kou shuurei

Age: 16 (at the start of the series), 30 (at the end of the Light Novel) Zodiac: Sagittarius Blood type: O Shuurei Kou is the daughter and only child of Shouka Kou from the Kou clan, one of the two most powerful clans in Saiunkoku. She is sixteen years old at the beginning of the story. As a direct descendant, she holds the title "hime," meaning "princess" or "lady." Despite her family's high social status, Shuurei grew up under relatively modest conditions. Her father's occupation provided little income, and much of their family wealth was donated to those in need during the devastating imperial succession conflict eight years prior. There are no servants at the Kou residence, leading Shuurei to become proficient in household tasks such as needlework, cooking, and cleaning—skills uncommon for a lady of her standing. She has also taken on various jobs to earn money, including working as a professional erhu player, an accountant at Kochou's brothel in the Red Light District, and a teacher at the local temple. In the English version, her name is Shurei Hong. The family name "Kou" uses two different kanji symbols in Japanese, one red and the other yellow, which explains why two families share the same romanized name. To avoid confusion, "Hong" was assigned to Shurei's family, aligning with the Mandarin Chinese pronunciation. (Source: Wikipedia, Saiunkoku Monogatari Wikia)