When the Puppet Emperor Becomes a Heartthrob - Chapter 2

“What on earth?”

Xi Huai immediately sat up with a start, his sleepiness vanishing instantly.

Before his eyes, a transparent chat bubble had appeared. Messages were flooding in from a group, filling his entire field of vision.

Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead: “I finally finished off a tea-art expert earlier. My palace has finally let out a sigh of relief.”

Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead: “I am envious. I get licked by my idiotic master to the point of exhaustion every day, but I cannot even get a chance to slap his face in return.”

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “Xianxia side character, just forget it. Why do you not just accept your fate?”

Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead: “What nonsense are you spouting? I am a straight man; I do not do gay romances.”

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “Poor thing. I feel sorry for you for a moment.”

Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead: “Is there a newcomer in the group?”

Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead: “The Apocalypse Novel Male Lead dragged him in.”

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “Newcomer, do not be afraid. This is a chat group for book transmigrators. Everyone here has transmigrated into a book.”

Before transmigrating, Xi Huai spent plenty of time surfing the web. He had read countless quick transmigration stories, transmigrated into a book novels, and system stories. His reading experience was vast.

He knew this trope. He quickly accepted the reality that this group was full of transmigrators and typed excitedly:

“I get it! Do you guys send red envelopes to each other, and those envelopes contain powerful golden fingers?”

Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead replied silently: “…Why would you think that?”

Xi Huai lifted his chin. “That is how it is written in all the novels I have read.”

Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead: “It is a pity. Although we do send red envelopes, we are primarily just a chat group.”

Apocalypse Novel Male Lead: “Changing one’s destiny ultimately depends on oneself. We mainly offer companionship.”

Xi Huai: “…”

Xi Huai had never been so disappointed, but he agreed with the Apocalypse Novel Male Lead’s sentiment; in everything, one must rely on oneself.

The Apocalypse Novel Male Lead changed the subject, “What web novel script did the newcomer get?”

Xi Huai said silently, “I think I got a cannon fodder script for a political intrigue novel.”

Mentioning this, Xi Huai felt like he had found companions and cried out, “To tell you the truth, I transmigrated as a cannon fodder little emperor. The little emperor is a foolish ruler. The ending is that the male lead steals his wife, then usurps the throne, and finally, the male lead has him executed by lingchi.”

The Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead had not expected there to be a brother even more miserable than himself. He offered some straight-man comfort, “Brother, at least you transmigrated as a little emperor. I transmigrated into a fixed-nitrogen replacement novel. I am constantly treated as a replacement by my master, and my ending is to have my heart cut out by that same master.”

Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead: “Who has it worse than me? My ending was to be turned into a human pig by the female lead.”

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “Your imperial harem script is simply toxic. At most, I only lost my legs.”

Apocalypse Novel Male Lead: “Your scripts are all so messed up; only my script is normal.”

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “…Your script is actually the least normal one in the group. Who would raise humans as livestock after becoming a Zombie King? You are not from Jinjiang Literature City, are you? With your mentality, you would not get a male lead script on Jinjiang; that is purely a villain’s script.”

Apocalypse Novel Male Lead: “You fools, you do not understand. I transmigrated into an apocalypse novel. The world is no longer suitable for human survival, and zombies have become the hope for humanity. Only when zombies eat humans do they evolve into new humans. I am the savior of the world; naturally, I have the male lead script.”

Xi Huai: “…”

Are you guys serious?

What kind of ridiculous scripts are these? One is more ruthless than the next. Compared to them, his story was quite plain and simple.

Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead: “Brother, why did you stop talking?”

Xi Huai said dully, “I am not worthy.”

Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead: “???”

“I did not expect that everyone in the group has a life even more miserable than mine. What right do I have to cry about my misery in front of you?”

Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead: “Your wife was stolen, is that not miserable enough?”

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “The imperial harem was handed over to the male lead, is that not miserable enough?”

Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead: “Being directly usurped, is that not miserable enough?”

Xi Huai sympathized, “But your endings were either being turned into human pigs or having your legs broken. There is an even more extreme one: not even being human anymore.”

Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead: “I feel offended by the human pig comment, thank you.”

House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “I feel offended by the broken legs comment, thank you.”

Apocalypse Novel Male Lead: “I feel offended by the not being human comment, thank you.”

The unaffected Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead laughed his head off, “Hahaha, do not worry. Since we have all transmigrated, we will absolutely not follow the original plot.”

Upon hearing this, Xi Huai’s mood, previously gloomy from the transmigration, suddenly cleared up.

Before transmigrating, he was a pure, innocent high school student. After transmigrating, he became a foolish little emperor, surrounded by people plotting against him; it was like trying to survive in a narrow crack.

Being comforted by the fellow transmigrators, he felt a warmth in his heart. He obediently replied with a thank you, which prompted the Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead and the Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead to compassionately send him red envelopes.

Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead: “I was a web novel writer before I transmigrated. This is not a great golden finger, but just make do with it.”

Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead: “I was just a side character substitute in the Xianxia novel. This is all I can help you with. Good luck.”

Xi Huai touched the screen, touched, and opened his exclusive red envelopes.

The gift from the Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead was a skill called Baldness Warning. As the name implied, this skill could cause people to lose their hair.

