Daqing Kingdom was only around fifteen or sixteen, yet he was an incompetent and foolish tyrant.

He spent his days seeking pleasure, never empathizing with his subjects. To indulge his hedonism, he even conscripted soldiers and levied heavy taxes, building pools of wine and forests of meat.

In reality, the young Emperor was essentially the embodiment of King Zhou of Shang.

As everyone knows, King Zhou was destined to be overthrown by the forces of justice.

In the original novel, the young Emperor was indeed a cannon-fodder tyrant who was eventually usurped by the male lead.

Xi Huai: “…”

What should one do upon realizing they have transmigrated into the cannon fodder of a web novel?

Thanks for asking. I am still struggling to survive today.

He was not only facing a death sentence, but he also had to attend court from five in the morning until nine at night to review memorials. Honestly, it was no different from being a corporate slave.

Why did he, a young man who had not even had the chance to go to college, have to bear the pressure that no one his age should have to deal with?

When others transmigrate, they land in CEO novels with secretaries and beautiful wives. He transmigrated into a low-quality political thriller and was busy as a dog every day.

He had no salary.

He had no overtime pay.

Even though he wanted to comfort himself by pretending it was all a dream, he felt no better upon waking up.

“Your Majesty, a memorial submitted by General Qin.” Beside him, the eunuch, Eunuch De, presented an exquisite brocade box.

Xi Huai took it, reached out with a look of fatigue, and opened the memorial from the loyal official.

In the memorial, he read a fierce condemnation of the young Emperor’s actions.

The original phrasing was written in overly complex classical Chinese, but the translation boiled down to this: He was extravagant and gluttonous. This year’s early rice harvest was a total failure, the summer heat was abnormal, and several villages in the north were suffering from a drought. As Emperor, not only did he fail to reduce taxes, but he was actively conscripting soldiers and raising taxes. This was not the behavior of a competent Emperor. A truly virtuous Emperor should consider the people and raise funds. Can you understand the concept of raising funds?

Xi Huai: “…”

He would love to raise funds, but he had no money. He was merely a puppet Emperor without real power. The real power was held by the Empress Dowager and the Prince Regent. Moreover, the male lead might be secretly gaining influence, and neither the Empress Dowager’s faction nor the Prince Regent’s faction took him seriously.

“This really is a difficult path.”

Xi Huai thought to himself, feeling heavy-hearted.

He had no other wishes in this life; he only wanted to be a “salted fish,” waiting for the male lead to usurp the throne so he could fake his death, escape, and live a life of leisure in the countryside.

Eunuch De, seeing his expressive face, seemed to misunderstand his worry and asked respectfully, bowing his head: “Your Majesty, are you distressed about this year’s selection of palace maids?”

Xi Huai was stunned and asked: “Selection?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Eunuch De advised: “Your Majesty, you need not worry. Consort Li said she has thought it over; for next year’s selection, there is no need to worry about her feelings anymore.”

The elderly Eunuch De added with a look of relief: “Consort Li is deeply devoted to Your Majesty and is always thinking of you.”

Xi Huai remembered that this did indeed happen in the original story, but he felt no joy at all. In fact, he almost wanted to curse. At a time like this, thinking about selecting new concubines—was this not practically courting death?

It was no wonder the young Emperor in the original story was isolated and helpless, ultimately ending up being sliced to death by the male lead. The only one to blame was the fact that the young Emperor was a brainless cannon fodder whose intelligence had been forcefully nerfed.

Things had reached a point where officials were submitting memorials of protest, yet the young Emperor was still thinking about selecting concubines. If that was not a sign of a brain problem, nothing was.

The young Emperor was a fool, but although Xi Huai was not a genius, he was not stupid enough to seek his own destruction.

He pressed his temples, which were throbbing with a headache. “Since this year’s selection is already finished, we will talk about next year’s when the time comes.”

Eunuch De looked stunned, as if to say the young Emperor had always been a man of indulgence, so had the sun risen from the west today?

Unfortunately, before Eunuch De could ponder why the Emperor was behaving so strangely, a young eunuch announced from outside that the Imperial Concubine was requesting an audience.

As she entered, Eunuch De sighed in relief, hoping that seeing her would help the Emperor return to his normal self.

Xi Huai saw a young woman dressed in elegant attire, carrying a food box. Her features were delicate, her skin as white as snow. This excessive paleness gave her a sickly appearance, making her look frail and soft, which naturally aroused pity.

However, a tiny, bright red teardrop mole under the corner of her eye added an inexplicable charm to her.

