Ranking

Nan Tao, an enslaved maid in a wealthy household, discovers that the baby-shaped ginseng fruit her mistress orders buried is alive.

As the fruit reveals the truth behind the household’s miracle heir, Nan Tao uncovers a cycle of trafficking, forced pregnancy, and women transformed into trees harvested for profit.

With a holy monk and his three disciples, she must uproot the dead tree that holds her soul—even though destroying it will erase her forever.

A dark feminist reimagining of a mythic delicacy, Ginseng Fruit turns supernatural horror into a haunting story of inherited violence, motherhood, and liberation.

When the hundredth prodigy of Sword One Sect abandons the Way of Heartlessness for love, its exasperated master orders the entire sect to embrace the Carefree Way instead.

Fourth disciple Ying Ruge expects a delightfully chaotic new life filled with matchmaking schemes, sect rivalries, and the silent devotion of her second senior brother, Meng Yu.

But when Demon-Suppressing Mountain breaks open, their carefree creed is tested by a battle that forces every disciple to decide what freedom, duty, and love are worth.

After I accidentally fell into the water at six, I became the silliest girl in all Jiangnan.

And yet, I was also the luckiest, for I had a husband who was wonderful in every way.

From what I wore to what I ate, he personally took care of everything for me.

Then one day, I wanted a second bowl of iced cream at dinner.

When he refused, my cousin, who had never liked my husband, questioned me.

“A-Fu, don’t you think your husband bosses you around too much?”

My husband answered coldly on my behalf.

“She doesn’t.”

My cousin tried again.

“Your cousin never bosses you around like that, so doesn’t that mean I’m still the better one?”

My husband frowned, then calmly wiped the corner of my mouth.

“Good A-Fu, did you hear that?”

“Your cousin is trying to drive a wedge between us.”

“He’s absolutely rotten.”

My family had three daughters, each lovelier than the last.

When we came of marriageable age, suitors nearly wore our threshold smooth.

Even the Emperor decided to interfere.

He insisted that one of us marry the great general, Xie Yuan.

Father and Mother could do nothing but sigh.

My two elder sisters exchanged uneasy looks, so I rose with righteous resolve.

“What’s there to worry about? Marrying a general would be glorious, and I might even get to ride a great stallion!”

“If neither of you will marry him, I will.”

Later, Xie Yuan pinned me in his arms and coaxed me again and again:

“Are you shirking again, Mianmian? Why won’t you ride your great stallion tonight?”

Noble Consort Qin was a peerless beauty, alluring enough to make the emperor cast aside his first wife and depose his legitimate son.

With tender eyes, Noble Consort Qin murmured, “His Majesty and I were joined as husband and wife in our youth. We are as devoted as a pair of mandarin ducks…”

Emperor Gaozu, inveterate male chauvinist: “Lady Qin is a mere concubine. How could she possibly have been joined to Us in our youth?”

“Throw this insolent wretch into the cold palace at once-and bring Us five hundred jin of memorials!”

◆ Male-chauvinist emperors with a single-minded devotion to a rich nation and a powerful army ◆

◆ We have no need of love. We want GDP! ◆

Notes:

1. This is a male-lead story in a fictional setting, and an unconventional quick-transmigration novel told through feudal monarchs who enter romance stories.

2. The emperors are written as typical rulers of feudal eras. They care only about raising GDP and have no time for romance. And yes, they truly are male chauvinists. Emphasis very much intended.

3. This is a wish-fulfillment story hostile to the pampered-concubine trope, with face-slapping and scum getting what they deserve. The emperors’ values do not represent the author’s. Please do not derail the discussion.

4. The direction and pace of the plot are entirely the author’s decision, and the author reserves the final right of interpretation.

1. The Emperors Reunite in the Underworld

In the seventeenth year of Huangtong in Great Zhou, the sovereign passed away.

A man in the Son of Heaven’s informal robes lay on the couch, already breathless. The fierce eyes that had once overawed all quarters were shut; never again would they look upon the realm he had conquered with his own hands.

Several senior ministers and imperial princes stood solemnly to either side. Beyond a curtain, the palace consorts knelt in an adjoining room, their muffled sobs drifting out. Outside the hall, palace attendants and eunuchs covered the ground in a dark mass, all wailing aloud.

The Crown Prince, Li Derun, stood to one side, his face bloodless. Attendants stepped forward to dress him in the Son of Heaven’s ceremonial crown and court robes, while other eunuchs presented the Six Imperial Seals.

His voice choked with grief, the Minister of the Imperial Clan came forward and implored, “The Late Emperor has passed. Your Majesty must proceed to Chongzheng Hall and ascend the throne at once, that your title and station may be set in order!”

The Crown Prince gave an almost imperceptible nod, his expression stricken. He turned and kowtowed three times to the Late Emperor upon the couch. When the rites were complete, he rose with grave composure and departed for Chongzheng Hall.

