The streets of the capital are packed, the populace out in full force. Red banners and lanterns hang from every shop and building lending a fiery, festive air to the city. The people buzz about excitedly, everybody telling everybody about how exotic and beautiful the bride is. More than anything, people gossip about how rich the bride's dowry was, for if an imperial bride's dowry was so generous, surely, she would show generosity to the inhabitants of Luoyang as well.
The boisterous atmosphere is abruptly broken by the thundering reverberation of a gong. The clip-clop of horses and tramp of armored boots signal the arrival of the groom. A single figure, mounted atop a beastly black steed, heads up a column of cavalry and infantry. Clothed in robes woven from the night, the pale apparition rides forth, its very presence smothering the joyous atmosphere with an oppressive dread. This man, if he can even be considered one, is none other than the Eighth Prince of the mighty Han Dynasty.
The Eighth Prince rides in absolute silence, his steed's hooves covered in sable silk to muffle its steps. His face, framed by silver-white, could be considered regal and aquiline, handsome and heavenly, but is marred by a fear-inducing coldness that would freeze the very fires of hell. A paper-thin line runs horizontally across his otherwise perfect throat. On his left hip are slung a pair of silver hook swords, the Heavenly Fangs, as feared as the individual who wields them. Nestled next to the Heavenly Fangs is a jade tablet, framed by black pearl, with three characters carefully etched onto its surface: 黑針組.
And so, the reason for the crowd's fear becomes clear. The Eighth Prince is intimidating, an apparition's apparition, a revenant's ghost, walking an Earth he no longer seems to care for. For such an individual to be given the power of life and death over an entire empire is truly a thought that would make even the most resolute cower in fear. Indeed, not a single individual arrested by the Heizhenzu has been given anything less than the death sentence.
As the prince's procession passes, the streets are resurrected, people reanimated. Almost instantly, rumors begin to fly. Some whisper that the prince has personally taken the heads of ten thousand warriors while others claim that the Eighth Prince bathes in the blood of virgins to maintain his frost-like complexion. The rumors soon collide with each other, untruths absorbing untruths as the prince grows into an ever more sinister character. One rumor, more of a lament, stays unchanged though: the Eighth Prince's bride may not be long for this world.
Historical Note- The Eighth Prince is a fictional son of Emperor Ling of Han. Historically, Emperor Ling only had two sons: Liu Bian and Liu Xie, both of whom had yet to reach adulthood when the Emperor passed away. In the world of The Foreign Empress, Emperor Ling manages to cling onto both power and life for another twenty years or so (thanks to a number of bumper harvests), all the way until 200 CE, meaning the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Three Kingdoms period start slightly later than they did in reality. As Emperor Ling reigned for longer, he had more children: ten princes and three princesses, rather than the two princes and one princess he sired in history. Hope this clears things up somewhat.
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The Foreign Empress
Historical FictionA 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...
