I actually feel so bad for the 5th prince. He’s not a villain or a bad person by nature; he became who he is because of how the king and the people around him treated him. He’s just seeking recognition, and aiming for the emperor’s position is the only way he knows to earn it. He simply wants the emperor to acknowledge him.
His lack of empathy toward others is something he developed because that’s how the emperor treated him when he was just a child. He’s been deprived of love and attention, and there’s no one around to teach him right from wrong—only people who want to use or leech off him. He’s just a child trapped in a grown-up’s body. He's still a child
Spoiler!
My favorite plot is mc's regressing and/or transmigrating, and an obsessive and possessive top
