Chang Geng real name is Li Min (李旻), but prefers to go by Cháng Gēng (长庚), which was given to him by his adopted mother, Xiu Niang.
Xiu Niang named him Chang Geng, after the evening Venus, sometimes called Lucifer, which is believed to be an unfortunate star. Emperor Yuan He named him Min, which refers to the autumn sky and means accomplished, generous and forgiving.
He is the Fourth Prince of the Great Liang dynasty, son of the Yuan He emperor and the Northern Barbarian Goddess[1].
Appearance[]
Chang Geng is described as handsome, with an appearance like jade. He had a certain kind of handsomeness that comes from having mixed ancestry. His features are sharp, which could have made him seem unapproachable but he had an air of calmness around it that mellowed it out, even making him look sweet when he smiled.
Personality[]
Due to being abused as a child, he has learned to keep to himself and is quite a private person. As a child, he is quite taciturn and had some difficulty understanding and accepting the major changes in his life, until he met the monk Liao Ran.
As an adult, he is extremely intelligent and mature. He has an outwardly calm exterior as he has worked hard to suppress his emotions due to his being afflicted with the Bone of Impurity, however, he has the capacity to feel emotions deeply. He is also a very smooth talker.
As he grows into his own, he proves himself to be very capable and able to navigate the murky waters of court politics. He views events impartially and has a strong sense of justice. He has a cynical view of the court and its nobles, and is distrustful of everyone to an extent except for Gu Yun.
His love for his country and the people, coupled with his decisiveness on when to be kind and when to be ruthless made him the best Emperor that Great Liang has had in 3 generations.
History[]
Early Childhood[]
Some of his earliest memories were of living in the mountains with Xiu Niang, where he witnessed Xiu Niang suffering through constant rape and brutality. Since he could remember, Xiu Niang was always abusive to the point of murderous. As such, he believed himself to borne from one the unwanted unions between Xiu Niang and the bandits.
Some time during this period, Xiu Niang had poisoned him with the Bone of Impurity, which has the long-term effect of being unable to differentiate between reality and dreams, causing the afflicted to go insane, bringing violence and destruction anywhere they go.[2]
After escaping, Chang Geng and Xiu Niang settled in Yanhui, a small town along the Northern Border. A low-ranked soldier in Yanhui, surnamed Xu was fond of Xiu Niang and took her in, later becoming Chang Geng's stepfather, and his only source of kindness for some time.
Once, Chang Geng tried to escape from Xiu Niang but was met with a group of wolves. Fortunately, he was saved by Shen Shiliu and Shen Yi who coincidentally passed the route. Shen Shiliu took care of him from then on and became his yifu.
Teenage Years[]
When the Northern Barbarians invaded Yanhui Town through the steam-powered Giant Kite, Chang Geng realized that his mother, Xiu Niang, was actually his aunt, and a barbarian spy called Hu Ge Er. He was saved by his Teacher Shen during the attack, and afterwards, discovered the real identities of Teacher Shen and his yifu. Gu Yun (yifu) and Shen Yi were on an assignment from the Emperor to find and bring the missing 4th Prince back to the Capital, Chang Geng was blindsided by the fact that he was supposed to be this missing Prince, and did not believe it to be true.
Chang Geng was rushed back to the capital and managed to meet Emperor once before his death, where the ailing Emperor Yuan He officially entrusted Chang Geng to Gu Yun to foster until his coming of age. The Emperor intended to make use of Gu Yun's power to ensure that Chang Geng would be able to grow up safely.
While living in the Marquis' manor, he began training with iron puppets under Gu Yun's guidance. While on the way to visit the new Emperor Long An to pay respects for New Year, he ran into monks Liao Chi and Liao Ran from the Hu Guo Temple. Despite originally conversing with Liao Ran out of politeness, he was moved by what Liao Ran said - "without suffering, one will not believe in Buddha".
Chang Geng was upset and hurt because Gu Yun refused to bring him along to the Northwestern Camp, and had left without notice. He then decided to go to Hu Guo Temple, where he spoke often with Liao Ran and began his journey to Buddhism. Buddhism plays a large role in Chang Geng's life, as the peaceful, calming ways of the religion help him to prevent attacks from the Bone of Impurity. When Liao Ran decides to go on a trip away from the Temple, Chang Geng decides to "run away" as well, together with Ge Pangxiao and Cao Chunhua, they then go on a trip of self discovery. The trio run into Gu Yun sometime later, when Gu Yun was informed of Chang Geng running away from home. Gu Yun chased them down while having men put up wanted posters to arrest Liao Ran.
They then embarked on an adventure where they discover a planned rebellion by Wei Wang, who was working with the Jiangnan Navy and Dong Ying. The trio, together with monk Liao Ran, Gu Yun and a few others, put down the rebellion. Here, Chang Geng learns of the existence of the Lin Yuan Pavilion and meets Chen Qing Xu. After things calmed down, Gu Yun offers to bring Chang Geng back with him to the Black Iron Camp, however, Chang Geng refuses and chooses instead to make his own way. Chang Geng and Gu Yun part unhappily.
Chang Geng spends the next 4 years wandering. During this time, he got closer to the Lin Yuan Pavilion, and learned about medicine from Chen Qing Xu, specifically, he learned about techniques so he could help with Gu Yun's illness.
He was often followed by soldiers that Gu Yun assigned to follow him to ensure his safety, as well as to provide reports on him.
Yan Bei Wang[]
When he was first given a place in court, he kept to himself and pretended to be an idle Prince who does not know anything of importance to stay under the Emperor's radar. However, when the situation was dire and the country in danger, he stepped up, and proved himself to be capable, shrewd and ruthless.
Yan Wang[]
Due to his heroic actions during the capital siege, he was promoted to the Qin Wang rank, and titled Yan Wang thereafter.
Emperor Tai Shi[]
He ascended to become the Emperor after Li Feng's death, where he ruled for 18 years before retiring and passing the throne to Li Zheng. During his reign, he was clear to always specify he was only temporarily ruling, almost as if he were a regent.