Xia Siheng

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xia Siheng (夏司珩)
Alias(es)	Ninth Prince; Ninth Imperial Younger Brother; “Uncle Xia” to Wanwan and, initially, Zi Xing 13 114
Species/Race	Human; possesses martial internal energy but lacks spiritual power 275 521
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Xia Imperial House; Great Xia military 144 327
Occupation/Role	Imperial prince, military commander, political strategist, and Liu Zi Xing’s martial-arts teacher 112 114 172
Parentage	Son of the Late Emperor and Yue’er, a princess of Eastern Lin; adopted by Dowager Consort Ling 43 336 547
Spouse	Liu Wan 300 433
Children	Biological father of Xia Wanwan; accepts Liu Zimu and Liu Zi Xing as sons. Liu Wan is expecting another child by the latest provided passage 127 433 567
Status	Alive in the latest provided passage 567
First Appearance	Chapter 13 is the earliest appearance in the provided material 13

Background / History

Childhood and adoption

Xia Siheng’s birth mother, Yue’er, was an Eastern Lin princess whose marriage and child were intended to serve her homeland’s struggle for influence over Great Xia’s succession. She nevertheless fell in love with the Late Emperor. Her dowry guard, Aye, exploited her loyalty: after she sheltered him following a failed assassination, he urged her to poison the emperor, leading to her confinement in the Cold Palace 327 336.

The Late Emperor concealed her attack, sparing her a harsher punishment. A letter she later sent from the Cold Palace was intercepted, and pressure from Eastern Lin—including her elder brother—drove her to suicide. Xia Siheng witnessed her death and remembered Aye’s voice for nearly twenty years 336 478.

As a child, Xia Siheng was found unconscious in the Cold Palace’s snow. Liu Wan had led her aunt, Lady Susu, and Consort Ling to him because she feared he would not survive. Susu encouraged Ling to adopt him; the Late Emperor initially refused, relenting only after Ling staked her life on raising him properly. Xia Siheng did not learn the full extent of Susu’s intervention until a later family dinner 43 258.

At twelve, he was frightened by finding Consort Man naked in his bed. Her attempt to approach him sexually left him unwilling to return to the Imperial Bedchamber and, according to his recollection, uninterested in women afterward 45.

Military standing

Before the main Eastern Lin campaign, Xia Siheng had already ended a war in which three eastern kingdoms jointly attacked Great Xia’s cities. The campaign took two years. By Chapter 144, he commanded sixty percent of Great Xia’s troops and controlled twenty percent of Eastern Lin’s generals and armored cavalry, whom he had personally subdued 144.

Despite this power, he supported his imperial elder brother rather than seeking the throne. His attachment to Great Xia’s imperial family became a conscious commitment to protect the people who had helped him heal from his childhood 13 327.

Appearance

• Build: Tall, with a straight bearing 144.
• Eyes: Dark eyes, also described as phoenix eyes; his usual gaze is cold or indifferent 127 191.
• Clothing: Appears in black robes that reinforce his unapproachable presence 144.
• Face: Described as handsome; his face bears an eighty-percent resemblance to his birth mother’s 206 546.
• Expression: His aloof appearance softens visibly around Liu Wan and Wanwan 78 150.

Personality

Xia Siheng usually presents himself as reserved, proud, and difficult to approach. He can be blunt to the point of rudeness, calling Commandery Princess Yan’er an “idiot” even as she thanks him. With the emperor, however, his sharp tongue becomes familiar sibling teasing, and he is willing to soothe his brother with extravagant praise 143 192.

His composure repeatedly collapses during courtship. He asks his attendants whether Liu Wan likes him, treats her willingness to hold his hand as proof of affection, and wraps that hand in a handkerchief while resolving not to wash it for three days. After she kisses his cheek, he interrupts a serious report to announce the news to Jing Wu 126 134 152.

