Father always said: royal children have it hard. And if a royal child is precocious, it's even harder!
I was born into the imperial family, and like Father, I was precocious. In his words, that means my suffering is even greater, because I understand too much. But I know...
Compared to Father, I grew up in a honey jar. The hardships I've faced don't really count as suffering at all.
Father was right: precocious royal children do suffer, because they never get a real childhood. But there’s something he never says...
It’s the precocious royal children who grow up without parents who suffer the most.
And my father was exactly that kind of child.
When I was born, Father and Mother were already Emperor and Empress. There were no other women in the harem besides Mother; the whole realm belonged to my parents. Even though I learned about the world early, I was never truly deprived. Father and Mother were strict, but I was always protected as I should be...
Naively, I always thought the palace was just like this: one big family living in a huge palace, with crowds of servants waiting on me, never hungry, never cold...
But it wasn’t until I learned to read and study that I understood: my palace is nothing like the palaces of other dynasties. The palace I live in is a home—there’s no scheming, no intrigue...
Only when I read the history books—those bloody stories of imperial succession, those tales of princes dying young—did I realize the real palace is a place where people kill without spilling blood...
That was the first time I realized what Father and Mother had given me. It was also the first time I wondered: how did Father grow up in the palace?
A child not even a year old, growing up without parents to protect him—I really can’t imagine how much Father suffered back then...
No wonder Father sighs like that!
Still, I’ll never truly understand what Father went through. Father and Mother gave me the best kind of palace. The hardships of palace life—I can only read about them in books, then try to imagine how hard things were for Father...
With my parents’ protection, I could grow up safely in the palace, never living in fear. But that doesn’t mean I got to play freely or enjoy a carefree childhood...
I’m not like ordinary people!
From the moment I became aware of things, I knew I was different. I never needed to envy others for being able to play and avoid studying, because what I have is something no one else could ever dream of...
I am the Empire’s heir!
This identity—what others could never earn in generations, I was born possessing.
It’s my responsibility, and my honor.
The very first day I called out 'Father' and 'Mother,' Father held me in his arms and solemnly told me, "Rory, remember this: you, Rory Dongling, are the Empire’s heir!"
I am Rory Dongling. I am the Empire’s heir!
That sentence has been branded into my mind since I was old enough to understand, and before I turn eighteen, I have to live up to it...
'Little Dumpling' is what Father and Mother call me when they’re spoiling me. I can be their Little Dumpling in private, but in front of others, I must be Rory—the Empire’s heir!
I can’t let my parents down!
I may be young, but I’m not stupid. And with Father and Mother never hiding anything from me, I’ve always known how hard these years have been for them—especially for Mother...
Everyone in the Empire says Mother is the happiest woman alive, because the Emperor loves only her. But who really knows the hardships she’s endured?
They all say my mother is a legend, but none of them know how much she sacrificed for that word ‘legend’...
I love sticking close to my adoptive father. Besides the fact that Father only has eyes for Mother and doesn’t have much time for me, it’s also because my adoptive father will tell me stories about Mother...
How Mother step by step revealed her brilliance, how she fought her way to where she is today.
I admit everyone’s opinion is right—my mother truly is a legend, and she’s incredibly strong. But...
I still want to protect Mother, to shield her, to stand in front of her and block out all the storms, so she can finally enjoy life and never have to suffer again.
My adoptive father is right—I’m the most like Father. Both of us want nothing more than for Mother to be happy...
The more I learn about Father and Mother’s lives, the more I understand—I don’t have the right to be willful. I must guard the empire they worked so hard to build, and I must continue the peace and prosperity they brought.
I want to fulfill Mother’s wish: that every person in the Empire grows old with dignity, the strong have purpose, and the young are nurtured...
As the Empire’s heir, the burden I carry is heavy. But I don’t feel it’s hardship, because I have Father, Mother, and Sweet Dumpling by my side...
Sweet Dumpling—my little sister!
She’s Father’s darling, the one he treasures most besides Mother. I only love Sweet Dumpling, never envy her, because I know Father loves me too—he just expects more from me. He can’t afford to spoil me or indulge me; he’s afraid I’ll go astray.
My whole life is destined to be about responsibility, but I don’t want my sister to have to live that way. So I spoil her, let her do as she pleases, let her enjoy the life I want but can never have...
I’d use the entire empire as her shield, just to spoil my precious Sweet Dumpling. But...
Then came that accident—my precious Sweet Dumpling disappeared.
She wasn’t dead, but we could never find her again...
I blamed myself, I felt guilty—I wished I could have taken her place...
The sister I cherished and spoiled—how lonely must she be, all alone in another world?
Heaven has been far too cruel to our family. Father and Mother had so little family to begin with—why did Heaven have to take Sweet Dumpling away from us too?
Heaven is cruel, but sometimes it shows mercy...
Heaven took Sweet Dumpling from us, but after years of waiting, it sent us Little Treasure.
Ever since we were young, Sweet Dumpling and I knew that Mother wanted three children—one called Little Dumpling, one called Sweet Dumpling, and one called Little Treasure, regardless of gender...
But Father’s health was poor, and it was nearly impossible for him to have more children. Having me and Sweet Dumpling was already a miracle—what about Little Treasure?
As Mother got older, we all gave up hope. But when we lost Sweet Dumpling, Heaven unexpectedly sent Little Treasure to us.
Mother said, "Little Treasure came to accompany us in place of his sister. From now on... let's pour all the love we gave Sweet Dumpling into Little Treasure together."
Father said, "Rory, don't blame me for being so strict with you. Little Treasure is my late-born son. Your mother and I will definitely spend more time with him than we did with you."
Yes, Little Treasure is a boy. Even though Father and Mother always hoped for a daughter, his gender isn't something they can control, just like...
Even as Emperor and Empress, they couldn't keep Sweet Dumpling with them.
Spoiling Little Treasure is only natural. I don't think there's anything wrong with Father and Mother doing so, because I'll spoil him along with them—Little Treasure is everyone's treasure.
Sweet Dumpling, can you see us from Mother's hometown?
Little Treasure already knows how to call you 'sister'...