[High-stakes plot + major twists + contrasting characterizations + secret scheming + intense romantic tension + two equally matched leads + pure love + love and conflict + ensemble cast + happy ending]
One-line summary: I transmigrated as a tyrant and found a happy ending with the unhinged hostage who wanted to kill me.
This is a dynasty shrouded in intrigue, with undercurrents running deep.
A tyrant rules, and love between men is widespread.
The moment Tang Ke opened his eyes, he had become Anshan, the notorious, same-sex-loving tyrant whom everyone feared.
The hostage prince from an enemy state, the commander of the secret guard bureau, the great general guarding the western frontier, the heir of Prince Jin'an: it seemed they were all in the palm of his hand.
But the shocking scars on the person beside him in bed, the repeated tests and coercion from the male favorites in his harem, and the reckless persecution by powerful officials at court all told him that everything was far more complicated than he had imagined.
He proceeded cautiously, planning every step, unaware that he had already been caught up in a breathtaking struggle for power.
And Su Qinghan was the most terrifying hunter in this game.
He was an exiled immortal fallen into blood and filth, elegant and otherworldly, aloof and fragile, with an unyielding spirit... and a deadly poison within.
Tang Ke knew Su Qinghan's ambitions knew no bounds, yet fell for him after protecting him time and again. Su Qinghan, too, lost himself in Tang Ke's uncharacteristic tolerance, but ultimately chose to wield power as a blade and drag Tang Ke into a hell of love and conflict.
Power grabs, house arrest, betrayal, near-death... When Su Qinghan takes a fatal blow for him, can these two people, swept up in political intrigue and love and hatred, find redemption in each other at the end of the bloodshed?
When creating "Under the Machiavellian", I have been thinking about a proposition: when the bottom line of modern civilization encounters the jungle law of ancient machinations, and when two scarred souls are trapped in the meat grinder of power, will they choose to bite each other until their flesh and blood are bloody, or can they learn to embrace in a pool of blood, and bloom the flower of redemption on the blade? Tang Ke is not a "gold-finger" male protagonist in the traditional sense. His time-travel did not bring about a life of cheating. Instead, it was a tragic conflict between modern values and feudal tyranny. He has inherited the body and infamy of the tyrant Anshan. He must not only cover up the fatal secret of soul penetration, but also maintain the bottom line of "not killing innocent people indiscriminately" in the court struggle. And Su Qinghan is not a weak hostage waiting to be rescued. He is a poisonous snake crawling out of the blood of the Liyue royal family. He uses gentleness as a mask, pain as an armor, and carves ambition into his bones and blood. The relationship between them has never been a simple one of saving and being saved, but an evenly matched game - if you take a step back, I will take an inch forward; if you show any true feelings, I will take your kingdom and country. Those steel nails penetrated not only the joints, but also the wounds of two lonely souls testing each other in mutual distrust. Lu Jin's sincerity as a loyal dog, Shen Huai's sadness of forbearing and guarding, and Mu Xiu's foresight beneath the surface of a playboy, together form a huge dark web of power. In this dynasty where everyone wears a mask and dances, the most touching thing is the human heart that is still beating despite the calculation. This is not only a story about revenge and ambition, but also an arduous journey about how to maintain the warmth of humanity in a desperate situation. What I want to write is that love can be a weakness or an armor; intrigue can destroy a person, or it can allow two broken souls to find each other's salvation at the end of blood. Welcome to this treacherous world of Yunbo, and see how they exchange their sincerity for their sincerity in the purgatory of falling in love and killing each other.