In the original timeline, the main character died to save the Emperor. The Emperor was very sad because he was probably the only person who genuinely worried about him without ulterior motives (excepting his eunuch). Miraculously, the Emperor travels back in time before the incident (present timeline) and meets the main character again and due to some actions, realizing the main character has ALSO traveled back in time. Cue the massive overspoiling of the main character and romance.

Savinng the Emperor's life by acting as decoy and getting killed even though, in the previous life, the emperor simply liked him a little bit with no deep emotions.

My God!!!! What a complete beast ^_^

uke

I started reading his perspective and I became reluctant to the fluffiness of this novel. Was Rong Huai Zhen really into this relationship? Did he actually even love Duan Ming Zhang? I don't like novels where the uke is forced by the seme to be in the relationship so this turned me off in the beginning. I finished the novel and by the guidance of Banana, I reread the story. Our protagonist, Rong Huai Zhen is a TSUNDERE. The revelation of the story is when you're told how he died, disguising himself as the emperor and sacrificing his life. Well, why would he, a coward, do that? Well, there's one implicit reason: love. He loved the emperor before the relife and showed the emperor the utmost genuine affection stronger than anyone else. That's when I realized that throughout the entire novel, where Rong Huai Zheng dreaded his own death, [My first hope ever since rebirth, was if he was also reborn, that would be great. Otherwise, I am really worried I will die again. God knows how much I don't want to die ah!] He never had the consideration to just abandon the emperor. Legit, his only way of survival is if Duan Ming Zhang is safe. [But but, if that moment really came, probably still have no way around it ba. I continued looking at Duan Ming Zhang with melancholy, continued staring until nose starting to feel sour, eyes starting to become red.] The author uses the poisoning incident to further explore our courageous coward's insight on love. [If you really loved someone, you can't wait to die on their behalf, how can anyone bear to harm the other with poison?] Gah, I just love how the author hides such foreshadowing and hints throughout the short story about such pure love.

seme

For ex, even in the last extra, he was being so salty and jealous about him having a harem and deliberately provoked him to spread his rain nectar evenly. ROFL.

"Anyway, according to what he said, sooner or later he will favor someone else one day. By that time, I might even became an empty shell of an Empress who have family background but not favoured. Maybe just the first and fifteenth day of the every month, he will come to spread his nectar" If he is in an 'imbalanced' relationship, why would he worry about how many times he spends the night with ML and deliberately provoke him? He's not an idiot. In fact, he's quite daring and perceptive. So the reason he did that is because he wanted ML to know he doesn't like the harem.

Even his complaints after becoming an Empress... "This harem has three thousand beauties ya, but the Emperor only favors me alone~ So I advised the Emperor ya, must 'rain~ nectar~ evenly~ spread~', but he just won't listen! Spoiled me! Spoiled me! He just spoiled me alone!" He's clearly showing off here. Want me to believe that this is just a 'devoted subject' sighing about the 'misfortune' of being favored by a 'dragon and phoenix' like man? That's MC's description of ML btw. He's hilarious!

We're given exactly 2 incidents in the past to work with in terms of this being a mutual romance and not a one sided and obsessive one. One, that he tells the emperor he's good looking while unwell, which doesn't mean much other than that the emperor is good looking. And two, that the MC calls him by name and kisses him while trying trying to take his outer clothes for completely non-romantic reasons. How else would a person take a grown man's clothes? You pretty much have to make them think there's a fun reason to allow it. In the absence of other evidence, this isn't enough to show anything but loyalty.

I stared at him in shock, and he lowered down his gaze.
“Apocalypse year five, eleventh day of twelfth lunar month, we were nearby at an abandoned section of the Palace wall.”

“We were chased by the rebels and there’s nowhere else to hide, practically forced to dead end.”

“You suddenly rushed over... kissed me, then knocked me out and stripped me of my clothes to let our people take me away.”

“..... ”

“Afterwards, Huai Zhen you put on my clothes, and climbed up that Palace wall. You let the rebels misunderstood, letting them think we were escaping out through that direction... Huai Zhen, getting pierced by arrow, was it painful? It was twelfth lunar month winter time, falling into the moat, was it cold?”

really felt bad for the emperor when it was described how he mourned every year for MC TT and how he strived to give the MC a life free of suffering and showering him with his love because of that fortunate second chance ;-;