Zhao Dongting is betrayed by a lover and reborn as an Emperor, over 1000 years in the past. What is his destiny in this time.
In this manga style book Zhao Dongting dies after being betrayed by his girlfriend and brother, yet he awakens in the Southern Song Dynasty as the Emperor. Wanting to re-write history Zhao tries to rebuild the Southern Song Court. Can he achieve his goal? Either way he is the Legend of the supreme Emperor.
- Part 1: Reborn as an Emperor review
- Part 2: Take a deeper look into Reborn as an Emperor
- Part 3: Meet the characters of Reborn as an Emperor
- Part 4: A sneak peek at the beginning of Reborn as an Emperor
Part 1:Reborn as an Emperor review.
Reborn as an Emperor can be read as a manga-style comic, the original version is written in Chinese with many English translations available, or the Chinese book is based on “The Rebirth of Lao Tzu the Emperor”. With a strong and resourceful male lead, lots of actions and betrayals.
I like how Zhao Dongting reacts to being reborn as an Emperor, he’s thrown into a strange situation and makes a decision quickly on how he will deal with it. His reaction goes from shock to, acceptance and how do I make the most of this situation?
I love that his bed servant notices quite quickly that there is something different about him, the others perhaps seem skeptical but accept that he is back, and even those who knew of his poisoning just assume something went wrong and he just didn’t die.
Although usually, this isn’t the type of book I would even think to read it has been a page-turner I constantly wanted to find out who was behind his attempted murder and what the outcome of his arrival at this time will be.
Part 2:Take a deeper look into Reborn as an Emperor
Zhao Dongting finds his soul transported through time into the past, reborn as an Emperor. His goal was to rewrite history and make the Southern Song Court not only survive but revered in time, his arrival at this time would have already changed history right? So what did it matter if the Reborn Emperor does manage to save them all?
Zhao Dongting reawakens on 15th April in the 3rd year of Jinan, on Quzhou island, the day history says Zhao Shi should have died, Zhao Dongting knew that within two years of this the Southern Song Court would be wiped out. If he wanted to try to live this new chance life he had been given then he needed to do something to protect them all.
Yang shu the Emperor’s mother is in control and unwilling to bestow power to the freshly reawakened boy Emperor, is she just protecting herself and her lifestyle, or could she be hiding something? Zhao Dongting wonders if will he need to find a way to seize power from her and how will he protect himself, especially if those closest to him begin to get skeptical of how he didn’t die.
He needs a plan, power, and loyalty. His first act at gaining one of these is by asking that those responsible for his “misdiagnosis” of a terminal illness and his death be spared their lives.
In a time where ghosts and gods are a popular belief, we can wonder if they will begin to believe that his return is not one of a ghost but one of a god.
Part 3:Meet the characters of Reborn as an Emperor
Zhao shi
Zhao Shi an eleven-year-old Emperor dies at the very start of the book. He is described as thin with sunken eyes, a bruised complexion, and no breath.
Zhao Dongting
Zhao Dong is a modern man who is forced to take his own life with sleeping pills by his brother and girlfriend when they try to bankrupt his family. Despite graduating in history, he begins his own successful business. Upon his death, his soul traveled back in time over 1,000 years to the Southern Song Dynasty.
With knowledge of the historical events of the time he awakens in, and scientific and technological knowledge of the now future. Zhao Dongting is the Reborn of Emperor Zhao Shi, the eleven-year-old, who had moments before been declared dead.
In the beginning, his Rebirth is feared believing a ghost or a scam. Unfortunately, he didn’t retain the memories of the former soul in this body and so claims memory loss.
Never being a shy, timid individual he uses his knowledge of the past and future to re-write the history of the Sothern Song Court, rebuilding to make them great throughout the world.
He awakens against the warm body and in the snow-white arms of Ying Er.
Ying Er
Ying Er is the personal maid of the Emperor, she is distraught at the moment that he dies to feel such relief and acceptance upon his return, despite most others believing him to be a ghost or a scam. She is described as around eighteen years old and a classic beauty. Her role is to be Zhaos maid, specifically a bed warming maid.
She notices some minor differences in the Reborn Emperor straight away, although his body face and hair remain the same she notices changes in his eyes and wonders what could have happened.
Yang Shu
Yang Shu is the Empress Dowager, mother to Zhao Shi, and now the Reborn Emperor. She is beautiful and looks to be only twenty-eight years old, she is majestic and grand and holds the power of Emperor. She is skeptical of his brush with death and the loss of his memory.
Li Yuanxix
Li Yuanxix is the chief eunuch. He’s described to look like a cock whose neck has been strangled. He is the one who declares Emperor Zhao Shi dead his life is threatened by this mistake with the mother Emperor ordering his and the physician’s death,
both were spared by the Reborn Emperor Zhao Dongting in the hope they will become loyal to him from his act of compassion.
Physician Rong Weichen
A physician is an elderly man with a goatee. He is also sentenced to death by Mother Emperor Yang Shu and saved by the Reborn Emperor Zhao Dongting. Soon after he is saved Zhao Dongting learns that Zhao Shi was murdered by something disguised as a medicine given by the physician.
Part 4:A sneak peek at the beginning of Reborn as an Emperor
Chapter 3
In chapter 3 Zhao Dongting is sleeping in his room with two servants. He wakes as he overhears their conversation, still pretending to sleep he listens. He hears them talk about orders for the physician to kill Emperor Zhao Shi and how he used the supposed medicine to do so. Poison.
Their conversation doesn’t end there they discuss how the orders for the Emperor to be killed are still in place and that it is now their job to assassinate him. They return wilding what would be highly desired foods in a time when food is scarce gently waking and offering this to Emperor Zhao Dongting.
Knowing that this was poisoned he confronts the servants, one begs for mercy, and the other attacks Emperor Zhao Dongting attempting to strangle his life off him. Emperor Zhao Dongting tries to kick himself free but he is young a weak still recovering from the sickness, he cannot shout.
As the second servant realizes it will be his life or the Emperor he jumps to the aid of the first servant attempting to kill Emperor Zhao Dongting.
It seems the Reborn Emperor may have many attempts on his life not knowing who he can trust, and having to adjust to not only living in the past but as a young boy. Needing to find his strength and power, doing all he can to save himself and the people.
