The First Emperor Becomes a Father [Qin Dynasty]

The divine dragon clan, once a powerful lineage in the upper realm, had dwindled to a single father and his unhatched egg. The dragon father, Ying Zheng, erased his memories and descended to the mortal realm to save humanity, eventually becoming the First Emperor of Qin. The little dragon cub hatched alone and attempted to find her father by traveling back in time. Her first four attempts failed due to poor timing, resulting in chaos and near-disasters. On her fifth attempt, she arrived precisely when Ying Zheng had just unified the six states and proclaimed himself Emperor. Her goal was to enjoy a comfortable life close to her powerful father, viewing the safeguarding of the dynasty as a secondary task.

The story shifts to the Qin Imperial Palace, where Consort Lian, a frail woman seeking vengeance for her exterminated family, is in difficult labor. She dies from hemorrhaging shortly after giving birth to a premature daughter. The Qin Emperor, known for his coldness and lack of paternal affection toward his existing children, is initially indifferent. However, upon holding the newborn, he experiences an inexplicable sense of kinship and protection. The infant, who is the little dragon cub, opens her eyes and seems to glare at him, triggering a strange emotional connection in the Emperor. He defies palace protocol by personally carrying the baby to his own quarters, a privilege never granted to any of his other children, not even the Crown Prince.

The dragon cub, now in a fragile human body, struggles to adapt. She refuses to be fed by the assigned wet nurses, leading the Emperor to feed her milk himself in a clumsy but determined manner. She also demands a bath, showing comfort in water that surprises the court. Her behavior is erratic; she cries when separated from her father, causing thunderstorms to rage outside, which the Emperor begins to notice as a correlation. Meanwhile, Prince Huhai, the Emperor's youngest son and a spoiled, jealous child, feels threatened by the new princess. He believes she is stealing his father's attention and resolves to teach her a lesson.

Huhai sneaks into the Emperor's quarters with the help of the eunuch Zhao Gao, who harbors secret ambitions. He kidnaps the sleeping princess, intending to scare her, but accidentally hurts her cheeks, causing her to cry loudly. The Emperor, sensing her distress through a mysterious bond, abruptly ends his court session and rushes back. Huhai, panicked by the sudden storm and the baby's cries, hides in a cave and later seeks refuge with his mother, Madam Yu, pretending to have found the child. The Emperor launches a massive search, terrifying the palace staff. The narrative establishes the central dynamic: the dragon cub is bound to her father by blood and magic, while Huhai represents the future threat to the Qin dynasty's stability. The Emperor's growing attachment to the "little chick" contrasts sharply with his harsh treatment of his other children, setting the stage for future political and familial conflicts.

The dragon cub retains memories of her past lives and knows the tragic fate that awaits her father and the empire. She is aware that Huhai will eventually cause the downfall of Qin. Her primary motivation is to protect her father and ensure his legacy, but she must do so while navigating the dangerous politics of the imperial court and the jealousy of her half-siblings. The Emperor, though unaware of her true nature, feels an overwhelming urge to protect her, interpreting her strange behaviors as those of a normal, albeit demanding, infant. The story explores the tension between destiny and free will, as the cub tries to alter the course of history while the Emperor grapples with a newfound paternal love he never expected to feel.

Zhao Gao's role becomes increasingly pivotal as he facilitates Huhai's access to the princess while secretly manipulating events to his own advantage. The Emperor's isolation from his other children deepens as he focuses entirely on the newborn. The narrative highlights the absurdity and warmth of a ruthless tyrant learning to care for a baby who is, in truth, his dragon daughter. The cub's internal monologue reveals her frustration with her human limitations and her determination to correct the mistakes of the past. The story sets up a complex web of relationships where the emperor's love for his daughter may be the key to preventing the empire's collapse, provided she can survive the intrigues of the palace and the wrath of those who seek to undermine her father's rule.