Runaway with the Emperor

At the age of eight, Yan Zhi was sold into the palace, becoming the eighth personal attendant to the tyrannical emperor.

The previous seven had all been beaten to death.

The thirteen-year-old tyrant pinched his cheeks and said to him, “If you want to live, you must swear loyalty to me and only me for the rest of your life. If you dare betray me, I’ll cut you down with a single stroke.”

Yan Zhi nodded frantically, patting his chest and vowing his undying loyalty to His Majesty.

To survive, Yan Zhi served diligently for ten years.

When the emperor was ambushed, Yan Zhi shielded him and was pierced clean through by a sword.

When the emperor went to war, Yan Zhi carried his weapons, never faltering, always guarding.

When the emperor was poisoned, Yan Zhi raised the bowl and drank it all in one go, so the imperial physician could test it…

Except—it wasn’t poison. It was an aphrodisiac…

Every time he did these things, the emperor would reward him with a small pastry.

Crispy on the outside, flaking at the slightest bite, and filled with snow-white, cloud-soft cream.

He wanted to share some with the emperor, but the emperor would always cross his legs, wave his hand, and watch him eat.

Yan Zhi licked the cream from the corner of his lips and thought, The tyrant isn’t so “tyrannical” after all. He’s just been bullied by bad people, just like how I was always mistreated by my father and stepmother at home.

Oh, right—the emperor had a name. He was called Xiao Cuan.

As he ate his cream puff and gazed at Xiao Cuan, Yan Zhi chanted silently in his heart, over and over: “Xiao Cuan, you’re a good man! Xiao Cuan, you’re a good man!”

(Two)

When Yan Zhi turned eighteen, Xiao Cuan had eliminated his rivals, purged the court, conquered enemy nations, and unified the realm.

It was also time to select consorts, establish an empress, and fill the imperial harem.

Yan Zhi didn’t dare object. He followed Xiao Cuan through the first round, the second round, and the final round of selections.

Xiao Cuan grabbed his hand and forced him to choose one of the candidates as his future master.

On the day of the empress’s coronation, red silk draped the palace.

Yan Zhi finally couldn’t hold back. Clutching the bright-red wedding robes, he stared tearfully at Xiao Cuan, his eyes reddening before he could even speak.

Xiao Cuan gripped his chin and teased, “You want to be empress too? To be empress, you need ‘90 in influence, 90 in talent.’ Even to be a consort, you’d need ‘80 in influence, 80 in talent.’ What can you even do? Be good and wait—I’ll bring you a cream puff when I return.”

Then he turned and left, casually throwing on an everyday robe before attending the coronation ceremony.

Yan Zhi didn’t understand. All he felt was heartache—heartache so sharp it felt like dying.

So he ran away.

(Three)

The day he was caught and brought back, Xiao Cuan locked him in the imperial bedchamber.

Before him towered a mountain of cream puffs.

Xiao Cuan knelt on one knee, split open a puff, and smeared cream on Yan Zhi’s lips. “Zhi Zhi, take a bite. One bite, and your affection meter will be full again.”

Yan Zhi looked up and saw the empty red bar floating above his head. Suddenly, he understood.

So this is the world as His Majesty sees it.

So he… was never a good man at all.

Note: “First round, second round, final round” refers to the initial, secondary, and final interviews.

· A cliché, dog-blooded historical romance with a “chase-the-lover-to-the-crematorium” plot.
· The gong is a transmigrator but remains physically and emotionally chaste.
· The shou will have a career and friendships that make the gong seethe with jealousy.