The Son of Heaven possessed all within the four seas, but the heights were bitterly lonely. His Imperial Mother had died three years ago; now that his Imperial Father was gone as well, he was truly alone in the world.

In the pale light before dawn, tears rolled from his eyes and struck the floor without a sound.

The Late Emperor was dead, but his spirit remained. Standing beside the bed, he watched his eldest son leave with reluctant eyes and called after him in anguish: “Construction has already begun on the imperial road from Jianzhou to Quanzhou. You must never let My death halt it. There are many old ministers at court, and redundant offices have begun to multiply. Be patient and deal with them gradually-do not take too large a step at once. Since I fell ill, the Northern Rong have repeatedly stirred. Once news of My death spreads, they will certainly make a move. You must guard against both arrogance and impatience…”

The Underworld’s envoys drove a soul-bearing carriage out of the void, its wheels rumbling. The hour of parting had come.

After one final look at his son’s resolute, upright back, the Late Emperor burst into tears. “Run’er, you and your brothers-take good care of yourselves!”

…

The Late Emperor’s surname was Li, and his personal name was Yuanda. He died on the sixteenth day of the fifth month in a gengzi year, at the age of forty-nine.

His achievements had been illustrious. He ushered in the golden age of Huangtong, brought prosperity to the people, and inaugurated four centuries of Zhou rule.

According to the laws of posthumous naming, one who ordered Heaven and Earth was Wen; one broad in virtue and learning was Wen; one diligent in study and eager to inquire was Wen; and one benevolent and loving toward the people was Wen. His posthumous name was therefore fixed as Wen, and his temple name as Gaozu. Thus was he known as Emperor Wen, Gaozu.

…

In the mortal world, Emperor Gaozu had been an enlightened Son of Heaven, protected by the Heavenly Dao. In death, he was no ordinary ghost. A party of underworld bailiffs respectfully escorted him to the Underworld, where his name and particulars were recorded before Yama. Then, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in life, the Ten Kings of Hell weighed his merits and faults and released him from the cycle of mortal existence, leaving his spirit imperishable.

He had been a heroic emperor among men. After crossing the threshold between life and death, Emperor Gaozu was dazed for only a few days before quickly recovering his equilibrium. He had a ghost servant lead the way and set off to tour the Underworld with considerable interest.

He passed the ghost-haunted Wangxiang Terrace, admired fields of red spider lilies stretching for ten thousand li, and paid his respects to the solemn, majestic Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. After a lifetime spent looking upon the mortal realm’s mountains and rivers, he found roaming the far reaches of the Underworld rather diverting too.

Human emperors from every temporal dimension came to the Underworld after death, where the Ten Kings of Hell judged their merits and faults. Those whose accomplishments were brilliant enough to be handed down through the ages could become ghostly divinities and dwell in the Underworld forever, deathless and undying. Emperor Gaozu was assigned to this district as well.

On his second day after settling into his new home, someone sent over a visiting card. Emperor Gaozu unfolded it, took one look, and laughed. “Why, he even shares My surname…”

His eyes quickly swept over the card. He asked the ghost servant standing below, “What sort of Son of Heaven was this man surnamed Li and personally named Shimin? I have never heard of him. Do you know?”

The ghost servant replied with utmost deference, “This sovereign ruled Great Tang. He ushered in the golden age of Zhenguan and was considered an exceptionally enlightened ruler even within his own temporal dimension. His posthumous name was Wen and his temple name Taizong. He arrived before Your Majesty and owns the residence to the west.” He then gave a detailed account of the life, deeds, and failings of Emperor Wen, Taizong.

“Oh?” Emperor Gaozu listened with fascination, then clapped his hands and laughed. “He shares My surname and even bears the same posthumous name. I should very much like to meet a man with whom I share so curious a destiny.”

The visiting card proposed the following day, but Emperor Gaozu could not wait. He ordered a ghost servant to fetch some fine burial wine from his treasury, then carried it personally to call upon the residence to the west.

When Li Shimin heard from his ghost servant that an emperor surnamed Li had just moved in next door, he too found the coincidence extraordinarily pleasing and sent over a visiting card. To his surprise, his new neighbor came to call that very day.

He went out to welcome him in person and found a visitor who appeared about thirty, tall and broad, strikingly distinguished, with an unmistakable air of power about him. Li Shimin immediately thought well of the man. They exchanged a few laughing pleasantries and soon felt a strong mutual admiration. Li Shimin ordered his ghost servants to lay out a feast with wine, declaring that they must drink until they were thoroughly drunk.

Emperor Gaozu was bold and forthright by nature, while Li Shimin was no petty man himself. When their conversation reached its liveliest point, each fetched a weapon and went to the training ground for a contest. After a hundred exchanges, neither could gain the advantage. They threw back their heads and laughed, then returned to the banquet to drink together.

