Chapter 171

【1L: You guys aren’t against the privileged class at all. You’re just afraid that Ye Zheng is taking away “their” privileges!】

【2L: In a worldview where men control the overwhelming majority of power and wealth, the readers of Throne of the Aberrant Realm are actually firing the first shot of class struggle against a woman. And it happens at the exact moment when this woman chooses to break away from her noble family and save countless commoners. Are you really opposing the privileged class? Don’t make me laugh.】

【3L: First of all, what privileges does Ye Zheng even have? She’s a woman in a patriarchal society, a Saintess excluded from the church’s power structure, and a noble young lady without any inheritance rights. Any random male character in this work holds more privilege than she does. When Sykes’s monster devoured innocent servants, when Wen Jian sacrificed ordinary people to save nobles, and when Kieran stood high above and deceived commoner girls into participating in the Hope Project, none of you noticed any class oppression. But the moment you think about Ye Zheng having lived a luxurious life for eighteen years, you suddenly start shouting “oppression” and “class” like you’ve had your sore spot stepped on?】

【4L: You deliberately turn a blind eye to male privilege, constantly treating male characters like babies, husbands, brothers, or even fathers and mothers. Yet the moment a female character gains power beyond what you can comfortably imagine, you immediately frame her as an enemy.】

【5L: What truly unsettles you isn’t Ye Zheng’s privilege at all. It’s her rebellion!】

【6L: To achieve her goals, she’s willing to use her friends, abandon her family, and deceive the entire nation. She’s disloyal, unfilial, and unjust, utterly detestable by every conventional standard. However, the thing readers find most unforgivable about her is that she dared to rebel against the established gender order.】

【7L: If Ye Zheng were written as a male character, he’d already be celebrated as a fierce and ambitious hero. Readers would be praising his charisma and accomplishments even while criticizing his ruthlessness. But unfortunately, Ye Zheng is a woman.】

【8L: Because she’s a woman, you scrutinize her with every possible standard of judgment. You refuse to acknowledge how Ye Zheng turned the tide in the latest chapter and saved all the civilians in the square. Instead, you pick apart her flaws under a magnifying glass. When it comes to Sykes, you say, “He’s the villain, so it’s natural for him to do bad things.” But when it comes to the female villain Ye Zheng, you suddenly apply a moral standard even stricter than the one you use for the protagonist.】

【9L: Male readers resent Ye Zheng because she’s genuinely shaken the foundations of male privilege within the manga. But what I can’t understand is why some female readers worship “princes,” “young masters,” and “emperors” on one hand, while simultaneously hating privileged “princesses,” “young ladies,” and “empresses” under the excuse of class on the other. Deep down, have you already internalized the idea that you’re merely appendages of the patriarchy, aligning yourselves with men’s interests, and therefore treating your own gender as the enemy?】

【10L: I know some people will argue that this is just a manga and there’s no need to apply real-life, three-dimensional standards to fictional paper characters. But think about it carefully, haven’t you been consuming too many of these kinds of stories since childhood and gradually damaging your own thinking in the process?】

【11L: The original poster is basically saying exactly what I’ve been wanting to say all along!】

【12L: Like always, paper men aren’t real men. Cyber-love, female-sis warning!】

【13L: Zheng fans follow Zheng. From logic and intelligence to independent thinking ability, they completely crush those male darlings and their so-called dads.】

【14L: The so-called “treat male and female heavenly dragons equally with the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms” is obviously just a harsh slap for women and a soft, gentle kiss for men.】

【15L: I’ll stay fellow fans with all of you for the rest of my life. You guys are way too strong, YOUUU-ALL!】

【16L: If Zheng were a guy, she’d definitely be an undisputed top-tier big top. She could be gong, shou, or anything at all. The people cursing her right now would absolutely be the first to flatter and cling to her.】

【17L: Didn’t the Zhao Mei incident already prove this? Those who shout “paper men aren’t real men” and “my fave’s charm has nothing to do with gender,” the moment they lose two ounces of meat, it’s like the sky collapses. Quite a few of them immediately turned around and stepped on Ye Zheng afterward.】

【18L: This woman is a truly fierce and ambitious heroine. Anyone who can’t understand that can just leave forever…】

【19L: Before I started following Ye Zheng, I really didn’t realize how strong the double standards toward male and female characters were. But then again, isn’t real-world society exactly the same? They just influence each other, that’s all.】

……

This counterattack thread was quickly pushed up to the top of the hot posts. Even with Zheng fans completely dominating the field, some people still acted like they couldn’t read, stubbornly shouting and clinging to a single point.

