I’m Still in the Womb, and the Emperor Father Already Wants Me Dead

In his previous life, Xie Yan was a top strategic consultant who had outworked everyone in the world.

When he opened his eyes, he was a prince in his mother’s womb. He thought he could lie flat and enjoy the perks of being born into the ultimate privileged family, only to discover that his young and beautiful mother was a naive sweetheart, while his decisive, ruthless emperor father was clearly looking at him as if to say, “This kid can’t be allowed to live.”

After months of discreet observation, Xie Yan reached a conclusion that left him speechless: the emperor was probably reborn too. In his previous life they’d been father and son; in this one, they were locked in a deadly game. The supplements his father sent concealed safflower, the pebbled paths in the imperial garden hid deadly traps, and even the midwives assigned to him came with performance targets. Xie Yan touched his head, not yet as big as a fist, and felt the weight of responsibility: he couldn’t win physically, so he’d have to outthink his father. Every kick was a signal, every heartbeat a scheme. He used Morse code to send his father the message “I know your secret,” scaring the emperor into poring over history books all night. He used the rhythm of prenatal music to teach his mother to feign illness and avoid the emperor’s favor, helping her dodge three assassination attempts. The instant he was born, he stirred up the harem with a single cry and fought for his first breath. He thought he’d be safe once he made it through birth, but then he discovered that his emperor father was truly a relentless striver.

When his father threw himself into governing, Xie Yan studied military strategy in his cradle. When his father schemed for power, Xie Yan exposed his plans with “innocent” remarks in the imperial study. When his father focused on educating the princes, Xie Yan started giving lectures and taking on disciples, making the court’s elite question their entire lives. Thus began a father-son contest spanning twenty years.