AEGA CH1

Xiangjianhuan (Joy of Reunion) was a BL harem game developed by an indie studio. Upon its release, it instantly took the public by storm due to its dual-route gameplay, exquisite character art, rich plot, and high degree of freedom in choices. It even broke out of its niche circle, attracting many non-BL players.

Wan Jia was one of them. He was a gaming streamer, and his online alias was simple and blunt: “Game Player.” He specialized in streaming all kinds of games, relying on his charming, attractive voice to reel in a sizable following of female fans.

On this particular day, he started his stream as usual. He had been streaming an adventure game for several days, and his viewers were getting bored of the same old thing. The chat was flooded with requests asking if he could switch to a different game tonight. Wan Jia glanced at the screen and said, “Alright, what do you guys want me to play?”

He twisted open the cap of a water bottle in front of his computer desk, took a sip, and looked back at the screen. The live chat had already been completely spammed with the characters: Xiangjianhuan.

This game had been incredibly popular lately. A few girls Wan Jia knew were playing it. However, as a straight guy, he hadn’t been interested even though he’d heard of it.

“I’ve heard of it. Isn’t that a male-male harem game?” Wan Jia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You want a straight guy like me to play this? No way. An iron-clad straight man would rather break than bend—”

User [Offering a Fortune for Xiangjianhuan] gifted the streamer a Luxury Yacht.

Wan Jia silently swallowed his unspoken words and announced, “I am now bent. Hold on, downloading it right away.”

No one could refuse the power of money.

Money makes the world go round. Three minutes later, a new game icon appeared on Wan Jia’s desktop.

As a gaming streamer, Wan Jia had dabbled in many genres—mostly action, adventure, and shooters—but he rarely touched RPGs, let alone a BL one for the first time. Before opening the game, he felt a spark of curiosity.

He clicked it with his mouse. Accompanied by a beautiful, traditional Chinese background track, a pair of tightly closed, magnificent palace doors filled the screen. On the left side of the doors floated the words—“Xiangjianhuan”—and on the right side were another word—“Wuyeti” (Crows Crying at Night).

Wan Jia’s school knowledge hadn’t completely deserted him; he knew that Xiangjianhuan was the name of a classic poetic meter (cipai), and Wuyeti was its alternative name. Still, Xiangjianhuan sounded much more festive and joyful, unlike Wuyeti, which carried an aura of resentment and desolate sorrow.

Taking the words literally, Wan Jia thought it was quite fitting. When you’re the Emperor, opening a harem and meeting a crowd of beauties every day, how could you not be joyful? But when you’re an imperial consort, having to fight a horde of rivals for the Emperor’s favor—and crying alone in an empty chamber if you lose—that would naturally lead to weeping through the night.

He moved his cursor over Xiangjianhuan, and a small line of explanatory text quickly appeared beneath it:

Choose the Emperor Route, and you will play as the supreme ruler of the realm. Three thousand beauties are yours to choose from; life and death are entirely in your hands. Whether you choose to take only a single scoop from the vast waters, or enjoy the blissful harem of the three palaces and six courtyards, it is all within your control.

Beneath Wuyeti was a different explanation:

Choose the Consort Route, and you will play as a lowly male favorite in the deep palace. Will you remain detached from worldly struggles in a quiet corner, dominate the inner palace as the exclusive favorite of the imperial chambers, or end up a defeated contender whose soul is severed in the deep palace? The path through the harem is fraught with hardships and obstacles. Are you ready?

This was the dual-route option of Xiangjianhuan. Players could freely choose to play as either the Emperor or a consort. The game offered an incredible sense of immersion, allowing players to deeply experience the life of an emperor or a consort. When playing the Consort Route, players often couldn’t help but curse the “dog emperor” for being a fickle playboy who slept around every day without a shred of loyalty. However, once they played the Emperor Route themselves, surrounded by a dazzling sea of beautiful men, the players would fall for every single one they saw, trying by all means to gather them all into their harem.

Because of this, many players mocked themselves: “It turns out the dog emperor was me all along.”

Without any hesitation, Wan Jia clicked on Xiangjianhuan: “Then I’m definitely choosing the Emperor. Being the Emperor is so much better.”

The moment he made his choice, the palace doors slowly opened, and the game entered its prologue.

The beginning of the game introduced the world-building. This world was originally a traditional feudal society where men were superior to women. Later, oppressed women revolted, fracturing the world under the flames of war. Eventually, four distinct nations were formed: the Kingdom of Men, the Kingdom of Women, the Male-Dominant Kingdom, and the Female-Dominant Kingdom. In the Male-Dominant and Female-Dominant kingdoms, men and women still coexisted and practiced heterosexual marriage, though their social statuses were completely inverted. Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Men and the Kingdom of Women were entirely populated by gay men and lesbians respectively, who reproduced within the same sex by consuming a special pregnancy pill.

