Alas, the good times did not last long. The Empress Dowager passed away eight years later. Fortunately, the Crown Prince, Yuan Xi, was gentle, generous, and quite popular among the people at court. He was also willing to protect his young brother, so Yuan Lang was not bullied at court.
Later, after the initial Crown Prince died in the Qiu Hong disaster, Yuan Lang spent three years in the State Temple offering an Ever-bright Lamp for his elder brother, without returning to Shengjing. During those three years, the former Emperor passed away, unable to bear the blow, and the other two princes were also imprisoned due to their offenses. When Emperor Liang Ming ascended to the throne and Yuan Lang returned to the capital three years later, he was the only one left out of the initial five princes, except for the current Emperor.
He became the Emperor's only sibling.
