The Chronicles of Emperor Jing

One female lead, one male lead, a native-born protagonist, no overpowered hero, a comeback story, hiding one’s strength while pretending to be weak, alternate history, a slow start followed by a rise. His father dies of illness, and his mother is humiliated by the landlord. Still, she struggles to raise the protagonist. When he comes of age and she has fulfilled her duty, she can no longer bear the shame of her past and takes her own life at home. The protagonist is frustrated and unfulfilled. Though learned and capable, he lives in a corrupt country beset by internal and external crises. He had hoped to live out his days in peace, but a band of robbers awakens the beast within him. How can an ordinary man become emperor without a System or an overpowered-hero setup?