Stepmother

Liu Suzhi had all the makings of a villain. A narrow chest (1), a mouth that said yes when his heart said no (2), these very traits that had helped him to survive all these decades in the inner palace were the very same qualities in himself that made it hard to stomach the sight of his own reflection.

But there was no denying that it was useful sometimes to not have to retain the moral high ground. This was especially evident when dealing with His Majesty's morning court.

"Supervisor Liu, this doesn't conform with the recorded rules of the coronation ceremony's formalities."

Liu Suzhi hummed nonchalantly. His bored gaze trailed from the faces of frazzled official to frazzled official, his slow lazy blink giving off the impression that he couldn't care less about the duties that he had been assigned to in his role of the Supervisor of the Department of Ceremonies.