A period fantasy in which a palace consort must guide a feckless
emporer to assume the throne.
Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working
as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are
barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take
command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a
consort to the emperor to persuade the ne'er-do-well ruler to govern.
Shurei enters the palace as Ryuki's consort, but he has yet to seek her
out. It is rumored that men, not women, share the emperor's bedchamber.
Shurei must think of a way to stop the emperor from shirking his
responsibilities, but she has to find him first!