SBCEJM -Chapter 273 A Hidden Paradise of Musclebound Men—How Do They Solve Lifelong Matrimony?

The system’s tone turned a little teasing.

【He was busy with state affairs by day, and busy with ‘women’ by night.】

【Even when reviewing memorials deep into the night, he never forgot to distribute imperial favor evenly and personally visit the harem.】

【As a result, his concubines were often shaken awake in the middle of the night.】

【They held quite a bit of resentment toward him.】

【In private, they frequently gathered to hold “complaint sessions,” grumbling that he ruined their beauty sleep.】

The expressions of the entire court had completely collapsed.

One by one, they were holding back laughter so hard their faces twitched uncontrollably, shoulders shaking more violently than leaves in a storm.

Who could have imagined that the once stern, self-disciplined, and diligent-to-state-affairs Grand Emperor recorded in history books had such a bitter yet hilarious past behind him?

【Hahahaha! I’m dying!】

Feng Zeyan was laughing so hard in her mind she almost crowed out loud.

【But those concubines actually dared to badmouth him behind his back… seems like he really had a good temper!】

【Indeed, his temper was extremely good.】

【On top of that, he was so busy he barely had time to sleep—how could he possibly care about these trivial harem matters?】

The system gave a rather objective evaluation.

【And so, the Grand Emperor endured like this for nearly twenty years.】

【In that time, he fathered thirty-eight children, eighteen of whom were princes.】

Feng Zeyan couldn’t help but tease:

【That record is way better than our current emperor!】

【Host, there’s nothing we can do. Our emperor has been a “three-second man” for most of his life!】

The system sighed, full of pity.

“Pffft—”

Somewhere in the ranks, someone couldn’t hold back and let out a muffled burst of air.

Emperor Xiao Juechen’s face instantly darkened like a bottomless pot, veins bulging on his gripping hand against the dragon throne.

Even Feng Huainan stiffened, feeling his daughter’s fire was about to burn down the roof of the entire Golden Palace.

【Finally, when he was thirty-five, his trusted ministers selected the most perfect heir—】

【That is, the current emperor, Xiao Juechen!】

【Oh! Looks like His Majesty was quite capable in his youth!】

Feng Zeyan sincerely praised.

The emperor, who had just been dark-faced, suddenly had his gloom swept away.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, his chin lifting slightly in unconscious pride.

Indeed. I am the chosen one!

【Here comes the key point!】

The system tapped the “blackboard” like a strict teacher.

【From the moment the heir was decided, the Grand Emperor began planning his “retirement life” carefully.】

【He learned that deep within the imperial hunting grounds of West Mountain, beneath a cliff, there was a hidden valley.】

【That place was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only a single secret path connecting it to the outside world.】

【And so, a crazy plan began to sprout in his mind.】

【He wanted to go there and build a completely… ideal kingdom of his own.】

【Oh?】

【So he went to conquer new lands and establish himself as king?】 Feng Zeyan’s curiosity was instantly ignited.

The system paused.

Its tone became indescribably complicated:

【No. He went there… to become a village chief.】

【As for the seventeen princes and over a hundred elite dark guards who followed him—they were his villagers.】

Feng Zeyan: 【……】

Entire court: 【……】

Xiao Juechen: 【……】

The air in the Golden Palace froze solid.

Abandoning the throne to become emperor of the world, just to go live in the deep mountains as a village chief?

This train of thought was so absurd it was beyond comprehension—utterly unpredictable, like a wild crane soaring beyond all logic.

【So he took those seventeen princes… to clear the way for the current emperor? To prevent them from fighting over the throne?】

Feng Zeyan hit the key point instantly.

【Correct.】

The system confirmed.

【He himself had crawled out of a mountain of fratricide and bloodshed. He didn’t want his sons to repeat the same tragedy.】

【Instead of letting them stay in the capital and fight to the death, he simply packed them up and took them away—letting them go to the countryside to farm and “make productive use of their talents.”】

【Hahahahaha! I’m dying!】

Feng Zeyan laughed so hard she was slapping her thigh in her mind.

【This isn’t fatherly love like a mountain… this is fatherly love landsliding!】

【Indeed. Those seventeen princes were all knocked unconscious in their sleep back then, their acupoints sealed, and secretly transported overnight by dark guards.】

【When they woke up and found themselves in the wilderness, they all broke down crying.】

【They were unwilling! How could they accept it!】

【Some tried to escape, but were either suppressed by the overwhelmingly powerful dark guards, or wandered the maze-like mountains until their legs nearly broke without finding a way out.】

【After struggling for months, these pampered princes finally accepted reality.】

【One by one, tears in their eyes, they picked up hoes and followed their unreliable father to start building a “new socialist countryside from scratch.”】

Many officials in the court shuddered simultaneously.

Thankfully—thankfully their own fathers weren’t like this.

Otherwise, no matter how noble their birth, they’d still end up farming with hoes…

Xiao Juechen’s emotions were even more complicated.

He had always believed his throne was the result of political luck and maternal influence, a fortunate accident.

He never expected it was actually his father’s long-term careful arrangement and painstaking effort.

This belated paternal love felt so heavy that his eyes grew slightly warm.

He suddenly recalled: his father once summoned him alone and asked only one question—

“If one day the realm is in your hands, can you protect it?”

Back then he thought it was a simple test. Now it seemed… it was the final entrustment.

Perhaps the moment he was chosen, he had already been his father’s pride.

Meanwhile, the crown prince Xiao Mingxuan felt a chill run down his neck.

One thought filled his mind:

Father… you’re not going to copy Grandfather’s move someday, are you?!

He really didn’t want to wake up one day and find himself packed off to farm!

He… truly couldn’t handle that!

He quietly glanced at his father’s increasingly deep expression and subconsciously moved closer to the Third Princess.

The system continued:

【After twenty years of hard development, that valley is now incredible.】

【Pavilions, flowing streams, fertile fields stretching for miles—it has become a real-life paradise.】

【Wherever the Grand Emperor points, those once noble princes and elite dark guards go.】

【Watching the homeland they built flourish, he feels a tremendous sense of accomplishment. In his eyes, this is the true life of a winner.】

Feng Zeyan agreed deeply:

【Exactly! Running a country means exhaustion and stress until your hair turns white. Running a village? That’s easy mode!】

【In his ideal kingdom, he is the unquestioned “local tyrant.” Way more comfortable than acting in court every day!】

【Yes! He eats well, sleeps well, looks even younger than twenty years ago!】 the system concluded.

The crowd sighed in awe.

No matter his role, this legendary emperor always lived life seriously.

There is no dead end in life—just a different path, a different way of living, and new scenery.

But just as admiration filled the hall, Feng Zeyan suddenly thought of a very practical issue.

【Wait!】

【One village… including the Grand Emperor, seventeen princes, and over a hundred dark guards…】

【All male… across three generations…】

【How are they supposed to reproduce?!】

【Don’t tell me they’re going to “internally digest” each other and… go down the path of forbidden relationships?!】

That question was like a bucket of ice water, instantly dragging everyone back to the most awkward reality.

Right.

That was the real problem.

A village full of bachelors!

【Host, you’ve finally asked the right question!】

The system’s voice suddenly became extremely excited—almost suspiciously so.

【This… is exactly the trigger that led me to uncover this earth-shattering secret!】

At that moment, everyone in the Golden Palace was hooked.

The trigger?

What kind of trigger could possibly unearth a secret buried for twenty years?