All the heavens are bound to the palace intrigue system

Yu Kee Dessert Shop, Tai Hing Village, Tuen Mun.

As Yu Li's scattered consciousness gradually cleared, he felt excruciating pain all over his body, especially the back of his head, as if he had been hit on the head with a blunt object.

Smash it! Smash it hard!

A harsh voice rang in his ears, making him even more alert, but the ensuing cacophony irritated him, and he couldn't help but yell, "Screw you!"

The noise stopped abruptly.

Yu Li opened his eyes at that moment, but what came into view was not the luxurious apartment he was familiar with, but a dilapidated and dirty street.

He was lying diagonally in front of a shop, where tables and chairs were overturned and pots and pans were scattered all over the floor. Three shady-looking young men stood in the messy shop, staring at him in astonishment.

Shifting my gaze, I saw a middle-aged woman with a sorrowful face holding a delicate-looking girl who was silently weeping and trembling. The area around the shop was crowded with people, men, women, and children, with varying expressions: some worried, some indifferent, and some gloating.

"What the hell..." Yu Li's mind went blank for a moment, but soon a memory flooded in, making him understand the situation before him.

crossed?

Is it still Hong Kong Island in 96?

However, based on the ambiguous history and current situation in my memory, it is not the real world, but a parallel universe.

"Hey kid, what did you just say?" Among the three thugs, the leader was a thick-lipped, horse-faced youth. He casually picked up a chair leg and walked towards Yu Li with ill intent.

"My son didn't say anything!" The middle-aged woman suddenly rushed forward, blocking Yu Li's path, and pleaded, "Brother Lou, my husband owes your casino money, and I will definitely pay it back. Please, give us a few more days..."

"Get out of my way!" The loudspeaker shoved her impatiently, causing her to stumble.

"Don't hit my brother!" The pretty girl hurriedly helped her mother up and shouted into the loudspeaker while crying.

This, however, attracted the attention of the loudspeaker. His gaze roamed brazenly over the girl's body, a lewd smile spreading across his face. "Qiannu has grown up," he said, "everything's in the right place. That makes things easy. You'll pay off your father's gambling debts!"

"I...I have no money..." Yu Qian shrank back in fear.

"I don't want your money." The speaker leered as he approached her. "You just need to lie down on the bed, have some fun, and you'll pay me back. Then I'll be your first customer, how about that? Hehe..."

He leered as he reached out and touched Yu Qian's face.

But just then, a strong arm suddenly grabbed his neck from behind, followed by a sharp nail pressed against his forehead.

"Is this driving someone crazy?" Yu Li's soft voice came from behind him.

The loudspeaker froze, too afraid to move.

"Let go of the megaphone guy!"

"You little brat, do you want to die?!"

The other two thugs were immediately shocked and angry, shouting and cursing, but dared not approach easily.

Yu Li ignored them and instead asked with a smile, "Brother Trumpet, is there anything to talk about?"

"You little brat, I don't believe you dare touch me!" The loudspeaker's eyes flashed, trying to remain calm.

"You think you can gamble your life on how brave I am?" Yu Li scoffed. "Brother Lou, you can't afford to play that game. The money you get isn't even yours. Why would you risk your life for a few hundred dollars of pumping water?"

"My mother and younger sister are my bottom line. People will do anything when pushed to the limit," Yu Li said slowly. "Brother Laba is also a neighbor of Daxing Village. Considering we grew up together, you won't refuse to give me three days, will you?"

"Three days?" The loudspeaker's expression shifted between light and dark. "You're a good-for-nothing who doesn't even have a job. Even if you were given three more days, what would you use to pay me back?"

"I have connections," Yu Li said calmly. "Come collect your debts in three days. If you don't get them, I'll give you my life. How about that?"

The loudspeaker's eyes flickered, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Just three days!"

"Just three days." Yu Li smiled and released him. "Then we won't keep Brother Louba any longer. See you in three days."

Looking at Yu Li's calm expression, Ba La felt a chill run down his spine for some reason. He wanted to say a few harsh words before leaving, but in the end, he said nothing, only gave a cold snort, and hurriedly left with his two subordinates.

"Li-zai, are you alright?" Lin Yue'e, the mother, rushed over and anxiously checked Yu-li's body.

"Brother! I'm so scared!" Lin Qian, the younger sister, suddenly burst into tears and clung to Yu Li, refusing to let go.

Yu Li sighed sadly. A gambling father, a crying mother, a younger sister going to school, and a broken man...

