Second Prince

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Second Prince (二皇子)
Alias(es)	Prince Qin
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Qian imperial family; faction associated with the Right Prime Minister
Occupation/Role	Prince of the First Rank; contender in the succession struggle
Status	Active 205
First Appearance	1

Background

The Second Prince is one of Emperor Yuanchu's sons and Fang Heng's second imperial brother. He was born with an innate sword-bone and is regarded as having the bearing of a Sword Immortal, placing him among the imperial princes noted for exceptional natural gifts 1.

By the dispute over Yujing City's prefecture, he was one of only two princes—alongside the Crown Prince—to hold the rank of Prince of the First Rank. His faction, led in court by the Right Prime Minister, was the Crown Prince's principal political rival 19.

Appearance

The Second Prince is a young man with sharp, sword-like brows and bright eyes. He commonly wears princely python robes, including a purple-gold python robe when recruiting Li Qingya 75 118.

• His carriage is lavishly furnished as a miniature palace, with nanmu walls, gold and silver inlay, spiritual fruits, a soft couch, and ambergris incense 75.
• During the Plum Garden incident, his left arm was severed; it was completely restored by the following day, without visible trace of the injury 58 62.

Personality

The Second Prince is ambitious, politically alert, and highly conscious of opportunities to improve his position against the Crown Prince. He quickly recognized that Emperor Yuanchu's rejection of lesser officials for the Sacred Emperor Rice promotion likely signaled the removal of the Crown Prince's supporter, the Left Prime Minister 26.

His confidence can become visible pride, particularly after Emperor Yuanchu authorized him to cooperate with the Black Ice Platform. Yet he is also impatient and anxious when he sees a chance to replace the Crown Prince, worrying that other brothers may still surpass him once the Eastern Palace becomes vacant 72 107.

He cultivates support through generous offers and calculated patronage, attempting to recruit both Fang Heng and promising talents such as Li Qingya and Jiang Pojun. His approach is transactional: titles, positions, pills, and resources are offered in return for political allegiance 75 118 205.

Abilities & Skills

Innate Sword-Bone

The Second Prince possesses an innate sword-bone, a congenital talent said to give him the bearing of a Sword Immortal 1.

• Marks him as one of the exceptionally gifted imperial princes.
• No named sword art, cultivation realm, or recorded combat feat is documented in the provided accounts.

Political Analysis

He can identify the political consequences behind imperial decisions and turn sensitive information into leverage.

• Correctly understood that moving the Left Prime Minister away from the capital would weaken the Crown Prince's support base 26.
• Reported the possible connection between Zhou Jueyin and Emperor Li's descendants to Emperor Yuanchu, earning authorization to investigate through the Black Ice Platform 67 72.
• Recognized the Huo Family case as a potential route to the Crown Prince's removal, though the Right Prime Minister cautioned him to first secure the evidence 107.

Faction and Resources

• Right Prime Minister — Leads the Second Prince's court faction and provides repeated strategic counsel 19 107 115.
• Black Ice Platform — Emperor Yuanchu permitted it to cooperate with the Second Prince in the investigation of Zhou Jueyin and Emperor Li's descendants 72.
• Shennong Valley — Agreed to support the Second Prince's succession and to promote Sacred Emperor Rice across Great Qian 139.
• Chen Mu — Administrator of Donghai Commandery who pledged allegiance to the Second Prince after being promised the post of Right Vice Minister of Agriculture 135.
• Daoist Qianhuan — A guest elder skilled in transformation techniques who can imitate a Divine Abomination's aura 77.

