CQDF 1

Tearing Up the Pig-Torture Script: Consort Qi Dominates Her Fiefdom

CHAPTER 1: Awakening in the Weiyang Palace—The Fear of the Human Pig

The twelfth year of Emperor Gaozu of Han, winter.

The night wind of Chang'an City, mixed with unmelted residual snow, poured into the Weiyang Palace through the half-ajar lattice window. Inside the inner hall, the flames of the nine-branched bronze sparrow lamp flickered, stretching the heavy curtains into ferocious shadows resembling evil ghosts.

Yu Xiaoqing jolted awake amidst a wave of suffocating, blinding panic.

This pain is way too realistic... Wait, this isn't a dream?!

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please wake up. The Emperor is watching you."

A low, trembling whisper from a palace maid drifted into her ears. Yu Xiaoqing opened her eyes wide, gasping heavily for air, her hands instinctively clutching at her own neck.

Her skin was warm and completely intact, yet the phantom agony of a blade slicing across her throat and her eyes being gouged out burned deep into the marrow of her soul like a branding iron.

The human pig.

Limbs hacked off, eyes gouged out, ears deafened with smoke, forced to swallow mute herbs, and tossed into a latrine.

That was the historical end awaiting Consort Qi.

In the original script, this was a zero-accountability, pure political liquidation ending. But I'm looking at a totally busted project.

"My beloved, what is ails you? Have you suffered nightmares once more?"

An aged, exhausted voice laden with irresistible authority came from her side. Yu Xiaoqing stiffly turned her head, and by the dim candlelight, she recognized the old man lying beside her.

He wore a dark gold informal robe, his temples frosted with white, his gaze turbid yet sharp as a hawk—he was none other than the founding Emperor of Han, Liu Bang.

At this moment, Liu Bang was terminally ill, a hero facing his twilight.

Suddenly, memories not belonging to this world flooded into Yu Xiaoqing's mind like a tidal wave. She didn't remember her exact modern origins, but etched clear as day in her consciousness was a complete "historical script"—which, to her modern perspective, looked precisely like an all-access spoiler report and risk assessment sheet.

She knew she was Yu Xiaoqing, nicknamed Xiaoyu, and that her current identity was Consort Qi—the favorite of the inner palace, and a high-risk asset on the brink of total corporate liquidation.

"Your Majesty..." Yu Xiaoqing began, her voice jarringly raspy.

Liu Bang let out a long sigh, propping up his ailing body. The hand that once held absolute power over the empire's life and death now trembled slightly as he stroked Yu Xiaoqing's cheek: "I know what you fear. At today's early court session, that fellow Zhang Liang actually brought out the 'Four Haos of Shangshan' to back Crown Prince Ying. The officials were furious, and even that stubborn donkey Zhou Chang would rather die than draft a decree replacing Ruyi..."

A deep sense of impotence and resentment flashed in Liu Bang's eyes: "I am the Emperor, yet I cannot even protect my favorite son. My love, if I pass away, what will become of you and our boy?"

The wheels of history were locked tight on this very night of failed imperial succession.

According to the original character profile, I should be hugging his legs and bawling, begging him to fight a desperate gamble against the veteran chancellors and Empress Lü. But in terms of modern business logic, that’s just doubling down on a toxic asset. Total suicide.

The old emperor's political lifecycle was in its final countdown. The outer court was stacked with veteran masterminds like Zhang Liang and Xiao He, while the inner court was controlled by Empress Lü, a ruthless political mogul holding the power of the Lü clan.

Keep fighting for the crown prince position? That’s not winning favor; that’s trying to force an insolvent company onto the public market just to get slaughtered by the short-sellers down to the bone.

"Cui'er, withdraw." Yu Xiaoqing took a deep breath, her voice stripping away the tremors to reveal a cold, crisp rationality.

Cui'er the maid froze. Normally, her mistress would be weeping in a puddle of tears over such a crisis; why did her gaze look so terrifying today? Not daring to speak out of turn, she hurriedly backed out of the inner hall.

Inside the massive Weiyang Palace, only the supreme ruler of Han remained—and a woman whose modern, pragmatic mindset had just been fully activated.

"Your Majesty." Yu Xiaoqing cast off the quilted blanket. Instead of twining around Liu Bang like a dependent vine as she usually did, she straightened her disheveled robes, knelt properly and solemnly right before the imperial couch.