How did he, a wealthy and leisurely emperor, end up transmigrating into the body of such a useless scoundrel?

In fact, the original owner of this body was not entirely useless. He just couldn't afford to go to university and was unrealistic in his abilities, which is why he was unemployed for three years and was regarded as a good-for-nothing.

Well, since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. The most urgent thing is to resolve the debt issue and protect my mother and sister.

Having fully absorbed the original owner's memories, he seemed to have lived another twenty years, and naturally inherited the original owner's feelings for family. In particular, the original owner's face was exactly the same as his own in his previous life when he was young, and even the name was the same, which made him suspect that this was another version of himself from a parallel universe.

"Brother Li! Are you alright?!" Just then, a blond-haired guy came running up, panting. "I rushed over as soon as I heard you were in trouble. Am I too late? Where's Brother Louba? I'll go talk to him; he still gives me some face!"

A strange look flashed in Yu Li's eyes. Did you think I didn't see you hiding on the street corner?

In my memory, this blond guy was the original owner's childhood friend. He was timid and loved to show off, but he didn't have any bad intentions.

"The loudspeaker ran away as soon as it heard that Brother Yellow Hair was coming." Yu Li patted his shoulder.

"Uh...it's not that exaggerated," the blond-haired man said awkwardly.

"Pfft!" Yu Qian couldn't help but laugh. When she saw Huang Mao looking at her, she glared at him fiercely and hid behind Yu Li.

"Li-zai, you shouldn't have agreed to three days," Lin Yue'e said worriedly. "Your father owes someone over 100,000, and now the interest has doubled. How are we going to pay it back?"

"There is a way," Yu Li said calmly.

He was a transmigrator, and he was quite successful in his previous life. If he had trouble making money, wouldn't that be embarrassing?

"However, three days is indeed a bit tight, and..." Yu Li frowned, "Laba lost face today, and he may not let it go easily. These kinds of gangsters care a lot about their reputation, and I'm afraid even if we bring out the money, it won't be that easy to end this."

"That's easy! I have a plan!" Yellow Hair snapped his fingers. "Laba is with Big Fei, and Big Fei is just a nobody in the Sun Yee On triad. If we join the gang and have a higher status than Laba, he definitely won't dare to mess with us anymore."

"Hey, don't say I didn't think of you when I had good news. I heard three Vietnamese guys are planning to set up shop in Tsuen Wan and form a Vietnamese gang. If we go and join them now, we'll be veterans! If we do well, we might even become the district head someday—how prestigious would that be?"

"No way!" Before the words were even finished, Yu Qian immediately refused, looking at the blond-haired man with disgust. "Blonde-haired man, don't you dare corrupt my brother!"

"Li, you absolutely cannot join a gang!" Lin Yue'e warned Li with a serious expression. "I'll figure out the money, but you have to promise me you won't go down the wrong path, or your life will be ruined!"

Join a club?

Yu Li shook his head and smiled: "I wouldn't even be a dog among the gangsters!"

He transmigrated to Hong Kong to become a tycoon, at least on par with Li Jiacheng, to live up to his precognitive transmigrator status. For a transmigrator to end up as a gangster is just too...

Ding!

The voice that suddenly rang in his mind startled Yu Li, who then immediately became excited.

Could it be the standard equipment for transmigrators—a system?

I knew it! How could a time-traveling adventure be complete without a system? As a seasoned bookworm who has read countless online novels, he knows all too well the tricks of systems!

Complete the task to receive a reward and reach the pinnacle of life!

What kind of system could it be?

Is it a super-rich system where you earn money just by breathing?

Or is it a system for seducing various beautiful women and living off their wives?

At the very least, it should be an entertainment system that brings both fame and fortune, right?

Come on, I'm ready, my brother Tong!

Yu Li was full of anticipation!

"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully bound to the All-Heavens Palace Intrigue System! This system aims to help you gain the emperor's favor and ascend to the position of empress in various harems across the myriad worlds."

o_o……

Yu Li's excited expression froze on his face before he could even compose himself.

What is that?

Palace intrigue?

I'm a guy!

"You were originally a noblewoman from a royal merchant family. However, your father, Yu Tai, was framed by a villain and incurred gambling debts, leading to the ruin of your family. In order not to affect your eldest son, Yu Qian's, studies for the imperial examinations and to prevent him from being forced into prostitution, you made a resolute decision: to respond to the call of Noble Lady Huang and go with her to participate in the selection of concubines for the King of Vietnam."

The system's description almost made Yu Li lose his composure.

Am I a noblewoman?

