The Son of Heaven, Unrestrained

Ying Xia had an absurd dream. In the dream, she was an absurd emperor. Her beloved elder sister, the empress, died of illness on the throne, entrusting it to her on her deathbed. Without the sister she had devoted herself to, Ying Xia became a cruel, heartless person. She slaughtered her other sisters one by one. She was incompetent and tyrannical, insatiably lustful, and condemned by all. She died suddenly after just three years on the throne. Because she believed that a forcibly picked melon was the sweetest, she unleashed her tyrannical desires on the civil and military officials. The young nobleman who seemed refined and reserved. The regent who seemed profound and indifferent. The handsome general who seemed unfailingly loyal. The bright and radiant official of the Imperial Library. Their only common traits were their distinct personalities and their beauty. This went on for three years. Perhaps because her reign was absurd enough, it somehow achieved a strange kind of balance. At last, her newest favorite, a gifted young nobleman who had been famous throughout the land since childhood and the newly appointed third-place winner in the imperial examinations, presented her with a map of the empire in the golden palace. The last thing Ying Xia saw was his clear, sharp gaze. He charged at her with all the courage of a lone warrior and a heart full of venomous hatred. The golden palace glittered brilliantly that day. The young emperor leaned back against her golden throne, her delicate features framed by red robes, laughing with wild abandon. Meeting the venomous, hateful gaze from below the steps, she merely thought: As expected of the third-place winner I chose. In that moment, his eyes looked just like my elder sister’s. * After waking up, Ying Xia spent a long time savoring the dream, then wiped her mouth. That really was a dream. I can’t believe I dared to imagine all that. What a feast! No wonder I wouldn’t dare think about any of that while awake. So thought Ying Xia, heir to the throne of Qi. A few days later, Ying Xia thought: Wait. What’s going on with them? Wasn’t that supposed to be a dream? * Her elder sister is definitely dead. No fixed second female lead. (Dog with a flower in its mouth.jpg) Theme: Exploring the boundaries between responsibility and love