The New Year's Day sun hung palely in the blue sky above the Forbidden City, its cold light broadly illuminating each of the over 9,000 palace rooftops, which shimmered like silver mirrors.
Inside the Nuan Pavilion, Jiajing Emperor stood up and slowly paced.
Next to the vermilion dragon-carved pillars, there were two precious pots of plum blossoms, one held Green-cupped plums and the other Jade Butterfly plums, which had just been delivered from Cao Bridge in a heated carriage that morning.
There were also Mu Dan peonies, combining regal elegance with boundless allure, that changed colors in the morning, at the hour of si and at noon.
Jiajing Emperor had never paid attention to these laboriously cultivated flowers and plants.
Many matters in the Great Ming Dynasty were like these plants and flowers, significant to those below, while he did not even know about them.
Take for example the Divine Sect.