However, despite the lore mentioning the existence of a pregnancy pill, there had not been any plotlines involving a pregnant male consort in the game so far. Players assumed the studio simply hadn’t developed that feature yet.

As a BL harem game, the main story took place in the Kingdom of Men named Changli. Rumor had it that after the enthusiastic reception of Xiangjianhuan, the studio planned to release a lesbian harem version for the Kingdom of Women, a male emperor harem version for the Male-Dominant Kingdom, and a female emperor harem version for the Female-Dominant Kingdom, which were all highly anticipated.

Wan Jia couldn’t help but complain, “After all that trouble, they didn’t manage to create a single nation with gender equality?”

Then he convinced himself: “Whatever… it’s a game setting, it can be as ridiculous as it wants. If there were equality, how could anyone open a harem?”

Skipping past the world-building introduction, the main plot finally kicked off—

In July of the 24th year of Yongchang, the late Emperor passed away. Crown Prince Xie Chongjin ascended the throne, changing the era name to the Xi Dynasty.

Crown Princess Lu Xuechao was invested as the Empress, granted the Phoenix Seal and the Phoenix Robe, ruling over the inner palace.

On the first day of his reign, Yun Luo, the Head Eunuch who personally served the Emperor, appeared to introduce the various mechanics of the game as a beginner’s guide.

“Why on earth does a eunuch look so dangerously seductive?!” Wan Jia stared at the gorgeous and enchanting character art of the Head Eunuch, feeling a pang of regret. “What a terrible waste of natural talent!”

The live chat began to fly across the screen.

【It’s not a waste! Yun Luo can be recruited into your harem, so you can put him to good use.】

【The Director-General is incredibly loyal to the Emperor. He strikes wherever you point him, eliminating whoever you want gone. He’s the sharpest blade in my hand. A loyal dog eunuch and his imperial master—sfx panting—it’s too good.】

【You can recruit Yun Luo after triggering his specific storyline later. Do you want me to tell you how to romance him?】

“No, no, that takes the fun out of it. Don’t give me any spoilers. This is my first time playing, and I haven’t looked at a guide. I want to play blind; the unknown is what keeps things exciting.” After clicking through the beginner’s tutorial, Wan Jia didn’t even glance at the imperial court and headed straight for the harem.

Who bothers attending morning court in a harem game? He was definitely going to soak himself in the inner palace morning, noon, and night.

Currently, the harem was extremely empty. Only Chongxue Palace was occupied by Empress Lu Xuechao, the Emperor’s original, first wife. As for the rest of the three palaces and six courtyards, there wasn’t a single consort to be found.

“The initial consorts are way too few. Didn’t this Emperor take any concubines when he was the Crown Prince? I guess he’s just waiting for me to fill up the harem,” Wan Jia muttered as he clicked into Chongxue Palace. Instantly, the background music shifted to a moving ancient zither (guqin). The notes were ethereal and distant, making one feel as though they had stepped into a secluded bamboo forest.

A young man in formal dress appeared on the screen. Though his attire was opulent and elegant, it couldn’t hide his transcendent, immortal-like aura. A gentle, warm smile played on the corners of his lips as he bowed gracefully toward the Emperor, his posture perfectly poised.

Lu Xuechao: (With a gentle, soft smile) Greetings, Your Majesty.

Though the text had no voice acting, Wan Jia’s mind instantly supplied a cold, ethereal, and elegant voice for the beauty.

The game hadn’t hired a luxury voice-acting cast, but the exquisite character art and rich characterization were more than enough for players to imagine the voices themselves. It truly exemplified how silence could be more powerful than words.

“Holy crap, what a beautiful man!” Even as a straight guy, Wan Jia’s heart skipped a beat for a split second. The Head Eunuch Yun Luo’s character art earlier was already alluring and gorgeous, but he hadn’t expected this one to surpass a celestial immortal. He truly deserved to be the Empress. The studio must have spent a fortune on the illustrator.

“The art in this game is absolutely stunning. I totally understand the Emperor now. If it were me, I’d favor him exclusively too. He looks exactly like a cold, gentle, top-tier beauty.”