The gift from the Xianxia Novel Supporting Male Lead was a skill called Immortal Man Enters Dreams, which allowed the user to enter the dream of a designated person.

…These do not feel like self-preservation skills at all.

However, Xi Huai was still very grateful for their timely help. He thanked them once more before yawning and falling asleep directly in the study.

Xi Huai did not wake up until noon the next day. Since he had not attended the morning court, Eunuch De was there to remind him, “Your Majesty, you will be punished by the Empress Dowager for this.”

You do not understand, Eunuch. The Empress Dowager was probably hoping he would not attend the morning court.

As long as he was isolated and helpless, the Empress Dowager would not even need to sit behind the curtain to rule; she could easily oversee everything.

However, just as he was thinking this, he saw the Empress Dowager, who should have been in the Cining Palace, standing right there in the Yangxin Hall.

Xi Huai: “…”

…Do not do this.

Are you not one of the two main villains?

Should not villains maintain a sense of mystery?

What are you doing running to the Yangxin Hall now?

The Empress Dowager, Wen Yulin, was a high-level villain with schemes and strategies on par with the male lead. Seeing her in person, she was indeed a ruthless character.

She was very tall and upright in appearance, but the severity in her brows was obvious; she looked like someone who loved establishing rules.

Xi Huai focused his gaze on her thick, black hair. With long-term maintenance, the strands were lustrous and shiny; they looked expensive.

He then shifted his gaze to her flat chest, feeling that although there were many beauties in the book, their chests were unexpectedly not very voluminous.

“Your Majesty, why did I not see you at court today?” Wen Yulin’s serious voice suddenly rang out.

It was no wonder Wen Yulin was a villain; not only was she tall, but her voice was also deep and steady.

Xi Huai, with his strange perspective, thought distractedly while maintaining the persona of the foolish emperor. He acted unreasonably, “It is all because Imperial Concubine Gui disturbed me yesterday, causing me to read memorial documents until dawn. I was too tired, so I missed this morning’s court session.”

The little emperor was a good-for-nothing foolish ruler by nature. Such excuses to shirk responsibility did not arouse any suspicion in Wen Yulin. Instead, she laughed, “That is my fault then. It was I who ordered the Imperial Concubine to come and apologize to Your Majesty yesterday.”

Who would dare to think it was your fault? Do you want to live?

She was not his birth mother, but a master of tea-art who had won the title of Empress Dowager in a harem full of rivals; she was not to be underestimated.

Xi Huai had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue playing the role of the foolish emperor, “As long as Mother knows, that is fine. I will not hold it against Mother.”

Wen Yulin seemed not to have expected him to be so shameless, and her features shifted slightly, “Imperial Concubine Li said you are not going to hold the selection for new concubines anymore?”

“I am not doing it.”

Wen Yulin was surprised, “Previously, you complained to me that Imperial Concubine Li was in poor health and unable to serve you, and for the sake of the country, you wanted to hold the selection early. Why have you changed your mind now?”

Xi Huai had already grasped the essence of the little emperor: he haughtily lifted his chin, “Because I hate it when people cross me. This year, I wanted to hold it, and you would not let me. Now that you are begging me to do it, I am not doing it anymore.”

Wen Yulin: “…”

Eunuch De listened from the side, breaking out in a cold sweat. He thought to himself that the Emperor’s temperament had always been wayward, but he had not expected it to be even worse today. He feared a conflict between the two.

Wen Yulin had no intention of arguing; she just assumed his bratty nature was acting up again. She pretended to be angry, frowned, and slapped the table.

“Nonsense! Who are you trying to win an argument against?”

“I have told you before that Imperial Concubine Li is physically frail and not fit to serve you in the palace. It was you who forcibly took her and made her a concubine.”

“Then, upon finding out she truly could not serve you, you came to beg me to hold the selection early. Now you say you will not do it.”

“How can the words of the Son of Heaven be a joke?” Wen Yulin pretended to be furious, “The Ministry of Revenue is already listing the young ladies from noble families for next year’s selection. This matter is not up to your whims; I will make the decision for you.”

Xi Huai immediately fell silent, thinking to himself that Li Wan had been kidnapped by the little emperor. That made Li Wan’s attitude very suspicious.

According to reality’s logic, a woman with sound values could never fall in love with a forceful, foolish little emperor.

Could Li Wan be the wife who was stolen by the male lead in the original story?

Wouldn’t that make Li Wan the original heroine?

That was not an impossible theory. Guessing that Li Wan was the original heroine made Xi Huai’s scalp tingle; his hair stood on end. He did not pick up on Wen Yulin’s comment, turning instead to refuse the selection.

However, the selection was already set in stone. With things having reached this point, Wen Yulin did not even have the mood for small talk. She said a few casual words and left the Yangxin Hall, leaving Xi Huai behind to curse.

Wen Yulin really wanted to stuff people into the harem. She lived up to her name as a political intrigue novel villain.

Seeing Xi Huai’s gloomy expression, Eunuch De could not help but step forward to soothe him, “Your Majesty, I do not think the Empress Dowager had any other intentions; she is just worried about you.”

Xi Huai massaged the bridge of his nose. He noticed Eunuch De’s head full of silver hair, and a thought of malice sprouted, “Eunuch De, do you not think the Empress Dowager’s hair is very thick?”

A question mark slowly appeared above Eunuch De’s head: “?”

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