A cold and potentially fatal marriage, an imperial court embroiled in assassination and conflict, a hidden conspiracy that could shatter not just a four-century-long peace but the empire itself. In the midst of it all, a girl whose struggle to survi...
The Imperial Protector of the Silk Road? A grand and official-sounding title, but does such a position actually exist? He could very well be trying to play me for a fool. Guanxi looks at me expectantly. That's right, the peanuts. I decide to play coy for a bit to try and dredge him for more information. Popping a peanut in my mouth, I chew slowly, relishing both the taste of the snack and the semi-pleading look in his eyes. Swallowing, I ask, "If you're really an Imperial Protector, why would you threaten the party of the Eighth Prince's fiancé? Aren't you supposed to be protecting me?"
"Well, I didn't realize you were elder Brother Taiping's wo– fiancé." He replies sheepishly. He reaches into his robes and withdraws an ivory token. Engraved in gold on the are the characters for "Imperial Protector of the Silk Road." I think.
"Brother Taiping?"
"Ahhh, I meant His Highness the Eighth Prince." He grins. "We're childhood comrades you know?" I'm speechless. I simply don't know enough about this country to respond. Reluctantly, I push the nuts back into the middle of the table. Quiet ensues as both of us work on the nuts.
As I'm lifting my çarsef to pop some peanuts into my mouth, the door of the inn bursts open, and armed men in city guard uniforms storm in, weapons drawn. Their captain, a rough-looking veteran with a long scar across his face points his dao at Guanxi. "You there!" Guanxi looks up, unfazed, and pops another peanut into his mouth.
"Get up criminal! You think you can assault us Longmen city guards and get away with it?" Then turning to me, the captain says, "Your Highness, this man is a dangerous criminal and must be apprehended. Please move away from him!"
Before I can reply, Guanxi simply takes his ivory token and brings it up so the guards can read the inscription. The change is shocking. In an instant, the guards go from being belligerent and threatening to quivering, terrified wretches. The captain slams his head to the ground in a kowtow so hard I can practically feel the ground shake.
"This slave is wrong gracious lord. This foolish one deserves to die a thousand deaths! As unworthy as this one is though, please spare this one's subordinates! They are young and have their lives ahead of them."
"Relax, I have no intention of executing you, even if you did point a weapon at a noble of the Empire. You were doing your duty admirably as you should. Go." The captain rises, bows deeply, and gives a military salute. "Thank you, my lord, this one will never forget your magnanimity."
After the guards leave, Fatima whispers in my ear in Latin, "It is getting late Your Highness, you should retire for the night. We must depart early tomorrow." I swear I see Guanxi's eyes flick to me with uncanny sharpness. No, I'm sure I'm just tired. My eyes are probably playing tricks on me. There's no way he heard Fatima, right?
Dao: The dao is a heavy single-edged sword used for slashing and hacking. You'll see them occasionally translated as "knife," but I personally think this makes them seem rather underwhelming. The dao the captain uses is a heavy variant with a thickened tip, giving it a lot of weight behind cuts.
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Brother: Using the characters 弟 (younger brother) or 哥 (elder brother) the term brother does not necessarily delineate familial relation. Guanxi in this case refers to the Eighth Prince as Elder Brother to show how close they are while also giving him respect by referring to him as "Elder" even if the Eighth Prince is not necessarily older.
Self-depreciation in speech: You'll note the captain refers to himself as a "slave." He is not actually a slave, actually, the Han Dynasty had very few slaves compared to its western contemporaries like Rome. However, by referring to himself as a "slave" the captain is trying to establish how lowly he is compared to Guanxi in order to beg for leniency.
Military Salute: See 抱拳礼 (Baoquan li) literally hugging fist greeting but more often seen as the hold-fist salute used by martial arts practitioners. In The Foreign Empress, the Baoquan li is used by military men (or women *hint* *hint*) or martial arts practitioners. Normal citizens use the less militant fist and palm salute.
