Saiunkoku Monogatari

The Tale of Saiunkoku, set in the ancient fictional empire of Saiunkoku, follows the story of Kou Shuurei, a descendant of a noble family that has fallen on hard times. Her lifelong dream was to take the imperial examinations and enter officialdom and serve the country, a path which was forbidden to women. Her father, who served as the Custodian of the Imperial Archives, held a post which offered prestige and respect, but little compensation. Shuurei toiled everyday, teaching in the temple school and working odd jobs to make ends meet. Her plans, however, came to an abrupt halt when the emperor’s Grand Advisor made a startling offer, which was for her to join the inner palace for six months as the young emperor’s consort and educate him to be a responsible ruler. If she succeeded, there would be a hefty financial reward. The path to Shuurei’s dreams, once closed forever, seemed to shine with a new light as Shuurei’s journey begins as a consort in the inner palace. The story follows Shuurei’s journey through the intrigues of court politics into becoming the first ever successful female official in the history of Saiunkoku.