Chapter 20 — TVF Chapter 20

The Unlucky One in a Crematorium-Style Novel Qin Jingzhou’s “brute force miracle” didn’t come without a price.

Several of his wounds tore open again, and his meridians suffered varying degrees of strain. By the time he returned to the palace and removed the dozens of jin of armor from his body, the blood seeping from his previously bandaged wounds had already soaked through his inner garments.

Second Miss Xiao and Third Miss Xiao were the first to rush over to care for their father. One look—and both of them burst into tears.

Crying as they worked, the two girls re-treated his wounds. Qin Jingzhou, meanwhile, still found time to boast to Prince Lu and the others, who wore faintly worried expressions. “I may have given birth to one troublesome daughter, but I also have two considerate ones. One loss, two wins—I came out ahead.”

At that moment, the system chimed in with a reminder: “The male lead’s halo has transferred to Prince Lu! After careful projection, the century-long chaos crisis in this world has officially been resolved.” Qin Jingzhou laughed. “So this wasn’t for nothing. Just the fact that Prince Lu can hard-resist Qi Langhuan’s intelligence-sapping ability makes him a promising talent.” Speak of Prince Lu and he arrived.

Sure enough, Prince Lu—his face showing a mix of excitement and exhaustion—came specially to visit him. They hadn’t exchanged more than a few words when Eldest Son Xiao Dalang also hurried over upon hearing the news.

Seeing his father’s upper body wrapped in bandages, Xiao Dalang’s eyes immediately reddened. The first thing out of his mouth was, “It’s all because your son is useless.”

Qin Jingzhou smiled and explained, “Your legs aren’t fully healed yet—you’re not fit for the battlefield. Besides, I’m senior enough. I can curse the Emperor, capture the Emperor, and now I’ve even crippled the Emperor—no one can nitpick about it. Once the capital is settled, there’ll be plenty of chances for you to shine in the south. I’m staying put.”

Though his injuries looked frightening, they weren’t actually severe. The original body had been worn down to shreds by his own recklessness, but Qin Jingzhou was confident he could hold on another ten years—long enough for his considerate children to grow up and secure their footing—before leaving in peace.

The thoughtful children were clearly moved, all wiping at their tears. Just then, an inner attendant came to report that the Empress had arrived. Xiao Shi, looking utterly bedraggled, her face smeared with medicinal paste and her neck wrapped in gauze, was supported by palace maids as she slowly entered the room.

Qin Jingzhou had both arms occupied by his well-behaved daughters, his eldest son seated close at hand, and Prince Lu sitting in a chair on the other side. There wasn’t even a place left for Xiao Shi.

Xiao Shi stood there for quite a while. Then her knees buckled, and she knelt down. “Your daughter knows she was wrong!”

Deeply shaken by the Emperor, with the halo on his body transferred away, Qi Langhuan now reunited with her natal family in prison, and only a sliver of merit-light left of her own, Xiao Shi’s intelligence finally returned.

Qin Jingzhou sighed. “At first I worried about whether you were living well—you didn’t care. Later I worried about whether you’d live or die—you ignored me. It wasn’t until the Emperor unhesitatingly used your life to threaten me that you realized you were wrong. Your reaction speed is really something.”

Xiao Shi could only wipe her tears over and over, unable to refute a word.

Qin Jingzhou turned to Prince Lu and sighed, “Good thing the Emperor was poor—no silver, no grain. The northern gentry not kicking him while he was down was already merciful; of course they wouldn’t lend supplies. Otherwise, if he’d bought tens of thousands of elite troops and charged back, things would’ve been troublesome.”

Prince Lu agreed wholeheartedly. “Indeed.” That was why he felt he truly had great fortune.

After chatting a bit more with Prince Lu, Qin Jingzhou looked back at his eldest daughter. “Do you still want to stay with the Emperor now?”

Prince Lu took over the conversation. “After everything the Emperor has done, how could he possibly be left unpunished? You can no longer be Empress, but for Duke Cheng’en’s sake, I can allow you and the Emperor to divorce and return home. You can take Zhuzhu with you as well.”

Xiao Shi suddenly lifted her head, her expression twisted. “I failed Father, and I’m sorry to Zhuzhu and my younger siblings—but to him alone, I have nothing to feel guilty about! After what he’s done to me, I’ll never let him go! Being confined to guard the imperial tomb is fine—I want to stay with him! I was humble my entire life; now it’s his turn to beg me!”

She kowtowed properly. “Your daughter is unfilial! I only ask that Father properly guide Zhuzhu.”

Qin Jingzhou stared at Xiao Shi for a long moment. “That at least sounds like human speech.” Then, deliberately in front of Prince Lu, he added, “Ever since Qi Langhuan entered the palace, both you and the Emperor have acted like you were possessed.”

The speaker had intent; the listener took it to heart.

The Emperor had been foolish, yes, but when he first ascended the throne he hadn’t been foolish to the point that, in recent years, people found him unbearable. And Qi Langhuan had indeed made advances toward him many times. Prince Lu’s instincts also told him there was something inexplicable about Qi Langhuan…

Prince Lu wasted no time. He summoned a confidant and, right in front of Duke Cheng’en’s entire family, gave the order: “Investigate Qi Langhuan thoroughly.”

