Your Majesty Is No Bird in a Cage

Xiao Yinghuai had spent ten years as a puppet emperor, toyed with by a treacherous minister who held all the power in his hands.

Until he was absolutely certain he could uproot this festering menace once and for all, Xiao Yinghuai could only suppress his feelings and endure without end. In this palace where people devoured one another without leaving a trace, he had to move carefully at every turn, as if walking on thin ice.

He had already lost everything. He had no way back. He could only succeed, or die.

One day, the treacherous minister brought him a group of elite assassins to choose from, supposedly to "guard the Son of Heaven at all times."

Xiao Yinghuai knew perfectly well they had been sent to spy on him. If he sent this group away, another would take their place. He might as well keep them where he could see them. So he casually pointed to one and said, "Let's go with the handsome one." At least he'd have something nice to look at.

What Xiao Yinghuai hadn't expected was that this man held far too many secrets and seemed to have a grudge against him. Not only was he beyond the treacherous minister's control, he was also constantly looking for a chance to kill Xiao Yinghuai.

From that day on, Xiao Yinghuai had a few more things to watch out for.

A blade at his throat in the dead of night, poison in his meals and medicine, assassination attempts one after another...

Unfortunately, the other man never succeeded. Or perhaps... he had never truly meant to kill him.

Until one day, Xiao Yinghuai took a gamble.

Lei Hechuan, the assassin: "Why didn't you dodge?!"

Xiao Yinghuai: "You missed. You went soft."

Lei Hechuan, the assassin: "...You've gone mad!"

Theme: Sharing hardship and staying true to each other for a lifetime.