Bow Down to Serve

The late emperor died suddenly, and the young heir ascended the throne. All the civil and military officials gazed upon the slender-waisted, narrow-shouldered young sovereign on the imperial dais, whose beauty rivaled peach and plum blossoms—none dared speak. Such radiant splendor, had this one been a woman, would surely invite boundless fantasies. Yet the young emperor had just been enthroned, surrounded by a deeply calculating regent entrusted with the late emperor's will, a young and capable Grand Secretary, and ambitious imperial kinsmen with political rivalries, all eyeing her covetously—all regarding her as a puppet upon the throne. Later, when they somehow learned of her true identity...