I have been weak and sickly since birth, and sometimes I even cough up blood.

When I grew a little older, my father told me that I would have a short lifespan and would not live past thirty-five.

I didn't quite understand until I saw the way some of the concubines in the harem died, and then I realized how terrible "death" was.

However, my mother always comforted and taught me, and my father was also very kind to me, so I wasn't so afraid.

When I first met Uncle Wang, he was full of vigor and looked brave and skilled in battle, dressed in military uniform. He looked a lot like my father, and my father and mother treated him very well.

Every time I see Uncle Wang, I desperately hope that I can be like him when I grow up.

But the pain of the poisoning made this idea a distant and unattainable dream.

The emperor's health was deteriorating, and he spent his days reviewing memorials with very little time to rest.

Even so, he still carved a wooden figure for me in his spare time.

This is what I look like when I'm standing and reading.

He held my hand and earnestly instructed me, "My son, you must study hard in the future so that I can entrust the country to you with peace of mind after I am gone."

As a child, I had a vague understanding of the country. Although I didn't quite understand where my father would go in the future, I still earnestly promised, "Your subject will obey your father's wishes and will definitely study hard."

Years later, I finally understood that what my father meant by "go" was death.

I inherited the throne.

The prince's uncle became regent, and the empress dowager ruled from behind the curtain.

They would tell me what to do about matters in the imperial court.

However, they often cannot reach a consensus.

I am closer to my mother and will listen to her more.

Not long after I ascended the throne, I heard that there were rebels. My uncle thought the rebels were hiding in the capital, but my mother was certain that the rebels had fled to Miao territory. She ordered me to immediately issue an edict to send my uncle to Miao territory to investigate the rebels.

I listened to my mother's words and issued an imperial edict.

A few months after Uncle Wang left, my mother suddenly told me that Uncle Wang might have been framed by rebels and wouldn't be able to come back, and that I should listen to her from now on.

Without thinking much about it, I genuinely believed that Uncle Wang wouldn't be coming back, so I handed over all the memorials I had been waiting for Uncle Wang to return to the Empress Dowager.

However, at that moment, Uncle Wang arrived at the palace unharmed.

I remember it very clearly. The moment my mother saw Uncle Wang, she was so shocked that she looked like she had seen a ghost and couldn't even stand up straight.

But she was still pleasantly surprised and relieved that Uncle Wang had returned alive.

However, Uncle Wang seems to have become much more distant from his mother than before.

As I grew older, I also developed my own thoughts on matters of state.

But my mother and the regent were unwilling to relinquish power and allowed me to handle political affairs independently.

Even when I leave the palace, I need the Empress Dowager's permission.

I began to feel resistant to this kind of regulation.

As the emperor, above all others, why should he be subject to others?

I secretly ran away from the palace, dressed in the coarse linen clothes of an ordinary person, and no one recognized me.

I arrived at the First Restaurant, which I had heard was the best food in the entire capital, and it was unusually crowded with customers.

I walked in as if no one else was there; normally, everyone would make way for me.

But the people in this restaurant didn't take me seriously at all.

I angrily pushed people around, not wanting them to bump into me.

I accidentally pushed the waiter, and I overturned the plate he was carrying, spilling all the soup on me.

The waiter who was pushed over was a boy about my age.

He stood up and angrily yelled at me, "Are you crazy? Why did you push me?"

When I heard him call me sick, I got furious and yelled back, "You're the one who's sick! I'm going to spank you!"

"Go ahead and hit me if you dare! I'll get you a stick and kick you out!" The waiter said angrily as he grabbed a stick from beside the wine cabinet, ready to hit me.

I covered my head with my arms in fear, secretly plotting to punish him.

The stick did not fall as expected, but was stopped by a man.

The man, who was a head taller than me, said to the waiter, "Lu Ke, go to the kitchen and tell them to make another one and send it to the customer."

"But Brother Lin, he pushed me first." Lu Ke looked at me with some grievance and resentment, as if he wanted to devour me. I glared back at him.

The man called Brother Lin patted his head and said, "Brother didn't blame you. We're grown men, why should we argue with a little kid who doesn't know any manners?"

"Brother Lin is right." Lu Ke was appeased and immediately ran to the kitchen.

I yelled angrily, "Who are you calling a little brat? Who are you calling rude?!"

Brother Lin looked around a few times before looking at me with a puzzled expression and asking, "Is there anyone else besides you? Pushing someone down and not apologizing while getting angry is certainly rude. You're so tall you barely reach my chin, what else could you be but a little kid?"

"You...you just wait!" I thought to myself that I must teach him a lesson!

I brought him into the palace, thinking that once he knew my identity, he would kneel down and beg for mercy.

Who knew that after seeing me, he was still neither humble nor arrogant. Although he did not skip any of the proper etiquette for meeting the emperor, he was not afraid of me at all. Instead, he treated me like a little kid.

