In 181 CE, the fourth year of Zhongyuan, a clear infant’s cry broke the quiet of the Northern Palace. In Anfu Hall, the imperial physician holding the newborn trembled slightly as he raised the baby high and cried, “Heaven bless the Han! Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the birth of another imperial son!” Jian Shuo, the eunuch who had been waiting outside Anfu Hall, hurried toward Deyang Hall as soon as he heard the news.
Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, was presiding over court in Deyang Hall when the news reached him. He immediately dismissed the assembly and hurried to Anfu Hall. The more he looked at the child in his arms, the more he loved him, and he named the boy Liu Xie on the spot. Everyone immediately prostrated themselves, and the hall rang with congratulations.
But no one noticed that the child in Emperor Ling’s arms was peering around at everyone through narrowed eyes. He hardly looked like a newborn. No one could have guessed that this heaven-chosen child, born with every advantage, would become the final emperor of the Han and witness the dynasty’s fall four centuries after its founding.
Burdened by this fate, Liu Xie came to a final realization on his deathbed, just before destiny claimed him. Heaven truly gave him another chance, and he lived a second life in a world two thousand years in the future. Though he accomplished little in that life, he knew his place was not in that era. He would return to the age of war and use the knowledge gained across both lives to change it with his own hands. He would show the world the majesty of the Son of Heaven of Han. The Three Kingdoms era, I, Liu Xie, have returned!
