Xiao Ai started with the history of the Fu family.
The Fu dynasty had lasted for over a century, making it the longest reigning dynasty in this world divided by warring factions.
However, over the course of more than a hundred years, the Fu family had produced over a dozen emperors. Among them, the one with the best reputation was Emperor Mingzong, who almost unified the world. He was revered by the common people of the Great Zhou dynasty and held an almost godlike status, though unfortunately, his life was short-lived.
The worst reputation went to the father-and-son pair of Fu Huang and his father.
Though Fu Huang’s father, Fu Xu, was mainly criticized for his incompetence.
Emperor Wuzong, Fu Xu, was a man skilled in disguise. When he was a prince, he was frugal and humble, deeply in love with his first wife, Lady Zhang, and even had no concubines. His brother, Crown Prince Mingyi, was often seen as extravagant and indulgent. After Crown Prince Mingyi died in a horse-riding accident, Fu Xu ascended the throne, and he was widely supported by the people.
Who knew, once he became emperor, he revealed his lascivious nature, taking many concubines, even during his mourning period. Among them were women from his father’s harem, his brothers’ concubines, and various court ladies. His harem became so large that the palace couldn’t accommodate them, so he had the Pear Blossom Palace built to house them. Naturally, with so many concubines, there were many sons, and Fu Huang was one of the many royal princes. He was born in the Pear Blossom Palace, where his mother’s identity was unclear—she was likely a woman of the royal family who could not be officially recognized, so Fu Huang was raised by the favored Lady Zhaoyang, who had no children at the time.
“Lady Zhaoyang and Empress Zhang were always close, so Fu Huang was actually raised jointly by both the Empress and Lady Zhaoyang. His origins should have been a major weakness, but Emperor Wuzong was a man of taste, and there were plenty of princes and princesses from similar backgrounds, so it didn’t really stand out. Fu Huang was exceptionally talented and, like his father, ranked second among the princes. He was favored by Emperor Wuzong and soon rose to prominence among the many princes, earning a reputation for photographic memory. He was particularly skilled with a bow, and his archery was unrivaled. It was said that he resembled his great-grandfather, Emperor Mingzong.”
Fu Ye thought about Fu Huang’s lifeless face now and could hardly imagine such a scene.
“Since he had such a stellar reputation and was favored by Emperor Wuzong, he was made Crown Prince at the age of sixteen, and his status was unparalleled.”
Fu Ye asked, “So what happened to him after that?”
Xiao Ai replied, “It’s said that it was because of illness.”
“Illness?”
“Shortly after Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne, the Hu people from the south invaded. The capital was captured by them, which was a tremendous humiliation for Emperor Wuzong. He was extremely warlike, and all of the older princes had military experience. As the Crown Prince, Fu Huang had grown up in the military and was a formidable warrior. He was supposed to stay in the capital, but he often accompanied Emperor Wuzong on military campaigns. In the 18th year of Tianyun, while drinking in his tent, Fu Huang suddenly fell ill. The pain was so intense that he went into a violent frenzy, causing several ministers to be killed in his tent. From then on, he was afflicted with a mental illness. He couldn’t sleep at night, and when the disease struck, his mind would become clouded. He would often faint, and those around him suffered terribly.”
Fu Ye was taken aback. “!!”
“Given his illness, he was no longer fit to be emperor, so Emperor Wuzong ordered him to be deposed as Crown Prince. A highly anticipated Crown Prince, suddenly turned into a madman that everyone avoided. But Fu Huang was a military genius, so the emperor kept him around. He went on to lead countless successful campaigns, never losing a battle. He recaptured the three states and seven prefectures his father had lost to the Hu people… which is quite ironic. His father, Fu Xu, was known for his warlike nature, but it was Fu Huang who recovered everything. After his death, he was honored with the title of Emperor Wuzong. Isn’t that ironic?”
