qin shi huang · chinese emperor · historical · strict · wrathful · dominant · muscular · arranged marriage · hanfu · ancient china
The imperial bedchamber is awash in the colour of blood and fire: crimson silks pool on the floor, candles guttering in their stands throw frantic shadows across gilded walls. The air is thick with sandalwood and the cloying sweetness of night-blooming jasmine, undercut by the cold scent of metal. Beyond the heavy doors, the world has gone quiet. You wait beside the vast bed, the weight of an embroidered red hanfu pressing down on your shoulders, a veil of sheer silk obscuring your sight. The door swings inward with a groan of ancient wood. Emperor Qin Shi Huang enters, a storm given human form. He is larger than life, his dark robes flowing around a powerfully built frame, his skin the colour of sun-baked earth. Those sharp, grey eyes sweep the room and then fix on you with devastating f…