The Foreign Empress

Chang'an City

The journey from Longmen to Chang'an was relatively uneventful. With the caravan now traveling on the paved Imperial Highway, we made good time. Moreover, with Ma Guanxin escorting us, and a large contingent of Han cavalrymen drawn from the Far West Army, our caravan went completely unmolested by bandits or nomadic raiders. I guess the Emperor was taking this very safely. Yeah. It would be a diplomatic nightmare if a foreign princess, the fiancé of a prince no less, was kidnapped by some barbarian raiders. Enough to cause a war maybe.

Through the journey, Ma Guanxin remained in his cold soldier persona, keeping a respectful distance from me. I could see why he was appointed as the Imperial Protector of the Silk Road though. His detached attitude and martial prowess commanded respect and fear from his men, an important duality that could push soldiers past their limits in combat. His organizational skills showed themselves as well. Every time we stopped at a hamlet or outpost, fresh horses and provisions were waiting for us, allowing us to make unprecedented time.

In less than two months we traversed the entirety of the Central Asian Protectorates and the Hexi Corridor to make it to Chang'an. Slowly, I recognized the scale and wealth of the Han Empire. To be able to maintain a standing army, including vast amounts of cavalry, along such a long front was astounding. Though Rome probably maintained greater numbers of standing soldiers, they were never stretched out to protect a border like this.

The walls of Chang'an were greater than anything I had ever seen. Earlier in the trip, I overheard one of the escorting soldiers claim that twelve warhorses could run abreast on the wall with ease. At first, I thought he was exaggerating but upon seeing the actual fortifications myself, his description sold the walls short. Standing some twelve meters tall and an astounding eighteen meters wide, the wall around the city surpassed the walls of Constantinopolis in every way. An unassailable city.

Ma Guanxin followed the edict to a letter. As the caravan finally entered the colossal shadow cast by the city wall, Guanxin simply dismounted, bowed to my carriage, remounted, and headed straight back without a single word. Passing through the titanic city gates, my heart felt a pang of remorse. There really was no turning back now.

Chang'an was indescribable. It was a city larger than Constantinopolis, Ecbatana, or any of the other cities I had visited. Multi-storied buildings were a common occurrence as people built up to maximize the little real estate available. Throngs of people crowded the streets going about their daily lives while traders sold things I had never seen before. For the first time since Ctesiphon, I was happy. The city's liveliness and vibrancy were simply too infectious and I often found myself wandering through the dozens of markets scattered throughout the city (with a sizable escort, of course).

It was on one of these escapades that I took a wrong turn. Having thrown off my guards, I had taken a turn from a bustling central street and stepped straight into what I can only describe as decay. The streets in this neighborhood were desolate and dirty, covered in filth and muck. The buildings were ramshackle little things, each leaning on the next like a drunkard. A beggar— no, the corpse of a beggar— lay next to the entrance of a hovel, from which the pleasure-drunk sounds of fornication could be heard.

I spun around to leave. And almost walked straight into a drunkard. The man's eyes turned to me, slightly misted over and flicking side to side erratically. His body swayed dangerously, and the reek of alcohol drifted off him heavily. "Hey! Lil' missy doncha know ish rude to bump into someone and not apologize? Huh?!"