Author's Note: This is a Historical Fiction Romance set in Ancient China.
As a history nut, I've taken care to research the period from a domestic, political and social perspective. If you find any errors, please let me know. Where creative license has been taken, I will let you guys know!
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Jin Héngxīn (金蘅歆)
Meaning: Gold, Fragrant Orchid, Joyful
Age: 18
State: Ruì (瑞)
Title: Princess of Hidden Orchids (幽蘭公主, Princess of Hidden Orchids)
Bio: Neglected by her father and her powerful maternal family, Jin Héngxīn survived childhood through ruthless cunning and self-reliance. Fiercely resilient yet deeply mistrusting, she navigates palace intrigue alone. Sent to Rong State as a hostage, her only goal now is survival—at any cost.
Ji Heng (姬衡)
Meaning: Balance, Equilibrium
Age: 21
State: Rong (荣)
Title: Prince of the Third Rank (三等王子, Third-Rank Prince)
Bio: Born of a Rui state hostage, Ji Heng became calculating and ruthless through bitter neglect. His father, wary of Ji Heng's potential threat to more favored sons, recalled him from his powerful military godfather, confining him closely at court. Deeply cynical, Ji Heng seeks vengeance—determined to bring down the family that cast him aside.
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Glossary:
King (Wang): we are not using the term Emperor as I am equating that with Qin Shi Huang's (The man who united China for the very first time —the dude who had terracotta warriors in his tomb) 皇上 (Emperor)
Ge (哥） / Jie (姊) : Ge means older brother, Jie means older sister. These are common terms used to address people both within and outside of your family. If you repeat them, it's more affectionate (e.g Ge Ge, or Jie Jie)
Context
Historical Setting: 300 BCE
Warring States Period (475–221 BCE): Era before China's unification, marked by constant warfare among rival states, notably Qin, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, and Qi. Smaller yet strategically significant states included Rong State and Rui State.
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Political Structure
States were ruled by Kings (Wang), aided by princes and princesses ranked according to birth order, maternal lineage, and political significance.
Alliances often involved strategic marriages or exchanges of royal hostages—young princes or princesses sent to other states to ensure peace and loyalty.
Royal and Harem Hierarchy
? Queen (Wanghou): Official wife of the King, highest-ranked female.
? Consorts (Fei): High-ranking concubines with notable privileges and political influence (e.g., Noble Consort/Guifei).
? Concubines (Qie): Lower-ranking women primarily responsible for producing heirs and serving the King, limited in influence.
Royal Servant Hierarchy
? Servants inherited status based on their duties and the rank of their masters:
Senior Maids and Eunuchs: Trusted personal attendants managing intimate duties like dressing, hairstyling, and personal care.
Junior Maids and Eunuchs: Handled daily tasks such as cleaning chambers, serving meals, and running errands.
Specialized Servants:
Kitchen Staff and Cooks: Prepared meals, status varied by skill and importance of their masters.
Laundry and Sewing Staff: Washed, maintained, and crafted clothing; skilled seamstresses and embroiderers held higher regard.
Lowest-Ranked Servants: Conducted menial chores like emptying chamber pots and general cleaning, lowest in palace hierarchy.
Note: normal families don't have Eunuchs. They would just have male attendants who get to...stay intact.
Fashion and Appearance
Robes: Royals wore elaborate silk garments richly embroidered with gold thread and symbolic motifs like dragons (male royalty) and phoenixes (female royalty). Typical royal attire included multiple layers—usually three to five, depending on season and ceremony.
Hairstyles and Accessories: Royals and nobles displayed elaborate hairstyles decorated with gold and jade accessories, reflecting wealth and status. Servants wore simpler hairstyles and minimal ornaments, reinforcing their lower status.
Transportation
Sedan Chairs (Jiao): Ornately decorated, enclosed chairs carried by servants, used for short-distance travel within palace grounds or cities.
The picture below shows one from Han dynasty —a while after this time era, but should be a close approximate. The two poles would be attached to the main part so that servants can carry it.
Source:
Horse-Drawn Carriages (Che): Primarily used by high-ranking nobles and royalty for longer journeys outside the palace. Status indicated by ornamentation and materials used.
Source:
Horseback Riding: Primarily a means of transport for male royals, high-ranking military officials, and warriors.
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Creative Liberties & Adjustments
- Characters have been aged up to facilitate consent and conform to modern acceptable norms. As a note, in those days, marriages commonly happened at ages 13 upwards —which of course now is insane! So we're not doing that. Assume everyone who is an adult is over 18.
- Rong and Rui are fictional states added for the story. Although it's important to note that there was an actual state of Rui, but this was absorbed by Qin way before the start of this story's time. This Rui has nothing to do with that one.
- Accessory names like "coronets" which is the translation of guan 冠 (worn by men around their top knots) have been changed to "headpieces" so that they are not confused with the typically female worn accessories in Europe
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Author's note
This is a work in progress so I'll likely update this as I go!
