"Your Majesty, no! Your Majesty... Ah!"
"Die!"
As Zhuo Yan's eyes snapped open, she saw a dagger lunging towards her. She gripped the attacker's hand, snapping it with a forceful twist. A scream of pain erupted from the other, and the dagger clattered to the floor.
She surged forward, pinning the person directly onto the ground, her hand clamped down, suppressing him. Her gaze was icy as she stared at him.
"Host!"
"I know."
This little brat had grown bold, attempting to kill her the moment they arrived. Did he intend to be alone forever?
The youth beneath her glared at her, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces. Zhuo Yan's expression, however, remained serene as she studied him for a long moment.
A male consort?
She rose, picked up the loose dragon robe beside her, and wrapped the disheveled youth on the ground snugly. Then, she lifted him.
"Someone."
A slight rustle came from beyond the screen, and a palace attendant appeared beside it. "Your Majesty."
"Prepare a soft sedan chair and escort the young master back."
"...Yes."
The attendant soon brought a soft sedan chair. The youth remained docile in Zhuo Yan's embrace, no longer causing trouble, likely scared.
Zhuo Yan placed him into the soft sedan chair and instructed the bearers, "Escort the young master back to rest and serve him well."
"Yes."
Once they were gone, she finally had time to sort through the original host's memories.
The original host, Nangong Zhuo Yan, was the King of the Women's Kingdom.
Just kidding, this world wasn't a Women's Kingdom, nor was it purely matriarchal.
This world originally had four countries, named Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise. The Vermillion Bird Kingdom, where the original host resided, had the Nangong imperial clan. The other three countries were patriarchal, while Vermillion Bird went against the tide. Twenty years ago, Vermillion Bird's power overshadowed Black Tortoise. In desperation, Black Tortoise sent envoys to propose a marital alliance. The Vermillion Bird monarch, Nangong Huang, took a liking to the Crown Prince of Chen from Black Tortoise, showering him with affection. They had one daughter, Nangong Zhuo Yan, the original host.
The Crown Prince of Chen was not favored in Black Tortoise; instead, he was sent as a hostage and poisoned by his own father from the start. Upon learning this, the Vermillion Bird monarch, in a fit of rage, launched an invasion and annihilated Black Tortoise, then, against all opposition, installed the Crown Prince of Chen as the King of Black Tortoise.
Unfortunately, within a few years, the old illness of the Crown Prince of Chen resurfaced. Despite Nangong Huang seeking the finest physicians across the land, he could not be saved. After the Crown Prince of Chen's death, Nangong Huang's heart grew heavy, and she passed away a few years later.
The original host, as the only daughter of the two, unexpectedly inherited Nangong Huang's throne, as well as her father's, becoming the co-ruler of both Vermillion Bird and Black Tortoise.
Although the original host possessed administrative talent, her body seemed to be influenced by her father. She would lose control at times, her madness ranging from lightly killing palace attendants and forcing court officials to their deaths, to a death toll in the millions and rivers of blood.
Despite being such a cruel tyrant, she managed to hold onto her position as ruler of two nations thanks to the empire her mother, Nangong Huang, had built through diligent governance. If not for the female protagonist, no matter how self-destructive she was, she could have lived a peaceful life.
However, this was a story of a female protagonist's rise.
The female protagonist was the daughter born to the original host's mother and a palace consort before she met the Crown Prince of Chen. She was initially somewhat favored, but after the arrival of the Crown Prince of Chen, Nangong Huang's eyes were solely on him. The Crown Prince of Chen hailed from a patriarchal country, and Nangong Huang, fearing his displeasure, disbanded her harem for him, dismissing all her male consorts. Her elder son and daughter also left the palace to establish their own residences.
In her previous life, the female protagonist loved the wrong person, was played for a fool, and was eventually executed by the original host for attempting to usurp the throne. Then, she was reborn.
She began to dote on her low-born consort, and started recruiting advisors. Initially, it was just for self-preservation. Later, realizing self-preservation was futile, she decided to go all out. Using her "foresight," she contacted the remnants of the Black Tortoise royal family, annihilated by Nangong Huang, and together they overthrew the original host's rule. Subsequently, with her reputation for wisdom, she brought the Azure Dragon and White Tiger kingdoms to submission, becoming a wise and legendary emperor.
However, her methods were too gentle. In her later years, she was pressured by court officials to take in consorts, nearly causing the death of her beloved. After a protracted struggle, their child was also killed by others, and the Empress ultimately did not grow old with her.
After reading this section, Zhuo Yan silently commented, "Useless."
The system dared not speak.
"What's wrong with this body?"
"Impotent."
Zhuo Yan: "...What was that?"
The system coughed lightly. "Let me put it this way, the original host seems to have a bit of a frigidity issue, not psychologically, but physically. It's like male impotence, the body is not capable."
Zhuo Yan frowned.
"Then what was happening just now?"
It seemed the original host had intended to force herself on that person. Then she and Chong Yan arrived together. The original "Chong Yan" would only shout and wail, but this one immediately attacked her.
If not for her quick reflexes, she would have been gone.
"Host, don't you have self-healing abilities? It might have been a bit of a reaction just now, getting excited, and wanting to force yourself on him. Don't look at the body's issues, this body is rare in this plane for having no sexual experience at twenty. Even the female protagonist slept with several people before favoring the male lead. I can't turn you into a child, so this body is the most suitable."
Zhuo Yan was speechless for a moment and said, "Next time this happens, you can help me pick a child's body."
This illness was too shameful.
The system, surprised, acknowledged.
Compared to the more extensive main plot, the original host and the person from just now had much simpler scripts: a notoriously cruel tyrant and a second son of a noble family forced into service.
Chong Yan, the illegitimate son of the Vermillion Bird Kingdom's Minister of Rites, entered the palace with other young masters of noble families. Like the others, he was abused by the original host during his first night of service. Coupled with his resistance, he was beaten even more severely, developing a chronic illness in the palace. Later, he was saved by the female protagonist, to whom he became devoted.
However, at that time, the female protagonist still dreamed of a lifetime with the male lead and disdained others. The male lead, pitying him, kept him as a servant. Later, he was mistakenly killed while saving the male lead.
A clear-cut tool.
"The original host has no wishes in this world, so Host, you can go wild."
Having collaborated for so long, the system had come to understand that its host, while appearing decisive on the surface, always considered the bigger picture. Just as she had told the main system, even if it meant slaughtering all living beings in the world, as long as the intention was to save more people, it wasn't a sin.
At least in terms of merit, as long as it was positive, it was worth it.
"I know. What about the data from the last world? Refresh it."
"Okay."
A series of information appeared on the system panel.
"Name: Chong Yan"
"Gender: Male"
"Race: God"
"Merit Value: -2,601,040,000"
"Faith Value: 876,006,000"
"Blackening Value: 40%"