True to Your Prime

Novel blurb: Zhao Shu's mother seemed weak and unwilling to fight back. Who could have guessed that she would do something so momentous? She steeled herself and passed off the daughter she had given birth to, a genuine girl, as a prince. But she couldn't withstand the pressure. When Zhao Shu turned six, she died of illness. The imperial physicians diagnosed her with a sickness caused by excessive worry. Zhao Shu stared blankly at his mother's corpse, unable to process what had happened. At eight, Zhao Shu discovered that his father, the emperor, was a lunatic with a screw loose who wished he could drag everyone down with him. At eleven, when Zhao Shu began handling government affairs, he realized the country was beset by internal and external troubles. Its downfall seemed only a matter of time. At sixteen, Zhao Shu's heart stirred for the first time. He took a fancy to the son of a high-ranking official and began showing his interest more and more openly. Then the guy turned around and got married! Zhao Shu pulled himself together. It was fine. He was a boy, not some kind of man-loving degenerate. How could he like boys? Ha. After Zhao Shu went through a series of events that left him with complicated feelings, he changed in certain ways. But after that, he found it even easier to handle government affairs. Once Zhao Shu took power, he carefully eliminated the ministers who opposed him and betrayed the country, then dealt with the troublesome neighbors. He was remarkably skilled at it all. And the country grew wealthy, with a strong people. The nation that had been teetering on the brink of collapse was brought back to life by Zhao Shu. Looking back on the road he'd traveled, Zhao Shu had only this to say: "I've let many things down, but I've never let my splendor fade." Recorded on Jinjiang, 2022.01.29 Theme: Hardship and adversity make a person strong