【I hope you still think so when he kills you.】

【Lu Xuechao is a yandere beauty. If he can’t have you all to himself, he will kill you.】

【Another one fooled by Lu Xuechao. At first, I also thought he was the gentle, magnanimous, and virtuous first wife type. While the other little temptresses only knew how to vie for favor, he was the only one who told me to go to court and handle state affairs even when I visited him during the day. But holy hell, I had only gathered seven or eight new flames when he pierced my heart with a sword during a bedtime summon. He even said that this way, I would sleep in his palace forever and never look for anyone else…】

【When I replayed the game out of guilt, I wanted to favor Lu Xuechao exclusively for the rest of my life. But it’s literally impossible! Looking at the same face for decades of gameplay gets so boring. Eventually, I couldn’t resist holding an imperial selection in the late game, and then Lu Xuechao slaughtered me again… Even if you don’t go to favor him, he might just cross paths with you out of nowhere and catch you off guard with a stab! And it’s an instant kill! There’s no way around it; you just have to banish him to the Cold Palace and sentence him to death at the start of the next run. Sigh, I really am a scumbag.】

Wan Jia paid no attention to the live chat. At this moment, he was fully immersed in the peerless beauty of the 2D character. Next to the character were options like Profile, Favor, Chat, Reward, and Punish. He clicked to view Lu Xuechao’s profile.

• Name: Lu Xuechao
• Status: Empress
• Age: 17
• Background: Eldest legitimate son of the First-Grade Prime Minister
• Personality: Cold and aloof
• Mood: Joyful
• Appearance: 100 (Peerless Beauty)
• Talent: 100 (Unrivaled Genius)
• Scheming: 100 (Brilliant as a Demon)
• Martial Arts: 20 (Fragile as a Willow in the Wind)
• Favor: 100 (Exclusive Favor)
• Background: Became the Crown Prince’s study partner at age seven; childhood friends and sweethearts with the Emperor. Invested as Crown Princess at sixteen, and Empress at seventeen.

Aside from his weak martial arts stat, he was practically a flawless, top-tier “Gary Stu” character. For beauties in the harem, being fragile and delicate was actually a bonus.

The initial attributes of the player-controlled Emperor weren’t bad either. Wan Jia had taken a glance earlier; his starting stats were completely maxed out, as if he had received a powerhouse protagonist script without needing to pay any real money. It was a very generous game.

• Name: Xie Chongjin
• Age: 18
• Mood: Joyful
• Appearance: 100
• Talent: 100
• Martial Arts: 100
• Diligence: 100 (Most Holy and Wise)

A match made in heaven.

Wan Jia chatted with him for a bit, then completely disregarded the fact that it was still broad daylight within the game and chose to “favor” him.

Lu Xuechao’s reaction was also adorable. With a slight blush on his face, he knitted his brows and whispered:

Lu Xuechao: Your Majesty, indulging in carnal pleasures during the day is improper. This is your first day on the throne, and the ministers are still waiting for you in court…

Nonetheless, he was still pushed down onto the bed, and the background music shifted into a sultry, hazy melody.

Then the screen transitioned, popping up an illustration of a cozy, warm canopy bed with the text: “A Moment of Stolen Pleasure.” And that was it. Not a single person was visible.

This was a censored game, after all; the parts inappropriate for minors could not be shown.

The game graphics were incredibly smooth without a single stutter, leaving Wan Jia highly satisfied. His computer was an ancient relic that had been repaired multiple times, and he was planning to replace it with a new one in a few days. He had expected the game to lag given his specs, but it was surprisingly seamless.

Wan Jia made up his mind to favor Lu Xuechao exclusively. Over the next few days, he ran to Chongxue Palace every single day to chat, summon him for bed, and occasionally bestow gifts upon him, gradually becoming obsessed with the game.

During this period, various events like inner palace servants climbing into his bed or offering themselves up were triggered, but Wan Jia kicked them all out. Their art wasn’t even as good as the Empress’s; he wouldn’t spare them a glance.

Lu Xuechao was so considerate, beautiful, and gentle. Every time Wan Jia arrived at the palace, the Empress would softly invite him to eat pastries he made with his own hands, play the zither, brew tea, or recite poetry and paint together. He could even trigger a bunch of special storylines, like boating on the lake, flying kites, or having the Empress make clothes and sew shoe soles for him. When rewarded, regardless of the value of the item—even if it was just a broken rock picked up from the road—the Empress would be overjoyed. When the two were together, their moods always remained joyful.

However, after a high number of visits, Lu Xuechao’s mood suddenly changed to Anxious, and he actually rejected the Emperor’s request for daytime intimacy.

Lu Xuechao: (With deeply furrowed brows) Your Majesty has not attended court for many days, and rumors outside claim that I am ruining the country. My reputation is a small matter, but the people and the state are of utmost importance. You once said you wanted to be a wise ruler of a prosperous era, to bring peace and prosperity to the world, and never lose yourself in sensory pleasures. How could you forget your original intent? I beg Your Majesty to prioritize state affairs. Farewell, Your Majesty.

