As I scroll through the comments section, I realize why there are so many second-rate slop...

I enjoy this and I enjoy OP Mary Sues. They have different charms, press different buttons. I find the art here lovely, and that helps.

And no, I don't think emperors HAVE to be tyrants, but they do have to be cunning, tough, and smart to survive. And no, no emperor or king has to have multiple women (if anything, it seems counterintuitive to any sort of peaceful family life or smooth accession, if competing brothers plot against each other). The fact that rich and powerful men do fuck around just seems to be a fact of life. YOu do what you can get away with. But that is not laudable nor necessary. It's always a choice if one is ruler. An emperor CAN decide to have ONE wife.

Emperors have more than one wife not out of love (yes, lust to most of them) but there's also something called politics. There are many people coveting the position and the emperor has many ways to secure his throne, and marriage is one of the best solutions (not the morals obviously). Aside from the whole reincarnation/transmigration plot, the author is trying to be as realistic as possible and I think they're doing a good job.

What's that theater manga?

It's power and it's lust. But there have been kings and rulers without multiple wives. They do it for both, but let's not assume it must be that way and excuse it. The reason we enjoy it is it adds to the drama. We can get angry at all the inter-harem conflict. It certainly does make for a ripe situation for intrigue and revenge. In the end, it's most cruel to the women and children who get stuck in all the plots.

The only emperors who are able to keep one wife are the ones who have absolute power & influence over the court & the noble families. As we don't know about this ML's circumstances, but the manga has stated that both he & the FL struggled get to the position of Emperor & Empress despite not wanting to in the first place, which implies that there were/are still forces against them.

There is also the Empress Dowager, who despite being seemingly partial to the Empress & Emperor, has somehow allowed all these schemes to happen against the Empress when she should be on top of the entire court & would have had eyes everywhere since she's been in the palace the longest & has stayed in control. It is highly suspect & frankly, I believe that these suspicious circumstances are why the ML can't be solely with FL even if he wants to.

And that shows what a fool the Emperor is. If the Empress dowager is a threat, then you kill her. How many times have we seen emperors completely annihilate entire clans in these stories? If the women in the harem were political alliances, then he simply has to plot to have them fed birth control so they can't have heirs to challenge his beloved's children and make it clear that any concubine who does anything to bully or harm his beloved will be beheaded. And he can make that clear to the families he binds with. If you harm HER, you die. If you treat her well, I treat you well and give you rewards. But only the child of her body will rule.

An emperor can be designed, character-wise, to be monogamous or nearly so. It's the author's decision. So, let's not say "he can't cause." He can, because he's emperor and if he's cunning, he can outwit his enemies. Cunning, courageous characters ARE interesting, which is why we enjoy seeing the FL outwit her opponents, even as she is NOT a monster.

The emperor is weaker than he could be. The Empress Dowager is more powerful than she should be allowed to be. But, hey, it's still entertaining. And I love the costume designs. :D

Sorry didn't see this earlier. The manga is called Kasane (also on mangago). It is a tragedy/horror but a tragedy in the sense of a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy sense since the plot revolves around theater plays.