A family of imperial merchants? My mother's dessert shop does have property ownership from the Housing Estates Committee, but does that make her an imperial merchant?

Who is this "eldest son" Yu Qian?

Why send Consort Huang to the Vietnamese King's harem for a selection of concubines?

It's clearly a Vietnamese gang recruiting thugs, okay?

Besides, I didn't want to go at all, so why did I suddenly decide to go?

"You are well aware of the treacherous intrigues and constant power struggles within the imperial harem, but for the sake of your family, you, despite being a woman, are determined to go. The host has detected that your resolve to enter the palace for the imperial concubine selection is as firm as a rock. The first main quest in this world is now being issued."

Wait, I didn't want to participate in the talent show—ugh, I don't want to be a gangster! What kind of system is this, can you stop talking to yourself?

Yu Li was getting anxious, roaring in his mind.

But it was completely useless; the system seemed to be a heartless AI.

"Main Quest 1: Respond to Lady Huang's call and participate in the Vietnamese King's harem selection with her, and successfully retain your nameplate. Quest success reward: 10 free attribute points; Quest failure penalty: Random deduction of 10 attribute points and activation of a forced quest."

Ok?

Yu Li, who had been laughing in anger, was stunned at this moment.

There's a reward...

That wouldn't be a bad idea.

Whether this system is blind or mentally challenged, it's ridiculous that it treats a grown man like a woman and portrays being a gangster as a harem selection. But if the rewards are real, it's not impossible to play along with this idiotic system.

"That's more like it." Lin Yue'e breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her son had no intention of joining a gang.

Unexpectedly, Yu Li's expression shifted between light and dark before he suddenly said, "However, what Huang Mao said makes sense. If we could join the gang, we could indeed prevent La Ba from messing with us."

The three of them were stunned.

"Brother, didn't you say you wouldn't even be a dog if you were a gangster?" Yu Qian said anxiously.

"I'm not a dog to be treated like a dog," Yu Li said with a smile. "Mother, little sister, don't worry about this. I have my own plans. You two pack up first, I'll go find a way to make some money."

After saying that, he ignored his mother and younger sister's anxious calls and ran off with the blond-haired man.

"Richard, are you really sure?" As they approached the bus stop, the blond-haired man hesitated. "You used to hate gangsters, but now..."

Yu Li patted him on the shoulder, interrupting him: "I don't hate gangsters, I hate losers who never make it big! As long as you can make it big, it doesn't matter what industry you're in."

These were Yu Li's true feelings, and also his confidence. Although this path was not originally his plan, since it was arranged by the system, he believed that with his own intellect and the support of the system's rewards, he could still forge a path to success.

"Alright, let's give it a shot!" the blond-haired man said through gritted teeth.

"Ding! We have detected that Consort Huang is eager and confident in her desire to enter the palace and compete for the emperor's favor. This has triggered a hidden quest—'Stumbling Block'! Quest description: You have noticed that Consort Huang is beautiful and virtuous, and will become a major threat to your path in the imperial concubine selection. Therefore, you have decided to disfigure Consort Huang, so that she will be unable to compete for the imperial concubine selection, and to remove this stumbling block without making a sound."

Even though Yu Li was a man of considerable experience, he still couldn't help but gasp in shock at this moment.

He tilted his head, looking at the blond-haired guy's unconventional hair and his sleazy, monkey-like face...

You call this graceful and charming?

"Once I make it big, I'll definitely go to Portland Street and pick up ten girls, sleeping with them in every position imaginable!" Yellow Hair dreamed of the future with great enthusiasm.

Is this what you call virtuous and kind?

Yu Li really couldn't hold back anymore, and his expression became somewhat distorted.

"Considering that this is the first time the host, a noble lady, has encountered a system mission, a one-time auxiliary item, Disfigurement Potion, is hereby issued (Disfigurement Potion - after consuming this potion, red spots will appear all over the face within half an hour, and will not fade for seven days. After seven days, permanent scars will be left on the face. This medicine is colorless, odorless, and incurable. It was concocted by a certain imperial concubine of the previous dynasty and is an unparalleled weapon in the struggles of the harem)."

o_O???

Disfigure the blond guy?

Is such a "malicious" idea really necessary?

Is there?

What the hell is this crazy, shady mission?!

"Reward for successful completion of this mission: HKD 300,000; Penalty for failure: None."

Yu Li let out a long breath and suddenly smiled.

"Hey blondie, wanna have some soda?" he asked with a grin, putting his arm around blondie's shoulder.