So, you accidentally swapped lives with an ancient emperor. How do you survive 30 days without getting yourself killed? It’s actually pretty simple. Just three steps: Step one: Facing the dreaded ‘bedding’ ceremony? Bluff your way through using high-minded, statesman-like rhetoric to deflect the crisis. Step two: Confronted by scheming ministers in court? Dismantle their old-world schemes with modern project management strategies. Step three: Forced into a royal wedding with another woman? Don’t panic. Just… improvise. And guess what? I survived, came back in one piece, and even brought a ‘Beginner’s Guide to Imperial Revolution’ with me. You’re welcome. **Chapter 1: Trapped as a Tyrant – Waiting to Die** The world glitched. A crazy new game called “Life Swap” popped up, letting you trade lives with anyone. It went viral, totally blew up overnight. All you had to do was scan your face and upload your ID, then boom – you’d switch identities with someone for a set amount of time. I jumped right in, couldn’t wait. **[Match Found. Identity Swap Successful.]** The game’s notification barely faded. And then, I was soaking in a steaming hot bath. The white marble tub was carved with intricate patterns, rose petals floated on the surface, and the air hung heavy with a decadent, exotic incense. Around me, a circle of maids knelt, trembling, only daring to peek at me from the corners of their eyes. Is this some kind of VIP millionaire experience pass? A thrill shot through me. Just then, a flood of chaotic memories slammed into my mind like a tidal wave. The ancient Empire of Veritas, the third year of Emperor Julian’s reign. Julian, a notorious tyrant, known for his unpredictable rage and a body count higher than the palace walls. The identity I’d swapped into? The infamous young tyrant, renowned for wiping out entire families on a whim! “Your Majesty…” From outside the chamber, a sycophantic yet subtly mocking voice spoke up. It was Master Bellamy, the chief steward. “Lady Seraphina, your most favored consort, is ready. Shall we bring her in to assist you with your bath?” My mind exploded. I instinctively shot up from the water. Warm water streamed off my body, and I looked down, instantly frozen with shock. It was still *my* body! Fair skin, delicate curves—all the undeniable features of a woman, made even clearer by the steamy air! Damn this game! It only swapped identities and locations, not bodies! “Your Majesty?” Master Bellamy’s voice held a hint of confusion. I was terrified out of my wits. If he walked in and saw the Emperor’s sacred body had turned into a woman’s, I’d probably be tortured to death on the spot. “Get out!” Thinking fast, I forced my voice low, imitating the tyrant’s muffled roar from the memories. “I’m feeling under the weather today, and I have no desire for bloodshed. Get out!” Master Bellamy outside clearly froze for a second, then actually seemed to relax, chuckling obsequiously. “Your Majesty is truly merciful! This servant was foolish. So… by imperial decree, shall Lady Seraphina be beaten to death and cast out of the palace?” What?! My scalp prickled instantly. A human life, dismissed so casually by him. I couldn’t let him follow the tyrant’s logic any further. “Silence!” I slammed my hand onto the water, sending a huge splash flying. My voice trembled with fear and anger, but to them, it sounded like the prelude to a terrifying rage. “I’ve changed my mind! From this day forward, I will not harm women! Dare to question my will again, and I’ll have your tongue cut out!” This statement, completely out of character for the tyrant, clearly stunned everyone outside the door. After a long, chilling silence, Master Bellamy’s tearful kowtows echoed. “Your Majesty, please forgive this lowly servant! I deserve death! I will never dare again!” Listening to their scrambling footsteps retreating. My legs went weak. I collapsed back into the bath, letting the warm water cover my shoulders. Staring at this female body hidden beneath the Emperor’s robes, I sank into unprecedented despair. This damned tyrant experience pass? It started on hell mode! **Chapter 2: Imperial Court – A Battle of Wits** The next morning, I was practically dug out of the imperial bed by the palace staff. Layers of heavy, intricate robes felt like a suffocating cage. Worst of all, to conceal my female figure, I had to bind my chest tightly with long strips of cloth. Every breath felt painful and constricted. Pale-faced and wobbly-legged, I was finally carried to the morning court. In the Imperial Throne Room, hundreds of officials knelt, chanting, “Long Live the Emperor!” I sat on the high throne, my legs trembling. “Any petitions? Otherwise, court is adjourned—” The steward’s announcement had just finished. When a middle-aged man in sumptuous royal robes, exuding an air of authority, stepped forward. He was Duke Silas