The realm fell into chaos, and all propriety and morality collapsed. In the final years of the Liu Song dynasty, imperial power had rotted to its core, and the court and the people alike had lost faith. Xiao Daocheng, a general from a humble family, spent half his life guarding the frontiers. He served his sovereign and country with unwavering loyalty, defending the land, protecting the people, and keeping his subordinates safe. All he wanted was to preserve a measure of peace amid the turmoil; he never harbored the slightest ambition to usurp the throne. But even his steadfast loyalty could not prop up a dynasty that had decayed beyond repair.
Emperor Liu Yu of Song was insecure, bloodthirsty, suspicious, and merciless. He borrowed another man's seed to produce an heir, slaughtered his own relatives, and executed meritorious officials, personally hollowing out the foundations of the state. The young tyrant Liu Yu was deranged and lawless, killing for pleasure and humiliating ministers as he threw the court into chaos, turning it into a living hell. Xiao Daocheng was repeatedly framed and mistrusted, trapped in seemingly inescapable peril time and again, with his family's lives hanging by a thread. His every retreat failed to secure even a sliver of hope, and the chaos of the age crushed all the loyalty in his heart.
With no path left to serve his sovereign and death awaiting him if he held to his principles, Xiao Daocheng finally broke with his duties as a subject and rose against the tide. He launched a palace coup, killed the tyrant, seized power, and restored order to the court. He put an end to the Liu Song dynasty and founded the Qi, ascending the throne himself. He ended the Liu Song's absurd tyranny, but could not escape the cycle of human nature and imperial power. He secured the realm through bloodshed and brought peace to the people through a sense of duty, walking a turbulent imperial road and becoming a king only because he had been driven to it.
