The Foreign Empress

The Warlords

The Eighth Prince and I sit next to each other in the outer hall of the Jujue Palace. The first of a long line of gifts arrive: an edict from the Emperor bestowing the lofty-sounding Marquessate of Dong on the Eighth Prince in addition to his position as Grand Inspector of the Central Plains. I try and look as regal as possible as more visitors pour in to deliver gifts of silver, silk, and foodstuffs. Zhang Rang makes an appearance, gifting us a fine set of horses and jade jewelry.

As I'm on the verge of drifting off I spot the familiar rogueish features of Ma Guanxin. Our eyes meet but he quickly looks away. Another man steps forward with Guanxin, he is dressed in heavy furs on top of which are various pieces of armor. His face is rough and frayed but he wears a genuinely kind expression that shines through his coarseness. "Greetings Your Highnesses, ten thousand congratulations on your marriage. May you forever be of one mind." Just what kind of greeting is that? The Eighth Prince nods, signaling his acknowledgment and bidding the man to continue.

"This one is named Ma Teng, the Imperial Protector of the Western Reaches. Behind me are my son, Ma Chao," a young man in a suit of steel armor decorated with red accents steps forward and salutes. "And my nephew, Ma Guanxin, the Imperial Protector of the Silk Road." Ma Guanxin steps forward and salutes. Uniquely, not one of three men kneel like the ministers and eunuchs that came before them. Moreover, their language is harsher, more direct, lacking the flowery eloquence and honeyed tones I was getting sick of. "We present a fine saddle for Your Highness and a bow for the Princess."

"Thank you for your generous gift Imperial Protector Ma." Ma Teng smiles towards me, salutes, and bows again. With that, the trio turns around and leaves without another word. A ruckus from the back of the line erupts as a massive man pushes his way through. The man has a massive bushy beard that obscures his plump neck. A gaudy sash strains to stay around the man's massive gut. He arrogantly swaggers in, knocking aside others like they are nothing. He stops at distance too close to be considered respectful and salutes. With a boisterous and slightly arrogant tone, he introduces himself, "General of the Vanguard Dong Zhuo presents himself! May Your Highness soon father a son. I bring Your Highness a grand gift of five hundred bolts of silk and five thousand coins."

A nod and salute from the Eighth Prince see Dong Zhuo smile to himself and swagger out. More generals and administrators come through in a blur, each presenting lavish gifts in an attempt to curry favor. As I'm beginning to get lost in my thoughts once again, a primal buzz runs through me. My skin tingles as the final man walks in. His gait is that of a tiger, measured and calm, concealing explosive power. Perceptive feline eyes adorn his face alongside a well-manicured mustache giving him the air of a distinguished predator. "The Administrator of Changsha, Sun Jian, humbly congratulates Your Highnesses. May you live ten thousand years together!"

For the first time, I hear my now-husband speak. His voice is barely audible, little more than a harsh whisper. It's raw and tenuous from lack of use though completely and utterly monotone and dispassionate. A ghost's whisper. "It is an honor to receive the blessings of the Tiger of Jiangdong."

"This one is not worthy!" The Eighth Prince's words bring Sun Jian to his knees in gratitude. Just what makes Sun Jian special? "I bring Your Highness tiger pelts and Her Ladyship a set of gold jewelry in the Jiangnan style."

I open my mouth to respond, but Taiping beats me to the draw, "Many thanks Senior Sun."

"I am overjoyed that Your Highness likes my poor gift. It is getting late; this one will not impose on Your Highness further." Sun Jian salutes one last time and leaves. Just who is that man?

A/N- The Three Kingdoms warlords have started to make their appearances! Historically, Ma Teng wasn't a very major figure but keep an eye on Dong Zhuo and Sun Jian (especially Sun Jian, the man isn't called the Tiger of Jiangdong for nothing). Also, I'll start using "Your Highness" and "Your Ladyship" to refer to the Eighth Prince and Aurelia respectively in public situations where the pair are together. However, "Your Highness" will still be used with Aurelia when she is alone or when referring the pair together ("Your Highnesses").

Wedding Idioms- The warlords use a variety of idioms here to wish Aurelia and Taiping a good marriage. Ma Teng uses 永结同心 (yǒng jié tóng xīn), meaning "May you forever be of one mind." Dong Zhuo uses a slight variant of 早生贵子 (zǎo shēng guì zǐ), meaning "May you soon give birth to a son." (That tells you so much about Chinese culture right there. Sons > Daughters. In fact, inability to give birth to a son was legal grounds for a unilateral divorce in ancient China all the way up until 1930.) Sun Jian uses a variation of 百年好合 (bǎi nián hǎo hé), replacing the 百 (bǎi, one hundred) with 万 (wàn, ten thousand). The idiom, directly translated, means, "May you have a harmonious union that lasts one hundred years." (I've shortened it for the sake of brevity.)