Thorne, the all-powerful Regent, and by blood, the Emperor’s uncle. “Your Majesty,” his voice was booming, filled with immense pressure. “The northern barbarians are restless, and our border defense funds are critically low. I believe the most pressing matter is to increase taxes by thirty percent to replenish the national treasury and assert our nation’s might!” The entire court fell silent. I immediately sifted through the original Emperor’s memories. The treasury wasn’t empty at all. This old fox was trying to seize an opportunity to line his pockets and, incidentally, test me – the puppet Emperor who had changed so drastically last night. Isn’t this just a corporate stress test? A cold smirk touched my lips. I suppressed my nervousness and spoke. “Uncle, your words are flawed. A forced tax increase would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, only inciting rebellion among the people. The matter of the national treasury should prioritize increasing revenue and cutting expenses.” “Increasing revenue? Cutting expenses?” The Regent’s eyes flashed with disdain. “Tell us, Your Majesty, how do you propose to increase revenue, and how do you propose to cut expenses?” Here we go! That’s what I was waiting for. I cleared my throat, ready to unleash my modern-thinking combo. “Increase revenue?” I leaned slightly forward, my voice not loud, but clear, echoing through the grand hall. “Firstly, thoroughly investigate all illicit salt and iron mines across the land, bringing all their profits under state control. Secondly, transform the royal hunting grounds into a major trade hub, levying transit taxes on all passing merchant caravans. My hunting grounds won’t lie fallow for free.” At these words, many officials’ faces subtly shifted, clearly agitated that their interests were being touched. I ignored them, pressing on, “As for cutting expenses, it’s even simpler!” My gaze swept across the room, my voice low, laced with my carefully mimicked tyrannical edge. “Firstly, downsize the Imperial Harem. Three hundred consorts out of three thousand are quite enough. The rest shall be given severance pay; those who wish to return home may do so, and those who wish to remain in the palace may serve as maids. All their allowances shall be halved!” “Secondly,” I shifted my focus, my eyes locking onto the Regent. “Reduce the stipends of the Royal Clan! Uncle, as the head of the Royal Clan, you should lead by example for our Empire of Veritas. Your stipend, for instance, shall be cut by half, as a clear demonstration, won’t it?” This was a direct hit, a dimensional reduction attack that struck directly at Duke Silas’s most vulnerable point. He never dreamed that this puppet nephew, whom he’d always manipulated, would dare to turn the knife on him. “Your Majesty! Absolutely not! This goes against ancestral law!” The Regent’s face turned ashen, finally cracking under pressure. “Ancestral law?” I slammed my hand onto the armrest of the throne. “Is ancestral law meant to keep the common folk well-fed, or to let you bloated, corrupt parasites gorge yourselves?! I say, what needs changing most are these very ancestral laws that enable your corruption!” My words left the Regent speechless, his face flushing a deep purple. Meanwhile, a few old ministers in the ranks, long suppressed by him, now had eyes that blazed with an astonishing light. Their gazes, initially contemptuous and numb, had transformed into disbelieving awe and respect. I tasted the sweet nectar of power for the first time, but I also clearly felt it. When the Regent lowered his head, the look he shot me was filled with undisguised murderous intent. **Chapter 3: The Empress Dowager’s Feast – A Perilous Trap** My unusual behavior quickly reached the Imperial Harem. The Regent’s elder sister, the current Empress Dowager Beatrice, couldn’t sit still. Under the guise of caring for my health, she arranged a perilous trap disguised as a feast in the warm pavilion of the Royal Gardens. Inside the pavilion, incense swirled, and soft music played. The Empress Dowager sat regally at the head of the table, surrounded by a group of alluring consorts. “The Emperor has been toiling for the nation lately, he’s grown quite thin.” The Empress Dowager smiled warmly at me, but her eyes held a malicious glint. “Come, my consorts, let us toast His Majesty properly, to ease his fatigue.” No sooner had she spoken than a svelte consort, holding a wine cup, melted against me, her breath like exotic perfume. “Your Majesty, I toast you…” The heavy scent of her perfume and her warm body sent shivers down my spine. I stiffly pulled away, terrified that the tightly bound cloth across my chest would burst open. “I… I don’t care for heavy perfumes.” I mumbled a clumsy excuse, then grabbed a cup and downed its contents in one gulp. Another bolder consort directly picked up a pastry