After more than an hour of passing cups back and forth, they inevitably began to talk about their experiences as emperors in the mortal world. From affairs of state, the conversation turned to their wives and children.
Emperor Gaozu heaved a long sigh, tears in his eyes. “My wife, Lady Xu, was gentle, virtuous, and wise. She stood at My side from our youth-truly, a companion bestowed by Heaven. When My temper rose, none of the ministers dared remonstrate with Me; she alone had the courage to speak plainly. How hateful that Heaven granted her so few years and took her before Me. Do not laugh at Me, Shimin, but had our children not remained, I would have wished to follow her in death…”

At this point, the two men discovered that they were fellow sufferers. Their shared sorrow cut even deeper.

Wiping away his tears, Emperor Gaozu said, “Not long after Empress Xu died, My youngest daughter fell ill and passed away too. She was our littlest child-only six years old. I had not even had time to choose a Prince Consort for her or grant her the richest fief before she followed her mother. An old man burying his own young…” The tears he had only just managed to stop began streaming down his face once more.

Li Shimin broke into wrenching sobs. “My Sizi! I gave my daughter that childhood name in the hope that she would be strong and free from illness, but instead… She was only twelve when she left me!”

The two mortal emperors wept face-to-face, and everyone within earshot shed sorrowful tears with them.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked in from outside with his hands clasped behind his back. At the sight, he sneered. “You are grown men. Why put on the airs of weeping children? All this sniveling is enough to make you a laughingstock! I heard that a certain Li Yuanda had just arrived-a man born among commoners who climbed all the way to the imperial throne. I thought at last there might be someone worth talking to. Yet the moment I step through the door, I find you two wailing in each other’s arms. Shameful!”

Emperor Gaozu took no offense. Nor did he wipe his tears. “The human heart is made of flesh. Are emperors somehow different from ordinary men? Shimin and I were recalling our virtuous wives, both lost too young, and the little daughters we each suffered to bury. Our sorrow brought us to tears. I fear we have made ourselves ridiculous before you.”

Zhu Yuanzhang thought of Empress Ma, who had also died too soon, and of his beloved son Zhu Biao. The mockery vanished from his face, leaving it bleak. He pulled over a chair, sat down, and muttered, “Pour me a cup too.”

Emperor Gaozu poured the wine for him personally, then asked, “And how should I address this gentleman?”

“His surname is Zhu, his given name Yuanzhang, and his courtesy name Guorui,” Li Shimin said by way of brief introduction. “He began with nothing but a begging bowl and ended up Son of Heaven. Quite a remarkable man.”

Emperor Gaozu smiled. “So it is Brother Zhu. I have been remiss.”

“What good is being emperor?” Zhu Yuanzhang lamented. Tears spilled from his eyes. “I could not even keep my old wife and son alive. And after my death, my sons and grandsons… Ah, forget it!”

Each of the three was lost in his own grief. No one spoke. A night wind shrieked past, carrying a burst of bloodcurdling screams to their ears, along with what seemed to be the iron tang of blood.

Emperor Gaozu’s expression changed slightly. He instinctively looked toward the source of the cries and the bloody scent, but Li Shimin clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Pay it no mind. It is nothing serious. Ying Zheng is merely beating his son at home.”

Emperor Gaozu stared at him in confusion. “What sort of Son of Heaven was Ying Zheng? If his son was permitted to come here, he too must have been an enlightened sovereign. Why beat him?”

“There is more to it than you know.” Zhu Yuanzhang topped up his cup, taking blatant pleasure in another man’s misfortune. “Ying Zheng was the first emperor in the worlds Shimin and I came from. Men called him the Ancestral Dragon. His achievements were magnificent, and he truly was an emperor for the ages. The son who lives with him is no ordinary son, either. The wretch neglected the government, slaughtered every one of his brothers and sisters, and drove an enormous empire to ruin. Even the Ten Kings of Hell could not stand it. They made a special exception and allowed him here to atone for his crimes and soothe the First Emperor’s rage.”

Understanding dawned on Emperor Gaozu. “I see.”

The words had barely left his mouth when a tall, brooding figure appeared in the doorway. One hand resting on his sword, Ying Zheng sneered, “And how are you any better? Your grandson killed your son; your son killed your grandson. The pot mocks the kettle!”

The taunt struck Zhu Yuanzhang where it hurt most. His expression changed abruptly, and he lurched to his feet to argue the matter through. Emperor Gaozu and Li Shimin each grabbed one side of him and forced him back down. “Drink, drink! Calm yourself!”

Ying Zheng gave a contemptuous snort. His tigerish gaze swept over the three faces at the table, and suspicion flickered across his own. At last, he looked at the only stranger, Emperor Gaozu. “So you are the newly arrived Li Yuanda? Have all three of you been crying?”

“That is correct. Greetings, Shi Huang.” Emperor Gaozu offered him the courtesy due an equal, neither servile nor overbearing. “The three of us thought of wives and children who died before their time. Grief overcame us, and so we wept.”

