Whose King Is He?

My name is Xiao Che, and I am the false emperor of Da Liang.

From the day I was born, I was the crown prince of Da Liang. I spent twenty-one years as the heir to the throne. My father taught me so much, and I revered and admired him beyond measure.

My father's dream was my dream.

I wanted a prosperous age for the world, a world that would flourish under my rule. I wanted to claim all the mountains and rivers, and make our vast territory a place no one would dare invade.

I aspired to be an emperor for the ages.

Yet on his deathbed, my father gave an order that would haunt me even after death: he wanted me buried with him, laid to rest in that cold imperial mausoleum, forever the crown prince at his side.

After becoming emperor, I lived every day and night in a lie, watching myself rot while fully aware of it.

Because my throne was stolen. I stole it from the person who had grown up by my side, who had risked his life for me time and again.

For my sake, he was left battered and bruised, and in a single night lost all his closest kin.

I was a thief and a liar through and through!

I stole his life and deceived him about his most sincere feelings. I thought about repenting, but Heaven would not even let me take that path. My crime had long since gone beyond the point of forgiveness. All I could do was keep lying, to him and to myself.

In the end, my obsession turned me into the very thing I hated most.

In this world, truth and falsehood blur together, and falsehood and truth are one and the same.

Looking back in silence, who could I possibly tell any of this to?

PS: Content warnings:

Lots of melodrama, with a slight ensemble-cast feel. If that's not for you, click away.

The love interest goes through a lot of bullying. He will fight back later, but he won't stay in the dominant role. If that's not for you, click away.

Melodrama! Melodrama! So much melodrama! Important things bear repeating three times! If that's not for you, click away.

This book isn't for readers who prefer sweet, pampering romance or an equal relationship. It may make you angry! If it makes you uncomfortable, that's on me. Please be kind in the comments.

I've been reading a lot of old-school angst lately, so I wanted to write one. Please forgive me if it's not very good.

The story focuses on the romance, but there's a plot too, with political intrigue. The author isn't very clever, so there may be plot holes here and there. If you want to drop the book, there's no need to tell me, just scroll on by, dear.

Theme: Cherish life and live in the present