and tried to feed it to me. “Your Majesty, try this…” I practically scrambled away from her. My repeated rejections made the atmosphere in the pavilion grow increasingly strange. The Empress Dowager’s smile slowly faded. Finally, she revealed her true intentions. “Oh dear,” the Empress Dowager sighed softly, her face full of concern. “The Emperor keeps refusing. Is His Majesty perhaps unwell? I hear there’s a Physician Alistair Finch who recently arrived in the palace, whose legendary technique of pulse diagnosis is truly remarkable. Regardless of gender—” “Oh, no, regardless of condition, he can discern it instantly. I specially invited him to examine Your Majesty.” As her words fell, an old man with a goatee emerged from behind the screen, his eyes sharp. “This humble servant, Physician Finch, requests to take Your Majesty’s pulse.” My heart instantly plummeted. Pulse diagnosis by thread? Isn’t that like an ancient x-ray or ultrasound! Once he got a reading, my faint female pulse and the constricted breathing from my bound chest would definitely give me away! Treason, punishable by the harshest death! Even though I was technically the Emperor, the premise was that I had to be the *real* Emperor. Cold sweat instantly soaked my inner robes. My hands and feet felt icy, my mind a blank. What do I do? What do I do?! Just then, my gaze swept across the room and suddenly landed on a young palace attendant, Leo, kneeling in a corner, holding a fruit platter. A consort accidentally bumped him as she turned, and the platter crashed to the ground, sending fruit scattering everywhere. The chief steward next to him immediately stomped on his hand, cursing loudly. “Clumsy fool!” Leo’s face contorted in pain, but he bit down hard, not letting out a single sound. While everyone else was gloating, watching me, the Emperor, make a fool of myself. Only he, even with the agonizing pain of his crushed hand, looked up quickly at me. In his eyes, there was no fear, only the bitter resentment of being bullied, and a desperate plea for help. My heart suddenly leaped. A crazy, desperate plan instantly formed in my mind. **Chapter 4: The Vault Burns** Just as Doctor Finch, twirling his thread, was about to touch my wrist – that split second of ultimate suspense. “Insolence!” I slammed my hand onto the table, the throne rattling with a loud bang. I pointed at Leo, the young attendant who had dropped the platter, and roared with all my might. “How dare you! To be so disrespectful in front of the Empress Dowager and my beloved consorts, and to disturb my royal presence! Take him away, execute him at once!” This furious shout was filled with the unpredictable, unhinged fury of the original Emperor. Everyone was startled by this sudden resurgence of my tyrannical nature. The Empress Dowager even revealed a satisfied smile. What she wanted was this incompetent Emperor, ravaged by wine and women, utterly devoid of initiative. Not the wise ruler who dared to challenge her brother in court. Leo was dragged away by two guards. When he looked back at me, his eyes were full of despair and confusion. I forced back my inner apology, then stood, bowed to the Empress Dowager, and said impatiently. “This clumsy servant has ruined my mood! I need to change my clothes!” With that, I brushed past everyone and strode out of the warm pavilion. But I didn’t return to my private quarters. Instead, I shook off the pursuing stewards at a corner, took a shortcut, and ran desperately towards the Royal Penitentiary, the department in charge of punishments. When I arrived, breathless, the executioner’s blade was already raised high. “Stop!” The blade halted less than an inch from Leo’s neck. In the dark, damp woodshed of the Royal Penitentiary, I personally untied the ropes binding Leo. He knelt on the ground, still shaking from the shock. “Do you want to live?” I stared into his eyes, cutting straight to the point. “If you want to live and become my confidant, do something for me.” Leo snapped his head up, his eyes blazing with intense light. I leaned in close, whispering so only he could hear. “Go set a fire. Burn down Duke Silas Thorne’s private chambers, the Obsidian Vault, where he stores his official documents. Make sure it’s as big a scene as possible, but don’t harm a single person!” The despair in Leo’s eyes instantly transformed into surprise, then a fierce resolve. Anything to stay alive. He kowtowed deeply, then vanished into the night without a word. I quickly tidied my appearance and returned to the banquet, pretending nothing had happened, continuing to play my part with the Empress Dowager. Less than fifteen minutes later. “Fire! The Obsidian Vault is on fire—!” In the distance, flames blazed, painting half the night sky crimson. Alarm bells rang throughout the Imperial Palace. I erupted in fury, pushing away Doctor Finch, who was still