Puppet Emperor, the Empress Wields All Power and Calls a Deer a Horse

At the break of dawn, a deafening and solemn bell rang from deep within the imperial palace, reverberating throughout the capital. In that instant, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty was shaken, and the expressions of civil and military officials were filled with shock and dread.

Dong!

Dong!

The mighty bell sounded again and again, echoing through the entire imperial city.

The bell sounded nine times — the emperor had passed away. The empire was thrown into chaos, and the nation was plunged into mourning.

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I, Gu Qiangu have looked upon the annals of history. Since my ascension a hundred years ago, I have ruled with diligence and dedication. Now, as my time has come to an end, I pass the throne to the Ninth Prince, Gu Changsheng. May he be a wise and just ruler, frugal and kind to the people. This is my decree!”

With this decree, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty was thrown into turmoil.

Everyone in the court knew of the emperor’s nine sons, all of them prodigies, extraordinary talents of their time. However, the Ninth Prince, Gu Changsheng, was born with a crippled body and had been regarded as a failure — unable to cultivate and progress in martial arts. Eighteen years had passed, and Gu Changsheng had barely entered the innate realm, only just stepping onto the path of cultivation.

No one had expected the late emperor, upon his death, to decree that the throne be passed to the crippled Ninth Prince, Gu Changsheng. The court and the entire dynasty were left in shock. It was certain that turbulent times lay ahead for the Great Zhou Dynasty.

…

At the same time, the scene shifted.

In the grand, luxurious palace of the Great Zhou Dynasty, inside a magnificently ornate and comfortable bedchamber, Gu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, his face full of confusion. He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, his head spinning, and muttered, “What’s going on?”

“Did I travel through time after waking up?”

Suddenly, memories began flooding into his mind.

Gu Changsheng furrowed his brows as he absorbed the memories belonging to this body. He quickly understood his situation — he had transmigrated into a mystical world and become the Ninth Prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Gu Changsheng. The former emperor, Gu Qiangu, had passed away, leaving behind a decree naming him the new emperor. Soon, he would ascend the throne, ruling over the vast lands of the Great Zhou Dynasty with immense power.

Ordinarily, starting off as the emperor of a mighty dynasty, with a harem of three thousand beauties and unrivaled authority, would be an immediate rise to power. However, after fully absorbing the memories, Gu Changsheng’s expression became cloudy.

Fck!

The names of familiar characters popped into his mind: Emperor Gu Qiangu, Empress Lin Yaoji, Eldest Prince Gu Chengdao, Second Prince Gu Wuqing…

“Are you kidding me? These people are characters from the novel ‘Sovereign of the Divine Dao’!”

“Not only have I transmigrated, but I’ve transmigrated into a fantasy novel!” Gu Changsheng’s face froze, and he couldn’t help but curse out loud.

From the memories, he was certain that he had transmigrated into the world of a novel he had once read. According to the novel’s plot, this world was called Shen Zhou, home to countless races, with numerous dynasties, sacred lands, and sects. The Great Zhou Dynasty was one of the four great dynasties, supported by a saint-level expert and boasting vast territories and countless powerful warriors.

The former emperor, Gu Qiangu, was a figure of unfathomable strength, having reached the peak of the Semi-Saint level. A semi-saint at the pinnacle of power was a supreme existence, feared and respected across Shen Zhou.

However, due to his eagerness to break through to the Saint level and failing in his attempt, Gu Qiangu was gravely injured by a backlash, leading to his supposed death. He left behind a decree, passing the throne to his Ninth Prince.

To the outside world, both the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the many powers of Shen Zhou believed that Gu Qiangu had succumbed to his injuries. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have issued a decree to pass on the throne.

But Gu Changsheng, familiar with the plot, knew the truth. He was fully aware that Gu Qiangu had only faked his death. In a few years, he would break through to the Saint level and emerge once more to take back control of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The reason Gu Qiangu passed the throne to the Ninth Prince was part of a larger scheme. Among the emperor’s nine sons, Gu Changsheng was the only one who was considered a waste, unable to cultivate, while the other princes all possessed divine or saintly bodies, each an unparalleled genius. If any of them were to inherit the throne, their cultivation would be greatly boosted by the dynasty’s fortune, reaching unimaginable heights within a few years.

In such a scenario, when Gu Qiangu returned, reclaiming the throne would be far more difficult, as his sons would have grown too powerful. This was not in Gu Qiangu’s best interest.

Therefore, Gu Changsheng, the crippled Ninth Prince, was the perfect pawn — an emperor who posed no threat to his father’s eventual return.

Following the plot of the novel, the original Gu Changsheng successfully ascended the throne and became the new emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Arrogant and ambitious, he sought to expand and strengthen the empire. But little did the new emperor know that shortly after the former emperor’s “death”…

The entire imperial court was immediately seized by the Empress Dowager, who held overwhelming power and had complete control. Although Gu Changsheng was now the official emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he had no real authority, as the Empress Dowager had completely sidelined him, manipulating him as a mere puppet.

