As Emperor Shaoyuan stood with one foot in the grave, he clasped his eldest daughter's hand and said, "Your younger brother is still young, surrounded by enemies on all sides. I'm afraid he won't live to adulthood. You must bear this burden for ten years. Once he is old enough to remember, you must return the throne to its rightful heir."
Xiuli nodded through her tears. "Rest assured, Father." If he doesn't live to adulthood, I'll make sure to kill him.
*
Her uncouth, uneducated father rose to power halfway through his life and became emperor. As the uncouth, uneducated child of an emperor, Meng Xiuli knows she must fight for the crown prince's position.
Fortunately, she inherited her father's wolfish ambition.
*I haven't settled on the title or blurb yet, so this will do for now.
*The original title was "Wan Guo Ming," from the poem: "The sea's depths still lie beneath a thousand dark mountains; only when the sun reaches midheaven do all nations shine."
Theme: Only victory brings glory