“You will find no sympathy from him,” Li Shimin said with a low laugh. “He never appointed an empress and was never especially close to any of his children. All he wanted was to unite the six states and live forever. He had no attention to spare for such things.”

Emperor Gaozu was astonished. “Oh?”

Ying Zheng lifted his head, proud and imperious. “We possess all beneath Heaven and strike awe throughout the eight wilds. Our achievements surpass the Three Sovereigns; Our virtue exceeds the Five Emperors. What woman in this world could stand shoulder to shoulder with Us? For all of you to be so ensnared by the affections of wives and children-what womanish behavior!”

Liu Che approached at a jaunty pace and jeered, “It was precisely because you were so harsh and cutting that your son feared you. One forged edict ordered him to take his own life, and he despaired and obeyed.”

Ying Zheng retorted without hesitation, “A man who drove both his wife and Crown Prince to their deaths has no right to say such a thing to Us!”

Sold into a marquis’s estate at seven, Fugui survives by becoming a living screen, a beautiful servant trained to endure heat, cold, and pain without moving.

When another screen maid is condemned to serve as beauty paper merely for attracting the heir’s gaze, Fugui realizes she will be next.

To avenge the woman who raised her and escape a household that treats servants as objects, she turns the nobles’ forbidden desires, jealousies, and schemes against them.

Shen Yuze and her nemesis Jiang Xing have spent nine years fighting, dating, breaking up, and reconciling at the command of a ruthless Couples System.

On the eve of their wedding, they discover that Zhao Fei’er—the supposed villainess wrecking their relationship—is trapped by a system of her own.

With three fortunes and their freedom on the line, the unwilling actors join forces to stage one last spectacular melodrama and finally beat the systems at their own game.

I transmigrated into the daughter of a mistress.

When I arrived, my mistress mother was sobbing her heart out.

“What happened?” I asked.

She said, “The Qi family sent word: either they cancel Bai You’s engagement, or they replace her with Bai Zhuo.”

I rubbed my forehead. “And that’s worth crying over?”

My mother stared at me. “How is it not? Haven’t you studied this hard so you can enter a good university and become a better match for the Qi family’s young master? I lost to that woman my whole life. Must my daughter lose to hers too?”

The noble consort who had been cherished all her life said on her deathbed that she regretted everything.

“If there is a next life, I would gladly trade places with you. I would be a lowly palace maid, endure until I turned twenty-five, then leave the palace and be free.”

“The emperor’s favor, all this hollow wealth and splendor – whoever wants it can have it.”

Tears ran down her face as she said that all she wanted was a love that was pure and true.

Just before she closed her eyes, she clutched my hand.

“Cherry, will you do it? Will you trade places with me?”

Weeping, I pressed my lips to her ear.

“This servant is willing.”

I had spent a lifetime cleaning up her messes.

I was so tired.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review withstood enormous pressure, uncovered the true culprit, and cleared my father’s name, sparing our entire family from exile to Lingnan.

My father was immeasurably grateful and swore he would give his life to repay the minister’s kindness.

After a little polite hesitation, Lord Fu said, “My son has reached marriageable age, and I hear the vice minister’s household has several fine young ladies.”

My father understood.

I had the sharpest tongue in all of Chang’an.

It was so vicious that I was still unmarried at twenty.

When the dauntless Zhao family finally came to propose, I resolved to mend my ways, retire my lethal mouth, and become a quiet, lovely bride.

On our wedding night, my husband – famed for being as gentle and refined as jade – lifted my veil and rubbed his hands together in excitement.

“I hear that when my lady curses someone out, they have to rewrite their entire family tree before dawn?”

I hurried to reassure him. “Don’t worry, Husband. I’ve turned over a new leaf.”

Zhao Yuanxiu waved both hands, so anxious that he began to stammer.

“No, no, no.”

“From now on, my lady, please be even more ruthless. Spare no one.”

Me: What?

Before Qin Ruyu transferred to my school, I was the smartest and prettiest girl there.

After she arrived, I never came first in anything again.

Even when I confessed to Fu Shaonian, he turned me down because he liked Qin Ruyu.

So I hated her to death.

Years later, someone brought her up in front of me.

“What a shame. Why did you two break up back then?”

Me: ???

I’m straight too, okay!

Switched at birth to repay her father’s debt, Li Yuanxi endures ten brutal years at the northern frontier while another girl grows up as a noble heiress.

When she returns to the capital, her family sends her to die in a political marriage and deceives her betrothed, Fu Qingchuan, into marrying the favored daughter instead.

After Yuanxi’s death, Qingchuan turns his grief into a patient revenge, using love, ambition, and an old imperial conspiracy to destroy everyone who betrayed her.

Yet even when justice is done, the ghost beside him knows that nothing can cross the distance between the living and the dead.

