Qiqi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Qiqi (七七)
Alias(es)	Little Princess; Princess Yongyang; King Yongyang 264 867 1200
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Great Kang imperial court 770 1577
Occupation/Role	Imperial princess; later Great Kang’s de facto ruler 264 1577
Mother	Ling Jiazi 1168 1629
Father	Unresolved; competing accounts of her parentage are later challenged 881 1168 1616
Lineage	Associated with the Fated Ones, also called Visitors from Beyond; her precise ancestry remains uncertain 1631 1664
Height	Approximately 170 cm when described at King Yongyang’s Residence 876
Residence	King Yongyang’s Residence, formerly Long Tingzhen’s estate 867 1200
Status	Alive and actively governing Great Kang in the latest supplied events 1664

Power Progression

Qiqi’s documented development concerns awakening inherited knowledge rather than named cultivation realms.

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Early memory recovery	1179	Shows Hong Beimo a symbol appearing in her dreams; his reaction indicates that she is beginning to recover memories.
Awakening inherited memories	1223	Hong recognizes that memories inherited from Ling Jiazi are awakening. Qiqi already knows details about four survivors that exceed his own knowledge.
Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter recollection	1228	Reproduces the chapter from memory and identifies the written text as a diversion. Hong concludes that Qiqi herself embodies its true secret.

Background / History

Early life

Hu Xiaotian rescues Qiqi while traveling to take up his post in Azure Cloud and escorts her to Xiezhou. By the time they reach Zhou Ruiyuan’s residence, repeated attempts on their lives have convinced Hu that she is connected to the imperial family and a dangerous conspiracy. Zhou’s assistance helps resolve the crisis, a debt Qiqi later explicitly acknowledges 88 264 281 770.

When Hu encounters her again in the palace, Qiqi is a favored Great Kang princess. She openly rejects Empress Jian as her biological mother and accuses her of having neglected her upbringing. Quan Dean serves as her devoted protector and cares for her from childhood into adulthood 264 291 1640 1641.

Qiqi privately honors her mother at the Great Xiangguo Temple’s Pagoda Forest. She tells Hu that her mother died by striking her head against a pagoda. A portrait and memorial tablet lead him to suspect that the woman was Ling Jiazi, whose death anniversary falls on New Year’s Day 409 417.

Concealed parentage

Qiqi’s origins are revealed through conflicting accounts rather than one uncontested explanation.

Source	Account	Qualification
Li Yuncong	Hints that Long Xuan’en may be Qiqi’s biological father, citing his intervention when Ling Jiazi nearly died giving birth 881.	Presented as a suggestion, not a confirmed disclosure.
Hong Beimo	Claims that Qiqi was born at full term and was Minghui’s daughter, not Long Yelin’s. According to him, Ling Jiazi concealed the truth to secure imperial protection 1168.	Hong admits that recovering the Heaven-Patrolling Treasure Scroll motivates his revelation.
Quan Dean	Reveals that Ling Jiazi carried Qiqi for seven years. He denies her connection to Long Xuan’en, Hong Beimo, and Ren Tianqing, and calls Minghui a pawn 1616.	Undermines Hong’s earlier account without identifying her father.
Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua	Consider whether Qiqi could be the child of two Fated Ones and unrelated by blood to either Long Yelin or Long Xuan’en 1664.	Remains a theory.

Although Qiqi says she never met Ling Jiazi, she remembers her mother’s face, voice, and teachings as presences throughout her childhood. She fiercely defends her mother against Hu’s suggestion that Ling Jiazi manipulated the powerful men around her 1629.

Appearance

• Early appearance: Fair skin described as whiter than snow, picturesque features, and a lake-green dress when she reappears before Hu in the palace 264.
• Growth: Her youthful, rounded face becomes more tapered, and she grows noticeably taller. At King Yongyang’s Residence, she wears a long white dress and is approximately 170 cm tall 867 876.
• Eyes: Often described as phoenix eyes; her increasingly piercing gaze makes even Quan Dean feel that she can see through him 1312.
• Disguises: Wears eunuch clothing at Red Mountain Racecourse and later adopts men’s clothing for her meeting with Hu at the Great Xiangguo Temple 280 1601.

Personality

Qiqi is proud, playful, and quick to challenge others. Her teasing frequently becomes coercion: she tricks Hu, pulls his ear, demands his attention, and uses her status to control encounters. Yet Princess Anping explains that Qiqi’s harassment conceals gratitude for his rescue, and Qiqi directly intervenes when Empress Jian mistreats him 280 281 291 292.

Her political intelligence is paired with a capacity for ruthlessness. She recognizes institutional corruption, the need for gradual reform, and the danger of unchecked officials, but also keeps Hu’s parents in custody while demanding his loyalty. She remembers both favors and injuries, expressing this explicitly to Zhou Ruiyuan 770 782 867.

Duty to Great Kang repeatedly outweighs personal escape. Qiqi refuses to abandon the country, considers taking the throne to preserve it, and tells Long Xuan’en that she could sacrifice everything for the realm—even while admitting her love for Hu 970 972 1100.

