Yan Yi Ming transmigrated into a game named <Emperor of Power>.
Even the name, <Emperor of Power>, was extremely domineering. It was a newly released large-scale historical love game; widely known as an otome game.
What is an otome game? According to the official released statement, it was a BG[1] love developmental gameplay where the female character was the main protagonist and the male characters were the capture targets (male capture targets ≥ 2).
The statement was fresh and refined. However, the dazzling ‘≥ 2’ in brackets regarding the number of possible captured male targets instantly put a very promiscuous note to the game.
NP.[2]
To put it bluntly, this was a game that satisfied all aspects of a woman’s fantasy about men.
The players would take on the role of the female protagonist and form virtual relationships with the many superb and handsome male protagonists. If one was not enough, there was a second one. If two were not enough, there was a third one. A myriad of beautiful men to fall in love with. Multiple capture targets could be chosen simultaneously and the superbly handsome men could be switched up at any time to cater to the player’s taste.
Within the game, the female protagonist was an undisputed stunner. All the male protagonists would fall in love with her wholeheartedly and unconditionally. That’s right, unconditionally, regardless of how stupid the female protagonist was. In the hearts of all the male protagonists, she was their loveable cutie. The male protagonists would definitely toss aside all other beauties in hope of being able to be together with the female protagonist.
Once the game went live, with the male protagonists’ handsome appearances and mesmerizing voices, the game quickly became the most popular one on the market.
It was one month into the immersion of the game when Yan Yi Ming woke up to find herself having actually transmigrated into the game. Unfortunately, she did not transmigrate into the well-loved, winner-in-life, female protagonist. Instead, she became the female cannon fodder destined to be ruthlessly abandoned by the male protagonists; a stepping stone on the female protagonist’s path to success.
Yan Yi Ming dwelled on the words ‘stepping stone’ several times in her heart. She released a mocking laugh, ‘Who will end up being the stepping stone remains to be seen.’
Currently, Yan Yi Ming was reclining against the bench-back balustrade in Huxin Pavilion. A gentle breeze brushed passed a few strands of hair hanging around her ear, giving the exquisite and peerless visage an added element of grace. Gently pinched between her fingertips was a semi-transparent, lustrous pearl the size of a longan. She half-heartedly listened to the joyous chatter of her little maidservant, Lu Mei.
A few days ago, her young lady invited His Highness to go to Mount Fuyu to admire the peach blossoms. Back then, His Highness did not reject but due to a last-minute appointment with Gentleman Jian, to discuss a matter of importance, he was not able to come today. As a form of apology, he specially instructed someone to deliver over this southern pearl.
“My Lady, I’ve heard that this is a tribute pearl from the South China Sea. Regardless of its size and luster, it’s far superior compared to ordinary pearls. Yet, His Highness the Crown Prince had specially gifted this to you. His Highness is extremely attentive towards My Lady.” Lu Mei held onto the box that previously contained the southern pearl, and her round face had an innocent and naive grin.
Yan Yi Ming secretly sneered. Forget about being ‘extremely attentive’, she did not even see a smidge of attentiveness.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Nangong Xuan, was one of the four male protagonists of <Emperor of Power>. Since he was one of the male protagonists, then only the female protagonist, Jian Yu’er, could make him show any form of attentiveness. Naturally, his attentiveness would not be directed at her.
The four male protagonists in <Emperor of Power> had extremely different personalities. Amongst them, the Crown Prince, Nangong Xuan, was the most domineering one. Born from the current Empress, he was the Son of Heaven. Such a person would never lower himself to do something he was unwilling to do. He would never feel a sense of guilt towards a woman he did not fancy and even have someone send some broken pearl over as a form of apology for missing their appointment. Let alone the fact that said woman was hell-bent on being together with him.
In conclusion, this pearl that was nominally ‘sent by the Crown Prince’ was definitely not Nangong Xuan’s idea. Nangong Xuan might have even been opposed to having it delivered. After all, in Yan Yi Ming’s recollection, her current identity was one that solely treated Nangong Xuan wholeheartedly. Yet, Nangong Xuan was not even willing to spare her an additional word.
Yet, this pearl was still delivered to her. It could only mean that someone made that decision on behalf of the Crown Prince, or said person managed to convince him to do so.
Who was this person? Yan Yi Ming could fathom a guess.
This person was the one who had a last-minute appointment with the Crown Prince to ‘discuss’ matters of importance, Gentleman Jian, Jian Yu Yan.
Jian Yu Yan was another one of the four male protagonists of <Emperor of Power>. The eldest son of the Prime Minister, he was Nangong Xuan’s closest childhood playmate, and the ‘elder brother’ of Jian Yu’er, the female protagonist of <Emperor of Power>.
The reason for the quotation marks on this ‘elder brother’ was very simple. Since Jian Yu Yan was one of the male protagonists, then there might be some indescribable relationship between him and the female protagonist. According to the scrupulous nature of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, they would never allow brother-sister incestuous relationships to occur. Hence, this identity of a biological brother had to be fake. Either Jian Yu’er or Jian Yu Yan held another identity and it was definitely not a simple one.
Yan Yi Ming only transmigrated into the game this morning. After having a brief understanding of her current identity, it was safe to say that it was definitely not inferior to the young lady of Prime Minister’s manor, Jian Yu’er’s.
The establishment of the Chen Xia Dynasty dated about fifty years ago. Back then, the First Sovereign[3] seized the country and brought peace. Yan Yi Ming’s grandfather, the current Duke Ding, was the most capable man aiding the First Sovereign. On the battlefield, Duke Ding also saved the First Sovereign, making the First Sovereign extremely grateful and indebted. Thus, he bestowed generous grace on the Yan Family.
