The Great Xia Dynasty
Introduction
Bustling Tianshu
The Ninth Year of Jingming, Early Autumn, Tianshu City
The morning bell breaks through the thin mist of Zhuque Avenue. Standing beneath the white jade steps outside the Zhengyang Gate of the Imperial City, you look up to see the Chiwen crouched on the flying eaves of the gate tower, swallowing the last wisps of the night.
Behind you, the carriages of officials stretch across half the city ward. Green curtains and vermilion wheels are lined up in order of rank, with the clinking of jade pendants mixing with whispered discussions—today is the day of the Grand Audience. Female officials from various ministries file past holding their ivory tablets. You can even smell the elegant scent of orchid grass on them, a fragrance reserved only for high-ranking female officials.
Your fingertips quietly brush against the newly issued performance evaluation booklet in your sleeve, its red silk cover still carrying the cool touch of the inkpad.
"Phoenix Mirror Evaluation..." you murmur the words in your heart, recalling the merit-demerit grid you repeatedly calculated under the lamp last night. If you receive another "excellent" rating for one more year, perhaps you could touch the edge of the iron-clad boundary of the "Flower Face Registry."
The sharp cry of the hall-serving eunuch interrupts your thoughts: "All officials, take your places!"
You move with the crowd, the soles of your boots stepping over the smooth, carved dragons on the vermilion steps. Inside the hall, giant candles blaze, reflecting off the crimson and purple official robes like flowing clouds of sunset.
The throne hangs empty, and a slight rustling of silk comes from behind the lowered bead curtain. You lower your gaze, but a thought surges in your heart:
In the shadows of this golden hall, just how many imperial decrees of "Honorary Retirement" are hidden?
First Meeting at the Phoenix Terrace
After the Court Session, the Side Hall Warm Chamber
You originally intended to withdraw with the crowd, but a eunuch guides you toward the left corridor. Two figures emerge from the corner of the corridor, and the one leading is none other than the Minister of Personnel—Su Wanqing.
She is not wearing her court robes today, but only a moon-white round-collar robe, with a green jade belt tied around her waist and her long hair held up by a white jade hairpin. She walks with an undeniable aura of composure. She turns her head slightly and nods gently to you:
"I heard that the 'Green Sprouts New Law' you implemented last month has yielded considerable results in the three southeastern commanderies. I was just looking to ask you about it in detail."
Her voice is not loud, yet it seems to carry a certain resonance, overpowering the sound of the wind in the courtyard. Just as you are about to reply, out of the corner of your eye you catch another shadow behind the vermilion pillar: Lingyun, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, stands there silently in black armor, hand on his sword hilt, his cold gaze sweeping over you both.
A corner of the warm chamber's curtain is lifted, and half of an elegant face flashes by—a eunuch says in a low voice, "Lady Liu Zhaoyi has sent someone with autumn pear paste, asking the Minister to soothe her throat."
Su Wanqing does not look back, only saying calmly, "Thank you for Her Ladyship's kindness, but I would rather hear what insights this... young talent, who rose through the newly established 'Alternative Path', has regarding the capital's bureaucracy."
She turns her gaze back to you, her eyes deep and bottomless. In that instant, you suddenly realize that this is by no means a casual greeting. The Phoenix Shadow Guards might be behind some screen recording every word, and your response could determine which faction you belong to—or whose pawn you will become.
Chess Game in Prison
Twilight Shrouds the Imperial Prison
You never expected that your first time stepping into the Imperial Prison would be due to a secret imperial decree.
The damp, cold stone steps spiral downward, and torches stretch the shadows on the walls into distorted shapes. In a cell at the far end of the lowest level, you see the name that should have been forgotten long ago—the former Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Xiao Huaijin.
Wearing grey prison garb, he sits amidst a pile of messy straw. On the stone slab in front of him, an incomplete chessboard is actually drawn with charcoal. He looks up, and his cloudy eyes suddenly flash with a moment of clarity the instant he recognizes you:
"The ninth year of Jingming, the Phoenix Mirror Evaluation Law has just reached a full cycle of sixty years... Sending a fresh face to see me at this time, is that girl finally about to make her move?"
The "girl" he speaks of can only be the current Empress Dowager—his former student and political rival.
You tighten your grip on the secret decree in your sleeve, the Emperor's voice seemingly still echoing in your ears: "Go ask him a question for Us: If one wishes to break the 'Flower Face' deadlock, where does the key lie?"
Xiao Huaijin seems to see through your hesitation. He suddenly grins, revealing teeth stained yellow by tea:
"Go back and tell him—the answer lies in the jade hosta flower he placed on the imperial desk on the day of 'Honorary Retirement'. If he cannot figure it out, tell him not to disturb my peace again."
With that, he lowers his head again, as if you are nothing more than a speck of dust that accidentally strayed onto the chessboard.
You stand outside the cell, the torches crackling. The questions surging in your heart almost burst out of your mouth: A jade hosta flower? The jade hosta on the imperial desk? What is that? And why would the Emperor send you to ask a traitor? Has this single question already dragged you into a vortex far beyond your imagination?
In an empire ruled by a male emperor and dominated by female officials, you will find yourself at the center of a power struggle balancing authority, beauty, and the age limit. In this "Age of Bloom," a female official's career is tightly bound to her appearance and youth. Beneath the bustling court, undercurrents surge, weaving intrigue and desire. How will you write your own chapter in this political ecosystem where beauty is the ultimate bargaining chip?
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