【364L: But Ye Zheng’s background simply isn’t suitable for leading commoners in rebellion. Even if she were a man, it’d still be the same. Don’t project your own gender-based double standards onto others.】

【365L: Ye Zheng isn’t suitable? This woman has already become the most revered Saintess among the people of the lower district. Your Pei Xi only deserves to stand in the crowd as part of the atmosphere group, shouting “Saintess” and “Goddess.”】

【366L: If you think Pei Xi is suitable, you might as well head over to the next thread. Someone has compiled more than two hundred chapters showcasing Pei Xi’s insane double standards. Pei Xi fans, this is a must-read treasure compilation!】

【367L: This guy stays silent most of the time and only knows how to apply double standards.】

【368L: Pei Xi had just finished muttering about the heavenly dragon Ye Zheng in his heart, then immediately turned around and eagerly opened the emperor’s letter. What a completely insane, double-standard opportunistic hypocrite.】

【369L: So I wasn’t the only one who caught that “humorous” scene. What qualifications does he even have to mock my girl?】

【370L: Orthodox hot-blooded shonen manga protagonist × classic male-frequency generous big daddy and the “I want both” teenage boy √】

【371L: Pei Xi better not end up having any connection with the emperor later in the story, otherwise how embarrassing would it be for those anti–heavenly-dragon Pei Xi fans?】

The Zheng fans didn’t just seize the high ground of public opinion on the forum in a very short time, they also went straight to the manga author’s social media platform to defend their stance, completely taking over the top comments section.

【Be kinder to Ye Zheng in the new year!】【3273 likes】

【Everyone, grab your phones and go like my goddess!】【3021 likes】

【Uncle, you’re really done for this time. You swallowed all of Ye Zheng’s highlight moments and practically choked yourself to death on them…】【2332 likes】

This wave of controversy surrounding Ye Zheng was clearly something the author had deliberately steered through the manga. Whether openly or subtly, authors could always inject their own biases and perspectives into their work. The readers’ reactions, in turn, largely mirrored the author’s stance. Even though Zheng fans were long used to this kind of hidden suppression, their combativeness only grew stronger with each clash.

Tang Mingxi finally finished her round of arguing. When she checked the time, it was already 1:30 in the morning. Her mind was still buzzing with excitement, and she couldn’t fall asleep at all.

Because she stanned Ye Zheng, she ended up arguing almost every week. But this level of intensity was nothing to her, a seasoned high-intensity fan. What actually moved her was that every argument made her reflect on certain things.

Tang Mingxi picked up the Ye Zheng little doll sitting on her desk and poked it. It had short little limbs and a big smiling head, stuffed full of soft cotton.

This doll had been made by fellow fans as part of a group project. The price was kept very low, barely making any profit at all. Ye Zheng as a character really carried a kind of magic that made people both inside and outside the story go crazy for her.

In the past, she’d scoffed at the saying “love can make paper characters struggle their way into flesh and blood.” But now, she felt that the intense love and hate from beyond the screen was truly nourishing her, constantly helping her grow and break through layer after layer of constraints.

Ye Zheng was simply too extraordinary. From the very moment she was born as a character, it felt as though she existed to break through something and to lead something forward.

After washing up, Tang Mingxi placed the Ye Zheng stand on her bedside table and thought to herself that she should remember to commission some artwork tomorrow.

The officially announced birthday of Ye Zheng was coming up soon. It was time to start preparing birthday congratulatory illustrations. She’d also need to coordinate with her friends in the birthday celebration group to decide on images and locations for projection on big screens as part of the celebration.

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Authors Note  

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Hehe, I don’t have the money to project anything on big screens, so I can only commission a few drawings for Zheng like this.