Chapter 1

In the Great Qian Dynasty, in the capital city,

Xu Yan stood in front of a grand and imposing government office, wearing a flying fish robe that looked very impressive, with a red eagle embroidered on the chest.

He stood there, his tall and straight figure and outstanding appearance attracting the attention of many young women and housewives on the street.

However, he was thinking about his own future, "Being so handsome, with a good family background and high martial arts skills, what can't I do? Yet, I actually become a舔狗 (licking dog). For a woman, I caused the death of my parents and family, leading to the destruction of my home, and finally died miserably at the hands of the woman I loved."

Indeed, he was a穿越者 (穿越者, time traveler) who had traveled into a novel he had just read, and it was a melodramatic harem novel.

The book was quite entertaining when he read it, with the protagonist spouting all sorts of flirty lines, making it a good read.

But being a side character in the story was tragic.

Moreover, this side character was the first female lead's loyal licking dog, which made it even more tragic.

According to the plot of the novel, five years later, on the eve of the first female lead's marriage to the protagonist, he colluded with other villains to assassinate the protagonist. The outcome was predictable.

A side character whose name only appeared a dozen times in the book could not possibly compete with the protagonist, the chosen one of the world. The result was inevitable, and he was eventually eliminated by the female lead.

After traveling to this world, Xu Yan quickly understood his situation.

At the current time, the emperor was about to turn sixteen in a month and was preparing to take personal control of the government. This meant that the main plot was about to begin, and the protagonist was about to make his appearance.

The original protagonist was now a Red-Cloaked Inspector of the Six Fans, a very high-ranking position.

In the Six Fans, only the Purple-Cloaked Inspectors ranked above him, and above them was the Chief Inspector.

He was the youngest Red-Cloaked Inspector, with a promising future.

In fact, a few years later, he successfully rose to the position of Chief Inspector, with power second only to the cabinet and the six ministries, a high-ranking official indeed.

It should be noted that the Six Fans was not an ordinary government office. It was one of the two major intelligence agencies of the Great Qian Dynasty, with the authority to monitor all officials, similar to the Jinyiwei and the Eastern and Western Factories.

Given the original protagonist's future achievements, he was undoubtedly a prodigy. Unfortunately, he became a licking dog and ended up with nothing.

Now that Xu Yan had traveled to this world, he naturally would not become a licking dog for anyone else.

Today, he came to resign. To change his tragic future, the first step was to stay away from the first female lead and the Six Fans, a place full of trouble.

Then, he would find a place to lie low, using his knowledge of the plot to strengthen himself and strive to survive the major disasters in the future.

This novel seemed to be very popular, and the author was dragging it out, making the enemies increasingly powerful and their abilities increasingly bizarre.

As time passed, the world would become increasingly dangerous.

The most important thing was to improve his strength.

"Changing my fate starts today."

With this thought, Xu Yan walked into the government office with his head held high.

...

Today was the day for high-level deliberations in the Six Fans, and all Inspectors of the Red-Cloaked rank and above were present.

Four Purple-Cloaked Inspectors and sixteen Red-Cloaked Inspectors. These were all formidable figures who struck fear into the hearts of the officials of the Great Qian Dynasty. Over the years, countless people had been dismissed from office, and even had their families exterminated, due to their actions.

Sitting in the main seat was a young woman with a fair and delicate complexion, a true beauty. Her phoenix-like eyes swept over the crowd, and her presence was naturally commanding. Her powerful aura suppressed the group of unruly individuals.

"Indeed, she is a beauty, no wonder she could make the original protagonist fall head over heels."

In the solemn silence, Xiao Qingyu suddenly heard a teasing voice, and her gaze instantly became sharp.

In the Six Fans, the last person who dared to tease her in such a manner was now six feet under.

Everyone present felt a massive pressure and dared not even breathe loudly.

"What a terrifying aura. At this point, she should only be at the eighth rank, yet she has such a commanding presence."

The voice sounded again.

Xiao Qingyu was startled. She had not told anyone about her breakthrough to the eighth rank, which was her greatest trump card. How did this person know and even say it out loud in public?

No!

Immediately, she realized that the others had no reaction, meaning the voice was not heard but directly sounded in her mind.

Is it mind-reading?

A Buddhist master?

Xiao Qingyu immediately dismissed this possibility. A Buddhist master with such abilities would not be so bored as to sneak here to tease a junior.

Who could it be?

However, the tone of the voice seemed not to be directed at her but rather a monologue.

Xiao Qingyu's expression remained calm as she retracted her aura and was about to speak when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

"High Eunuch? Why is he here?"

She heard the footsteps outside and her heart stirred.

This High Eunuch was a confidant of the Empress Dowager. For him to come in person, it must be a major event.

She did not dare to be negligent and stood up to greet him.

"Here it comes. It's the case of the murder of the Marquis of Zhenan. Because of this case, she lost the Empress Dowager's trust. Then Chen Yu made a grand entrance, not only stealing her thunder but also winning her heart, making her willingly become one of his harem."

Murder of the Marquis of Zhenan?

Chen Yu?

I was conquered by him?

Became one of his harem?

Xiao Qingyu felt a surge of anger at these absurd words, vowing to find this person and beat him up to vent her frustration.

At this moment, High Eunuch entered, his expression extremely serious, "The Empress Dowager has issued an edict. The Marquis of Zhenan died suddenly last night in his residence. She now orders you, Inspector Xiao, to find the murderer within three days."

The Marquis of Zhenan really died?

Xiao Qingyu was greatly shocked.

The Marquis of Zhenan was the Empress Dowager's brother and her only blood relative in the world.

The entire Great Qian Dynasty knew that the current emperor was not the Empress Dowager's biological son.

No one knew better than she did how deep the bond between the Empress Dowager and the Marquis of Zhenan was. They had lost their parents at a young age and had to rely on each other. To the Empress Dowager, the Marquis of Zhenan was both a brother and a father.

The death of the Marquis of Zhenan was undoubtedly a huge blow to the Empress Dowager!

If this case was mishandled, it would indeed result in the loss of the Empress Dowager's trust, as the mysterious voice had said.

Xiao Qingyu accepted the edict, but her mind was in turmoil.

Could it be that what that person said was true?

As the leader of the Six Fans, she had informants throughout the capital and was extremely well-informed. Yet, this person knew about the murder of the Marquis of Zhenan before she did, which was not simple.

Who is this Chen Yu?

Xiao Qingyu, influenced by the earlier words, instinctively became wary of this person.

How could she, who was so proud, be conquered by a man? Let alone share him with other women.

"Damn it, why today of all days? I was planning to resign, but with such a major event, if I say I want to resign now, she probably won't agree. Well, no matter, I have to try."

Xiao Qingyu's mind was again filled with the voice, and this time, she finally locked onto the target from the subtle changes in someone's facial expression.

So it's you, Xu Yan!