[Two Male Leads + Infinite Flow + Horror Games + Power Fantasy + Rules Horror + Two Powerhouses + Irresistible Protagonist + Unhinged Beauty]

When Xiao Huai wakes up, he finds himself trapped in a bizarre game. Everyone around him is terrified out of their minds. He alone is bored enough to fall asleep.

He remembers nothing of his origins or his past. The only thing he knows is his name.

Those chosen are forced to take part in horror games, while a host of gods watch from beyond. Through the system, the gods can leave messages for the players and bestow blessings upon them.

Unfortunately, these gods are nothing like the ones of legend. They would much rather feast their eyes on bloodshed, violence, and the ugliest side of human nature.

To them, the countless horror games are merely a way to pass the time.

Xiao Huai’s arrival soon makes his livestream the most entertaining one of all.

Keywords: Two Powerhouses, Unhinged, Instances, Games, Power Fantasy

A max-level, irresistibly charming bottom vs. an unhinged, theatrical god top

Lu Yuanshi × Xiao Huai (bottom)

The top appears in the second instance.

The synopsis doesn’t do it justice; the story itself is much better! ~₍˄·͈༝·͈˄*₎◞ ̑̑

I booked an appointment with a specialist for pain during sex, only to discover that the intern sitting behind the kindly old doctor was my longtime crush.

The professor turned around to quiz him.

“He, what usually causes pain during intercourse?”

He Shiyu looked past his silver-haired mentor and stared straight at me.

After a long silence, he answered in a voice cold enough to splinter ice, each word striking like a blow.

“Rough movements.”

“A lack of restraint.”

“Excessive frequency.”

“Mechanical injury.”

The professor nodded in satisfaction and continued, “And what information should we ask this patient for now?”

He Shiyu thought for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice slipped out of control, trembling with accusation.

“Meng Yin, these past two months… who exactly have you been with?”

I took my younger sister’s place and married the fiancé who had suddenly gone blind.

After the wedding, we got along surprisingly well.

He believed the woman beside him was my sister, and that was why he treated me with such tenderness and devotion.

If nothing changed, our life should have passed quietly and smoothly.

Then one day, the man everyone believed would be blind forever…

Could see again.

After ten years of training for the wrong kind of ‘dance,’ the formidable Li Rourou must win an emperor’s favor or die.

Her strength, appetite, and spectacular misunderstandings turn every elegant harem scheme into chaos.

While the emperor plays rival clans against one another, Rourou blunders through assassination attempts, poisoned soup, princely feuds, and a brewing coup.

When imperial gratitude proves dangerously short-lived, she discovers that becoming the harem’s number one woman may require replacing the man at its center.

[Strong Female Lead + Comedy + Modern Fantasy + Male Lead with Multiple Incarnations]

Yun Jianyue woke up one morning to discover that her best friend was dead… and had become a headless vengeful ghost.

Yun Jianyue: “I must’ve gotten up too fast. I’m going back to sleep.”

Best friend: “…”

Yun Jianyue took her best friend to get revenge on a scumbag, only for an even more powerful vengeful ghost to appear halfway through and steal their chance at revenge.

Yun Jianyue raised a chainsaw and hacked the ghost to pieces.

Best friend: “Where the fuck did you get a chainsaw?!”

Yun Jianyue was forced into a ghost marriage with the Evil God. Humiliated and furious, he tried to kill her.

Yun Jianyue raised her chainsaw and shaved the Evil God’s head.

Best friend: “Where do you keep getting these chainsaws?!”

When Yun Jianyue and the Paranormal Bureau found themselves surrounded and pummeled by monsters and evil spirits, Yun Jianyue raised her chainsaw once again.

Best friend: “Tell me! Where! The fuck! Do you keep getting! These chainsaws?!”

Off to the side, a teenage boy saw that the chainsaw’s blade had gone dull and silently handed her a new one. Yun Jianyue took it and swung it with deadly force.

Teenage boy: “Good deed done, no credit needed. Check.”

With a handsome Evil God on her left and an adorable puppy-like boy on her right, Yun Jianyue had her hands full.

Best friend: “Which one of them is actually your boyfriend?!”

Yun Jianyue: “It’s only two dicks. What’s the big deal?”

A girl had been secretly in love with my boyfriend for years, using “business trips” as an excuse to see him four times a year-once in each season-and spending the rest of her life longing for him.

On the night before my boyfriend and I were to get engaged, she finally decided to let go, offering him her virginity as a parting gift.

My boyfriend told me he had only done it because he pitied her.

He Qiong was hailed as the strongest Demon King the demon realm had seen in a thousand years, and every demon expected him to lead them in an assault on the Nine Heavens.

Unfortunately, before that grand ambition could be realized, a beautiful young phoenix lured him into the Celestial Emperor’s ambush and his soul was destroyed.

I fought desperately to seize one fragment of his soul, then hid across the mortal realm like a hunted dog and nourished him with my heart’s blood for five hundred years until I finally brought him back.

