lore + q&a

@公主⁴ ❀ bitna @公主³ ❀ xinyi ʰᵉᵘⁿʸᶦ @公主 ❀ jingyi @公主¹ ❀ fengli ᵇᵒⁿᵍʸᶦ [ do not reply {

the emperor’s relationship with his daughters:

— fengli
it was his first time becoming a father, and he was completely lost and unsure about how he was to be a father to a precious baby girl. the moment he laid his eyes on baby fengli, he wanted to protect her for the rest of her life. he didn’t know how to raise a daughter, having never been one so he raised her how he thought she’d like to be raised- she got to learn horse riding and martial arts with her brother, and studied with her brothers. as his only daughter for the first five years of her life, he saw her as a pearl in the palm of his hand. despite not being a very hands on dad, he made sure she had whatever her brothers had, classes, books, writing materials and fine clothes. her mother’s lower status did not influence how he treated his firstborn daughter and perhaps because he knew how hard it was to be the daughter of a low-born woman that he gave her extra attention in her childhood. when it was time to marry her off, he chose a man from a family that could afford to give her the life she was used to in the palace and hoped that she would never feel inferior to anyone ever. she was his daughter, his treasure.

— jingyi
being born in the same year as xingyi did have some impact on jingyi. for one, xingyi’s birthday banquets always seemed a tad bit more extravagant and his gifts to his second daughter might not have been quite as thoughtful as what he gave to xingyi or even fengli. it did not mean he cared for her any less, he always brought gifts for her when he returned from his trips and allowed her the same privileges as fengli and the princes.

— xinyi
born to him by his favourite lady wan after multiple miscarriages, she was the child he viewed as a fragile porcelain doll, always careful and always cautious about her well-being. her poor health did not help ease his worries about her. instead of letting her play rough with the princes like he allowed fengli and jingyi, he also allowed her to slack off her studies if she wanted to and never forced her to do anything she didn’t want to or let her be put in harm’s way.

— bitna
bitna was born to his concubine, lady chun, a beautiful and virtuous woman he was enamoured and shared a passionate courtship with. he anticipated her birth with much excitement, and when she was old enough to travel, he took her and her mother on vacations where they shared many familial moments he holds dear in his heart. he loves her dearly, and it does help that she’s the splitting image of her mother. just like fengli and jingyi, she got to study and train like a prince. when it was time for her to marry, he wanted her to experience the same kind of love that he experienced with her mother and allowed her to have a say in her choice of a husband.

@王⁴ ❀ xingyi ˢᵘⁿᵍʸᵉ @王³ ❀ taecyeon @王² ❀ yuqiang ʷᵒᵒᵏᵃⁿᵍ @王¹ ❀ fenghu ᵖᵒᵒⁿᵍʰᵒ [ do not reply ]

the emperor’s relationship with his sons:

— fenghu
the emperor, back then still a prince, was delighted when fenghu was born, despite not particularly favouring his mother, lady Shu. after all he was his firstborn, and a twin at that- an auspicious sign for the imperial family. he saw a lot of himself in his young son and had high hopes that his son would do him proud. when he was hit with scandal after scandal, the disappointed father, then still in contention for the throne, sent him away to secure his own position. it worked, he was the new emperor but he knew that he had fractured the relationship he had with his son and he doubts that he can ever repair it but he does try to make amends, by granting fenghu’s mother, the high rank of a consort and bestowing gifts and titles on her family. now his son has returned a changed man but a father knows his children best. there is much more to fenghu than meets the eye. the only question is, what else changed?

— yuqiang
yuqiang was born to him by his beloved empress wen, back when she was his princess consort. when he was born he promised his wife that he would always be a kind father to their child, a promise he found hard to keep as a power-hungry prince. still, he tried his best. when princess consort wen died a few years later, he was heartbroken and poured his heart into the conquest of the southern kingdoms, not realising that his young son needed a parent more than ever. he has a permanent soft spot for yuqiang because he reminds him of the woman he once cherished. because yuqiang is precious to him, he put him in the care of his favourite, lady wan, to raise instead of allowing his mother’s rival, lady yuan to care for him.

— taecyeon
taecyeon was born to him by his secondary consort when he was a prince. being so close in age to his two older brothers, he was often overlooked in favour of yuqiang who the emperor once favoured the most out of his three older sons, or xingyi, born three years later whose mother was a favoured concubine. when the late empress wen passed, the position of princess consort when to his mother, lady yuan, but the appointment was one out of politics and hierarchy instead of love. in his son’s early years, he was rarely ever around as a father- something he feels bad but has no regrets about. he loves taecyeon and the boy has always done him proud. did he need to verbally tell him that? it never occured to him that some things needed to be spoken aloud.

— xingyi
xingyi’s mother was and still is his favourite concubine, and after lady yuan became princess consort, she became second in rank at the prince’s residence. even today, she holds the greatest prestige among all the other concubines. his birth had coincided with a great and victorious military conquest of his and he saw his son as a lucky charm. he enjoyed taking xingyi on expeditions around the kingdom and often brought his mother, lady wan and the children under her care on trips all over the country. he wishes nothing but the best for this son of his and loves him dearly, but is that enough to make him heir?

yuqiang, child of late empress who passed away due to a mysterious illness (aka harem intrigue and poisoning)

皇上 the emperor7:33:15 PMReply
maybe yuqiang’s mother was empress but she’s dead or deposed and the current empress is taec’s mother