King of Beiyang

The weight of history settles on unprepared shoulders when a modern soul awakens as Li Hongzhang's third son, heir apparent to the formidable Beiyang government. Inheriting the legacy of the Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang seems a foregone conclusion—the natural order of dynastic succession placing the third son at the helm of one of the Qing Empire's most powerful political machines. Yet this seamless transition of power carries a bitter irony, for it systematically eclipses the ambitions of Yuan Shikai, the man history remembers as the true successor. But the third son wears his inheritance uneasily. While his father, the venerable Old Li, remains the very embodiment of Qing loyalty—a stalwart servant of the dragon throne who would never dream of rebellion—the consciousness now piloting this body recognizes the empire's decay and smells the coming storm. What unfolds is a delicate game of power and deception: the third son must navigate the treacherous currents of late imperial politics, maintaining the appearance of filial devotion while secretly nurturing ambitions that would make his father's blood run cold, all while the shadow of the man he displaced looms ever larger on the horizon.