Then the screen shifted, and the scene of Chongxue Palace turned back into the grand map of the Imperial Palace.

Wan Jia: “???”

He was… kicked out of the palace by his Empress?

His Diligence stat had plummeted from the initial 100 down to 59, categorized as “Slacking off.”

Attending court was out of the question; he wouldn’t attend court even if his life depended on it.

However, because he didn’t go to court, Lu Xuechao’s mood sank day by day from Anxious to Depressed, and then to Heavy-hearted. No matter how many rewards Wan Jia sent or how many times he tried to chat, the Empress couldn’t be cheered up. Attempts to favor him were directly and ruthlessly rejected.

With no other choice, Wan Jia reluctantly went to court twice, raising his Diligence stat back to 61, returning its status to “Striving for Good Governance.” Only then did Lu Xuechao’s mood improve, allowing him back into bed.

Wan Jia had only one word: Masterpiece.

So if he wanted to favor the Empress, he had to occasionally go to court to keep his Diligence above 60. But he had no grand ambitions; he just wanted to indulge in the harem.

Coincidentally, he was also starting to experience a bit of visual fatigue. The Empress was beautiful, but after looking at him for so long, the novelty wore off. Running to Lu Xuechao every day didn’t yield any new tricks, and the repetitive actions of the game became tedious. He had already lost quite a few viewers in the stream.

Humans naturally love the new and tire of the old. Since this one had so many demands, he could just go and gather other, more obedient consorts into his harem. It wasn’t like he had to tie himself to a single tree like Lu Xuechao. Injecting some fresh blood into the harem would also boost the stream’s popularity.

As for exclusive favor… cough cough, saying it and doing it were two different things. Players were all fickle unfaithful partners in the end.

Thinking this way, Wan Jia summoned the Head Eunuch Yun Luo and ordered him to arrange for a male favorite.

The male favorite’s art wasn’t as good as the Empress’s, but the appeal lay in the novelty. After Wan Jia favored him once, the male favorite moved into Mingyue Pavilion.

Male favorites without an official rank lived in either Qingfeng Pavilion or Mingyue Pavilion. Only after being granted an official title could they move into the side halls of the grand palaces, and those above the second rank could become the master of a palace.

After Wan Jia finished sleeping with the male favorite, he was shocked to find that the Emperor’s mood had actually changed from Joyful to Angry.

Wan Jia: “???”

Shouldn’t favoring someone increase the mood stat? Why did it drop instead of rising?

Could it be that the male favorite was clumsy and didn’t serve him well?

Wan Jia went back to Chongxue Palace to find the Empress. This time, the Empress’s attitude had changed.

Lu Xuechao: (Lowering his gaze coldly) Greetings, Your Majesty.

The usual text in parentheses—with a gentle, soft smile—was gone, replaced by lowering his gaze coldly. Wan Jia looked closely and noticed that the details in the art were very precise; Lu Xuechao really wasn’t smiling anymore, his lips pressed tightly together as if suppressing immense grievance.

Wan Jia checked the character stats, and sure enough, the Empress’s mood had changed to Sorrowful.

This triggered his guilt. He hastily tried to coax him with both rewards and chats, hoping to fix his mood. However, during this chat, the Empress no longer discussed poetry or how delicious the newly made pastries from the imperial kitchen were while inviting him to try some.

Lu Xuechao: When Your Majesty was still the Crown Prince, you once told me: ‘one life, one lifetime, one pair of people.’ Even if you became the Emperor, you would never take any more consorts.

Lu Xuechao: (With a self-deprecating smile) It has only been a year… and you have broken your word?

Wan Jia wanted to favor him to make up for it, but Lu Xuechao replied coldly:

Lu Xuechao: I am not in the mood to serve you today. Please return, Your Majesty. If you truly require someone to attend to you, the one in Mingyue Pavilion is eagerly waiting for you.

The screen shifted, and Chongxue Palace turned back into the grand map.

Wan Jia: “???”

He was kicked out again?

“This Empress… has this much personality?!” Wan Jia said in disbelief.

For a brief moment, Wan Jia felt a tiny bit of guilt, but it was just a 2D character after all. His conscience had limits, and he quickly went back to happily arranging for new male favorites.