trying to take my pulse, and pointed at the commotion outside. “There’s chaos in the capital, assassins must be at work! What are you useless quacks doing here, trying to take credit! Guards! Protect the Emperor!” I seized the opportunity to wrest temporary command of the Imperial Guard from Duke Silas’s loyalists. At the same time, under the pretext of searching for assassins and imposing a city-wide lockdown, I confined all of the Empress Dowager’s and Duke Silas’s informants within the palace, successfully deflecting the medical crisis. I had just caught my breath in my chambers when Leo, smelling of smoke, stumbled in. Behind him, a breathless messenger, just arrived from the border, rushed in! The messenger dropped to his knees, his voice hoarse: “Report—! The northern barbarians have torn up the peace treaty! Thirty thousand troops are amassed outside Serpent’s Pass!” “The barbarian princess has issued an ultimatum: she demands to marry the Empire of Veritas’s War God, our Emperor, on the battlefield in two days! Otherwise, she will raze the city!” I shuddered, turning sharply to look outside. The unsettling smirk that had played on Duke Silas’s lips just before his confinement flashed in my mind. I instantly understood. This was no mere diplomatic marriage. This was a death trap he had set, one I could absolutely not escape! How could I, a woman, marry a warrior princess known for her strength, in front of thirty thousand soldiers from two nations?! At the same time, on my phone—the interface only I could see—the cold notification rang again: **[WARNING: High-Risk Quest Triggered. Time Remaining: 72 Hours.]** **Chapter 5: Battlefield Negotiation** I had no choice. Two days later, on the battlements of Serpent’s Pass, the north wind cut like a blade. I wore heavy golden armor, and underneath, still that suffocating chest binder. Amidst the mournful wails of my officials, lamenting their Emperor’s sacrifice for the nation, I walked alone to the highest battlements of the fortress. Below, the barbarian army stretched as far as the eye could see, a dark, ominous mass, their murderous aura reaching the sky. At the front of their lines, a magnificent warhorse carried a woman in crimson battle armor. Her posture was as straight as a pine, her face cold and stunning, and her phoenix-like eyes were sharp. Even from a hundred paces, I could feel the hardened, battle-forged aura emanating from her. She was Princess Anya Volkov, the legendary warrior princess of the northern barbarians. “I heard the Emperor of Veritas is just a sickly man who hides in his palace, playing with women,” she began, her voice clear and carrying across the entire battlefield. “Is he truly worthy of marrying me, Anya Volkov, on the battlefield? Worthy of being called a War God?” Her words were laced with undisguised contempt. I didn’t get angry. Instead, I took a deep breath, employing every negotiation trick I’d learned in my previous life, and spoke loudly. “Princess, you claim this is a marriage alliance, but in truth, you seek to gauge our strength. If I were truly a sickly man, marrying me would mean you’d be a widow in all but name, and the world would mock you.” “If I am not a sickly man, then you would be subservient, living in my shadow. No matter how you look at it, Princess, this deal offers you nothing but losses, doesn’t it?” My words clearly startled Anya. She hadn’t expected me to so directly expose her intentions. I pressed my advantage, adding more. “The real beneficiary of our marriage would be my Regent, who schemes to see me disgraced.” “And if we go to war, the beneficiaries would be the neighboring nations, who eagerly await our mutual destruction. Princess, we are both pawns in a larger game. Perhaps, we should discuss a third move on this chessboard?” “A third move?” A flicker of interest appeared in her eyes. “Please, Princess, enter the fortress for a discussion!” I called out, “I, the Emperor of Veritas, guarantee that not a single hair on your head will be harmed!” “Alright!” She was surprisingly bold, tossing her weapon to her deputy and riding alone towards the fortress. In the secret chamber of the fortress, only the two of us remained. Under Anya’s scrutinizing gaze, I said nothing, laboriously removing my heavy armor. Then, right in front of her, I slowly, layer by layer, pulled off the binding cloth that had made it so hard for me to breathe. When my female features were fully revealed to her. The battle-hardened warrior princess, for the first time, showed a look of sheer astonishment. “Now, we can talk about a real partnership.” I looked into her shocked eyes and said, word for word, “I am a woman. Princess, to have established yourself among the northern barbarians, you must understand the difficulties women face in positions of power.”
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