Surely hardship revealed true devotion, and after everything I had sacrificed to save him, He Qiong would finally understand who truly loved him and who deserved to stand at his side.

I thought his return would begin a tale of the Demon King bathing the Nine Heavens in blood, but instead it became a tortured romance between him and the Goddess of the Nine Heavens-the little phoenix who had stabbed him in the back a thousand years ago killed herself for love afterward, and the moment he learned the truth, he forgave every betrayal.

Fine, they could keep their tragic, undying love; I knew when I had lost, and I wanted no part of it.

But the love belonged to them while the suffering belonged to me, because just before I left, He Qiong held the phoenix’s last soul fragment and said, “Du Nan, your heart’s blood brought me back after five hundred years, so you can bring her back too, can’t you?”

I was born face-blind, yet the crown prince of Beijing’s elite circle had always stood by me.

Until one day, when I overheard him talking about me with his friends.

“A whole month, and she still hasn’t noticed. Shen Jin, you’ve really got talent.”

“But your girlfriend looks like she’s close to figuring it out. Shouldn’t we switch back?”

In the corner, the man called Shen Jin pinched a cigarette between his fingers and shook his head.

“I’m afraid that won’t work. Yin-yin is still waiting for me to come home for dinner.”

I stood in the doorway and sighed, disappointed that I wouldn’t be getting someone new after all.

I had already grown tired of sleeping with both of them.

My young mistress was a transmigrator.

She declared arranged marriage unacceptable and ruined the match between me and the childhood sweetheart I had hoped to marry.

Then she insisted that women should not be trapped inside the home and forced me to enlist with her.

We became separated from our unit and stranded in a vast desert without water.

I risked my life to obtain two barrels of water from desert bandits and repeatedly warned her to ration it.

While I slept, she used every drop to wash her hair and bathe.

I died of thirst, while she emerged spotless and was rescued by the passing Crown Prince.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day she first tried to persuade me to enlist.

Of the five children in my family, four are queer-and they have paired off with each other.

Convinced that I am the last hope of both bloodlines, my father rejoices when he learns that I have a boyfriend.

Then my boyfriend messages me, “The new collar is here, Mommy-put it on me.”

I quietly locked my phone.

Apparently, he is even less fit to bring home.

On my birthday, the Fourth Princess and I both set our hearts on the same pomegranate-blossom crown.

At a loss, Father told each of us to choose a young man from the imperial clan to ride and shoot on our behalf.

Whoever struck the kite first after it was released would win.

I chose Qin Yan, my dearest childhood friend.

I knew he could hit the mark with his eyes closed, and I was certain he would make my wish come true.

But all three of his arrows missed by a hair.

I hid in the attic and wept after losing, until Qin Yan came to find me and finally snapped in exasperation, “That enormous gold crown would never have suited you. Jade is better. Plain, pure, and far easier on the eyes.”

“Stop competing with the Fourth Princess over everything.”

Then, with the solemn patience of someone offering hard-won wisdom, he said, “Jiajia, you need to understand that sometimes being right for something matters more than winning it.”

I took his lesson to heart.

So years later, when Father held trials to choose my prince consort, Qin Yan placed first in both the civil and martial examinations.

And I still did not choose him.

When my roommate Jiang Sibing learned that I kept three men on standby, she joked that she pitied my future husband for draining his savings on a bride who had already been passed around.

After a moment’s hesitation, I offered to transfer one of them to her.

Jiang Sibing’s eyes widened at once.

On the second day after learning that I was the impostor daughter, I finally lost control of my unhealthy obsession with my big brother.

I locked him in the basement, kissed him, and climbed all over him.

Then, during the day, I pretended nothing was wrong and helped the whole family search for their long-missing eldest son.

Like a rat in a sewer, I let myself sink deeper and deeper into a mire of despair.

An impostor daughter was unlikeable enough already.

Once they found out I was a pervert in love with her own brother, they would surely be disgusted by me too-wouldn’t they?

Then one day, my entire family began plotting right in front of me.

“Zhexue, your big brother has to appear at an international conference, so can I let him out for a little while?”

“Just half an hour. I promise we’ll lock him back up before you get home!”

Me: “?”

On my wedding day, a certain "ex-boyfriend" sent me a message.

"Do you know what you did wrong?

"If you do, we can get back together."

I stared blankly at my phone, then at the contact name on the chat: "8/12-Six-Pack, Great Dresser, Terrible Drinker."

I sank into thought.

"?"

When I did not reply for a long time, he sent another question mark.

"I'm getting married today."

After some thought, I decided it was best to be direct.

"How far along are you?" he replied at once.

"I've already changed into my reception dress," I answered honestly.

"It's time to go make the rounds and toast the guests."

A deep, mellow male voice sounded beside my ear.

With it came his scent-a cool, distant trace of bamboo mingled with the sea.