Liu Bang furrowed his brow, looking at her with mild astonishment: "My love, what is the meaning of this?"

"Your concubine implores Your Majesty to rescind the succession mandate immediately, and forever abandon any notion of naming Ruyi as crown prince." Yu Xiaoqing raised her head; on that breathtakingly gorgeous face, there was not a single tear—only the undisturbed stillness of a deep, cold pool.

"What did you say?!" Liu Bang shuddered, breaking into a violent fit of coughing as he pointed a shaking finger at her in fury. "Absurd! Do you know how much pressure I’ve endured to fight for Ruyi's position? How many people in this court would love to tear you and your son to pieces? If I don’t name Ruyi, once I’m gone, will that venomous Empress Lü ever let you live?!"

“Does Your Majesty honestly believe we’d survive if you forced Ruyi onto the throne?” Yu Xiaoqing straightened her back, every word cutting like a sharp risk-analysis memo straight to the core of his pain.

"The Four Haos of Shangshan have already appeared; public sentiment and bureaucratic loyalty belong entirely to Prince Ying. If Your Majesty forces a succession change now, you make an enemy of every single founding meritorious official of Han. By then, the outer court will fracture, and vassal kings will stir. The day Your Majesty passes is the day Chang'an flows with blood. Ruyi is merely eight years old—can he stabilize that dragon throne? Will the court obey him? Will Empress Lü spare him?"

Liu Bang froze on the couch. As the founding emperor, he understood these political accounts better than anyone; he was simply too stubborn to accept failure.

"Then what would you have me do? Sit back and watch Empress Lü carve you both to pieces after I die?!" Liu Bang’s eyes reddened as he growled in a low voice.

Yu Xiaoqing crawled forward on her knees, hands folded, pressing her forehead flat against the cold stone floor.

"Your concubine cares nothing for that empty title of crown prince; I only want Ruyi to stay alive. I beg Your Majesty to issue a decree at tomorrow's early court: let the Prince of Zhao, Liu Ruyi, having reached suitable age, take up his fief in the Zhao territory immediately, never to be summoned back or enter the capital without cause!"

Dead silence gripped the massive hall.

The dripping of the water clock felt like the ticking countdown of the empire's ledger.

Liu Bang stared intently at the kneeling favorite who had previously known only how to sing and dance. He suddenly felt a sense of utter unfamiliarity; that stoic resolution carried none of the typical inner-palace whining, resembling instead a cold-blooded strategist closing a high-stakes corporate restructuring.

"Take up the fief in Zhao..." Liu Bang muttered to himself, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "The Zhao territory is barren, right on the northern border neighboring the Xiongnu. If Ruyi goes there, though Empress Lü's reach is long, it is still separated by thousands of miles... But Ruyi is only eight. Can you truly bear it?"

Barren? To a modern entrepreneur, an isolated borderland with zero regulatory oversight meant maximum flexibility, low interference, and infinite autonomy for trade development!

Yu Xiaoqing raised her gaze, her eyes shining with crystal clarity: "I can bear it. Staying in Chang'an means death; going to Zhao leaves a fighting chance. But Your concubine has one condition."

"Name it." Liu Bang's expression turned grave. He could see that tonight, his favorite consort wasn't looking for sympathy—she was negotiating a hard asset-protection treaty.

"Your concubine requires absolute military jurisdiction over the Zhao domain, alongside total fiscal and financial autonomy. Within Zhao, from military appointments down to tax collection, the Prince of Zhao's estate must have full discretionary power, with zero interference from Chang'an. Furthermore—"

Yu Xiaoqing narrowed her eyes slightly, her long lashes masking the ruthless spark of an alien soul: "Your concubine will accompany Ruyi to the Zhao fief. I will guard my son with my own eyes."

According to Han statutes, when vassal princes went to their fiefs, their biological mothers typically remained in Chang'an as political hostages. Pushing this demand meant cutting ties completely with Chang'an’s control framework to build an independent stronghold.

Liu Bang fell silent for a long time—so long that the night wind outside finally blew out the last remaining bronze sparrow lamp.

