How Can an Emperor Bear Such Loneliness?

This book is a collection of historical stories about emperors, written by the author between 2005 and 2011. Across five thousand years of Chinese history, its rich past has accumulated many stories that seem utterly incredible. In the author's telling, these events may appear to be coincidences, yet they are inseparable from the circumstances of their time, making them inevitable outcomes of history. How could emperors endure loneliness? The terms "solitary ruler" and the later "I, the Emperor" were merely the emperors' way of poking fun at themselves, much like people today saying, "I'm so poor, all I have left is money." Emperors would neither accept nor tolerate being alone. They wanted to rule the world, with every subject prostrate at their feet. Whenever someone threatened imperial power or their rule, they would surely fight back, giving rise to thought-provoking stories of conflict between ruler and subject.