Since many of you enjoy Chinese historical dramas, I wanted to ask for your insights on a question that's been on my mind. I recently completed a drama this month, and there's a particular aspect that's been quite confusing. Throughout much of the series, the crown prince behaved as though he doubted his legitimacy as the rightful heir to the throne. I understand that it could be difficult to secure military support in a court rife with political instability, and it must be challenging to win the people's favor for a ruler who appears to lack confidence and the bravery to make bold decisions. Am I overlooking something? How can it be deemed treasonous for a Crown Prince to try to dethrone his younger brother, who is attempting to seize the throne? Shouldn't the Crown Prince have the birthright to ascend first? Moreover, isn't there a certain level of respect that should be afforded to him due to his high position? It seems like everyone is disregarding him, which left me utterly perplexed. I know this isn't directly related to RR, but having watched several historical dramas this year, I'm genuinely  baffled by this.

Edit, it's the elder brother who is attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince, so I assume that changes the situation regarding whether it would be considered treason for the Crown Prince to attempt to  overthrow him due to his corruption?


 Simi_Tutu:
the crown prince behaved as though he doubted his legitimacy as the rightful heir to the throne

I'm not too well-versed in actual Chinese history, so someone who knows more about that might be able to provide a more accurate response, but this is my take based on the Historical cdramas that I've seen. 

Basically, the crown prince position is not a birthright to the firstborn son. Though yes, the son of the empress is most likely to become the crown prince, it is not a guarantee that he will become the emperor, since the emperor is ultimately the one who decides that. Basically, all legitimate sons of the emperor have a claim to the throne.

Usually, the empress's first son is the crown prince because he's usually the first son of the emperor, was trained specifically for that, and typically has the backing of his mother's family since they're the reason she became empress in the first place. But still, that's not a guarantee for him to keep his position as crown prince. I'm watching a drama where the crown prince has all of that, is the first son, son of the empress, has the backing of her family which is very powerful, and still is fighting tooth-and-nail to keep his position, exclusively for the fact that the emperor does not like his maternal family and, by extension, the empress and even his own son. 

In another drama, the crown prince is constantly duking it out with his younger brother for the same reason. Despite already being the crown prince. The emperor allows his sons to compete to figure out who truly is the one who should become the next emperor. It doesn't help that in this drama, once again, the emperor is at odds with his empress... 

I'm not sure if it would be considered treason to try and kill the crown prince, but overthrowing him and becoming the heir definitely wouldn't be, since the only way that would be possible is if the emperor allows it (willingly or not). I'm inclined to say no about the former, because chances are it would be handled internally, and the emperor wouldn't kill his own son even for attempted fratricide. Attempting to assassinate the imperial family is treason, but I'm not sure about what the stance is on that when it's another family member doing the assassination. 

This might also depend on the dynasty the story takes place.

Unrelated but, I'm going to have to take a break from MDL and watching dramas for a while. I don't know when I'll come back, but a break is in order. Unless I want to have a mental breakdown over the fact I consume entirely too much media. I'll see y'all later. Going to find myself a hobby or something. Cheers!

 chirisu:
I'm going to have to take a break from MDL and watching dramas for a while

Ah, alright. Hope you find something else to do that you enjoy ^^ Take care of yourself and I'll see you around! 

Hii, I would like to join too :)

 Kitty Kat:
Hii, I would like to join too :)

 Arclei:
This might also depend on the dynasty the story takes place.

Wow, that was quite a bit of information to absorb, but it does help answer some of my questions, so I appreciate you taking the time to write all of that. Thank you! It's still somewhat confusing, but it's a bit clearer now. Honestly, I'm just relieved I wasn't born in that era; you really couldn't trust anyone. I understand why the Emperor would need multiple children to vie for the throne in case one or more were eliminated, but all that did was create more insecurity and political turmoil internally. And that's not even considering the concubines and empress and how they would also navigate the situation. It just seems so exhausting. 

On a side note, I really enjoy watching these dramas where characters play Go; it's fascinating how they use the game strategically. I love a game that challenges your thinking.

 Kitty Kat:

Hii, I would like to join too :)

Hello hello, and welcome to the club! Feel free to take a look around and grab a fun badge from the index ^^ Hope you enjoy your stay with us! 

 Simi_Tutu:
Thank you!

Of course, you're welcome! Glad it helped somewhat. It is pretty confusing, and yeah, it would suck to be born in those times. I read up once, and apparently, only one recorded emperor remained monogamous, refusing to cause his children to suffer in the imperial harem like he had. 

Might be worth asking in the Historical Dramas Club for better answers. 

 Simi_Tutu:
I really enjoy watching these dramas where characters play Go

Hilariously, I just finished watching a drama about shogi just yesterday xD 

 Sherry3000:
I found my people 

 Sherry3000:
Thanks 💕

I'm wondering, is this your first visit to MDL, or did you create a separate profile for RR? lol Regardless, welcome! You're welcome to chat about any RR titles you're following. We're a friendly bunch and love to talk, so don't hesitate to join in on any discussions. We're quite active, posting at least a few times daily, so you won't have to worry about the club being silent.

No Iam  a regular but didnt sign up till now 

One RR title is on my feed post!

https://kisskh.at/profile/chirisu/feeds/b3epmzIe

I could have added Dong Lan Xue as well, or Kimi wa Petto, but decided against that since other titles had more priority haha. Maybe some other time?