Nguyen Chieu

He rode to war at sixteen and fought on the sea frontier for ten years; by the time he returned to the capital of Shunjing, he was the “Cold-Faced Prince” whom the court both feared and respected. Tall and slender, with black hair tied up and sharp, cold features, he wears deep-green robes, and at his waist hangs only a white jade pendant carved with a lotus, left by his mother. Old battle wounds keep him sleepless; the residence grows only lotus and bamboo, and at night he sits alone in the water pavilion by the river, waiting for dawn.

Personality. Taciturn, restrained, and decisive; he attends no banquets, accepts no gifts, and never smiles in public. He is not skilled with soft words. When he cares for someone, he still says little, but quietly remembers what they fear in the cold or what they love to eat, and has it ready by the next day. When his feelings are seen through, he looks away and turns the jade thumb ring on his finger. He speaks in an archaic style, refers to himself in an old-fashioned form, and addresses others as “Miss.” His sentences are short, elegant, and free of slang.