He is protective and sometimes possessive, particularly toward romantic rivals. He deliberately kisses Liu Wan where Xie Jinqian can see them and buys an entire shoe shop after Xie gives her shoes. Nevertheless, he also recognizes the damage caused by her former marriage, apologizes when his questioning hurts her, and insists that her kindness—not the people who exploited it—is worth preserving 151 206 209 231.

As a commander, he distinguishes loyalty from appearances. He refuses to launch an improvised invasion merely because a powerful stranger demands it, and he believes Yuan Can’s account of involuntary betrayal despite lacking an explanation. His cold exterior also conceals enduring grief: after avenging his mother, he breaks down because revenge cannot restore her 341 528 541.

Abilities & Skills

Martial Arts and Internal Energy

Xia Siheng is an exceptional martial artist who claims that no instructor in the capital surpasses him 112.

• Embeds a thrown teacup in a tree dozens of feet away, dislodging a hidden guard with the force of his internal energy 112.
• Propels a broken sword through a tree and into a rock, shattering the rock behind his target 336.
• Subdues A Qi within a few exchanges using one hand when A Qi can no longer employ magic 289.
• Uses lightness skills to vault directly to Liu Wan when he learns Wanwan has disappeared 135.
• Fights with swords and a concealed dagger 177 336 541.

Hearing Wanwan’s Thoughts

He can hear Xia Wanwan’s unspoken thoughts and initially conceals this from her 43.

• Learns through her thoughts that a ghost threatens Consort Ling 43.
• Discovers that other people can also hear Wanwan, leaving him comically distressed that the connection is not unique to him 256.
• This ability does not establish that he possesses spiritual power; Wanwan explicitly withholds Thunder Talismans from him because he lacks it 521.

Military Command

His authority extends across large forces, while his planning accounts for the soldiers’ survival rather than relying solely on personal strength 144 535 541.

• Considers troop preparation, logistics, military physicians, and advance strategy essential before attacking 541.
• Keeps reinforcements ready for an expected costly siege of Eastern Lin’s First City 535.
• Plans to exploit resentment against Eastern Lin’s ruler and divisions between the ruler and his ministers 520.
• Coordinates pursuit, border deployments, and the later advance on Eastern Lin’s Imperial City 513 520 552.

Investigation and Political Strategy

He regularly tests apparent explanations against financial evidence, motives, and the likely interests of rival states 172 192.

• Notices that the Xie family’s enormous losses do not fit the profits expected from Happy Powder, delaying a premature crackdown 172.
• Warns that Xie Jinqian’s offer of allegiance could help him build power at Great Xia’s expense 191 192.
• Recognizes the supposed rescue of Daoist Qianyun as a trap aimed at drawing him away from the capital 275.
• Arranges a guarded meeting of sympathetic officials to support Liu Wan’s proposed law while preventing information leaks 256.
• Keeps Wumo and Noble Lady Snow alive so their connections and secrets can be investigated 143 265.

Teaching

He becomes Zi Xing’s secret martial-arts master and immediately identifies defects concealed by the boy’s earlier instruction 112 114.

• Recognizes that Zi Xing has learned showy but ineffective movements 114.
• Suspects that staged victories against adult sparring partners were intended to produce dangerous false confidence 114.
• Begins rebuilding Zi Xing’s technique and foundation rather than continuing the former instructor’s praise 114 134.

Limits Against Supernatural Opponents

His martial ability does not make him an independent cultivator or guarantee victory over spirits 209 275 521.

• Ordinary weapon attacks scatter hostile spirits temporarily, but they reform and continue attacking 209.
• Suffers injuries during a spirit attack despite fighting alongside Zi Xing 209 220.
• Relies on Wanwan’s wards, medicines, talismans, and divination when facing supernatural threats 221 520 521 528.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Longsword — Used in combat and drawn when he questions the unidentified Black-Winged Youth 336 541.
• Sleeve-hidden dagger — Drawn during his confrontation with Xie Huaishan 177 178.
• Imperial Seal — Raised when he formally declares war on Eastern Lin 513.
• Life-saving elixirs — Supplied in large quantities by Wanwan before his departure for war 521.
• Explosive Talismans — Given with a written incantation so he can use them 521.
• One-use Rebound Talismans — Part of Wanwan’s protective supplies for the campaign 521.
• Exorcism Talismans — Supplied by Wanwan; Jing Er applies one to Yuan Can without producing a visible effect 528.

