Long Live Your Highness

Synopsis:

As the crown prince of the Zhao Kingdom, Lou Ruochu should have lived a life of utmost privilege, second only to the emperor.

But his birth mother had died long ago, and his father doted on the favored consort and her children. In the depths of the imperial palace, the crown prince lived like a ghost, forgotten by everyone. On the rare occasions he saw his father, the emperor looked at him as if he were merely waiting for him to grow a little older before finding an excuse to depose him and put the favored consort's child on the throne.

Lou Ruochu was terrified.

He didn't want to be deposed.

He didn't want to die, either.

He could only survive by standing at the very top, where he could make those who wanted him dead die instead.

He drew close to one powerful person after another in the palace, not even sparing his own younger brother, with whom he shared blood. Using a weak and pitiful, gentle and accepting, or meek and deferential demeanor, he plotted every step and schemed to perfection, winning endless support and affection.

"You're the only one I love."

"When I become emperor, no one will be able to keep us apart."

He had told those same lies to who knew how many people.

Lou Ruochu knew that once the truth came out, these people would want nothing more than to kill him with their swords and grind his bones to dust. But so what?

He would rather die spectacularly in the raging fire where power and desire intertwined than live forgotten in a lonely, silent shadow.

Theme: People should live for themselves.