January 4310Southern Voice is a left-leaning daily print publication distributed nation-wide, focusing predominantly on political, cultural and economic events in Shu, Han and Southern Anle
A cropped image of a scroll painting of Sun Luhan with fiancée Her Royal Highness Princess Kyunghee of Dankuk (Courtesy: Sun Clan)CONFIRMED: SUN LUHAN AND PRINCESS KYUNGHEE OF DANKUK TO BE MARRIEDStory by Pan Heng, interview conducted 13 December 4310, story written 28 January 4310
KAIZHOU, Jiaozhi -- For just less than a decade now, the Indralan public has been obsessed with Sun Luhan, the young and handsome noble who is the only chance to continue his family's bloodline, following the sudden death of his father in a car accident in 4297. All the while, Luhan has remained elusive, never speaking publically and studying abroad to avoid media scrutiny; although this reporter has discovered that the location he selected for study may have come with other intentions.
Princess Kyunghee of Dankuk has not lived the fantasy lifestyle that many would associate with her title. In 4290, when she was just seven years old, Princess Kyunghee and her family were extracted from
Dankuk by MSS agents following an attempted coup on the monarchs in the early 4290s. The Ryeo family would reside in Indrala from around 4290 until the last of her family, including the Princess, returned to Dankuk in 4298. It was during this time that the two nobles met.
The Ryeo Family had been
granted the Yincheng Mountain Retreat for their temporary use during their time of exile in Indrala. The Yincheng Mountain Retreat had been built by Luhan's ancestor,
Beiyi of Fehua Taiji in 1552, and thus maintained a small shrine to the Sun Clan ancestors. As such, the Sun Clan had received security clearance to enter the palace on religious grounds. On one afternoon in 4297, fifteen-year-old Sun Luhan accompanied his great-grandfather, Sun Yue, to the shrine. In passing through the palatial gardens, he spotted Kyunghee reading alone by a koi pond, and claims to have been immediately struck by her beauty. The two quickly became friends that summer and autumn, with Sun Luhan making many trips to "pray" at the family's shrine.
Official portrait of Princess Kyunghee reading the works of Master Jenshi (Courtesy: Sun Clan)In conversation with Luhan, he also reflects upon his father's death that spring, referring to Kyunghee as his "savior" in helping him deal with his grief. It was also during the winter that Luhan confessed his feelings to the Princess on the first snowfall. She did not accept them: "The political situation in Dankuk meant that I would be joining my father in Dankuk in the new year, and though of course I felt the same way, I also felt helpless against what seemed to be my fate." After Kyunghee and her family returned to Dankuk in 4298, Luhan grew increasingly secluded. To make matters worse during this period, the media began to report extensively on his life. The public became growingly fascinated with the question of who he would marry. For Luhan, there was only one answer. During her time in Indrala, Kyunghee became interested in ancient Indralan texts. Thus, when Luhan said goodbye to her, he handed her a proverb from an ancient text by Sima Gouzhi, disciple of Jenshi: "愿得一心人，白首不相离" (When you catch someone’s heart, you will never be apart).
Sun Luhan committed himself to his studies. Accounts from Sun Clan servants report that the 16-year-old locked himself in his room for nearly 20 hours every day, never resting from his studies. At the age of 17, Sun passed the Indralan Scholastic Ability Test (ISAT) with high marks and begged his great-grandfather to allow him to study at Gongmangdo University in Dankuk. Seeing it as an opportunity for his downtrodden great-grandson to escape the purview of the incessant Indralan media, he accepted.
During his time in Dankuk, Sun desperately tried to reconnect with the Princess, but it was difficult. As a foreign-private citizen, it was not easy to get ahold of the House of Ryeo. Indeed, the Princess had been required by her family to end all communication with Sun. It wasn't until the intervention of his great-grandfather, Sun Yue, in 4303 that Emperor Choeson V agreed to let the two meet in Gongmangdo. Under extensive security, the two met at night in a small Kunihito garden. The Princess reflects that she tried to remain composed and reserved, having been told that this should be their last meeting. However, when Luhan handed her another proverb, she read it and wept. The proverb, by Zhongzhi Lin, read "有缘千里来相会" (Separated as we are, thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by destiny).
