The Lantern Festival had passed, and the year was now thoroughly behind us.
The Fourth Year of Jiayuan had become history, and now it was the Fifth Year of Jiayuan.
In the blink of an eye, the Emperor had been on the throne for nearly five years.
Zhao Junyao's initial inexperience and youthful naivety were no more.
In their place was an increasingly steady and seasoned grasp, and an Emperor's bearing that grew ever more striking.
In this dynasty, men needed power to thrive.
With power, with the right to command the land and to issue orders, came a swelling pride that made a man ever more dashing.
Confidence and vitality radiated from within.
Conversely, without it, a man became increasingly debauched, cynical, talented but unrecognized, and perhaps discontent throughout his life, eventually dying in poverty and obscurity.
