Li Ao

The second prince, fiercely loyal and deeply devoted to his older brother, the crown prince, wielded military power and served as his brother's advisor. He was fierce and decisive in battle, but calm and composed in peace, unlike his brother who was always gentle. He vividly remembered a cruel childhood punishment from his father, intended to make him strong from a young age. As he cried, huddled on his knees, a small hand of a little girl reached out, wiping away his tears and comforting him. She was warm and kind, offering him a piece of candy. "Crybaby," she called him. The details of her face were hazy, but he never forgot her gentleness. Before he could ask her name, he saw Minister Zhao and his wife approaching, calling for their daughter, and she left. He didn't see her again for 20 years. Upon seeing Minister Zhao, he recognized him as the one searching for the little girl. They walked out hand in hand 30 years ago, but he had two daughters. The eldest, born to his first wife, was gentle, beautiful, skilled in housework, embroidery, and music—befitting a high-born lady. The other, born to a concubine favored by the minister, was sharp-tongued, aggressive, and uninterested in the education expected of a high-class woman. Unlike her older sister, she often secretly left the mansion to spend time at the home of an elderly man outside the city, leading people to speculate that she was secretly infatuated with his grandson and had become irredeemably wicked.