"I will have to put Yicai into the Crown Prince position, Ying'er," the Emperor told his deceased wife regretfully. "I know he's a boy you wanted to live a carefree life, and I wanted that for him too, but you left us too soon, my dear.
His life has been harder than either of us wanted. Hopefully, it has prepared him, as much as anything can, for what's about to befall him.
History repeats itself, it seems, despite my very best efforts to avoid bloodshed between the princes."
The Emperor's own usurpation of his brother's throne was such a seismic event in his life; it had defined everything that came afterwards and redefined everything that went before.
"I'll do everything I can to stop them killing one another, Ying-er, I swear it before you," he gazed longingly at the portrait of his beautiful wife.
