Queen of Xianle

The **Queen of Xianle**, whose name was never revealed, is Xie Lian's mother and the last queen of Xianle.

## Appearance

She was a noble beauty and had a very affluent, well-maintained appearance even after her son had grown up. She was able to keep this youthful look due to her wealth and status as the queen, but during the fall of her nation this young face vanished and became hidden by heavy makeup.

During Xie Lian's banishment, she thinned quite a bit and only wore plain clothes. It was different to her appearance of the past, but she still had a face full of delight.

In her coffin, her body was dressed in elegant, black attire woven with the silk of an extremely rare worm. The silk came from a small, foreign nation and the process to weave it into a dress required intricate craftsmanship. Herbal satchels are also interwoven into the clothing. This attire possesses the ability to preserve a corpse for thousands of years and thus the bodies wouldn't rotten.

## Personality

The queen was a kind and compassionate woman who loved the ones she cared about deeply. Even besides her son and husband, she easily treated others with familiarity. She was quick to worry about people and became anxious when her loved ones had disputes, being the one to mediate between her husband and her son for example.

Her empathy was frequently shown through her attempts at making those around her feel better and being very understanding, but because of this excessive benignity she did not possess a strong will or the ability to raise her voice. She frequently oversaw her nephew's wrongdoings with the explanation that no one could restrain him and was obedient to her son's and husband's demands.

The queen enjoyed luxury items and wealth, but she didn't seem bothered when she was no longer of high status and was even delighted to try her hand at household chores like cooking and cleaning. To add, although she had an important position, she was unknowledgeable in the matters of politics and crisis management.

## History

The Queen of Xianle was the wife of the king and is the mother of Xie Lian. She once had a younger sister whom she got along with very well, but during an upheaval that sister lost her life protecting her. Since her death, the queen raised her sister's son, Qi Rong, in her place and always tried her best doing so. She raised him similarly to her own son, but she struggled to teach him discipline.

The queen attended the Heavenly Ceremonial Procession at the Lantern Festival. Although taken aback by Xie Lian's dramatic entrance, she enjoyed the parade and even acknowledged Mu Qing's skills. Qi Rong was on her lap watching as well, but she ended up having to send multiple people to drag him back whenever he got upset during the parade. Once the procession got interruped and abruptly ended, the queen requested a visit from Xie Lian.

She was elated when her son came to visit her as he was rarely home due to studying cultivation. They conversed for a while and she got to meet Mu Qing in person for the first time. When Qi Rong heard that he was the ghost during the parade, he attempted to throw tea at Mu Qing which shocked the queen. Xie Lian asked her to take away the golden carriage she gifted to Qi Rong for his birthday, but the queen was reluctant to do so so she let the matter go for the time being.

When Xie Lian later returned to the palace with Qi Rong in tow after he had used his carriage to abuse a child, the queen felt troubled once more. She also began to become anxious when she noticed that the king and Xie Lian were getting into an argument, but she did not intervene in the matter, only holding Xie Lian back when he became enraged at his father. Since Feng Xin broke his arm to resolve the matter for the queen's sake, she felt guilty as well.

### Fall of Xianle

During the drought of Yong'an, she followed Mei Nianqing's advice of not praying for the Yong'an people and generally stayed out of the matter. Xie Lian listened in on a conversation between her and the king once where they discussed the crisis and also talk about Xie Lian. The queen stressed that the king should take care of himself and how important his health was.

The queen would come visit Xie Lian every day while he was holding up the Celestial Pagoda, stricken with grief. She held an umbrella to shield him from the sun, but he rejected this help which only saddened her more.

### On the Run

She later committed suicide with her husband after Xie Lian's first banishment, hanging herself on a white silk band that is now Xie Lian's weapon, Ruoye.

For 800 years, her body had been kept in the secret catacomb of Xianle. Her and her husband were both put into coffins, and she was dressed in an extremely rare, black attire that would preserve her corpse for millennia. However, after the dress was forcibly removed by Qi Rong, her body dissolved into white ashes.

## Relationships

### King of Xianle

The two shared a loving relationship and marriage, although they did have their differences and hardships. They had put up a front before the masses, but would bicker like most married couples behind the scenes. She frequently advised him to take care of himself and worried a lot about his health.

Through the years of being by his side, she had gotten to understand his ways as a king and believed he did his best during the crisis and war.

### Xie Lian

The queen had always doted on her son a lot. For instance she once worried that the life of training and cultivation would be too boring and sent twenty servants, as well as four carriages full of extravagent trinkets, to Xie Lian while he was away. She missed him dearly after he began studying, full of joy whenever he returned to see her. Once he ascended the visits became even more scarce and thus she resorted to looking at his mask and statues, but she clarified that she would never utter these feelings in front of him to avoid weighing Xie Lian down.

Although she treasured him so much, she also built up the courage to give him serious advice sometimes or remind him of things he didn't consider before.

### Qi Rong

Qi Rong is the queen's nephew. He first met her when his mother, the queen's sister, asked her to take him along when the nobles went to Taicang Mountain and prayed for blessings. The queen offered lanterns in Qi Rong's and his mother's name and when her sister later died, the queen decided to take care of and raise Qi Rong in her place. She was very affectionate with him and pampered Qi Rong, fulfilling his wishes and being incredibly moderate in the punishments he received for his malicious behavior. She always tried to patiently educate him, but to no avail.

### Feng Xin

The queen had always liked and cared deeply for Feng Xin, treating him like a child of her own. She recognized how much he struggled during Xie Lian's first banishment and even tried to remind her son of how much he had done for their family.

Feng Xin in return also cared for the queen, going so far as to break his own arm since he couldn't bear to see her sad over a dispute between Xie Lian and the king.

### Mu Qing

She first saw Mu Qing during the Heavenly Procession when he played the role of the ghost, immediately recognizing his good skills in combat. She was excited when she actually got to meet him in person and praised him for his abilities, noting that he looks rather gentle in contrast to his tenacious techniques.

## Trivia

* She enjoys cooking, but her cooking skills are incredibly bad to the point of making others sick.
	+ She would give her dishes names, a custom that Xie Lian does in the present as well.

## References

2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Novel, Book 2, Chapter 88: Vow to Never Forget, Never!
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Novel, Book 4, Chapter 181: Lantern Night, Penny for a Wandering Soul
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Novel, Book 1, Chapter 57: In Search of the Past; Retracing Steps to Mount Taicang
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Novel, Book 2, Chapter 65: Lost Red Pearl; Inadvertent Eyes Red with Desire VI
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Novel, Book 2, Chapter 63: Lost Red Pearl; Inadvertent Eyes Red with Desire IV
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Novel, Book 4, Chapter 191: No Grief No Joy; White Cloth Brings Calamity to this World
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Novel, Book 2, Chapter 72: To Meet You in the Mortal Realm; To Find Flowers Beneath the Rain
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Novel, Book 2, Chapter 58: On the Martial Deity Avenue; An Awe-Inspiring First Impression
10. ↑ Novel, Book 2, Chapter 59: On the Martial Deity Avenue; An Awe-Inspiring First Impression II
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Novel, Book 2, Chapter 71: God of Heaven Interferes in Mortal Matters
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Novel, Book 2, Chapter 77: Xianle in Chaos; Crown Prince Returns to Mortal Realm
13. ↑ Novel, Book 2, Chapter 61: Lost Red Pearl; Inadvertent Eyes Red with Desire II
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Novel, Book 2, Chapter 69: Fishing for Offerings; Boor Meets Crown Prince