Name: Moonlight
Author: Guan Ci

Synopsis

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★Please add my upcoming imperial romance, Jade Steps, to your reading list!

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Moonlight: Complete, free to read in full.

Please leave a comment and a rating~

An ensemble cast. There are ambitions to pursue, power to scheme for, and love to find.

Some will be appointed chancellors and ennobled as marquises, some will ascend to the throne, and others will cast aside their titles.

Each person is small, and each person is great.

They find themselves again in a game where everything seems lost.

Synopsis:

New talents emerge, rising and falling in the shifting currents of court,

Imperial power changes hands, and the throne teeters on the brink.

Across the vast desert, sand lies like snow; the long wind sweeps past Yumen Pass.

The people of the Jade Hall join their voices in a soaring song:

Civil officials fly out dispatches, while generals ride to battle with blades in hand.

Looms resound, jade banners rise, evil is swept away, and the tide is turned.

What hopes might yet come true? In the years ahead,

May the realm remain whole, and the bright moon rest in our arms.

1. This is an imaginary historical setting, so please don't nitpick the history. Thanks.

(Official systems from the Tang and Ming dynasties are used, mainly those of the Tang.)

2. 1v1, and both partners in every couple are virgins.

3. Happy ending.

4. The author's personal values don't necessarily reflect those of the story.

(The one who ultimately ascends the throne is an empress, not the male lead. This is not a deal-breaker, and it is clearly noted here so readers can decide whether this story suits their tastes.)

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Character relationships

(This is a rough framework from when I outlined the story. Many of these characters aren't leads, and you don't need to remember every one of them. The characters' roles and positions at the beginning will change as the story progresses.)

I. The Imperial Family (listed by rank and age):

Emperor Shunyong Qin Chongyuan, Empress Yang Peizhi (mother of the Crown Prince)

1. Eastern Palace

Crown Prince Qin Shu, Crown Princess Yang Chun (daughter of Yang Shucheng)

The Crown Prince's connections:

Empress: Yang Peizhi (mother)

Chancellor: Yang Shucheng (maternal uncle)

Senior General of the Eastern Palace's Left and Right Guard Command: Yang Mu (cousin / son of Yang Shucheng / military power)

Eastern Palace Left Adviser: Ye He (strategist)

Eastern Palace Liangdi: Yu Furuo (Crown Prince's consort)

Senior General of the Southern Garrison's Qianniu Guards: Yu Wanqing (Yu Furuo's elder brother)

2. Prince of Yan's Residence

Prince of Yan Qin Ze, Princess Consort of Yan Xiao Huanchi (daughter of Xiao Shixun)

Prince of Yan's connections:

Consort Mei: Mei Yingxue (mother)

Military Governor of Youzhou: Mei Xiangrong (maternal grandfather / military power)

(Mei Xiangrong once led troops to aid Qin Yan in the Battle of Wuzhou.)

Sixth Miss of the Mei family: Mei Hanchi (aunt / daughter of Mei Xiangrong)

Duke of Chen: Xiao Shixun (father-in-law)

Vice Minister of War Xiao Yu (younger brother-in-law / son of Xiao Shixun)

Chief Secretary of the Prince of Yan's Residence: Sun Duan

3. Prince of Qi's Residence

Prince of Qi Qin Wei, Princess Consort of Qi Duan Nianyi (daughter of Duan Xun)

Prince of Qi's connections:

Consort De: Yuan Zhuoqu (mother)

Earl of Jingyang: Yuan Rui (maternal grandfather / military power)

Senior General of the Northern Garrison's Imperial Feather Guards: Yuan Lang (cousin / military power)

Academician of the Jixian Hall and Minister of Revenue: Duan Xun (father-in-law)

Chief Secretary of the Prince of Qi's Residence: Wei Feng

4. Prince of Jing's Residence

Prince of Jing Qin Yan (Keeper of the Six Leisure Stables)

Prince of Jing's connections:

Imperial Consort Mu: Mu Yichou (mother)

(Imperial Consort is a rank in the imperial harem.)

Military Governor of Wuzhou: Wei Tao

Senior General of the Golden Guards: Song Baiqun

Deputy Commander of the Golden Guards' Yifu: Chen Xiaoyi

Generals of the Left and Right Gate Guards: Lin Ce

Chief of the Jin Guang Gate patrol station: Zheng Yinqiu

Chief Secretary of the Prince of Jing's Residence: Guan Yanpei

5. Prince of Gong's Residence (currently aligned with the Eastern Palace)

Prince of Gong Qin Zhe

Prince of Gong's connections:

Meng Zande Meng Xianwen (mother)

(Zande is a rank in the imperial harem.)

