They say that being born into an imperial family may have countless downsides, but at least there's wealth and privilege to enjoy.
Ji Mingchen says bullshit!
From the moment he could walk, his father the emperor tossed him into the fields to play in mud and eat coarse grains. The only meat he got was from weekly palace rations, so his childhood was filled with mud, sweat-soaked farmers, and countless creepy crawlies.
Poverty was bad enough, but the hardship didn't stop there—daily Essence Power cultivation, Artifact Crafting practice, and literary studies.
At six, Ji Mingchen couldn't take it anymore and asked his father: "I get learning Essence Power and Artifact Crafting for survival, but why literature?"
His father smiled, wiping mud from the boy's face. "If you go out with your mother and see a mountain, would you rather say 'Its majestic peaks touch the heavens' or just gape and say 'Wow so tall'? The latter might earn you a beating from her."
"This is for your own good. Study hard—it'll serve you well someday."
Squinting, Ji Mingchen remained unconvinced. The only use seemed to be pleasing his mother and making her think Father knew parenting. Still, he persevered.
By ten, he'd unlocked his innate Crimson Meridians and officially returned to Palace City as a prince assisting governance.
Frankly, history recorded no prince assuming such duties so young. Courtiers murmured, but Father said: "Why compare to ordinary folk? You're my finest son—my looks, your mother's wit. Ten is late for you."
Flattered, young Mingchen felt ready to shoulder the nation's burdens.
Later, he realized—bullshit! "Finest son"? He was the only son! Father just wanted to ditch responsibilities and travel with Mother!
The travels wouldn't be so bad if they didn't leave cringe-worthy traces everywhere—poems on Quiet Pond rocks praising Mother's calm nature, Twin Peaks carvings vowing eternal partnership, even a massive Wanhua Valley stele inscribed: "Lovely weather. Yichen smiled at me—prettier than ten thousand flowers."
Disgusting! Nearly fifty and still so shameless!
Now sixteen, he's praised for his regal bearing. His childhood hardships made him empathize with farmers—reducing taxes, curbing landlords, personally inspecting fields annually.
Father's commerce-heavy policies balanced out. Farmer status rose; granaries overflowed yearly.
Moreover, he excelled in both civil and martial arts—ranking third in imperial exams and winning the Six Cities Tournament.
Speaking of which—his first tournament victory was revoked because as royalty, he represented no city. The elders kindly reassigned the honor.
Fuming but helpless—post-unification, the tournament became purely about civic pride, no longer affecting taxes—he conceded.
But there, he met a girl.
Most of Ji Mingchen's impressions of girls his age came from his sister, Ji Yichen.Ji Yichen fell ill shortly after birth. Although she recovered later, her constitution became quite peculiar. While other girls were slender and graceful, she seemed to gain weight just by drinking water, remaining plump and round all her life.
For this reason, she tried dieting and intensified her training, but in the end, aside from falling ill again, she gained another two ounces.
Her mother, the Empress, was heartbroken for her and often told her that beauty in women wasn't defined by thinness—whether plump or slim, what mattered was being healthy and happy. Ji Yichen appeared to take this to heart, but her personality gradually became timid and insecure.
Ji Mingchen adored his elder sister and was always mindful of her feelings, constantly observing her expressions and finding ways to cheer her up.
But at the Six Cities Tournament, he met a girl from the Hai family—bold and unrestrained by nature. Swinging her Nine-Section Whip, she tilted her chin up and challenged him: "On the battlefield, there are no monarchs or subjects. Do you dare accept my Challenge Certificate?"
Ji Mingchen stared at her in astonishment, realizing for the first time that a woman could live like this.
Shouldn’t all women live like this?
He wished his sister could be this confident too.
Lost in these thoughts, he failed to guard against the girl’s Nine-Section Whip. The lash tore open the flesh on his arm.
"Your Highness!" The surrounding attendants panicked.
Only then did Ji Mingchen snap back to attention. Frowning at his injured arm, he immediately raised his Shield and counterattacked.
His retaliation carried an edge of anger—he felt the girl had taken advantage of his distraction, and what was supposed to be a spar had turned into a sneak attack.
Though the girl was talented, she was younger, and her instructors were surely no match for his parents, the Emperor and Empress. Within a few exchanges, she was at a disadvantage.
With ease, Ji Mingchen pinned her to the grass, sitting atop her as he raised a fist. "Do you yield or not?"
The girl turned her face away, her cheeks flushing crimson. "Get off me!"
"Apologize first. Attacking without warning—"
"I called out to you before striking! Everyone here can vouch for that. How was I to know you weren’t preparing an attack? Should I have waited for you to strike first?" She glared at him, her face burning scarlet. "If you don’t get off now, I’ll marry into your family!"
Ji Mingchen suddenly realized how improper their position was and quickly stood, brushing off his robes before offering her a hand.
Hai Qing ignored him, turning on her heel to leave. The hairpin on her head nearly grazed his face, and even her retreating figure radiated fury.
Amused, Ji Mingchen couldn’t help but chuckle on the way back.
Granny Xun teased him, "What’s so amusing?"
"Nothing." He smiled. "I just thought her puffed-up cheeks looked like an inflated ox bladder."
Granny Xun: "..."
Couldn’t he have found a better comparison for the girl? He certainly hadn’t inherited any of his father’s charm.
Still, since he was interested, the Hai girl was given the opportunity to attend lessons with him at the palace.
Twin swords sliced through the air, splitting two logs from a distance. By the time the blades were sheathed, Ji Mingchen was nineteen, and Hai Qing had blossomed into a graceful young woman.
His mother summoned him and asked softly, "Do you wish to marry the Hai girl?"
Yet Ji Mingchen hesitated.
They had grown up together and knew each other well. Hai Qing’s eyes always shone when she looked at him, but he felt something was missing. To marry like this would feel... perfunctory.
"Allow your son more time to consider," he replied.Mingyi frowned and shook her head at him. "Since you haven't thought it through clearly, let Miss Hai go home first. Don't keep her in the palace any longer."
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