After his soul transmigrates, he becomes Jiajing’s son: the person closest to the throne, and the one most likely to die first.
The very night the Prince of Jing wins favor, someone suddenly arrives from the Western Park.
Jiajing summons him and asks one question:
Are you more afraid of the Prince of Jing, or of me?
This question is not about courage.
It is asking whether he deserves to keep living in this game of chess.
Everyone outside believes that the Prince of Yu will eventually outlast the rest and become emperor.
But only after entering the Western Park does one realize that the most terrifying person has never been the Prince of Jing, the Yan faction, the upright officials, or the Directorate of Ceremonial.
The most terrifying is Jiajing, who sees through everything but refuses to settle the question of succession.
The Prince of Jing wins favor, the Ministry of Rites tests the waters, the Directorate of Ceremonial passes word along, the Yan faction exploits the moment, and the upright officials wait and watch.
And as the Prince of Yu, whose soul has transmigrated into this world, he can neither use his foreknowledge to defeat the entire court nor play dumb and wait for fate to come knocking.
All he can do is face one deadly question after another under Jiajing’s watchful eye, fight to stay alive each time, and slowly become someone no one can afford to go around.
