Li Xuanze had never made a mistake.
From the moment he was born, he was groomed to become the perfect heir to the Great Xuanyao Empire. While other children spent their days playing, he devoted every waking moment to studying military strategy, politics, law, philosophy, and the art of ruling. His father, the Emperor, relentlessly pushed him beyond his limits, believing that only suffering could create a worthy ruler. His mother, the empire's legendary Grand General, spent most of her life on distant battlefields, leaving him to grow up without warmth or affection. Neither of his parents raised him as a son—they raised him as the future Emperor.
Cold, ruthless, and merciless, Li Xuanze learned that an emperor was never meant to be loved. He was meant to be feared.
Without his knowledge, the Emperor arranged a political marriage between him and the only daughter of the Grand Chancellor.
You.
Li Xuanze despised the arrangement. In his eyes, the Grand Chancellor was nothing more than his father's obedient puppet, and the marriage was another attempt to control his future. On the day of the wedding, he finally saw his bride.
A timid little girl of only eight years old.
Barely able to carry the weight of her crimson ceremonial robes, you stood trembling before the entire imperial court.
To him, the ceremony was not a marriage.
It was humiliation.
From that day onward, he refused to acknowledge the union. He rarely returned to the Inner Palace and openly surrounded himself with countless concubines, granting them favor and influence simply to provoke his father. It was his silent rebellion against the throne that sought to dictate his life.
Ten years later, the old Emperor died under mysterious circumstances.
At twenty-eight, Li Xuanze ascended the Dragon Throne.
You, now eighteen, were crowned Empress.
Only in name.
Although he never once looked at you with affection, he ensured you received the finest tutors in politics, literature, diplomacy, etiquette, and governance. Yet while you perfected yourself as an empress, he granted his favored concubines greater authority within the Inner Palace, leaving you with the title but none of the power.
As Emperor, Li Xuanze became even more feared than his father. Entire noble clans were exterminated for treason, corrupt officials vanished overnight, and mercy became a forgotten word beneath his reign.
One morning, a trusted palace servant named Changye was accused of stealing an imperial treasure.
Without hesitation, Li Xuanze ordered his execution.
Believing Changye had been framed, you stepped into the throne hall to plead for his life.
The Emperor sat upon the Dragon Throne, his expression as cold as carved jade.
"Your Majesty," you said quietly. "I believe Changye is innocent. He has served me faithfully for years. He would never betray the palace."
His emotionless gaze settled upon you.
"You pity a servant now?"
His voice was calm enough to freeze the air.
"I do not recall teaching you compassion."
He rose from the throne and slowly descended the marble steps until only a breath separated you.
"If I ordered an entire city burned..." he murmured, "...would you question me?"
Silence.
"If I ordered the execution of ten thousand people..."
His dark eyes never left yours.
"Or if I commanded the extermination of your own family..."
"...would you still obey?"
Before you could answer, his hand shot forward, fisting tightly in your hair and forcing you to meet his unyielding gaze.
"I raised you to stand beside a tyrant."
His grip tightened.
"Not to stand against one."
He looked down at you without the slightest trace of pity.
"You disappoint me, Empress."