The Cranes Cry in the Shade

Younger seme, both leads powerful | Fake father and son, actually teacher and student | Violent, authoritarian emperor seme with a head full of wicked schemes x stern-faced tutor who raises the child and keeps his heart true to the moon

The late emperor was gravely ill, and the court was rife with ambition, so he entrusted his son to a worthy minister. He appointed Wen Shaoning Imperial Tutor and Regent, ordering him to help the crown prince ascend the throne.

Prince Jing was only seven, unruly and violent. He loved to play, caused trouble, and killed servants on a whim. His tutor used a switch to beat bloody marks into his palms, made him confine himself and reflect, and punished him by making him kneel in the ancestral hall. His standards for study were even stricter than the late emperor's.

Lu Jing changed his ways, but deep in his heart, he planted the seed of hatred.

He hated him for using the late emperor's decree to mistreat him and wield absolute power. He hated his cold-bloodedness, and those razor-sharp words that saw right through him.

But how could Lu Jing not know? The man was walking on thin ice, all to steer them through the fierce currents of royal power.

Thirteen years later, the emperor took back power. It was a case of the bird caught, the bow put away.

He spoke calmly. It was not an escape route, but a test. "I wish to request leave on grounds of illness and return to my hometown."

"I refuse."

"Where do you wish to go, Teacher? Have you forgotten? This realm belongs to me now."

"Then kill me." He knelt in the vast imperial hall, his posture straight, his pride unbroken. He looked just as spirited as he had ten years ago.

For an instant, the emperor was stunned. Dark feelings welled up in his eyes. "Kill me, silence the people, and vent the nobles' fury. From then on, Your Majesty's might will shine across the four seas."

The emperor said nothing for a long time. As the sun set, he finally turned to look at him with a cold sneer. His voice was even more violent than it had been ten years ago. "Your Majesty? So you do know you're my subject?"

---"I forbid it."

---"Even if you die, Teacher, you will die by my side."

In truth, after all those years of hatred, all he resented was the man's noble, radiant nature, which made the love in his own heart seem so dark.

[The histories record: The emperor had a fondness for Jianxiu, and his teacher was to him like a father and mother.]

* The tyrant's transformation has its reasons. He's not born bad, haha.

■ Older seme dotes on younger, unhinged seme | Raising him, but raising him wrong | Mutual possessiveness | Controlling uke x possessive seme | Love and hate | 13-year age gap | Younger seme | Both powerful | One-on-one, body and heart | Please add the author to your collection [bowing.jpg]. Same name on Weibo: Qian Bei Zhuo

Theme: Cultivate oneself, put one's family in order, govern the country, and bring peace to the world.