In the 20th year of Tianyun, Fu Huang triumphantly returned to the capital. Logically, such a war hero should have been greeted with a grand celebration, but the capital was already full of rumors about his violent madness. It was said that he massacred surrendering soldiers, would slaughter entire cities on a whim, and enjoyed drinking human blood when he was in a frenzy. People said that when he rode through the streets, the citizens would hide their heads, too scared to look up. In short, no one knew what was true and what was false. Adults trembled upon hearing the rumors, and children were too terrified to cry at night. When word spread that he was returning to the capital, every household shut their doors, and the streets were eerily empty.
But inside the palace, they still held a grand celebration in his honor. No one knew what happened that night, but by morning, the Qingtai Hall was flooded with blood. Of the five princes in the capital, Fu Huang was the only one to survive.
“This is just something I pieced together from the full text, an old story really. As a tyrant, he’s not the main character, so many details are missing.”
“…Fu Huang isn’t the male lead?!” Fu Ye exclaimed.
He had thought Fu Huang was the male lead, given how distinct and fashionable his character was!
“He’s only going to get crazier and crazier, eventually losing his sanity. How could he not be overthrown?” Xiao Ai said.
“Wait a minute!!!” Fu Ye was genuinely alarmed now. “He’s overthrown? What about me?”
If Fu Huang was overthrown, then his fate as a fake prince wouldn’t be any better. They were all in the same boat.
“In the original story, when Fu Huang is overthrown, your fake identity would have already had its head chopped off,” Xiao Ai said. “As for now, you’ve got me helping you. Even if you can’t change the overall direction, I should be able to keep you alive… probably?”
“…” Fu Ye asked, “Then who’s the male lead in this novel?”
Xiao Ai replied, “The new ruler of Nanyong.”
“They’re not in some kind of love-hate relationship with Fu Huang, are they?”
“Not really, Fu Huang looks like a dead man. Can you imagine him in a relationship?”
Fu Ye couldn’t.
Xiao Ai went on to explain the general plot of the story.
The entire original novel wasn’t really connected to Fu Ye’s character, because in the original, his character would be beheaded very quickly. He only appeared in a few brief lines, essentially just watching from the sidelines as Fu Huang’s kingdom was destroyed.
The novel itself had little to do with the Great Zhou Dynasty, with most of the story set in the Great Yong Dynasty. The main narrative spanned a convoluted 4 million words, with the Great Zhou only appearing in the last few thousand words. After the male lead unified the world, Fu Huang served as the final boss he had to defeat. Xiao Ai said that the climax of the entire novel was the Twin Dragons Battle at Jiantai City, because the “Mad Emperor” Fu Huang was incredibly strong. In the final battle, he fought until the very last moment. If not for his headaches acting up, he might have killed the male lead.
In the end, Fu Huang was beheaded by the male lead in Qingtai Hall, his limbs severed and displayed on the streets for the public. His head was paraded through the streets, and his limbs were distributed to the common people for food.
“The novel mirrors itself here. Fu Huang ascended to the throne, drenched in blood, coming out of Qingtai Hall. When he was overthrown, the blood also spilled in Qingtai Hall.”
Qingtai Hall was the most revered hall in the entire palace, the largest, tallest, and grandest. Before Fu Huang, it had been the place where past emperors both worked and resided.
Even from Qingyuan Palace, one could see Qingtai Hall in the distance.
Fu Ye threw on a robe and pushed open the window. Through the icy snow, he looked at the distant Qingtai Hall.
The red pillars were carved with intricate patterns, and the embroidered gates had ornate roof ridges.
From far away, the sound of drums echoed, causing the crows to flap their wings and soar into the air. After that, the sound of street drums came, dull and heavy. This world had a uniquely dark and somber atmosphere, like a comic book come to life.
Inside the main hall of Qingyuan Palace, His Majesty was once again suffering from his headache.
Fu Huang was wearing only an inner shirt, still drenched in sweat, with veins bulging all over his body.
Eunuch Qin stood nearby, his lips pale as he constantly urged others to bring in fresh towels. The palace servants were used to it, and although there were many attendants, the hall was eerily silent.
It wasn’t just because they were well-trained; it was also because no one dared make a sound that might disturb the Emperor.
