Great King

Biodata

Background / History

The Great King presides over the imperial palace and royal family. His Little Prince approaches him with fear and formal deference, while the Empress becomes concerned by his distracted behavior and the Prime Minister's unsettling account involving Empress Nuwa. 350

As opposition to his rule grows, he increasingly treats criticism as defiance of royal authority. He imprisons Su Hu after the latter resists his plans, cancels morning court while remaining in the inner palace, and dismisses ministers who challenge his decisions. 357 359 407

Personality

The Great King is highly conscious of his status as sovereign and repeatedly asserts that ministers and even the Empress have no right to interfere with his decisions. He responds to perceived disrespect with anger, threats, imprisonment, or orders of execution. 357 466 534 535

He is also volatile and susceptible to court influence. Fei Zhong encourages his indulgence in the inner palace, while Su Ji Ji's wishes strongly shape his conduct; the Marquis of the West explicitly accuses him of treating her as his “everything.” 407 535

Despite his harshness, he can be persuaded to delay punishment. After King Wu Cheng and other ministers plead for the Marquis of the West, he grants the marquis one day to resolve the matter. He also accepts Physician Fei's counsel in a dispute with a general and rewards him lavishly. 546 570

Story Role / Major Arcs

Royal court conflict

• A woman encourages him to hold a beauty pageant for the Three Palaces and Six Courtyards, arguing that all women and households belong to him as ruler. He ultimately resolves to proceed despite ministerial objections. 357
• He intends to punish Su Hu for calling him a foolish ruler; Su Hu is subsequently imprisoned. 357 359
• Ministers fear that his absorption in the inner palace and refusal to hold morning court will endanger the country, while Fei Zhong actively supports this situation. 407

Warnings of demonic influence

• Jiang Ziya warns him of a powerful demonic aura in the Imperial Palace. The Great King initially mocks the warning and maintains that Chaoge is peaceful and prosperous, though Jiang Ziya's association with Primordial Heavenly Venerate makes him more serious. 439
• Jiang Ziya later identifies Su Ji Ji as a fox spirit and urges the Great King to kill her. The Great King instead orders Jiang Ziya's arrest; Jiang Ziya escapes. 581

Family and succession crisis

• His daughter, Su Daji, is taken hostage by two generals, forcing him to weigh a difficult decision concerning his two princes. With the Empress absent from the palace, he is left with Su Daji as political pressure mounts. 511
• He becomes anxious when Su Ji Ji cannot be found in the palace and orders attendants to locate her immediately. 573

Conflict with the Marquis of the West

• When the Marquis of the West predicts that the Great King will die violently outside the Imperial Palace and that the country will be destroyed, the Great King orders his arrest. 542
• He demands another divination and treats the prophecy as open disrespect. 543
• Enraged by further accusations of tyranny and ruin, he orders the Marquis executed, but relents temporarily after Bigan, King Wu Cheng, and other ministers intervene. 534 535 546

Relationships

• Little Prince — His son; approaches him with fear and kneels to receive orders. 350
• Empress — His wife; worries over his erratic conduct and attempts to make him consider the consequences of his actions, but he angrily dismisses her authority. 350 466
• Su Ji Ji — Imperial consort whose influence over the Great King becomes a central source of ministerial concern; Jiang Ziya identifies her as a fox spirit. 535 581
• Su Daji — His daughter, who is held hostage by two generals during a succession crisis. 511
• Su Hu — A defiant subject whom the Great King seeks to punish after being called a foolish ruler. 357 359
• Jiang Ziya — Daoist adviser who warns him about monsters in the palace; the Great King rejects his counsel and later orders his arrest. 439 581
• Marquis of the West — A political prisoner whose prophecy of the Great King's death provokes repeated threats of execution. 542 543 534
• Bigan — Prime Minister who repeatedly pleads for restraint, particularly on behalf of the Marquis of the West. 534 544
• King Wu Cheng — Minister and ally of the Marquis of the West who persuades the Great King to grant the marquis another chance. 543 546
• Fei Zhong / Physician Fei — Courtier who encourages the Great King's disregard for ministerial objections and later receives 10,000 taels of gold and two boxes of pearls for his counsel. 407 570