A Life of Charm in the Halls of Power

What makes this book distinctive: 1. It explains the rules of the game in the ancient bureaucracy, the day-to-day workings of government offices, and the chaotic, brutal political struggles at court. 2. The protagonist will not rise to the top overnight or start out slaughtering his way to high office and riches. Quite the opposite: his career in government begins as a lowly county registrar. 3. His path to promotion will be full of twists and turns, difficult and marked by many different posts. It will not be as simple as it is on television, where it seems there are only a handful of official positions in the whole world. 4. The officials in this book are not divided into obvious loyalists and traitors. A seemingly upright loyalist may be a great villain in disguise, while a treacherous official may have earned his foul reputation because of mistaken political views rather than personal failings. Good officials may have selfish motives and do bad things; evil ministers may still possess exceptional strategic insight and governing ability. 5. The author strives to portray ancient society as it really was, depicting the lives of its scholars, students, bureaucrats, townspeople, farmers, and other social classes. But my writing skills may be limited, so I might end up describing the lives of Martians instead. Please don't hold it against me!