Dual Male Leads: The Traitorous Rebel Ascends the High Tower

[Two male leads | Political intrigue] [No female lead] [Loyal dog-like traitor vs. fallen prince] [Double rebirth, from protecting a loved one to protecting the realm] [A little angst, mostly sweet] [Returns from a mission to find the little prince utterly cold] [Personally sends the person he swore to protect to marry into a matriarchal kingdom] “Let me ask you this: if you could live your life over, would you still rebel?” “I... would.” Hearing this, Luo Jingqing lost all hope. He had once been a prince of the previous dynasty, but now he was a broken man, blinded in both eyes and kept captive. Feeling his battered body and hearing this man's heartbreaking answer, he could no longer find a reason to go on living. Xiao Yunzheng had rebelled alongside his father and become crown prince. He could only watch as Luo Jingqing died before his eyes. Overcome with grief and unable to do anything to bring him back, he trembled as he touched the white bandages covering Luo Jingqing's eyes, filled with regret. “A Jing, if I could live my life over, I would still rebel. But I would become an emperor who keeps his word, an emperor capable of protecting you.” With that, he drew his sword and took his own life. The new crown prince was dead. Luo Jingqing was reborn. He had returned to the time when he was still the seventh prince of Dongyun, with grief still fresh in his eyes. In this life, he would not be a coward. He would not stand by while a treacherous minister killed his father, nor would he become that man's prisoner. He would protect the realm of Dongyun. “As for Xiao Yunzheng, I might as well give him up.” The moment Xiao Yunzheng opened his eyes, he realized he had returned to the time before his father usurped the throne. Overjoyed, he thought, “I'm back, A Jing. This time, I will protect you. Even my father won't be able to hurt you again.”