When His Merits Threaten the Throne, the Empress Offers Herself in Marriage - Chapter 1:

Chapter 1: One Slash, One Minotaur

In the first year of the New Calendar of the Great Chu Empire, in the capital Jinling…

“Anmin, I’m begging you, please say yes. Young Master Zhao said that if I stay with you for a month, he’ll agree to take me in as his concubine. Didn’t you always love me? Just say yes, please help me one more time, I’m begging you.”

Inside the luxurious Falling Moon Pavilion, a beautiful young girl in her late teens knelt on the floor, crying in front of a young man dressed in fine brocade.

Behind him, a wealthy heir holding a folding fan sat at ease in the hall, watching them with amusement.

The young man was named Zhao Anmin. The girl was Chen Jiao. The two had been childhood sweethearts.

Unfortunately, half a year ago, Chen Jiao met her so-called “white moonlight”—that idle, good-for-nothing rich heir named Sun Shigui.

Sun Shigui was notorious in Chang’an for his debauchery. He excelled at everything indulgent—drinking, gambling, brothels, and seduction. He was a true playboy.

Worse yet, he had a sick hobby. With his outrageous golden hair and shameless charm, he’d seduce other people’s partners or lovers, conquer them thoroughly, and then parade them in front of their former lovers in a show of dominance.

Chen Jiao, inexperienced and naive, was lured into bed by Sun Shigui and became completely enthralled. She voluntarily broke up with Zhao Anmin and indulged herself in endless physical pleasures.

A perfect case of moral collapse.

Poor Zhao Anmin, a devoted romantic (or rather, a hopeless simp), had once cherished Chen Jiao dearly. But even his devotion couldn’t compete with a golden-haired manipulator. In the end, he endured the pain of betrayal in silence.

And now, the goddess he once adored had become another man’s plaything and was groveling at his feet, begging for just one more month together.

After half a year of intense indulgence, Sun Shigui had begun to lose interest in Chen Jiao. But she refused to be abandoned, so she proposed this outrageous condition.

And so, this ridiculous scene unfolded.

Zhao Anmin couldn’t believe his eyes. The girl he once wanted to grow old with, whom he had protected and loved so dearly, had become like this.

“Jiaojiao, what are you even saying?”

“I’m begging you, Brother Anmin, please help me. Just agree. If I can stay with you for a month, I’ll be able to join the Sun family and stay with Young Master Sun forever. I’m begging you, please help me. You can do whatever you want with me for that month—take it as repayment for the years we spent together.”

“Jiaojiao, what’s wrong with you? That bastard treated you like that and you still…”

“I won’t allow you to talk about him that way. I only have one question—are you going to help me or not?”

Zhao Anmin felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He couldn’t believe what she had just said.

“Jiaojiao, what’s so great about him that you’re willing to degrade yourself like this?”

“He…” Chen Jiao blushed and turned to look softly at the smirking Sun Shigui before lowering her head. “He makes me feel the joy of being a woman…”

Zhao Anmin’s entire body trembled. He staggered back two steps.

“So, Brother Anmin, will you say yes?”

No matter how much of a simp Zhao Anmin was, he was finally enraged.

“Chen Jiao, there’s nothing between us anymore. From now on, we go our separate ways. Let’s never contact each other again.”

He turned around to leave.

“Zhao Anmin!” Seeing her mission from Sun Shigui fall apart, Chen Jiao shed her fake kindness.

“What are you pretending for? You should be grateful I’m offering to stay with you for a month. Don’t be so ungrateful! Without me, who would even look at you? Don’t think you can survive in the capital without me!”

Zhao Anmin sneered and looked back at her, shaking his head. “Chen Jiao, look at yourself. What have you become? No matter how much I liked you, I’ll never agree to something so outrageous. So sorry, I’m not doing it.”

“Hahaha…” Sun Shigui, who had been watching like a spectator, clapped and laughed aloud. “Jiaojiao, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. It’s not my fault he rejected you, so don’t blame me. Hahaha.”

He got up laughing and began walking toward the exit of the pavilion.

Panic struck Chen Jiao. She scrambled over to Sun Shigui and pleaded desperately, “Young Master Sun, please don’t leave me. I really can’t live without you. Please, give me another chance, I beg you.”

