~~ The Emperor's Court
The imperial palace of the Azure Cloud Province was grand. Not the grand of the main Long Dynasty capital — provincial grand. The buildings, the jade and crystal, the formation-lanterns, the spirit-gardens, were the best the province could offer. The throne room, the audience hall, the space where the provincial emperor held court, was impressive.
Emperor Yun, the ruler of the Azure Cloud Province, sat on his throne. He was a middle-aged man, his cultivation at the early Transcendent realm, his face kind but tired. His robes, the dark blue and silver of his house, were formal. His crown, the jade circlet, was there.
Beside him, the empress. Her name was Empress Lihwa. A beautiful woman, her mature face composed, her body full and graceful in her formal emerald robes. Her cultivation, Soul Formation peak, was modest for her station. But her intelligence, her political mind, her management of the inner court, was formidable.