Meeting Xi Huai’s gaze, her pearl-like eyes revealed deep affection.

Xi Huai was momentarily dazzled by her beauty. He thought to himself that the original novel had not mentioned Consort Li much, though it often brought up the Li family. On the surface, the Li family were supporters of the Emperor, but in reality, they were secretly colluding with others.

Xi Huai, who had transmigrated here, realized that the young Emperor seemed infatuated with Consort Li. Seeing her today, he had to admit she was indeed beautiful, though apart from her height and a frame that was slightly larger than other women, there were no other flaws.

Xi Huai’s eyes focused on Li Wan’s chest, seeing that it was as flat as an airport.

But regardless, looking like this, there was nothing left for the young Emperor to be picky about.

While it was not love at first sight for Xi Huai, it did not stop him from appreciating a beautiful girl.

“Your Majesty, you must be tired from reviewing the memorials. Your concubine has stewed a bowl of pigeon soup for you,” Li Wan said.

The young Emperor had many beauties, but they had no official titles; only Li Wan was clearly his favorite.

However, Li Wan was arrogant due to his favor; she had driven all the other beauties out of the palace and often claimed to be ill, not letting the young Emperor touch her.

Not long ago, she had caused a scene over the missed selection, making the young Emperor so irritable that he lost his patience and threatened to strip her of her title, demoting her from a Noble Consort to a minor concubine.

Xi Huai decided to play along. He furrowed his brows and asked coldly: “What are you here for?”

Li Wan’s eyes reddened, looking very pitiful. “Your Majesty, your concubine is here to…”

“I heard you finally had the kindness to agree to let me fill the harem?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, please forgive me. Your concubine has thought it over.”

Seeing Li Wan looking at him with watery eyes, Xi Huai adopted the persona of a scumbag. “No need. You have such kindness?”

Li Wan bit her lip, aggrieved. “The Empress Dowager has already lectured me. As the Noble Consort of Daqing, I should not be jealous, but instead, I should generously allow Your Majesty to fill the harem. I have reflected on this, and I ask for Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”

The Empress Dowager?

What kind of scheme was she pulling?

In the original book, the Empress Dowager was no simple character. She had a clear head and a sharp, logical mind. If the young Emperor was the cannon fodder, then she was the true villain and mastermind.

She must have been planning to plant her own people in his harem to keep him distracted and make him even more useless.

Xi Huai: “Hmph, don’t think you can threaten me with the Empress Dowager. I won’t compromise.”

A question mark slowly appeared on Li Wan’s beautiful face: “?”

Xi Huai, fully committed to the role, flipped over the bowl of pigeon soup on the spot, appearing furious. “I hate it when people go against me. Even if you are the greatest beauty in Daqing, it does not matter. I tell you, I am not holding a selection next year.”

Inside, he thought that it was a shame to waste food. He could have finished this fragrant pigeon soup. If it were not for the need to maintain the foolish tyrant persona, he would not have been so disrespectful to the delicious soup.

He did not notice the faint look of suspicion that flickered in Li Wan’s eyes as she looked at the spilled soup. He simply fulfilled his role as a ridiculous tyrant and ordered Li Wan to leave.

Lingering outside the door, Li Wan hesitated: “Your Majesty…”

“What?” Xi Huai sneered. “Do you want to defy me?”

Having grasped the essence of the young Emperor, Xi Huai performed well, smashing things frantically. “Get out. Get out. I am still very angry. I do not want to see you right now.”

When a tyrant gets angry, everyone around him suffers. Between his roaring and smashing things, the court ladies were trembling with fear.

Eunuch De, who had served him for years, sighed regretfully: “The Consort is different from the other concubines; she is a good person.”

But since the young Emperor clearly was not the type to listen to advice, Xi Huai angrily shouted: “All of you, get out.”

After driving everyone away, Xi Huai sprawled out on the grandmaster’s chair, feeling a bit guilty. Eunuch De was a kind old man who, in the original text, had taken a fatal blow for the young Emperor. He felt terrible for shouting at an elderly man just to play this role.

But it was unavoidable for the sake of the persona. If he suddenly started acting reasonable, people would think he was possessed by an evil spirit and drag him off to be exorcised. He would just have to re-establish his character later and compensate Eunuch De well.

Thinking it over, he felt justified and yawned. Having spent the whole day reviewing memorials, he was exhausted both physically and mentally. As he closed his eyes and drifted into a hazy rest, he faintly heard a voice:

【The villain from the apocalypse novel has invited you to join the “Transmigrator Chat Group.”】

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