Power leaves her increasingly isolated. After Hu’s wedding, she questions whether ambition has brought her happiness. Her grief for Quan Dean, continued attachment to Hu, and decision to abandon retaliation at Long Xiyue’s urging reveal emotions that her authoritative manner often conceals 1550 1601 1612 1641.

Abilities & Skills

Governance and Political Strategy

Qiqi directs court affairs, assigns officials, and manages relationships between competing powers.

• Identifies Great Kang’s decline as an institutional problem, not merely the result of Ji Feihua’s abuses 770.
• Prioritizes famine relief, public confidence, diplomatic repair, and gradual reform 770.
• Recruits Hu to find capable personnel and revives the Divine Strategy Office as a counterweight to Hong Beimo’s influence 782 881.
• Uses selective disclosure and suspicion to keep Hong Beimo and Ren Tianqing from cooperating too comfortably 1609 1610.
• Overrides court opposition to send 200,000 shi of grain to Hu’s territory for refugee relief 1633.
• Refuses to punish Zhou Ruiyuan or Ren Tianqing for Qin Yutong’s independent actions when Wen Chenghuan attempts to implicate them 1613.

Pattern Locks and Mechanism Design

Qiqi can decipher intricate locks and design security mechanisms that exclude even experienced allies.

• Solves the Bronze Bull’s underwater Pattern Lock, activating a sluice gate and later opening the bull’s hollow interior 971.
• Unlocks the box containing the War Sage Formation Diagram and a possible imperial treasure map 971.
• Designs the mechanisms of the Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower. Hong Beimo supervises construction but cannot enter it 1631.
• Requires Hu’s assistance to remain underwater long enough to finish the resetting Bronze Bull lock 970 971.

Swimming and Underwater Exploration

Qiqi is an accomplished swimmer who prepares carefully for submerged passages.

• Uses a warm, close-fitting sharkskin diving suit and proper equipment 400.
• Remains underwater for roughly an hour during one expedition, surprising Hu with her swimming ability 400.
• Her prolonged breath-holding leads Hu to infer that she knows an unusual breathing method 438.
• Her endurance is not unlimited: the Bronze Bull investigation requires Hu to repeatedly supply her with air 971.

Lightness Skills

Qiqi demonstrates nimble movement while navigating a crowded city.

• Runs along a smooth stone railing as easily as level ground 418.
• Leaps between passersby’s heads to cross a congested route 418.
• Hu suspects Quan Dean taught her martial arts, but the passage does not confirm the extent of that training 418.

Inherited Knowledge and Skull Interpretation

Qiqi’s unusual knowledge connects her to Ling Jiazi and the Fated Ones.

• Recovers memories and reproduces the Cinnabar Cauldron Chapter without consulting a text 1223 1228.
• Can interpret information associated with a Skull containing Heavenly Aspect Diagrams; Hu believes this knowledge makes her essential to Hong’s project 1629.
• Cannot obtain information from the Skull delivered by Ren Tianqing, despite its authenticity 1611 1630.
• Her ability to read one Skull does not establish that she can read every Skull; bloodline-specific access remains Hu’s explanation 1611 1664.
• When Ji Feihua attempts to read her mind, he encounters a powerful, strangely familiar force and feels an extraordinary connection to her 1664.

Philosophical Argument

Qiqi challenges religious claims by testing them against observable suffering and inequality.

• Questions a monk’s assertion of equality by pointing to the unequal upkeep of the Pagoda Forest’s monuments 417.
• Later challenges Mingjing’s claim to compassion when his detachment appears to separate him from worldly suffering 1602.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Pearl Radiance Armor — Inner armor made from tiny pearls. Keeps its wearer warm in winter and cool in summer while resisting blades 1638.
• Sharkskin diving suit — Close-fitting, insulating equipment used for underwater exploration 400.
• Seven-Star Chain — Associated with the bracelet Hu finds hidden in Ling Jiazi’s portrait. Qiqi later lends it to him for his Dragon Spirit Wonderland mission 1181 1606 1612.
• Dragon Spirit Wonderland keys — Secures the necessary keys from Hong Beimo, then distributes them to Hu and Quan Dean for a covert expedition 1610 1611 1612.
• Skulls — Holds objects connected to the Visitors from Beyond; substitutes counterfeits to deceive Ren Tianqing and Meizhuang and later moves a Skull into secure storage 1616 1631.
• Jade Pixiu — A weather-predicting ornament given to her by Hu after he notices her admiration for it 782.
• Dagger and Night-Luminescent Pearl — Uses them to inspect a concealed cavity beneath Misty Mountain 970.
• Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles — Gives Hu a case before he dives to investigate the chamber pool 970.
• War Sage Formation Diagram and treasure map — Recovers both with Hu, then entrusts them to him for his Eastern Liang mission 971 972.
• Personal seal — Uses her own seal to authorize Yang Longyue’s travel rather than relying on the Imperial Jade Seal 1228.

