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The shojo manga The Emperor’s Caretaker features a love story, of course, but it sometimes it feels like that comes in second to showing depictions of court life and what a child emperor and his aides go through. There are many segments showing the training young Zhiyou is experiencing, what Linhua experiences as his caretaker, and the responsibilities of his regent and brother Souren. There’s some familiarity, but it is very professional and respectful. In contrast, volume 5 in the series gives us a first opportunity to see what Linhua, her brothers, her mother, and her father the Chancellor of the Right Liu Xiaoming are like in more casual settings at home. It ends up being charming and relatable.
Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for volume 5 of The Emperor’s Caretaker manga below.
We’d already met two members of Linhua’s family in earlier volumes. Her older brother Xiuying is in the service of the acting ruler Souren. Her father Xiaoming is a leader in the country and advisor, acting as the Chancellor of the Right. The fourth volume even teased her free-spirited little brother Feilong, who is about the same age as Emperor Zhiyou. But in the fifth novel we get to see the Liu family home and their dynamic when they aren’t forced to be professional and on their best behavior. It ends up being sweet, insightful, and funny for so many reasons.
To start, the whole idea behind the trip is an endearing one. Emperor Zhiyou worked with Souren for this surprise excursion for Linhua to give her a chance to visit with her mother and little brother, who she hadn’t seen for a while due to her role caring for the young boy who’ll become the country’s leader. It shows how considerate this child is, for one. And mature, since as a kid who misses his own mother, he thought enough to help arrange and surprise this for Linhua. Plus, it’s just sweet to see a young emperor be that kind.
From there, it jumps right into humor. Feilong is an incredibly spirited child who is kind and fun, but has no sense of decorum or knowledge of how to interact with a young emperor his own age. So he runs up, completely a mess from playing, to greet Linhua, Zhiyou, and Souren. It’s hilarious to see him being a pure, innocent, exuberant child, Zhiyou stunned by that, and Linhua shocked about how to react. The fact that her mother Han Meiling is so deadpan about it and offers such a practical solution is equally funny, while also highlighting that this is normal for him and the household. It’s so well handled.
From there, we get the fantastic insights into how kind and thoughtful Linhua’s mother Meiling and even seemingly serious and strict father Xiaoming are. We learn that, after the events of the first volume and the scandal with the Li family, news came to light that their young daughter who was a “candidate” to possibly marry Zhiyou was an abused child adopted just as a pawn. After the Chancellor of the Left was deposed and replaced by his son, his son and the Liu family decided to adopt young Cuilan. So we meet Linhua’s new, adorable little sister and see segments showing how kind her mother and father were to that child. Likewise, her mother offers insights that highlight that, while Xiaoming seemed ready to pull a cheap trick to perhaps get Linhua married off in the first volume, he’s more caring and considerate than expected and not everything was how it seems.
By the end of the fifth volume of The Emperor’s Caretaker manga, it gets back into more serious matters and insights into the dangers and protocol that comes from being associated with the royal court. But for a time in this installment, we get a reprieve. We see what Linhua’s life is like when she isn’t at court, and how her family really is behind closed doors. The result is heartwarming and humorous, which is a very much appreciated series of insights.
Volume 5 of The Emperor’s Caretaker manga is available now, and Square Enix will release volume 6 on February 3, 2026.