Sun Shigui sneered and was about to say something sarcastic when—

Boom—

The private room door was kicked open with a loud crash.

A group of officers wearing black flying fish uniforms of the Imperial City burst in.

Sun Shigui was stunned. “Who are you people?”

A sharp and imposing woman stepped forward, holding up a token. “I am Su Yun, Head Banner of the Imperial Guard under Her Majesty the Empress. Young Master Sun, please come with us.”

“Hahaha…” Sun Shigui burst into laughter.

“Imperial Guard? Do you know who I am? My good friend is Young Master Ye Hui, heir of the Prime Minister’s residence. Even the Empress must show respect to the Prime Minister’s family. You stinking bottom-feeders think you can touch me? Back off if you know what’s good for you, or I’ll sell you to the brothel myself!”

Su Yun’s face turned cold. “Are you resisting arrest?”

“What a joke. Besides the Prime Minister’s—”

Jingle—

A crisp bell chime interrupted his words.

A sudden chill swept through the room as a shadow passed before his eyes, shimmering with icy brilliance.

He never got to finish that sentence.

By the time he realized what had happened, a figure clad in elegant robes had already walked past him. The youth wore a cloak over his shoulder, held a black dagger in reverse grip in his left hand, and stood silently behind him.

Time seemed to freeze.

A single drop of blood slid down the dagger’s tip and hit the floor, scattering like falling petals.

“Job done. I’m out.”

The youth spoke calmly. With a flick of his hand, the dagger spun into a streak of light and slid smoothly into the sheath at his waist.

His cloak fluttered with a gust of wind so strong it left everyone blinking.

By the time they regained focus, the youth had vanished—like a ghost, as if he’d never been there.

“What… just happened?” Su Yun was dumbfounded.

Suddenly, a line of red appeared on Sun Shigui’s neck.

Splurt—

Blood gushed out as his body collapsed to the ground, eyes wide open in disbelief, lifeless.

“Someone’s been killed—!” A chorus of screams erupted across the Falling Moon Pavilion.

Panic broke out instantly.

“No one moves. Stay where you are!” Su Yun quickly regained her composure and ordered her team to control the scene. She immediately sent someone to report to her superior, Commander Jiang Chaoyun.

A quarter of an hour later, Jiang Chaoyun arrived. After briefly inspecting the wound on Sun Shigui’s neck, he turned to Su Yun and said, “Send word to the Jinling Magistrate’s Office to collect the body. The rest isn’t our concern.”

Su Yun was stunned. “Commander, you act as if you were expecting this?”

Jiang Chaoyun glanced around, then pulled Su Yun aside and whispered, “Xiao Su, you’ve only been in Chang’an for a month. There’s still a lot you don’t know about the Imperial Guard. This was your first assignment, and you already ran into something like this. You’ll get used to it eventually. The one who acted today is your colleague—and your direct superior. His name is Shen Lang.”

“Shen Lang?” Su Yun froze.

“You mean the Shen Lang who hasn’t shown up for roll call at the Guard headquarters for a whole month?”

“Lower your voice!” Jiang Chaoyun warned. “He’s the one person in our department no one dares cross. Even our Commander, Lord Jiang Shangxian—the Empress’s own uncle—gives him leeway. Whatever you do, don’t offend him. You have no idea. Ever since Shen Lang joined us when the Empress ascended the throne and established the Imperial Guard, the only reason we haven’t been dragged down by those useless court officials is thanks to him.”

“What?” Su Yun was shaken.

“Enough. I’ll explain everything later back at HQ.” Jiang Chaoyun looked at Zhao Anmin and the still-dazed Chen Jiao and shook his head. “Take these two to the Security Division for questioning. That’s all we need to do here. I have to report back to the Commander. I’m leaving this place to you for now.”

He patted Su Yun on the shoulder and strolled out of the Falling Moon Pavilion.

…

On the other side, after swiftly dispatching Sun Shigui, Shen Lang stepped out of the pavilion and looked up at the sky.

“Almost evening. Time to enjoy myself a bit.”

Patting his stomach, he headed toward the braised food stall at the street corner.

How does a homebody enjoy a night to the fullest?

Answer: 86 copper coins, one small bottle of wine, a plate of deep-fried peanuts, and a serving of braised meat. That’s all it takes.