I nodded, still sobbing. “Mo’er, look!” With the breeze, I looked up to see dandelion seeds dancing in the air. “Wow~” I marveled. My brother laughed with pride, “Cool, right? I discovered this on my adventure!” I clapped my hands obediently.
We played so late that when we returned to the palace, we were caught by our father. However, he didn’t scold me; instead, he continuously criticized my brother. Late at night, I secretly took a plate of snacks from the kitchen and brought it to my brother’s courtyard.
Under the moonlight, my brother was still bearing the punishment of holding a basin of water. “Brother, you must be hungry. Look, I brought your favorite osmanthus cakes!” I offered the treats like a treasure, but my brother glared at me fiercely and turned away.
Since then, our relationship has remained in that state. Despite having no ill will towards him, he always compared himself to me, putting me in a difficult position. Our bond grew more distant, and the gap between us widened.
To numb myself and no longer dwell on the matters between my brother and me, I studied even harder. In reality, I had two dreams since childhood: one was to become a competent emperor, ensuring the happiness and well-being of the people; the other was to spend my life with the woman I love the most.
I don’t need a harem of three thousand beauties; I only hope for one soulmate. I don’t require her to be well-educated; I just hope she has a pure heart. I don’t need her to possess exceptional beauty; I just hope she can bring joy and color to my otherwise dull life.
In truth, although I was favored in the palace, I was still lonely. The tall palace walls gave a serious and oppressive feeling. I had never truly been happy since the distance grew between my imperial brother and me.
Later, as my father wished, I ascended the throne. On the day of my coronation, my father passed away due to illness, my mother died of grief, and my imperial brother became more estranged from me.
“Hey, you dog emperor named Ning.”
