The Foreign Empress

The Imperial Capital

If Chang'an was silver to Constantinopolis's bronze, Luoyang was nothing less than a diamond plucked from the night sky. The imperial capital was grand beyond belief. The skyline, well, the fact that a skyline even existed at all, was already a testament to the vast wealth of the city. Even the cleaners that roamed the streets, ruthlessly disposing of garbage, were swathed in resplendent silks. Massive crowds lined the streets as my carriage made its way to the Imperial Palace. Everyone was trying to get a peek of the exotic foreign princess that was to join the imperial family. As we approached the gates to the Imperial Palace, itself a walled-off area that was the size of a small city, my stomach turned.

As soon I as crossed this threshold, I would probably lose all freedom, becoming little more than a caged bird, the very thing I originally fled from home to prevent. The massive gates, adorned with a gold mural of a dragon and phoenix locked in an eternal dance, open just wide enough to permit my carriage to pass through. Then, with a resolute and earth-shaking thud, they close behind me.

My carriage went directly to the so-called Dragon Palace, the center of the Imperial Palace and residence of the Son of Heaven himself. The door of my carriage opens without a sound and I step out. Fatima, with the help of Xiaoyue and a veritable army of minor maids, has gone all out today. Covering me is a Tyrian purple Parthian dress with patterns stitched from gold thread. A beautiful prison uniform. My wrists and ankles are heavy with golden bangles, each delicately engraved with scenes of mountains and springs. Chainless shackles. Around my neck is a galaxy of amethysts and purple sapphires set in an elegantly wrought gold necklace. A sparkling collar. My face is veiled with a heavy çarsef woven gold thread. A gilded muzzle. Clad in the wealth of a nation, I descend from the carriage. Almost a hundred servants and soldiers lay prostrated outside my carriage, a welcome worthy of a princess I suppose. An effeminate man walks up to me and kowtows. "Ten thousand greetings to Your Highness! This servant has been instructed to guide Your Highness to the Jinlong Hall where His Majesty, the Son of Heaven, eagerly awaits Your Highness's arrival."

I carefully run over the court etiquette the surprisingly knowledgeable Xiaoyue taught me. As I take the last steps up to the Jinlong Hall I can see the various officials, courtiers, and nobles arrayed to each side. I can feel their stares on me, silent judgments and conclusions being drawn. Does she hold herself like royalty? Is she beautiful? Is she worth supporting? Inside, I'm quivering with fear. Xiaoyue's words flutter through my mind, a caged bird

I look at none of them, keeping my eyes pointedstraight ahead, unwaveringly advancing. The incongruously cheerful jingle of mymany bangles is the only sound to ring through the hall. Here! I stop asgracefully as possible. Hands clasped in front of me, I kneel and prostratemyself before the Emperor. After what seems like an eternity, the Emperorspeaks, "Raise your head."