Crown Prince of the Eastern Depot: Rising to Power Begins with the Embroidered Guards

In the Great Jing Dynasty, the third year of Jinghe, imperial authority is waning.

The Eastern Palace's Crown Prince, Xiao Jingyan, is frail and sickly. At court, the civil officials, led by the chancellor, form cliques for private gain; regional princes control the borders and are poised to make a move; the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot keep each other in check; and martial world factions have infiltrated the court. The realm appears peaceful, but undercurrents are surging.

The protagonist, Xiao Jingyuan, is the Great Jing emperor's most beloved second legitimate son. His mastery of both letters and arms is unmatched in the capital, and officials and commoners alike regard him as first in line to inherit the Eastern Palace. Countless people believe he is the future ruler of Great Jing.

Yet no one could have imagined that, on the eve of the Crown Prince's investiture ceremony, he would volunteer to join the Eastern Depot and become a low-ranking eunuch in its service.

The entire court is in an uproar, and the realm is stunned!

The emperor is furious, the officials mock him, the great families despise him, and even the street beggars laugh at him: “With the Dragon Throne there for the taking, he chooses to become a eunuch instead. What a disgrace to the royal family!”

Only Xiao Jingyuan knows that he joined the Eastern Depot not to debase himself, but to use his eunuch's identity to set a dragon-slaying scheme in motion: purge corrupt officials around the emperor, cleanse the court, reclaim power, and bring the realm to order. In the end, he will take back everything that belongs to him, and more!