What Should I Do? My Father Loves Me Too Much!!!!

A father-son family story about raising a child. Reader comments are open.

Expected length: 400,000 words. Daily updates~ (Sometimes I may be too busy and update late, or make up for it over the next few days.)

Xie Chengzhen, the fifth prince of the Great Sheng Dynasty, lost his mother at birth.

The officials at court all assumed that the motherless child would grow up unnoticed in the depths of the palace.

But no one could have imagined it:

The emperor carried him into his own bedchamber.

From then on, the iron-fisted emperor became a flustered first-time dad. He got diaper changes all over himself, walked back and forth through the palace in the middle of the night with his son in his arms, and sang nursery rhymes off-key.

The other princes watched from afar, unable to hide their resentment. The emperor didn't care.

"I am the emperor. I can dote on whoever I want."

Xie Chengzhen's world was small. So small it held only one person.

His father's embrace, his father's hand. He drew beside his father while the emperor reviewed memorials, sat across from him at meals, and ran over whenever his father called, "An'er, come here."

As for everyone else:

His eldest brother ignored him, and he didn't care. His third brother hated him, and he didn't know. His fourth brother schemed against him, and he couldn't be bothered to think about it.

It wasn't that he didn't understand. He just didn't care.

He didn't curry favor with anyone or bend over backward to make himself liked. If someone treated him well, he accepted it. If they treated him badly, he turned around and forgot about it.

He was just an ordinary child. Not especially clever or quick-witted, not at the top of his class, and only average at riding and archery. When the tutor asked him a question and he couldn't answer, he honestly said, "I don't know." When he was punished with copying texts, he obediently copied them until he fell asleep with his head on the desk.

He didn't compete, didn't fight, didn't resent, didn't hate.

It wasn't generosity. He simply didn't care.

When his brothers gave him the cold shoulder, he just said, "Oh," and walked away. When palace servants slighted him, he said, "It's fine," and let it go. Even if the sky fell, he would still take his time.

The emperor had never been able to bring himself to say a harsh word to him.

When Xie Chengzhen made a mistake, the emperor wanted to punish him. But after seeing his bowed profile, he fell silent for a long while. "...Don't do that again."

When he was being playful, the emperor wanted to scold him. But seeing him come running over with bright eyes and a drawing in his hands, the words stuck in his throat and came out as, "...That's a wonderful drawing."

When he lied, the emperor would put on a stern face. "An'er, I have a question for you..." But then Xie Chengzhen would blink, and the emperor would find a way to smooth things over himself. "...Never mind. Tell the truth next time."

Tutor Zhou couldn't stand it. "Your Majesty, if you spoil the fifth prince like this, what will become of him?"

The emperor: "He's my son. I spoil him. What's wrong with that?"

Tutor Zhou: "...He'll grow arrogant from all this favor."

The emperor thought for a moment. "He won't."

Tutor Zhou: "What makes you so certain?"

The emperor: "He's my son. I know him."

Tutor Zhou: …

Xie Chengzhen couldn't be bothered to compete, fight, hate, or resent anyone. His world was small, so small it held only his father.

And his father shielded him from every storm.

When rumors came, the emperor investigated. When blades came, the emperor took the blow.

"Whoever lays a hand on An'er, I'll deal with them."

But the favored child knew nothing of it. He simply stayed wherever his father could see him each day, letting him know:

"Father, An'er is here."

This is the story of a fifth prince who is loved beyond measure by his father.

He is gentle, carefree, relaxed, and takes everything that happens in stride.

He isn't clever or outstanding, and he doesn't compete, fight, resent, or hate.

His father has held the whole world above his head.

Theme: Take everything that happens in stride.