The First Villain of Zhenguan: Li Er Begs Me Not to Resign!

Xu Yuan transmigrates to the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty and becomes a county magistrate. He discovers that if Emperor Li Shimin sentences him to death, he will return to the modern world and achieve the pinnacle of success. Determined to trigger his own execution, Xu Yuan submits memorials confessing to every capital crime imaginable—illegal mining, brutal taxation, and private army building. Yet to his utter frustration, Li Er applauds each "offense" as a model of governance, rewarding him instead of punishing him. The more Xu Yuan courts death, the more the emperor shields him from harm. Years later, now a prince of equal standing, Xu Yuan watches Li Er pass away—still grumbling that the emperor never once granted his dearest wish.