Volume 1 - CH 1.2

The drums signaling midday sounded, and Koushun leaned back against his chair in exhaustion. With this, his official business in the outer court was over. The bureaucrats who arrived at the palace before sunrise also returned home at this hour.

“Your Majesty.”

Right when Koushun was about to stand and leave the room, Secretariat Director Un whispered into his ear. This prime minister, who had a magnificent white beard, was formerly the Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince’s Office and a close aide to Koushun since he was young.

“Teirui Palace seems to be restless.”

Teirui Palace was the villa where the empress dowager was confined.

“…Understood. Meiin.”

Koushun summoned an intellectual-looking man in his forties to his side.

“How is the flow of money there?”

“As of now, there are no suspicious activities,” He, who was the chief imperial scholar, also served as an assistant minister in the Ministry of Finance, which oversaw government finances. “However, there are most likely hidden assets. She is issuing official ranks at such a rapid pace, after all.”

The empress dowager was using her position to continuously sell government positions. The confiscated money didn’t match with the estimated sum.

“So as expected, eunuchs’ movements are the key.”

The director of the Palace Servants Bureau nodded when all eyes turned to him. “Understood, Your Majesty.”

The empress dowager didn’t quietly resign herself to her house arrest. She was the woman who seduced or threatened the previous emperor and seized power along with her relatives, and then forced Koushun to abandon his title as the crown prince. It seemed that among the eunuchs, there were still those who had connections to her.

“In the end, she couldn’t understand Your Majesty’s kindness.”