Relationships

• Emperor Yuanchu — Father. The Emperor granted him access to Black Ice Platform resources but later rejected his incorrect claim that Zhou Jueyin was Shen Yanzhou 72 83.
• Crown Prince — Elder brother and chief political rival. Their conflict is openly hostile, especially over the Black Ice Platform and the succession 19 72 74.
• Right Prime Minister — Political backer and strategist. He tempers the Second Prince's eagerness, advising him to pursue evidence and demonstrate fraternal harmony rather than rush to claim the Eastern Palace 26 107 115.
• Cheng Hansong — Chief retainer and chess companion. He guided the Second Prince's investigation into Emperor Li's descendants while doubting that the prince was an enlightened ruler for humble scholars 67.
• Fang Heng — Ninth imperial brother whom the Second Prince repeatedly seeks to recruit. He offered Fang Heng the future position of Grand Clan Elder in exchange for support in the succession struggle 75.
• Li Qingya — A martial prodigy the Second Prince attempted to recruit with the position of Tiger Ben Guard Captain and a cultivation villa in the imperial city 118.
• Jiang Pojun — Fang Heng's Second Incarnation, whom the Second Prince sought to recruit with a Nine Revolutions Dragon-Elephant Pill. Jiang demanded that Shennong Valley abandon its existing Invincible Path candidate and support him instead 205.
• Shang Hongye — Co-participant in the operation against Zhou Jueyin. She and Fang Heng needed the Second Prince's Daoist Qianhuan for the plan to lure Zhou Jueyin out 77 78.

Story Role

Rivalry with the Crown Prince

The Second Prince's political faction repeatedly clashes with the Crown Prince's faction in court. As a Prince of the First Rank backed by the Right Prime Minister, he is considered the Crown Prince's greatest rival 19.

He was implicated in the struggle over a Sha Acupoint near the Formation Court. Lady Shang indicated that he sought to monopolize, or at least secure the largest share of, the Sha Acupoint connected to Shang Lengyun's death 49.

Plum Garden and Zhou Jueyin Investigation

During the Plum Garden incident, the Second Prince lost his left arm and was protected during his retreat by his white-haired guardian 58. His arm had already regenerated when he attended the subsequent investigation led by Shang Hongye 62.

After Cheng Hansong raised the possibility that Zhou Jueyin was tied to Emperor Li's descendants, the Second Prince reported the theory to Emperor Yuanchu. The Emperor subsequently allowed Black Ice Platform agents to cooperate with him, escalating his conflict with the Crown Prince 67 72.

He joined Fang Heng, Shang Hongye, the Right Prime Minister, Mu Qianxue, and Eunuch Su in the plan to lure Zhou Jueyin out. He prematurely claimed credit for capturing Zhou Jueyin and identifying him as Shen Yanzhou, only for Emperor Yuanchu to state that the identification was wrong 78 83.

Bid to Replace the Crown Prince

The Second Prince attempted to bring Fang Heng into his camp, promising to appoint him Grand Clan Elder after the succession struggle was won 75.

When the Huo Family case threatened the Crown Prince, the Second Prince viewed the Right Prime Minister's appointment to oversee the investigation as proof that Emperor Yuanchu intended to depose the Crown Prince. He pushed to take advantage of the scandal, while the Right Prime Minister insisted that the case had to be made airtight first 107.

After the Crown Prince's confinement, the Second Prince initially wanted officials to petition for his own elevation. Following the Right Prime Minister's advice, he instead petitioned for the Crown Prince's pardon to display fraternal harmony—a maneuver Emperor Yuanchu recognized as calculated 115.

Recruitment of Talents

The Second Prince actively competes with his brothers to recruit useful cultivators, martial artists, officials, and sects.

• He offered Li Qingya the captaincy of the Tiger Ben Guard and an imperial-city cultivation villa 118.
• He maintained information on imperial-examination candidates and held a more extensive list than Fang Heng's 187.
• He visited Jiang Pojun with Yin Jiuyue of Burning Heaven Valley and presented the Nine Revolutions Dragon-Elephant Pill as an inducement to join his faction 205.

Notable Quotes

“Once the great task is accomplished, Ninth Brother, you shall be my Grand Clan Elder!” 75

“Instead of constantly playing petty games, you should do more practical things and achieve something real to show Imperial Father.” 72

Trivia

• At the time Fang Heng was first enfeoffed, the Second Prince and the Crown Prince were the only princes holding the rank of Prince of the First Rank 19 20.
• The Crown Prince viewed the Second Prince's access to the Black Ice Platform as a direct threat because the organization had traditionally answered only to Emperor Yuanchu 72.