It was Lu Yuzhi, the man I had married.

"Okay."

I gave him a stiff smile and locked my phone the instant I heard his voice.

What I did not know was when he had come up behind me-or how much he had seen.

Lu Yuzhi and I were joined by a business marriage, not love.

Even so, no one would be happy to see their new spouse talking to someone of the opposite sex saved as "8/12-Six-Pack, Great Dresser, Terrible Drinker" on their wedding day.

On our wedding night, my husband told me something plainly.

His heart belonged to Concubine Song, and there could never be anything between him and me.

I was not to use my position as the lady of the household to make Concubine Song’s life difficult.

Furious, I tore off my bridal veil and gave him two choices.

Either we went to his parents together and asked what exactly they meant by arranging this marriage.

Or he brought Concubine Song to me so the three of us could settle matters face-to-face.

He feared I would bully his beloved concubine, while I feared she would use his favor to humiliate his lawful wife.

After a brief hesitation, my husband chose to summon her.

The three of us sat down and agreed on three rules.

First, Concubine Song was never to set foot in my main courtyard, and anything that happened if she did would be her own responsibility; the same rule applied to me.

Second, since my husband refused to consummate our marriage that night, we would never share a bed for the rest of our lives.

Third, if his parents pressed us for an heir, he would deal with them, and if I suffered punishment or loss because of it, he would compensate me.

My husband’s face turned glacial as he signed the agreement in a fury.

From that day on, he never entered my room again.

Concubine Song basked in her victory and laughed at me for giving up the finest man in the world.

The two of them settled into their sweet little romance.

I was too busy building a life of my own to spare them a thought.

But three years later, my husband stepped into my courtyard with an uneasy look on his face.

I knew at once that he regretted everything-and that he wanted to sleep with me.

I said calmly, “Let’s divorce.”

Mother ascended to heaven.

She left me two things: an old yellow dog and a manual for cultivating immortality.

Oh, and one promise.

“Whenever someone beats you, shout your mother’s name three times, and I will come save you.”

I never shouted.

Father had seldom used his fists lately; he had heard that girls in our area had suddenly become valuable, and a wounded one would fetch a poor price.

I was just about to tell my beastman husband that my sight had returned when I overheard his younger brother trying to persuade him.

“Shi Zhou, you may have lost your memory, but Yue Wei was your fiancée.”

“She’s badly injured now, and only your S-rank healing power can save her.”

“Are you really going to stand by and let her die?”

“If you can’t bear to leave that little blind girl of yours alone, I’ll take your place for a while.”

“She can’t see anyway.”

In the end, Shi Zhou gave in.

“All right.”

The live comments erupted with excitement.

[The strictest dad in the entire shipping fandom has arrived. Who else understands the noble sacrifice of a tsundere little brother offering himself up to the cannon fodder for the sake of his brother and sister-in-law’s true love?]

[Little brother: This family would fall apart without me.]

I raised my head and looked over, my heart skipping a beat.

Before me stood an upgraded version of Shi Ye-taller, broader, younger-looking, devastatingly handsome, and with an even straighter nose.

After Shi Zhou left, I felt my way over and wrapped my arms around Shi Ye’s waist from behind.

“Honey, you feel so different today.”

“Why are you suddenly hanging to the left?”

“Is something bothering you?”

I divorced my ex-husband because he never knew when to stop talking.

Afterward, I decided to date a mute.

My sweet young boyfriend was obedient, attentive, and exactly my type.

One day, I went to pick him up from his university.

Outside his dorm room, however, I heard him talking to his roommate.

“Yu, how long are you planning to keep pretending?”

“Until I get bored.”

Le Yao wakes inside an ancient romance as the personal maid of Prince Li, a brilliant war hero whose violent obsession with Wei Qingzhi turns every workday into a fight for survival.

As she becomes the unwilling go-between in their toxic courtship, Le Yao schemes to buy freedom with fellow maid Qingping-until the story’s ordained romance demands a price she refuses to accept.

I found an unconscious noblewoman by the river.

One bowl of lard rice a day, and she slowly nursed back to health.

Then one day, a great contingent of Tiger Guards came sweeping in full force to my butcher shop and knelt before the noblewoman: "We humbly request that our mistress return to the marquis's residence!"

The man leading them noticed me standing off to the side, trembling: "And who are you?"

I blurted out in a panic: "This commoner is the third butcher shop south of the city, pig slaugh-"

Before I could finish, the noblewoman clapped her hand over my mouth.

"This is my only daughter, the one I had fostered with my maiden family."

Before I married into the Eastern Palace, I secretly kept a man in Jiangnan behind the Crown Prince’s back.

He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and worked hard in bed.

His only flaw was that he bragged far too much.

He was plainly a rough country man, yet he spoke of imperial treasures with utter disdain.

He claimed the Cloud-Mist tea reserved for the imperial family tasted like swill and that he used it to feed his cattle.

