"We have been waiting for you. Waiting so that you, her beloved father, might perform the burial rites as is proper and right."
King Qin Tiānyuán's knees buckled slightly. His advisors rushed forward to support him.
"The Xiongnu must pay," the Empress Dowager said, and now her voice hardened into steel. "They have committed an unforgivable crime. They have violated the sanctity of the Imperial Palace. They have murdered a foreign princess under our protection." She turned to address not just the King, but the assembled court officials and guards. "This is not just an attack on the Qin Kingdom. This is an attack on all civilized peoples. We must band together against this barbarian threat. We must show them that such savagery will not be tolerated."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
"Yes," King Qin Tiānyuán said, his voice gaining strength. "Yes. The Xiongnu. They killed my wife five years ago. And now—" his voice broke again "—now my daughter."