The other princes, seeing the situation, distanced themselves from the imperial capital and retreated to their fiefdoms, where they quietly built their power. Gu Changsheng, who knew the storyline, was well aware that the Empress Dowager Lin Yaoji was actually a demon queen from the demonic sect. She was ruthless, cruel, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

[Empress dowager is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarch in the Chinese cultural sphere.].

In the original storyline, the new emperor repeatedly tried to take back power but was no match for the Empress Dowager, who was a demonic sect master.

If it weren’t for the ancient rules of the Great Zhou Dynasty, which forbade women from becoming emperors under penalty of death by the empire’s united forces, the Empress Dowager would have already declared herself ruler and eliminated him.

Though his life wasn’t immediately threatened, he had become the most powerless emperor in the dynasty’s history, entirely under the control of the Empress Dowager.

Years later, when the former emperor, Gu Qiangu, broke through to the Saint level and returned, he eliminated the Empress Dowager and reclaimed power, gradually stabilizing the empire.

The new emperor thought his good days had come, but instead, Gu Qiangu issued a decree exiling him to a distant fiefdom. The original Gu Changsheng agreed to the decree, but he was assassinated on the way to the fief, dying young.

Gu Changsheng knew this was all orchestrated by the former emperor, and all the court officials tacitly understood the situation. This marked the end of his role in the story.

From that point onward, the “child of destiny” appeared—Zhao Hao, the crown prince of the Great Li Dynasty. He rose rapidly, swept across the land of Shen Zhou, unified the realm, and became the sovereign of Shen Zhou. Even the other prodigious princes of the Great Zhou Dynasty became stepping stones for Zhao Hao’s rise.

However, Zhao Hao’s meteoric rise and victories over countless enemies were all tied to a hidden boss in Shen Zhou. According to the original plot, shortly after Gu Changsheng ascended to the throne, the Crown Prince of the Great Li Dynasty, Zhao Hao, would marry the Tenth Princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, forming an alliance between the two dynasties.

This marriage was seen as a major boon for the Great Zhou Dynasty. By giving away a princess, they could secure an alliance with the powerful Great Li Dynasty.

Despite Gu Changsheng’s strong opposition, the Empress Dowager had all the power, and he had no choice but to reluctantly agree to the marriage.

But what Gu Changsheng didn’t expect was that the true identity of the Tenth Princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty was the reincarnation of the Red Lotus Empress, the Empress of Shen Zhou from ten thousand years ago. Once she awakened her past memories, she would help Zhao Hao, ensuring his rise to dominance.

What followed was straightforward: with the help of the Red Lotus Empress, Zhao Hao would sweep across Shen Zhou, unify the realm, and establish the Great Li Divine Dynasty, becoming the ruler of Shen Zhou.

Eventually, Zhao Hao would reach the cultivation level of Great Emperor, leading the countless cultivators of Shen Zhou into ascension to the divine realm.

At this point, the plot of the fantasy novel came to an end.

After carefully reviewing the plot, Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but feel frustrated. Even though he had started as the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, it didn’t bring him any joy.

Although he knew the plot and could plan ahead, this was a world of fantasy, where the strong could pluck stars and seize moons with ease. All schemes and tricks were useless in the face of overwhelming power.

Thinking about this, Gu Changsheng wasn’t sure what to do.

The original Gu Changsheng’s mother had died in childbirth, leaving him without any strong backing. He had been raised by eunuchs and palace maids, without any powerful supporters. Compared to the other princes, his life hadn’t been good, but at least he didn’t lack food or clothing.

Now, as he was about to ascend the throne, with no strong warriors or forces under his command, how could he contend with the Empress Dowager or his father, who had faked his death and would soon break through to become a Saint?

Suddenly, Gu Changsheng thought of something, and a flash of excitement appeared in his eyes.

The biggest hidden boss in Shen Zhou, the Red Lotus Empress, had yet to awaken her past memories. Currently, her reincarnation was the Tenth Princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty—his imperial sister.

Those who are close to the water’s edge get to enjoy the moon first.

If he could build a strong relationship with the reincarnated Red Lotus Empress, while pretending to cooperate with the Empress Dowager and figure out a way to stop the marriage alliance between the Great Li Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty, then once the Red Lotus Empress awakened her memories, he would have a powerful ally in the hidden boss of the story.

This might even allow him to change his fate and become a strong cultivator himself.

Ding!

[Detected the host’s desire to change the plot!]. [Activating the God-level Plot System!]. [Congratulations, host! You have successfully bound to the God-level Plot System. By changing the plot, you can obtain various divine abilities, cultivation techniques, treasures, and powerful followers from the system store!].