From then on, Wan Jia completely let himself go. He aggressively expanded his harem, granting titles left and right. The three palaces and six courtyards were soon bursting at the seams, and both Qingfeng and Mingyue Pavilions were surrounded by beautiful men. The palace was bustling with a vibrant crowd of consorts. From that moment on, the ruler no longer attended morning court. The Diligence stat dropped lower and lower, going from “Slacking off” to “Neglecting State Affairs,” and finally to “Devoid of Principle and Reason.” He flipped name tags every day, losing himself in pleasure and gradually neglecting the Empress.

Lu Xuechao’s mood shifted from Sorrowful to Despairing, then to Numb, Heartbroken, and finally, it bizarrely reverted back to Calm.

Seeing that Lu Xuechao’s mood had returned to Calm, Wan Jia immediately couldn’t wait to click “Favor.” Previously, whenever he went to Chongxue Palace, Lu Xuechao would keep his doors closed to visitors most of the time, and even if Wan Jia managed to get in, they would face each other in silence. Clicking “Reward” on even the most precious treasures would only yield a flat, cold “Thank you, Your Majesty”; a simple rock could no longer make him happy. Clicking “Chat” would initially prompt mentions of the past, but later it only resulted in a string of ellipses, ignoring him completely. Clicking “Favor” would result in being shown the door immediately, not allowing him to touch him at all.

Wan Jia incredibly missed the gentle, considerate Lu Xuechao from the beginning. He had initially thought this game didn’t require real-money purchases, which was far too naive. The favorability of the horde of consorts in the harem was extremely difficult to raise; you had to gift exceptionally valuable items to slowly romance them and trigger special plots. Those gifts were paywalled items. It was basically a case of “You and I were never meant to be, it all depended on my money.”

The only one who truly didn’t require any money—and could be happy for a long time over a random broken rock—was Lu Xuechao. And the one who wouldn’t feel a shred of joy later on, even when gifted the most expensive paywalled items, was also Lu Xuechao.

Lu Xuechao’s love truly had nothing to do with money.

Such a wonderful Empress had been completely pushed away by his own fooling around.

But there was nothing he could do. You couldn’t have your cake and eat it too; he couldn’t give up an entire forest for a single tree.

Right now, Lu Xuechao’s Favor stat had dropped to 60, categorized as “Highly Favored.” This was solely thanks to Wan Jia occasionally looking for him to chat, even if he never received a response.

Wan Jia also realized that ever since he had favored someone else, let alone the Empress, the Emperor he was controlling had never been happy again. Favoring other consorts never increased his mood stat; the only time he could feel a bit of joy was when he went to Chongxue Palace to see the Empress. Furthermore, after a few visits, when facing the Empress’s coldness, the Emperor’s internal mood state was actually Guilt, not Anger.

However, the Emperor’s mood stat didn’t seem to affect anything, so Wan Jia just let his main character remain constantly depressed.

“This game is remarkably realistic. If the Emperor weren’t controlled by a player, he would definitely be genuinely in love with the Empress,” Wan Jia sighed. “What a pity. You two are just 2D characters in a game. Even if I don’t tear you apart, countless other players will. For the sake of my gaming experience, I can only break up the happy couple.”

When he clicked “Favor” this time, the Empress surprisingly didn’t refuse. He figured the Empress had thrown his tantrum long enough and finally had to accept reality. Where could one ever find a loyal emperor?

The familiar illustration of the warm canopy bed popped up. Wan Jia waited for the four characters “A Moment of Stolen Pleasure” to appear, but instead, a special plotline triggered.

Lu Xuechao: (Softly murmuring) …Huaiyun.

Who was Huaiyun?

Wan Jia was completely bewildered. Was the Empress cheating on him? Why was he calling out another man’s name?

Lu Xuechao: (Holding you intimately) We will be able to free ourselves together very soon.

Lu Xuechao: (Smiling as his hand brushes against your face) If you sleep here with me forever, you won’t have to look for anyone else.

Lu Xuechao: (Drawing a short dagger from his sleeve)

Pfft—

The sound of a sharp blade piercing into flesh.

A stunningly beautiful CG illustration popped up on the screen, and even the background music turned tragic, beautiful, and mournful.

The young man, as elegant as a painting, had his ink-black long hair draped down as he tightly embraced another man who was clad only undergarments. His hand gripped the hilt of a sword; the blade had fiercely driven through the man’s back, piercing out from his chest, and sinking directly into the young man’s own heart, staining his white robes with blood.

Their hearts were pierced by the exact same sword. The silver blade was stained with the lifeblood of both individuals, dripping vivid red. Even in death, they remained tightly locked in each other’s embrace.

Lu Xuechao: (Closing his eyes with a smile) We are free.

The screen went dark, and a line of text popped up:

[You have died. Cause of death: Assassinated by the Empress]