Xiao Shi, eyes swollen from crying, imagined her nemesis Qi Langhuan’s miserable end—and burst out laughing.

Qin Jingzhou recuperated in the palace for several more days. Aside from the four southern princes who had long harbored ambitions of independence, influential imperial princes and border commanders arrived in the capital one after another.

Imperial kin, nobles, and court officials deliberated together for a full day and unanimously decided to depose the Emperor and enthrone Prince Lu as the new ruler.

At such a critical meeting, Qin Jingzhou naturally had to attend. He sat beside Prince Lu, in the foremost seat among the military officials, and looked at the deposed Emperor slumped on the ground. With a faint sigh, he said, “It was so chaotic back then. I cut you down from your horse—and aside from a broken leg, you’re actually less injured than I am, and even less than my eldest daughter. Being good-looking really is an advantage.”

At his words, everyone present exchanged glances: Duke Cheng’en truly was peerless in martial might! Without him as a pillar, the Emperor—no, the former Emperor—collapsed completely. Duke Cheng’en had three sons and two daughters besides his eldest daughter; some divorced, some unmarried! They needed to hurry—who knew, they might snag a match.

Prince Lu felt the same urgency: if you weren’t good-looking, how could you have freeloaded off Duke Cheng’en’s household for so many years? Tonight I’ll personally go propose—no letting things drag out.

Though Prince Lu and the former Emperor were a generation apart, in royal marriages, generational rules often… depended entirely on what the Emperor said.

And since Prince Lu was about to ascend the throne, if he said it was fine, then it was fine.

When Prince Lu came to propose to Second Miss Xiao, Qin Jingzhou deliberately asked her again. Seeing that his clever, considerate second daughter felt no reluctance, he agreed.

Once Second Miss Xiao was engaged, guests and matchmakers flooded the household.

With the main task basically complete, Qin Jingzhou used recuperation as an excuse to laze at home—meeting visitors as he pleased and letting his children decide their own marriages.

Before Prince Lu’s enthronement, Qin Jingzhou went out only twice. Once was to attend Marquis Antai’s funeral—had he not rushed out earliest to snatch credit and drawn enough fire, Qin Jingzhou wouldn’t have taken down the Emperor so smoothly. The other time was to personally see Qi Langhuan.

Qi Langhuan truly lived up to being the female lead. Though her fortune was gone, she was still resolute. After several rounds of interrogation and torture, she refused to speak—unless she could see Duke Cheng’en.

Prince Lu had no choice but to invite his future father-in-law over.

When Qi Langhuan saw Duke Cheng’en, she tidied her hair and tried to appear calm. Solemnly, she said, “I have something to say to the Duke—privately.”

Qin Jingzhou looked at Qi Langhuan and asked the system, “I thought she had some last trump card, planning a desperate gamble. This is it?” The system laughed. “She knows she’s finished. She just wants to stir up some suspicion in Prince Lu’s heart no matter what—after all, you’ve achieved merit that overshadows the ruler.” Qin Jingzhou stood up directly. “I don’t want to hear it.” With that, he strode away, completely ignoring Qi Langhuan’s heart-wrenching cries behind him, begging him to come back.

Prince Lu was a decisive man. Even if he hadn’t fully uncovered what was unusual about Qi Langhuan, he believed that once someone was dead, all trouble ended. The collusion between the Qi family and Prince Jing was ironclad, and the evidence of plotting against Duke Cheng’en was conclusive. Thus, Qi Langhuan and the entire Qi family were neatly “reunited” in prison with a cup of poisoned wine.

As Qi Langhuan lay dying, her short life replayed in her mind like a lantern show. She truly couldn’t understand how she’d fallen into the abyss just as success was within reach.

Her beloved Prince Jing had actually seen through everything—but… what use was that now?

The deposed Emperor and Xiao Shi moved to the outskirts of the capital, nominally to guard the former Emperor’s tomb, in reality confined for life.

In front of Qin Jingzhou, the former Emperor behaved himself and said nothing. But when facing Xiao Shi, he tried his old tricks again—until Xiao Shi starved him for three straight days. After that, he became much more obedient, at least abandoning those unrealistic dreams.

When Qin Jingzhou heard about it, he even commented to his other children, “Looks like your eldest sister has finally realized something.”

Nine years later, Qin Jingzhou passed away peacefully. His eldest son, having accumulated military merit in the south, had already become a third-rank general.

Third Miss Xiao married the eldest son of one of the original owner’s subordinates and now had two children.

Second Miss Xiao bore her husband two sons and one daughter over those nine years. The former Prince Lu, now Emperor, was a rare ruler with a moral bottom line. Though he hadn’t yet named a crown prince, Qin Jingzhou felt it wouldn’t be a problem.

The troublesome eldest daughter, relying on nothing but her looks, somehow lived on with great enthusiasm… Qin Jingzhou was a bit helpless: love and hate really did last a long time.

With the task complete and his children fully capable of standing on their own, Qin Jingzhou left this world at ease.

The first task counted as a beginner mission—not very difficult. Qin Jingzhou knew where he stood.