Relationships

• Hu Xiaotian — Rescuer, political ally, former fiancé, and enduring romantic attachment. Their canceled marriage is followed by rivalry and resentment, but they later rebuild cooperation and intimacy without fully resolving their distrust 281 877 1228 1602 1612.
• Quan Dean — Lifelong guardian and trusted confidant. Entrusts her protection to Hu before his final attack on Ren Tianqing. Qiqi honors him with cremation, the return of his ashes to his hometown, and a lock of her hair burned with him 1616 1641.
• Ling Jiazi — Mother and source of inherited teachings. Qiqi cherishes her memory and rejects accusations that she was a calculating manipulator 1168 1629.
• Long Xuan’en — Imperial elder whose affection becomes increasingly entangled with control. Qiqi challenges his schemes and distrusts his motives; their supposed biological connection is later rejected by Quan Dean 965 1100 1616.
• Long Xiyue / Princess Anping — Imperial aunt and eventual romantic rival. Protects Qiqi during the wine-cellar confrontation; her compassion later persuades Qiqi to abandon retaliation at Hu’s wedding 299 300 1550.
• Hong Beimo — Political partner whose projects depend on Qiqi’s knowledge. She cooperates with him while questioning his disclosures, investigating his spending, and restricting his access to valuable objects 1169 1228 1610 1631.
• Zhou Ruiyuan — Chancellor, former protector in Xiezhou, and trusted senior adviser. Qiqi values his service and entrusts him with capital affairs during her journey to Hu’s wedding 770 1532.
• Yang Lingqi — Adviser and intelligence analyst. Investigates the Imperial Mausoleum’s finances and casualties, assesses foreign threats, and paints Hu’s portrait at Qiqi’s request 1532 1609 1610.
• Long Tingzhen — Publicly her third imperial brother and a succession rival. His restored status threatens her authority, and Hong proposes exploiting his rebellion to place her in power 1179 1196 1201.
• Empress Jian — Non-biological maternal figure whom Qiqi openly rebukes. Later attempts to have Qiqi killed after she reveals damaging information 291 628.
• Ji Feihua — Feared palace power who once protects her from Empress Jian. Later admits that he cannot bring himself to kill her and describes an unexplained connection when probing her mind 628 1656 1664.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arc	Chapters	Qiqi’s role
Palace reunion and Hu’s concealed identity	264 291 300	Reappears as a favored princess, rescues Hu from Empress Jian, and learns that he is impersonating a eunuch. Agrees to preserve his secret.
Secret passages and private mourning	400 417 418	Explores underwater routes with Hu, visits her mother’s death site, and experiences a penniless city outing after their horses are stolen.
Court reconstruction	768 770 781 782	Orders public disclosure and lawful punishment of imperial crimes, directs recovery policy, clears Hu’s name, and appoints him to recruit talent.
Betrothal and institutional counterweight	877 881	Secures Hu’s agreement to their marriage arrangement and places him at the head of the reopened Divine Strategy Office.
Eastern Liang assignment	955 965 970 971 972	Keeps vigil for Hu’s mother, receives Eastern Liang as a fief, and obtains military knowledge to help Hu survive governing it.
Widening conflict with the emperor	1066 1099 1100	Fears Hu’s expanding ambitions but still confronts Long Xuan’en over schemes threatening Hu, the northern frontier, and maritime grain supplies.
Hong Beimo’s alliance and palace rebellion	1168 1169 1179 1204 1215 1228	Hears Hong’s account of her parentage, enters a wary partnership, suffers a reported grave illness, and gains the upper hand after Long Tingzhen’s rebels are subdued. Her planned wedding is canceled.
De facto rule	1392 1415 1577	Holds effective power while public claims maintain that the Old Emperor is alive. Pardons Hu’s offenses and grants him the title Prince of Suppressing the Sea.
Hu’s wedding	1513 1532 1549 1550	Accepts his provocative invitation despite ministerial warnings. After speaking with Long Xiyue, cancels her prepared operation against him and wishes the couple happiness.
Renewed cooperation	1601 1602 1611 1612	Reconnects with Hu, confronts their unresolved feelings, and supplies keys and the Seven-Star Chain for his secret mission.
Skull deception and Quan Dean’s death	1616 1628 1631 1641	Outwits the Skull’s pursuers with counterfeits, confronts the loss of her guardian, secures the remaining object, and orders Dragon Spirit Wonderland’s excavation ended.
Practical support for Hu	1633 1641 1659 1664	Maintains his former family residence, approves refugee grain relief, entrusts him with foreign envoys, authorizes Rong Shi’s release, and continues handling state affairs.

Disputed Assassination Order

• Unenlightened claims that Princess Yongyang hired him to kill Hu Xiaotian. Hu doubts that Qiqi genuinely issued the order; the supplied events do not independently confirm the claim 1520.

Notable Quotes

“I am not someone who forgets what others have done for her. However small a kindness may be, I remember it. Likewise, if anyone wrongs me, I remember that perfectly clearly too.” 770

“I won't leave. As long as Great Kang has even a thread of hope left, I won't stop trying.” 970

“What matters most to me has always been the realm and the altars of state handed down by our ancestors. For Great Kang, I can sacrifice everything!” 1100

“I will never allow anyone to slander my mother in front of me!” 1629