The Heirloom of the Realm - also known as the Imperial Seal of China - is the legendary Seal of China. It was created under the order of the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang from the sacred jade, Heshibi.
When the Qin Dynasty collapsed, it passed down to the Han Dynasty. One notable event with the seal was during the usurpation of Wang Mang, when the Han empress dowager, threw the Seal on the ground, chipping one of its corners. Later, Wang Mang ordered the corner to be restored with gold. Another event was during the Three Kingdoms Period, when fell into the hands of Yuan Shu, who prematurely tried to proclaim himself Emperor but was ganged up by other warlords. After that is passed through a series of minor dynasties, before falling into hands of the Tang Dynasty. However, when the Tang collapsed, the Imperial Seal was lost.
There are many theories of what happened to the seal. The first, is that it was destroyed along with the last Emperor of Later Tang, who died by self-immolation. The second, is that it was lost when Liao captured the Emperor of Later Jin State. The final theory (And the least likely, but it puts the Seal disappearance the latest, so we'll go with that one) it came into the hands of the Yuan Dynasty and was lost when the Ming took over.
Point is, by the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, neither had the Imperial Seal, with the latter of which actually fearing the Seal's reappearance, so made many other seals of their own. Although there have been several seals claiming to be the original, though each one proved to false.
But regardless of what happened to the Seal, it was the symbol of the emperor, with the words "Having received the Mandate from Heaven, may lead a long and prosperous life." (受命於天, 既壽永昌) etched into it, written in ancient Seal-script Chinese, and was seen as a physical symbol of the Mandate of Heaven.
So, given the importance of the Imperial Seal of China, what if someone did rediscover the Heirloom of the Realm, somewhere between the 17th- early 20th Centuries, and it's the actual, real deal, original (Don't ask where it was...) But with a twist? That someone isn't Chinese, but instead a non-Chinese foreigner?
Now, there are many PODs since we can choose a number of foreigners (Also, don't ask how the foreign party gotten their hands on it or how the Seal ended up in a different part of China; what matters is they found the original):
With that out of the way, how do you think the Chinese would react to a foreign nation finding the Imperial Seal of China? Out of the nations, which one would be the most impactful?
When the Qin Dynasty collapsed, it passed down to the Han Dynasty. One notable event with the seal was during the usurpation of Wang Mang, when the Han empress dowager, threw the Seal on the ground, chipping one of its corners. Later, Wang Mang ordered the corner to be restored with gold. Another event was during the Three Kingdoms Period, when fell into the hands of Yuan Shu, who prematurely tried to proclaim himself Emperor but was ganged up by other warlords. After that is passed through a series of minor dynasties, before falling into hands of the Tang Dynasty. However, when the Tang collapsed, the Imperial Seal was lost.
There are many theories of what happened to the seal. The first, is that it was destroyed along with the last Emperor of Later Tang, who died by self-immolation. The second, is that it was lost when Liao captured the Emperor of Later Jin State. The final theory (And the least likely, but it puts the Seal disappearance the latest, so we'll go with that one) it came into the hands of the Yuan Dynasty and was lost when the Ming took over.
Point is, by the time of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, neither had the Imperial Seal, with the latter of which actually fearing the Seal's reappearance, so made many other seals of their own. Although there have been several seals claiming to be the original, though each one proved to false.
But regardless of what happened to the Seal, it was the symbol of the emperor, with the words "Having received the Mandate from Heaven, may lead a long and prosperous life." (受命於天, 既壽永昌) etched into it, written in ancient Seal-script Chinese, and was seen as a physical symbol of the Mandate of Heaven.
So, given the importance of the Imperial Seal of China, what if someone did rediscover the Heirloom of the Realm, somewhere between the 17th- early 20th Centuries, and it's the actual, real deal, original (Don't ask where it was...) But with a twist? That someone isn't Chinese, but instead a non-Chinese foreigner?
Now, there are many PODs since we can choose a number of foreigners (Also, don't ask how the foreign party gotten their hands on it or how the Seal ended up in a different part of China; what matters is they found the original):
- The Imperial Seal of China found... by Korea - The seal is found by the Joseon Korea between the 17th Century to 19th Century, when the Qing were in power. (And when the concept of Little China was prevalent)
- The Imperial Seal of China found... by Japan - There are two Japans for this scenario: Japan in the 16th-17th Century (Most likely by Japanese Wokou Pirates) and taken back to Japan, where it is rediscovered. Or Imperial Japan in the 19th Century or even WWII
- The Imperial Seal of China found... by the Manchus - Yes, the Qing we're a Chinese Dynasty, but they originally came from Manchuria, and seen as foreigners. Ironically, it was the idea of the Imperial Seal reappearing that made the Qing worried. What if the Qing find it between the 18th-19th Century.
- The Imperial Seal of China found... by the British - The British finds the Imperial Seal during in between the Opium Wars.
- The Imperial Seal of China found... by the French - The French finds the Imperial Seal during the Sino-French War
- The Imperial Seal of China found... by the Eight Nations Alliance - One of the nations out of the eight finds the Imperial Seal. (Depending on which one finds it first and claims it)
- Other - Add in a foreign nation that could also find the Imperial Seal. (I'm open to ideas)
With that out of the way, how do you think the Chinese would react to a foreign nation finding the Imperial Seal of China? Out of the nations, which one would be the most impactful?
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