After glancing at the reward, his spirits immediately lifted. He said to the system, “Next one.”

The system had warned him in advance. “The next task is a bit melodramatic. Want to hear the plot summary before deciding whether to take it?”

Qin Jingzhou agreed. “Alright.”

The main storyline of this task could be summed up in one sentence: a crematorium-style chase-the-wife plot.

Unlike the previous story where both leads were scum, this time the female lead was a genuinely good girl.

In the early stages, the female lead was a sweet, naïve girl—girls raised in happy, relatively affluent families often shone like little suns, naturally attracting those from unhappy, loveless backgrounds.

The male lead was one such person. So was the male supporting lead.

The male lead was born into a wealthy family. His biological father was extremely promiscuous. The legal wife developed postpartum depression after giving birth to a son and eventually withered away. The final straw was a set of chat logs and explicit photos sent to her by the male lead’s biological mother.

After the legal wife’s death, the male lead’s mother successfully rose to the top and smoothly gave birth to him. But no matter how skilled she was at domestic power struggles, she couldn’t suppress her husband’s restless heart. Besides the legitimate eldest brother, the male lead had well over a dozen half-siblings.

For the mother, the most important thing in life was competing for affection and suppressing her husband’s ever-changing flock of mistresses. As for the father, though he valued his legitimate sons more, with so many children he likely treated them as consumables, even nurturing a kind of survival-of-the-fittest competition—only the final victor would be qualified to inherit his “empire.”

One could imagine how dark and twisted the male lead became beneath his polished exterior.

When the male lead set his sights on the female lead—a girl inexperienced with the world—she was tormented to the point of developing depression.

They broke up and got back together multiple times, abortions and miscarriages included. Finally, the female lead resolved to cut cleanly with him and, with the help of the male supporting lead, planned to go abroad and start a new life.

Qin Jingzhou raised an eyebrow. “The male supporting lead?”

“From the male lead’s perspective, all his career and romantic setbacks were caused by the male supporting lead’s interference. So from the female lead’s perspective, the male supporting lead was her savior—while in the male lead’s eyes, he was the ultimate villain.”

“Makes sense.”

The system continued, “The male lead eventually wakes up, realizing he can’t live without the female lead. After hundreds of thousands of words of crematorium-level pursuit, he finally wins her back and gets a HE.”

Qin Jingzhou asked again, “What about the male supporting lead?”

“Under the pretext of a dinner invitation the female lead knew nothing about, the male lead instructed someone to engineer a severe car accident. The male supporting lead was trapped in the car and ultimately… burned alive. Upon learning the news, the female lead was devastated, her old illness relapsed, and the male lead’s devoted care completely moved her. Because of the male supporting lead’s death, she realized she should cherish the one before her… Yes. If you take this task, you’ll become the male supporting lead’s father.”

Qin Jingzhou: …

“So the male lead does a crematorium chase, and in the end the female lead cooperates with him and cremates the guy who helped her? Are you sure this novel is just melodramatic?”

The system hurriedly said, “The novel ends there. But beyond the plot, the female lead later accidentally learns the truth about the male supporting lead’s death. After a brief struggle, she personally gathers evidence and sends the male lead to prison. As for the male supporting lead’s wish—or obsession—it’s simply to have a proper relationship with the female lead. Marriage wasn’t even a must.”

Qin Jingzhou said, “Then the female lead really is decent.” He asked again, “What kind of person is the male supporting lead? Compared to Eldest Son from before?” If he was on the same level as the troublesome eldest daughter… forget it.

“Before fully darkening, the male supporting lead is even more lovable than Second Miss Xiao.”

Qin Jingzhou decided immediately. “I’ll take it.”

The system was delighted. “A reminder—the male supporting lead is actually the male lead’s cousin. They were switched at birth, and he was brought back to his biological mother in his second year of high school. The male supporting lead’s biological mother is the male lead’s aunt.” It didn’t keep him in suspense and finished in one go. “The male lead’s aunt—male supporting lead’s mom—is a looks-obsessed heiress. She has plenty of money and loves collecting beautiful men.”

Qin Jingzhou: …

The system continued, “Yes. The male supporting lead’s dad is a completely ordinary kept man with nothing but his face. And because he was utterly lacking in self-awareness and embarrassing to bring to social occasions, the heiress couldn’t take it anymore and divorced him—more accurately, kicked him out.”

That father’s character setup… wasn’t it basically the foolish Emperor from the previous world?

Qin Jingzhou asked, “A kept man is a kept man. I’ll just go over and build a career.”

“Whether you build a career or how you do it, we won’t interfere,” the system said. “Are you sure you want to accept this task?”

Qin Jingzhou nodded. “Yes.”

The system’s voice brimmed with excitement. “Ready for transfer?”

Qin Jingzhou responded—and immediately felt a slight sense of lag. Something felt wrong. He instinctively dodged to the side just as a bullet skimmed past his temple, slamming into the steel plate behind him and throwing off sparks.

He rolled sideways and tucked himself behind a concrete pillar, still managing to ask the system, “The male supporting lead’s dad… is just an ordinary kept man?”

System: …