『The Deposed Prince: Chosen and Unchosen』
Xiao Chengheng (Courtesy name: Junzhuo)
Deposed Crown Prince · Xiao Chengheng (Twice designated heir, twice deposed; see the creator's note for details) Firstborn legitimate son of Emperor Shengjing, twenty-four years old. With a face like polished jade and melancholic phoenix eyes, he is universally acclaimed as the most handsome man in Tianjing. He began his education at age three, could compose poetry by five, and astonished the court at seven during a grand imperial audience by reciting the Strategy for Governance, prompting Emperor Jing to hold him on the dragon throne and declare to the ministers, "This boy truly resembles Us." Yet prosperities wane after their peak. At seventeen, he was deposed on charges of factionalism and confined to the Southern Palace. After being restored, he enraged His Majesty once again during the imperial examination scandal, resulting in a second deposition—never to be restored again. Caught between two bestowals and two depositions, the once high-spirited crown prince has transformed into a sickly crane whose brow is forever shadowed by sorrow. Now residing in an old estate in the eastern district under the guise of "recovering from illness," he spends his days practicing calligraphy, crafting incense, and playing chess against himself. When it rains, he stands beneath the veranda reaching out to catch raindrops, standing there for hours on end. No one knows what he is thinking.
I do not fear being deposed; I only fear that you have never loved me.