Therefore, Yan Yi Ming’s current identity was Duke Ding’s di[4] granddaughter. Since she was a child, Yan Yi Ming had fallen in love with Nangong Xuan at first sight, thus vowing that she would marry no other than him in this life.
In Jin Ling Capital, the young lady of Yan Family boldly declared that she would marry Nangong Xuan and no one else. Although Nangong Xuan did not directly mention this issue, he neither denied the claims when others mentioned it. Nangong Xuan was not opposed to the idea of being chased by such a distinguished and beautiful lady. In addition, with Yan Family’s current standing, it would provide him with a lot of help.
It was later on after he met Jian Yu’er that he sang a different tune.
Yan Yi Ming could vaguely recall this episode of the storyline. However, when she was playing the game, she stood from the standpoint of the female protagonist. At that point in time, posing as Jian Yu’er, she was not privy to the knowledge that this beautiful cannon fodder was so miserable. She did not know that Nangong Xuan had long agreed to an outing with Young Lady Yan. It was only now that she was extremely clear about the ins and outs of the storyline.
It was no wonder this young lady went crazy with jealousy when she found out. In a fit of rage, she wanted to slap Jian Yu’er but was instead slapped hard by Nangong Xuan. Nursing a broken heart, she became more crazed and embarked on the path of a vicious female cannon fodder.
After being privy to the entire circumstance, Yan Yi Ming was even clearer that the excuse made up was not by Nangong Xuan, but by Jian Yu Yan. After all, Jian Yu Yan was also one of the male protagonists. If Yan Yi Ming knew that the female protagonist, Jian Yu’er, was also present today, according to Yan Yi Ming’s obsession with Nangong Xuan, who knew how much hatred would have been incurred towards Jian Yu’er.
Pitiful Young Lady Yan, only God knew how many sleepless nights she had while awaiting their outing day to arrive. Yet, the man she loved, did not even spare her a single thought. All his attention was directed towards Jian Yu’er. In addition, Jian Yu Yan, in hopes to protect Jian Yu’er, had given the excuses and the pearls delivered.
Yan Yi Ming toyed with the supposedly valuable and rare pearl. Under the shocked eyes of Lu Mei and the group of maidservants, she tossed the pearl in a beautiful arc into the lake behind her.
Lu Mei cried out as she leaned over the pavilion guardrail and anxiously exclaimed, “My Lady, you… that was gifted by His Highness!”
Yan Yi Ming lightly brushed her hands against one another, as if dusting off some dirt. “So what if His Highness sent it over? Our residence is filled with many such pearls.”
After saying that, she silently chuckled when she witnessed the group of maidservants with their mouths hanging open and Lu Mei’s distressed countenance. “If you like pearls so much, after we returned you can have mine.”
Lu Mei was slightly startled.
It was no secret how obsessed her mistress was with the Crown Prince. Once, the Crown Prince accidentally broke an ornamental thumb ring, her young lady had gently picked up the two halves of the ring and kept it safely. Yet today, her young lady had heartless tossed the pearl that the Crown Prince gifted into the lake.
Moreover, Yan Yi Ming’s expression did not show any reluctance. It was as if what she just threw into the lake was not a pearl, but an ordinary pebble.
Yan Yi Ming clearly remembered when she played the game, Nangong Xuan had given Jian Yu’er a string of pearls. The surface of the pearls shimmered with a faint golden iridescent glow. That was the characteristic of the most precious Tahitian pearls and it definitely did not look so ordinary.
Seeing the dumbfounded Lu Mei, Yan Yi Ming smiled and told her, “If you like it so much…” Yan Yi Ming drawled while pinching the little girl’s round face, “Then have people fish it out for you to play with it.”
“My Lady!” Lu Mei shrieked. She did not know how to react at this moment and she even felt that her young lady was crazy. The servants trailing behind them were also shocked. Fish it out? With how big and wide the lake was, how would they even begin to search for it? In addition, how could a maid use such a precious pearl? On top of that, it was gifted by His Royal Highness!
Momentarily, Lu Mei could not understand what Yan Yi Ming was doing. But seeing her young lady getting up, she obediently followed Yan Yi Ming out of the pavilion as she asked, “My Lady, where are we going now?”
“To Mount Fuyu.” Yan Yi Ming smiled.
To catch the adulterers.
Yellow peeps, Blistz here again! I’m back with another novel~
Hope y’all will enjoy it as much as I did~
I was DYING to pick it up. I completed reading this shortly after picking up MIE and I knew I wouldn’t be able to juggle so many novels, so it was left on the back-burner for a few months…
As with all my other novels, please feel free to let me know if there are any terms or idioms that didn’t make sense because I didn’t leave a description or definition.
My two cents (advanced warning?) about the novel:
Prepare tissues! (If you’re an emotional peep like me)
Sometimes, I enjoy reading novels that tug heavily on my heartstrings and tear ducts… regardless of whether the happy or sad kind
(*ﾟ∀ﾟ*)
BUT I promise, there is HE[5] at the very end of the novel, if not I wouldn’t have enjoyed it or even picked it up!
ｰ(☆∀☆)/”
[1] Boy x Girl romance.
[2] Non-deterministic polynomial; harem, or reverse harem.
[3] A posthumous title bestowed on the founder of a dynasty.
[4] di [嫡] signifies the children of the first/official wife.
[5] Happy ending