The couple looks out across the Sun Li Pavillion's emmaculate garden at night (Courtesy: Sun Clan)Thus the two began a clandestine relationship which would culminate in one raining evening in 4304, with Sun Luhan kneeling on the bricks leading to the Beonyeongsalm Palace Throne Hall. Without sleep, the young noble would stay in this position for 31 hours, until eventually, the Emperor would emerge, granting Sun the permission to marry his daughter. It is said that the Emperor had his reservations as Sun's noble claim was not recognized officially in Indrala at the time, though these are all rumours. "I told Kyunghee that I had decided I would not live my life without her beside me, and with this determination, I was able to kneel before my father-in-law for 31 hours until he accepted my love for his daughter."
Sun Luhan nor the Princess would give any details on how they officially became engaged, other than to say it occurred in 4306. Sun returned to Indrala in 4306 to be with his great-grandfather, who was ill. Noting the growing political instability in Dankuk, Sun pleaded the Princess to move in Indrala, but she intitially resisted: "Not only were we not married, but my father needed all the support he could get. My father believes that all Dranians deserve to live freely; I feel the same way, and as such it was not easy to leave him." Nonetheless, Princess Kyunghee
arrived in Indrala in 4307, expecting a short trip. Unfortunately, during her visit, her father was deposed by the tyrannical and illegitimate pretender Taeyang Sang-ah, who officially declared herself "Empress" in 4309. The Ryeo clan has not been heard from since.
"I feel guilty each and every day. I haven't spoken to my father or any of my family members in far too long. I should have been with them. Luhan takes me to the temple each and every day and prays alongside me for their wellbeing. I hope they are recieving these prayers." Despite the political situation, the wedding this year will continue. "Luhan has always been with me, whether I saw him or not. He is the only person I can trust to support me today and into eternity"
Grabbing her hand, Sun Luhan simply looked at her and smiled. The wedding will be a private ceremony, with only 10 guests, despite an online petition which garnered over 200,000 signatures demanding the Indralan government to hold a state-ceremony. "This isn't our desire. We hope that the people will continue to support our love, but this isn't what we want."
RESPONSES FROM OFFICIALS:GRAND CHANCELLOR LO ZONGRU: The engagement of Sun Luhan and the Ryeo Princess is a momentous occasion for our nation. It is a shame it is not even more grand of an event, as it would've been in the era of the Celestial Empire. Nonetheless, this is a refreshing reminder of the historic Dranian-Indralan relationship and it highlights the cultural connections our two nations possess. While the Ryeo Dynasty may have been tragically toppled by delusional self-proclaimed living gods, their legacy is still strong and irremovable from Dankuk's national identity. We hope that one day both of our nations can restore our ancient monarchies. Until then, we engagements such as this to give us a happy reminder of our continuing heritage.FORMER-GRAND CHANCELLOR AND LEADER OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ZHANG ZEMIN: I sincerely congratulate Sun Luhan and Princess Kyunghee on their engagement. In times of darkness and defeat, it is beautiful to see the light of hope in your love.LOTUS PARTY LEADER KWAN ZHIYONG: Each family has its own difficult scripture. We hope that this marriage will bring happiness and harmony to the Ryeo's and to the Sun Clan, and indeed to the people of Dankuk and Indrala.REFORMIST PARTY CO-LEADERS JIN JIANHONG AND GENERAL XUN FEN: The Reformists send personal congratulations to Sun Luhan and Princess Kyunghee for their engagement. Naturally, relationships of any kind, whether in the public spotlight or not, should remain distinctly apolitical. We do hope however, that their engagement will help stir up, as it inevitably will, further debate on our relationship with Dankuk, in order to put more pressure on Indrala to act. If you like, we believe Princess Kyunghee must be the catalyst for Indralan intervention in Dankuk.
