My Father Is Emperor Taizong of Tang

This story is also known as The Accidental Intruder in the Imperial Household, The Daily Life of a Tang Dynasty Office Drone, and A Prince's Self-Cultivation.

The official histories record Emperor Taizong's assessments of his sons as follows:

Of the Crown Prince: “Benevolent, filial, intelligent, and perceptive!”

Of the Third Prince: “Brave and decisive, just like me!”

Of the Fourth Prince: “Tai is my son. I often wish he were by my side.”

Of the Ninth Prince: “The Prince of Jin is benevolent and filial. If he became ruler, he would surely protect his brothers and care for the people.”

Of his second son Li Kuan, who was adopted out: “All I know is arriving at the Mao hour and leaving at the You hour. I know nothing of nine-to-five workdays. I know only the ten-day break, not weekends. I know only retiring at seventy, not at sixty. How dare this brat change the laws of my dynasty?”

Recommended upcoming story: My Father Is Emperor Gaozu of Han

He transmigrates to the end of the Qin dynasty and finds himself in the Chu camp. His father is the King of Han, and he's Liu Bang's illegitimate son from before marriage. Liu Fei looks around. Well, would you look at that, the whole family is here.

One is white-haired.

One has a resolute expression.

One is gaunt and sallow.

One is sobbing.

One has a bleeding head.

Old and young, injured and foolish: what a spectacular start. Liu Fei knows he's a complete fool in the transition from Qin to Han, so without a word he throws himself at the feet of his adoptive mother, whose status as history's first female ruler to govern from the throne is beyond question.

“Mother, who should I beat up?”

“Mother, who should I rob?”

“Mother, who should I get rid of?”

“Your Majesty, please take the title of Empress!”

Reader's guide:

1. The male lead has ridiculously high combat ability and is eight years old when he appears. He's virtuous, principled, and stubborn, and grows throughout the story.

2. The Han dynasty is a partly fictionalized setting.

3. The story focuses on family and career, but it's a romance with a heroine, who appears relatively late.

Reader's guide:

This is a male-lead romance; he gets a partner after he comes of age.

The Tang dynasty setting is partly fictionalized. No historical nitpicking, please.

Theme: Everyone is the protagonist of their own life.