No matter what I did to him, I always lost in the end. This made me more determined, and in the end, even secretly hitting him with a pebble would make me happy for half a day.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I seem to have become much happier since he entered the palace.

He was the only one who wasn't afraid of me and treated me like a normal child, but I always felt that I was grown up, so I was very unhappy that he treated me like a child.

My actions made me realize that I was indeed more like an ordinary child in his presence.

He had said those outrageous things, and I just wanted to lock him up for a few days to scare him.

Unexpectedly, he escaped and eventually died...

When I learned that he was a daughter, I recalled my time with her in the palace, and a subtle emotion arose in my heart, which I couldn't quite describe.

All I know is that I cried for a very long time after she died.

I just wanted to scare her, I never intended to actually kill her...

After I finish crying, I still have to handle state affairs as the emperor, and I cannot let personal emotions get in the way.

The Miao king intended to annex the Central Plains, and the regent led his army to formally start the war.

After the great battle, the Miao king surrendered and offered the holy maiden as a sign of his resolve.

Her name is Shia. She is a very beautiful woman, two or three years older than me, but you can't tell at all.

I was attracted by her appearance.

My mother started urging me to take concubines to expand my harem. I said I wanted Xia Ya, but my mother disagreed and chose two women for me instead: He Siyue, who was the same age as me, and her niece Jing Xi, who was a little older than me.

It is said that Jingxi's true love is the Regent, but her uncle ignores her, so she agrees to enter the palace.

Especially when she saw that I looked somewhat like Uncle Wang, her joy was palpable, which disgusted me.

When I got married, I suddenly understood what Lin Miao meant by "puppet emperor".

I can't even decide what kind of woman I want to marry.

So marrying Xia became an obsession of mine. Even if they forbade me to marry her, I would insist on marrying her. As long as I had complete control of the court, I could do whatever I wanted.

Xia introduced Xin Liangmu to me. I remember him; he had represented the Miao King to wish my mother a happy birthday on her birthday.

Shea said that Xinliangmu's Gu technique was first-rate and he was willing to serve me.

I wasn't really willing, I felt he was dangerous, but somehow Xia said a few words for him, and I agreed, I had a feeling that "I should agree with Xia".

Shin Ryoki's abilities are indeed strong.

Even his mother agreed to let him become the imperial advisor.

However, I am very dissatisfied with Shia's frequent disobedience to running to the Grand Preceptor's residence. Sometimes she even shows excessive concern for the Prince and runs to the Regent's residence.

A voice inside me told me that I should be tolerant of her.

When I learned that He Siyue and Jing Xi were causing her trouble, I promised her that I would definitely marry her and give her a proper status.

She refused me, saying she didn't want to stay in the palace. She also made a request, saying she felt sorry for He Siyue and Jingxi being in the harem and asked me to let them go.

I think she's ridiculous. I'm starting to doubt myself. Why do I like her?

I was clearly very angry, but I just couldn't bring myself to yell at her. In the end, I could only say a few words to her to end the argument, and I would never punish her for being disrespectful to me.

Until she disobeyed me and moved the wooden statues on her own, even breaking one of them.

At that moment, I really had the urge to cut off her hand.

However, every time I get angry with her, I force myself to be tolerant of her, and for a moment I even feel like I can't control myself.

I loathe this feeling so much, and I think that one day I must make Xia realize who she is, realize that I am the emperor, and that she cannot disrespect me.

Some time later, she disobeyed my orders again and ran away from the palace to see Xin Liangmu.

Since she really doesn't want to stay in the palace, I'll let her go, but I must let her know what the consequences are for disrespecting the Emperor.

I met the woman who had saved Uncle Wang at the hunting grounds at the restaurant.

Lu Ke called her Sister Sanshui. I remembered Lu Ke's reaction when he saw Lin Miao's body. He firmly believed that Lin Miao was not dead. At that time, I also hoped that she was not dead.

Seeing Lu Ke's strong reaction now gives me hope. The face of that corpse from back then was completely unrecognizable; perhaps she faked her death.

I summoned her to the palace to test her.

The only thing that made me uncomfortable was that she was engaged to Uncle Wang.

As I suspected, she was indeed Lin Miao.

I secretly want to keep her by my side, but I can't...

After the palace coup, I saw her marrying the prince, and my heart ached. I realized that I really, really liked her.

But that's fine too, since I'm a short-lived person and can't take care of her for a lifetime.

I thought she would live happily ever after, but I never expected her to die on her wedding night. I was furious.

Fortunately, it ended well.

However, after that, Uncle Wang realized my feelings for her and became very wary of me.

Even so, he will still assist me and help me manage the government.

What surprised me most was that the legendary medical sage Xiao Yan was actually Lin Miao's master, and the poison that had tormented me for so many years was cured just like that.

While there was joy, there was also regret, as the road ahead became even longer.

However, with these wooden figures keeping me company, I am not lonely.

I believe that my future will be dedicated to building a prosperous and glorious empire, and I will not disappoint my father's expectations of me.