Synopsis
The fourteenth year of Chenghua. In the imperial harem, there was Consort Wan. In the Western Depot, there was Wang Zhi. Crown Prince Zhu Youcheng was not yet eight years old, and whether he would make it to adulthood in one piece was anyone's guess. The Emperor was useless and weak. Eunuchs played their superiors for fools and stomped on everyone beneath them. Court officials spent their days plugging holes and hoping nothing worse came through. The ones doing harm did it openly, without shame. The ones trying to do right could only stand there and sigh. If the world…
