Regent of Great Qian: Father, Stop Forcing Me to Become Crown Prince

The emperor feigned illness, then a single edict appointing him regent dumped an empty treasury, crumbling border defenses, and a mountain of rotten accounts on Xiao Jingxing, the least noticed of the Sixth Princes.

His brothers wanted him dead, the great clans wanted him to fail, and the officials wanted him to take the blame. Everyone was waiting for him to fall flat on his face.

But he started by auditing the books and seizing the granaries, then stabilized military supplies and salt prices, reopened border trade, reorganized the frontier army, and brought the court to heel. He went from the most overlooked prince to the man no one dared cross.

When the frontier army petitioned for him, the officials bowed their heads, and the people of the realm all hoped he would take the throne, Xiao Jingxing could only say:

Father, don't force me to become Crown Prince.