YMMV / Under Heaven

• The Woobie: Shen Liu: he spends his life advancing the education and career ladder, becoming a chief politician's main advisor, in an effort to support his family. He even manages to get his sister declared a princess, and made part of an arranged marriage which includes an actual princess, to also bring his family honor. But by the end of the book? His brother Shen Tai is back home from a self-imposed exile initially thinking Liu sent an assassin to prevent him from interfering with the marriage, then First Minister Wen Zhou is dead due to several political mistakes that lead to a civil war, and he ends up dying himself, with directions to Tai to try to denounce him, in an effort to save the family from having revenge being taken because of his association with Wen Zhou. Which leads him to being a Woobie suffering a Trauma Conga Line, when all he wanted was a better life for his family.

---