Rubies worth a fortune, he said, had been nothing but marbles to him as a child.

Even when I decided to leave him, he kept boasting.

Kneeling at my feet with both arms wrapped around my legs, he begged, “Weiwei, don’t go. I’ll make you Crown Princess!”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I have no interest in being Crown Princess.”

He stared at me in shock and muttered, “Weiwei, how are you even better at bragging than I am?”

Later, I married into the Eastern Palace. I heard the Crown Prince had long cherished another woman in his heart.

Though he had lost his memory, he had remained chaste for her.

He told me coldly, “I do not love you. Expect nothing from me.”

I blinked at that familiar face. Even after he crouched down to wash my feet, he still could not make sense of it.

With an adorably baffled look, he asked, “What’s going on? How come I’m so good at taking care of you?”

Men with big butts are good at bearing children. That’s what my mom always taught me.

She said that no matter how disobedient a man was, once you got him pregnant, he’d do whatever you said.

As luck would have it, my boyfriend abducted me and took me deep into the mountains, demanding that I bear children for his bachelor buddies.

“You’re not allowed to stop until you’ve had eight sons!”

Eight? I passed out from sheer delight.

Well, in that case, don’t mind if I do…

The day I decided to divorce Pei Qingshu was an ordinary one.

Only the night before, he had promised that he would send Miss Liu away the next day, then celebrate my birthday properly with me.

It finally seemed as though our life was about to get better.

Delighted, I rose early, opened my dressing case, and carefully drew my brows while looking into a copper basin.

Then I dug an old pomegranate-red skirt out from the bottom of the camphorwood chest.

After seven years of marriage, I did not own a single decent piece of jewelry.

Seeing my bare ears, I pinched off a balsam blossom and tucked it behind my bun.

On my way out to buy vegetables, I ran into Chunxiang’s mother, who caught my arm with a teasing smile.

“I saw Master Pei buy two hairpins the other day—one gold, one jade. Let me see which one you’re wearing.”

Then she noticed the balsam flower in my hair and froze.

My father had held the imperial court in his grip for years.

He sent me into the palace and forced the emperor to take me as his empress.

On our wedding day, the young emperor and I came to blows.

With bloody scratches across his face, he swore, “Xiao Lingyue, I will wipe out your entire clan. Just wait!”

For six years, I strutted through the palace and clashed with him at every turn—until my father’s rebellion failed…

Crossed-inspired (but toned down; mere skin exposure does not cause infection) / apocalypse / strong female lead / survival / pseudo-ensemble cast / alternate world / no romance / no supernatural abilities / dark fiction / not a power fantasy / no easy victories / everyone suffers / desperate survival. The female lead is not the decisive, ruthless type. She is emotionally sensitive and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

In her previous life, Qingshui had fought tooth and nail to survive the apocalypse. When zombies overran the base, she risked everything to escort the base’s sole surviving researcher onto a plane, only to die in the jaws of the undead herself.

She thought that was the end of her life. Instead, in the blink of an eye, she was reborn into a vibrant world she had never seen before. There were no zombies here. No starvation. No bloodshed or chaos.

During her first year here, she even thought she had arrived in the paradise Aunt Chen used to talk about, despite the many classes she could not understand.

Just as she was finally beginning to accept her new life, the dream shattered…

In the middle of an unexpected exam, a piercing scream rang out from the classroom next door, awakening Qingshui’s long-honed survival instincts. Ignoring everyone else’s warnings, she grabbed the Dorm Leader and insisted they run back to their dorm.

Severed limbs littered their path, and the stench of blood filled the air. In mere moments, the entire campus became a living hell.

These creatures were even more terrifying than zombies. They tore people apart and devoured them alive, tormenting their victims for sheer amusement. Anyone caught by them would be better off dead.

And in this world gone mad, Qingshui will have to find a way to survive!

The boy who loved me more than anyone else in the world was dead.

His name was Jiang Yan. He was a police officer, stabbed seven times by a rich second-generation heir while trying to save a girl from domestic abuse.

Afterward, the girl tearfully claimed that Jiang Yan had molested her, and that was why her boyfriend had stabbed him.

The killer even got off scot-free with a psychiatric evaluation declaring him mentally ill.

As I stared at their faces, I suddenly laughed.

A psychiatric evaluation, huh?

What a coincidence.

I had one too.

Mother often taught me, “A principal wife must have the grace to accept others.”

I was born into a prestigious family as its eldest legitimate daughter. From the day I entered this world, it was destined that even if my future husband was not a prince, nobleman, general, or minister, he would at least be the eldest legitimate son of a family equal to mine in status.

A man destined to inherit his family’s legacy and become the head of his clan was, in all likelihood, never going to be monogamous.

And so, from my earliest childhood until the day I married, I heard the same lesson over and over again: “A principal wife must have the grace to accept others.”