Chief Secretary of the Prince of Gong's Residence: Lu Kang

Other factions to be developed and added later

6. Princess Changmu (Doctor of the Four Gates Academy) Qin Ziyue

Princess Changmu's connections:

Imperial Noble Consort Xi Dugu Yu (mother / younger sister of Dugu Mou)

Yan Xuqi (tutor)

Wan Heli (student)

Leng Sizhou (student)

Princess's Residence Commandant: Xi Qianlin

Other factions to be developed and added later

7. Princes of Different Surnames

Prince of Luocheng Dugu Mou

Princess Yique Qin Sifu (wife / younger sister of Emperor Shunyong Qin Chongyuan)

Former Lady of Yique County: Dugu Yu (younger sister)

Heir of Luocheng: Dugu Shangye (son)

Commandant of the Heir's Residence: Han Ying

II. The Secretariat, Chancellery, and Department of State Affairs

(The three departments and six ministries are listed by official rank. Positions and factions will change as the story progresses.)

Secretariat and Chancellery:

1. Secretariat-Chancellery Chief Councilor (chancellor / head of the Council of State Affairs): Yang Shucheng

2. Secretariat Drafter: Du Yuma (entered government after the imperial examination in Shunyong Year 41)

Secretariat Drafter: Qi Fuling (entered government after the imperial examination in Shunyong Year 44)

Department of State Affairs, Six Ministries:

1. Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs: Jia Xuheng

2. Ministry of Revenue

Minister of Revenue: Duan Xun

Revenue Planning Director: Yu Xianqi

Revenue Planning Vice Director: Chang Ziyi (entered government after the imperial examination in Shunyong Year 44)

3. Ministry of War

Minister of War: Qiao Sheng

Vice Minister of War: Xiao Yu

Vice Minister of War: Tan Peng

Military Affairs Vice Director: Di Shu

4. Ministry of Personnel

Minister of Personnel: Tian Qinghe

5. Ministry of Works

Minister of Works: Cao Minzhi

6. Ministry of Rites

Minister of Rites: Hong Xing

Director of Foreign Affairs: Hu Tianyi

7. Ministry of Justice

Minister of Justice: Yang Shucheng

Justice Department Vice Director: Wan Heli (entered government after the imperial examination in Shunyong Year 44)

III. The Three Judicial Offices:

1. Court of Judicial Review

Prison Warden of the Court of Judicial Review: Yan Xuqi (formerly a Doctor of the Four Gates Academy / entered government after the imperial examination in Shunyong Year 41)

2. Censorate

Investigating Censor of the Censorate: Chi Jun (entered government after the imperial examination in Shunyong Year 41)

Investigating Censor of the Censorate: Leng Sizhou (entered government after the imperial examination in Shunyong Year 44)

3. Ministry of Justice (see above)

IV. Chang'an Prefecture:

1. Prefect of Jingzhao: Gongsun Che (current)

Prefect of Jingzhao: Xu Qingzhi (former)

2. Governor of Jingzhao: Dugu Shangye

3. Military Affairs Adviser of the Jingzhao Prefecture: He Xu

V. Chang'an's Military Forces

1. The Sixteen Southern Garrison Guards (under the Ministry of War)

2. The Ten Northern Garrison Imperial Guards (under the emperor)

VI. Eunuchs

1. Palace Service Department (serves the emperor)

Note: Qin Yan's Six Leisure Stables are under the supervision of the Palace Service Directorate.

Chief Eunuch of the Palace Service Department: Wen Xu

(Oversees six bureaus, including the Ceremonial Bureau, Medical Bureau, and Provisioning Bureau.)

Medical Bureau: Imperial Physician Yao Songren

2. Palace Administration Office (serves the imperial consorts)

Its offices include the Palace Quarters Bureau, the Servants' Bureau, and six inner-palace departments, including the Offices of Palace Attendants and Ceremonies.

Chief Eunuch of the Palace Administration Office (also Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Herds): Jiang Mo

Note: The Imperial Herds oversees all the horse ranches in the Great Qin Empire.

VII. Astronomical Bureau (observes and calculates celestial phenomena)

Chief of the Astronomical Bureau: Luo Yingzhi

VIII. Flower and Bird Bureau (private organization):

1. Punishment Division

Head of the Flower and Bird Bureau (Head of the Punishment Division): Gao Jianxi

Flower and Bird Bureau Punishment Division Officer: Tang Song

Flower and Bird Bureau Punishment Division Officer: Zhong Li

Flower and Bird Bureau Punishment Division Officer: Cheng Shuang

2. Women's Division

Head of the Flower and Bird Bureau Women's Division: Liang Xijun