The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua

It is the fourteenth year of Chenghua.

As the harem has Imperial Consort Wan, the Western Depot has a Commander named Wang Zhi. Crown Prince Zhu Youcheng is merely eight years old—and no one knows if he will be able to reach adulthood without issue.

The Emperor has nothing to his name, despite putting on an act that suggests otherwise; the eunuchs deceive their superiors while taking advantage of those beneath them; and the subjects of the Imperial Court are patching up the leaks. As there are those with savagely pride for the evil, there are those who cannot help but sigh helplessly for the good.

With the ways of the world like this, how could the ways of the heavens possibly be just?