A young eunuch approached lightly, and Eunuch Qin Eunuch glanced at him before quickly stepping forward. “What is it?”
“The Sixth Prince requests an audience with His Majesty.”
“Tell him His Majesty is not receiving visitors.”
“His Highness said he knows the Emperor is suffering from a severe headache. He’s studied medicine and would like to offer his help.”
Eunuch Qin’s heart stirred, but after a moment of hesitation, he still didn’t dare take the risk. “Tell the Sixth Prince to return. The imperial physicians are already attending to His Majesty.”
The young eunuch quickly ran off. Standing at the palace gate, Eunuch Qin could faintly see a tall, slender figure in crimson robes beneath the ornamental archway of the Eastern Courtyard—a silhouette like a red plum blossom blooming quietly in the dark of night.
Qingyuan Palace was vast, divided into two sections. The Eastern Courtyard had a direct passage to the outer gate, but to reach the main hall, there were only two paths: either take the main gate around the corridor into the central courtyard, or pass through the decorative gate in the middle. But without an official summons, no one from the Eastern Courtyard dared enter the main grounds.
With his hands tucked into his sleeves, Fu Ye asked, “Well?”
“All the imperial physicians are with His Majesty. The night is bitter cold, Your Highness should return.”
Fu Ye pressed his lips together, hesitating.
He decided to gamble.
After all, offering help in someone’s darkest hour left a far better impression than showing up in good times.
He had, after all, studied medicine for a few years. In previous worlds he’d crossed into, he’d even practiced as a traditional physician—especially skilled in acupuncture. With centuries of medical knowledge under his belt, he figured he couldn’t be much worse than a doctor from this era.
So he stepped over the threshold, heading straight for the main hall—only to be stopped by Qingxi and the others, who immediately dropped to their knees to block him.
“Your Highness!” the young eunuchs cried, kneeling in a line. “Without His Majesty’s summons, you may not enter the courtyard.”
Only then did Fu Ye realize that without permission, there was no way he’d get to see the Emperor.
Left with no choice, he returned to his quarters. From behind the courtyard walls, he could hear a flurry of footsteps—eunuchs hurrying to and fro. Around midnight, he thought he heard shouting. Heavy footsteps pounded the snow-covered ground. From his position beneath the ornamental gate, Fu Ye saw guards dragging an imperial physician away.
The physician didn’t even dare scream.
Soon after, a group of palace attendants came and locked the decorative gate with a heavy clank.
The north wind howled.
Fu Ye, letting his imagination run wild, pictured the mad emperor next door slaughtering people. He didn’t sleep a wink all night.
Before long, people from the Empress Dowager’s side arrived and locked the door that led from his room to the main corridor.
Clearly, they were afraid the Emperor might turn his wrath on him.
Imperial power was absolute. And in the hands of a tyrant, life and death could be decided on a whim.
The next day was deathly silent. Not a single sound could be heard.
There were suddenly many more guards outside the palace—even the side courtyard had them. Fu Ye could hear the clink of armor just beyond the gate.
Around noon, the Empress Dowager sent someone to check on him.
It wasn’t Nanny Sun, but a younger official—a court adjudicator.
“How is His Majesty?” Fu Ye asked.
The adjudicator replied, “The Empress Dowager sent people to check on him as well. His Majesty is doing much better.” Then added, “The Empress Dowager instructed that Your Highness should stay indoors, and not be overly frightened.”
But judging by her face, Fu Ye figured she was more scared than he was.
She didn’t stay long. As Fu Ye escorted her out, the palace maids by the doorway suddenly bowed their heads low. The younger ones were even trembling slightly.
More and more people began to kneel.
Fu Ye saw Fu Huang.
He looked like a ghost, emerging from Qingyuan Palace with a blank expression. His hair was loose, his feet bare, and he was carrying a sword in his hand.
He was terrifying—like a demon that had just crawled out of hell. A deep crease marked his brow, and blood stained the corners of his mouth. With the sword in hand, he walked toward him.
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