You Were Sent to the Capital as a Hostage, Yet You Took the Throne as Emperor? - Chapter 1:

Chapter 1: They All Deserve to Die!

The Great Li Empire, Capital City of Chang’an.

At the residence of the Prince Min.

“You’re just a fake. Do you really think you’re the real heir of Prince Min?”

“You should be grateful we even let you eat leftovers and chicken bones, and you still dream of sitting at the main table?”

“Before you came to the capital as a hostage in place of the Third Young Master, you wouldn’t have even had cold scraps to eat, let alone chicken bones. And now you dare be picky?”

“If you dare to ignore the rules I’ve set, beating you to death wouldn’t be excessive.”

Li Qingtian, the fat steward of the prince’s residence, slipped an iron knuckle onto his finger. His bulky body swayed forward as he prepared to punish the frail, dazed young man dressed in luxurious clothes, sitting quietly in the corner.

“Chief Steward Li, have mercy. He has to attend the Third Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow. If you injure him and someone notices something’s off, it’ll be a pain to explain.”

Hearing the interjection, Steward Li withdrew his fist. Instead, he angrily threw a chicken leg on the ground, stomped it a couple of times, and kicked it toward the youth.

“Aren’t you always whining about being hungry? Eat that chicken leg and I’ll spare you the beating.”

Wei Ran shook his dizzy head, staring at the trampled chicken leg in front of him, eyes wide in shock and disbelief.

I… actually transmigrated?

A jarring discomfort from the forced soul transfer made his brows knit tightly. As memories of the body’s original owner flooded in, he quickly understood the situation.

It all started with the Prince Min, Wei Wuji. He was a famed general, honored by the late emperor and granted command over 300,000 troops. He governed five prosperous regions and held immense power, which made the court wary.

To reduce suspicion, Wei Wuji sent his youngest son to the capital as a hostage. But how could a powerful, foreign-blooded prince bear to let his beloved son suffer in a strange land?

So, he found a stand-in.

That stand-in was named Li Baoshu. He had hoped life in Chang’an would be a dream come true, but little did he know that the staff of the prince’s residence saw him as nothing more than a disposable pawn.

They kept him confined in the mansion, fed him cold leftovers, and beat or scolded him over the slightest offense.

Li Baoshu was timid by nature. Coupled with internal injuries and prolonged mental and physical torment, he was eventually scared to death—literally. And that gave Wei Ran the chance to be reborn in his place.

Besides Wei Ran and Li Qingtian, two others stood nearby: the head guard Gao Ming and the etiquette officer Wang Runlian. All three were trusted subordinates of Prince Min and held great authority in the residence.

Li Qingtian managed the household affairs, Gao Ming handled security, and Wang Runlian, from the Bureau of Rites, oversaw the servants’ conduct and etiquette.

The situation… was off to a rough start.

Wei Ran furrowed his brows in fury. The mistreatment the original host had endured ignited a deep rage within him. His expression turned grim, and his gaze became increasingly fierce.

Seeing Wei Ran’s reaction, Li Qingtian grew furious. “You little bastard, what are you glaring at? You’re actually picky about the food I gave you? Pick it up and eat it!”

With that, he raised his foot and stomped on Wei Ran’s head.

“Eat it. Eat it, you dog… now!”

Wei Ran’s face was almost pressed to the ground. It became harder and harder to breathe. His eyes slowly turned bloodshot.

I’m a transmigrator! Even if I’m just a stand-in, I’m still publicly known as the heir of Prince Min. How could I possibly endure this humiliation?

Rage filled his chest. Gritting his teeth, he slowly reached for the flattened chicken leg.

Seeing this, Li Qingtian smugly withdrew his filthy foot. A twisted smile spread across his face as if indulging a perverse pleasure.

“Good dog. That’s more like it.”

Wei Ran lowered his head and slowly stood up. But instead of eating, he stripped the meat off the bone—then suddenly looked up and roared.

“You fat pig! You’re dead!”

A stab rang out.

The sharp chicken bone pierced straight into Li Qingtian’s fat neck.

With a ripping sound, flesh tore apart. Then another stab, and another. Blood spurted everywhere.

Wei Ran stabbed him more than ten times. Only then did Li Qingtian finally push him away, his eyes bulging in shock and fury. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a gurgling, bloody mess.

His whole body trembled in agony. Clutching his ruined neck, he staggered back several steps before collapsing.

Wei Ran leaned against the wall, face covered in blood, chuckling eerily. His grotesque expression sent chills down anyone’s spine.

The other two stewards were stunned, eyes wide as they shot up to their feet.

“Steward Li!”

“You madman, stop right now!”

They both rushed forward.

On the ground, Li Qingtian opened his bloodshot eyes and struggled to look at Wei Ran, only to cough out more blood. A few spasms later, he lay completely still.

“Hehehe… all of you… deserve to die.”

Wei Ran let out a crazed laugh.

“You brat. You killed Steward Li right in front of me. Have you thought about how you want to die?”

Gao Ming’s face darkened, flames of fury flickering in his eyes.

As the head of security, he was responsible for the residence’s safety.

And now, right under his nose, the chief steward was murdered with a chicken bone. This was a slap in the face.

Wang Runlian’s delicate brows twisted sharply. Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and her voice shrieked like a banshee.

“You bastard! Steward Li was one of the Prince’s most trusted men. How dare you kill him? The Prince will have your head!”

“Kill me?”

Wei Ran raised the chicken bone to his own neck.

“You don’t need to do it. I’ll do it myself.”

He pressed down slightly, and blood began to trickle from his neck.

“My life doesn’t matter. But you better think about how you’ll explain this to His Majesty. If the heir of Prince Min dies in the capital, and the Prince seeks revenge for his son, raising an army of 300,000, who among you can take responsibility?”

“Heh.”

Wei Ran let out a cold laugh. “I’m afraid before the cavalry from Liangzhou even reaches the capital, His Majesty would have already executed your entire families out of rage.”

“Didn’t you want to kill me?”

“Come on, do it.”

Gao Ming and Wang Runlian’s expressions turned grim.

Clearly—

They couldn’t bear that kind of blame.

Gao Ming’s expression softened slightly. “Li Baoshu, put the chicken bone down. Let’s talk this out.”

“Li Baoshu?”

Wei Ran’s cold eyes swept over them. “Who is Li Baoshu? There’s no Li Baoshu here—only the heir of Prince Min. You dogs, address me properly: as His Highness the Heir.”

Gao Ming’s eyes narrowed as his gaze turned frosty.

Wang Runlian scoffed. “A mangy chicken from the gutter dreaming of becoming a phoenix? What a delusional idiot.”

“Commander Gao, we should just kill him. We’ll head back to Liangzhou tonight. By the time his body’s found, it’ll be rotting. We’re the Prince’s trusted aides. He wouldn’t punish us over some imposter.”

Gao Ming gave her a cold glance.

Wei Ran sneered. “Fool.”

“If Prince Min sent me to act as his heir, then he’s already made plans.”

“If I die, not only will you have ruined those plans, but you’ll also be dragging the Prince into a crime of deceiving the Emperor.”

“In the eyes of nobles and ministers, you’re just slightly better-trained dogs.”

“If word gets out that the Prince’s heir died under your watch, the Prince will definitely kill you to vent his fury.”

“And even if he doesn’t, the Emperor surely will.”

Wei Ran let out a chilling laugh.

“If I die, none of you will live long either. At worst, we all go down together.”

It was because he saw this truth clearly that he dared to kill the steward without hesitation.