"Military power, fiscal control, mother and son traveling together..." Liu Bang let out a bitter chuckle, pointing at Yu Xiaoqing. "My love, my love, you are trying to turn the land of Zhao into an independent state within the Han empire. Empress Lü won't agree to this, and neither will the court ministers."

"If Your Majesty cannot even leave Ruyi this much leverage, then grant my mother-son pair three feet of white silk to die right here before your eyes; it is far better than enduring systemic torture later!" Yu Xiaoqing refused to yield an inch, her tone resolute.

Liu Bang stared at her, finally letting out a heavy sigh. His guilt and affection for Consort Qi and her son reached their absolute peak at this moment.

"Very well. I agree. As for those stubborn mules in court, I have ways to shut them up. As long as Ruyi drops the crown prince bid, Empress Lü will have to swallow this decree for the sake of public reputation." Liu Bang propped himself up on the edge of the bed, a final surge of fierce vitality burning in his eyes.

"However, the journey from Chang'an to Zhao is long. Empress Lü may accept it outwardly, but she will never miss a chance to cut the weeds and root out the stem in secret. For the two of you to reach Zhao alive will be extraordinarily difficult."

A chill ran through Yu Xiaoqing's heart. Historically, Liu Ruyi was eventually summoned back to Chang'an and poisoned by Empress Lü. She was fully aware of the lethal hazards along the route.

"Since Your Majesty has agreed, you must have already selected an escort team for Ruyi," Yu Xiaoqing said with absolute certainty.

Slowly, Liu Bang groped beneath his pillow and drew out a bronze tally carved with intricate, archaic inscriptions. The tiger tally cast a faint, eerie luminescence in the dark, carrying the faint, unwashed scent of blood.

"Zhou Chang is upright; he can serve as the Chancellor of Zhao to block Empress Lü's overt political attacks in court. But Zhou Chang cannot stop knives coming from the shadows."

Liu Bang gazed at the tally in his hand: "Ten years ago, I planted a piece on the northern Yanmen frontier. The Shi clan were orphaned generals of the old State of Zhao. When Qin destroyed Zhao, their entire family was slaughtered; I granted a special pardon to preserve their sole remaining bloodline. Now, that little wolf cub has grown up."

"Shi Zhongyuan." When Liu Bang uttered the name, a trace of wariness mingled with genuine admiration filled his eyes.

"Though only twenty-four years old, he commands thirty thousand elite iron cavalry of the northern frontier. He is a solitary wolf who cares nothing for ancestral laws or divine Buddhas. I traded the Shi family's hereditary peerage privileges to bring him into the capital today, and to secretly hand him this covert tiger tally."

Liu Bang handed the tally across to Yu Xiaoqing, locking his gaze onto hers: "In three days, I will issue the decree for Ruyi's departure. The two of you will slip out of the city in civilian garb, and Shi Zhongyuan will lead a hundred elite cavalrymen to meet you at Changlen坡 outside Chang'an. On this road, he is your only lifeline."

Yu Xiaoqing extended both hands, taking the heavy bronze tally. The chill of the metal seeped through her fingertips, quickening her heartbeat.

Shi Zhongyuan. A twenty-four-year-old northern wolf general.

Armed forces, a general, and an independent territory—isn't this the ultimate startup package?

"Your concubine expresses deep gratitude for Your Majesty's grace." Yu Xiaoqing bowed once more.

The gears of fate turned violently on this single night. The weak woman of history who knew only how to weep and meet a tragic end was dead.

Standing now in the deep shadows of the Han palace was Yu Xiaoqing, ready to tear apart the script of destiny and set out to conquer her own frontier empire.

The night in Chang'an remained bitter and cold. But Yu Xiaoqing knew that her hunting and empire-building season had only just begun.

--

T/N:

Yo, we’re officially locking in and picking up Tearing Up the Pig-Torture Script: Empress Consort Qi Dominates Her Fiefdom.

Ngl, what makes this low-key genius is how it turns ancient history into a high-stakes survival game using pure game theory and macroeconomics. Instead of the usual crying in the palace, the MC flips the script on fate by treating dynastic politics like a ruthless business pivot—dropping toxic moves and turning a dead-end situation into total leverage.

No spoilers, but watching her outplay a rigged board without the typical damsel nonsense is pure cinema. Ch. 1 drops soon, stay locked in!

—Siofra