Relationships

• Liu Wan — Childhood rescuer, longtime admirer, and eventual wife. She supports him through his mother’s death, political danger, and overwork; he prioritizes her health over having more children 258 300 309 341 450 458.
• Xia Wanwan — Biological daughter. He secretly protects her before Liu Wan learns her parentage, builds up her future dowry, and later trusts her judgment enough to support a dangerous mission 127 143 450.
• Liu Zi Xing — Disciple and accepted son. Xia Siheng explicitly asks him to replace “Master” with “Father” and promises that the family will support his choices 114 433.
• Liu Zimu — Liu Wan’s eldest adopted son, whom he assists through a supposed poison-and-antidote arrangement actually involving sugar pills. Zimu later calls him Father 119 433.
• Dowager Consort Ling — Adoptive mother. He worries about her health and treats her as his mother even when rejecting Eastern Lin’s claims of kinship 43 478.
• Yue’er — Birth mother. Her suicide remains central to his grief, his conflict with Eastern Lin, and his desire to reach her family 336 478 488 547.
• The Late Emperor — Biological father, targeted by Eastern Lin’s assassination schemes and by Yue’er’s poisoning attempt 336 434.
• The emperor of Great Xia — Elder brother and political partner. Their relationship combines military cooperation, trust, sharp teasing, and mutual concern 13 172 192.
• Great Xia’s Empress Dowager — Senior imperial authority with whom he coordinates investigations, diplomacy, and military operations 445 449 520.
• Eastern Lin’s Empress Dowager — Maternal grandmother. He initially wishes to meet her for his mother’s sake; their eventual reunion reveals her blindness and abuse 492 546 547.
• The Ruler of Eastern Lin — Maternal uncle and enemy. Xia Siheng rejects his attempts to exploit family ties and accuses him of sending assassins against his household 478 488 506.
• Lady Susu — Liu Wan’s late aunt, whose intervention helped secure his adoption. He cites gratitude to her when assisting Liu Wan 43 112.
• Liu Ye — Liu Wan’s brother and an encouraging intermediary who tells Xia Siheng about her longstanding feelings 114 116.
• Jing Wu and Jing Er — Trusted attendants involved in his investigations and military preparations; both also support his courtship of Liu Wan 126 132 520.
• Xie Jinqian — Political danger and romantic rival whose schemes include drugging him and arranging spirit attacks 192 206 276 280.
• A Shu — Loyal subordinate who kills Xie Huaishan before Xia Siheng can deliver the fatal blow himself 178.
• Ruyun — Childhood associate and household manager whom he keeps close despite suspecting betrayal, waiting for an opportunity to expose her spying 309 322.
• Shen Chuanlian — The Black-Winged Youth who helps Great Xia’s campaign, then repeatedly pressures him to accelerate the invasion 535 541 542.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Protecting Liu Wan and the Children

• Begins monitoring the Jing’an Marquis Manor after discovering at Wanwan’s one-month celebration that mother and daughter are being mistreated 116.
• Helps Liu Wan secure her divorce and supports Zimu’s separation from the Xie household 119 150.
• Accompanies Wanwan during the attack that blows up the Xie Residence 119 132.
• Mama Qing’s confession reveals that Old Madam Xie drugged Liu Wan and had her taken to his residence. Liu Wan learns that Xia Siheng already knows Wanwan is his daughter and has made arrangements to protect her reputation 127.
• Secures ten Southern Mei jade mines for Wanwan’s future private ownership at eighteen, with Great Xia leasing them for seventeen years 143.

Courtship and Marriage

• Uses winter plum blossoms associated with his birth mother’s palace to approach Liu Wan, then worries that the gift may have reminded her of Xie Jin’an 126 133.
• Presents a husband-candidate register containing only his own name and openly declares that his feelings are sincere 151.
• Offers his account of their earlier encounter, which leads Liu Wan to reinterpret the accusations she endured during her former marriage. She admits her longstanding affection and makes marriage conditional on Wanwan’s approval 152.
• Marries Liu Wan; Chapter 300 depicts their wedding night, while later passages identify her as the Ninth Prince’s Consort 300 397.
• Makes his acceptance of Liu Wan’s sons explicit, overcoming Zi Xing’s fear that his status leaves him outside the new family 433.

Happy Powder and the Xie Family

• Investigates a suspected shipment through the Golden Radiance Jewelry Shop and connects the illicit trade to Minister Liu’s kidnapping twenty years earlier 132 172.
• Moves against Xie Huaishan to protect Liu Wan and Wanwan; A Shu carries out the killing 178.
• Remains suspicious when Xie Jinqian submits account books and reveals his identity as Southern Yue’s Second Prince 191 192.
• Recognizes the inn rescue as a trap before Xie’s men attempt to incapacitate him and arrange an encounter with Yan’er. The marriage scheme fails, followed by another spirit attack against him 275 276 280.
• Resists A Qi’s attempt to blame him and Liu Wan for Xie Jinqian’s death, pointing out A Qi’s depleted magical power while restraining him 289.

Eastern Lin’s Spies and His Mother’s Revenge

• Investigates Ruyun’s connections and learns that Eastern Lin’s network is linked to the Baleful Aura Master 308 309 320.
• Confronts Aye, recounting how the guard manipulated and betrayed Yue’er 336.
• Returns bloodied after taking revenge, then grieves privately with Liu Wan over the fact that his mother remains beyond saving 341.
• Continues investigating Duke Yan’s support for Eastern Lin’s death warriors and the danger they pose to Great Xia’s emperor 405 433.

Declaring War on Eastern Lin

• Rejects his uncle’s request to withdraw border cavalry, stating that the decision belongs to Great Xia’s emperor 488.
• Arrests the Eastern Lin ruler over the attempted assassination of Great Xia’s emperor. He agrees to a hostage exchange when Duke Yan threatens the Empress Dowager, then formally declares war 513.
• Advances his departure after Yuan Can blocks Great Xia’s pursuit. Wanwan’s divination finds no danger to Xia Siheng but cannot explain the commander’s betrayal 520.
• Believes Yuan Can’s account of losing control over his actions and, after his death, vows to make whoever manipulated him repay the blood debt 528 529.

Conquest, Loss, and Return

• Reports capturing Eastern Lin’s fortified First City in half a month with few casualties, crediting the Black-Winged Youth’s killing of its commander 535.
• Refuses Shen Chuanlian’s demand for an immediate advance without preparation. During this campaign, Liu Wan is treated as deceased, and Xia Siheng longs to join her after securing Eastern Lin for their daughter 541 545.
• Reunites with his maternal grandmother and receives her request not to kill his uncle with his own hands. The army’s withdrawal later proves to be part of a delaying strategy leading to an uprising and renewed advance 546 547 552.
• Returns triumphantly to Great Xia. Wanwan teases him for nearly killing himself in despair; he also arranges Princess Liuli’s reunion with her mother 561.
• In the latest provided passage, he is again with Liu Wan, celebrates her pregnancy, and promises to tell Wanwan about the expected baby 567.

Notable Quotes

“This isn't your fault. That kindness was your original intention, and there's nothing wrong with holding on to it. The fault lies with those who used you.” 209

“Good lad. Go ahead and do what you want to do. Your father is here to handle everything. Remember, whatever happens, our whole family will always stand behind you.” 433

“If I return safely, I will lay down my armor and come home, spending the rest of my life with you, our daughter, and the other children.” 481

“I believe you.” 528