Shuurei Kou is the daughter and only child of Shouka Kou of the Kou clan, one of the two most powerful clans in Saiunkoku. She is sixteen years old when the story begins. As a descendant of the direct line, she has the title hime, which means &#039;princess&#039; or &#039;lady&#039;. Despite the high social status of her family, Shuurei grew up in relatively impoverished circumstances. Her father&#039;s job brought little income, and much of the wealth of their family home was given to the needy during the devastating fight for the imperial succession eight years ago. There are no servants at the Kou residence, so Shuurei has grown adept at household chores such as needlework, cooking and cleaning, traits unusual in a lady of high social standing. She has also held a number of odd jobs to earn money, acting as a professional erhu player, working as an accountant at Kochou&#039;s brothel in the Red Light District, and serving as a teacher at the local temple.    In the English version, her name is Shurei Hong since Kou is another family name in the series. Kou has two kanji symbols in Japanese, one red the other Yellow, which explains why two families have the same romanised name. To avoid confusion,  &#039;Hong&#039; was given unto Shurei&#039;s family, the same as the Mandarin Chinese reading.    (Source: Wikipedia)

Saiunkoku is a world of eight provinces or houses, each named after a different colour. The new Emperor, Shi Ryuuki, has gained a reputation for being uninterested in courtly matters and for flaunting his love for men. Shuurei, although born of the important Kou family, has difficulty making ends meet. She easily accepts an invitation to be the Emperor's concubine in order to turn him into a good ruler. The mysterious Seiran, a young man who was adopted by her father, goes with her as Ryuuki's bodyguard. Entering the imperial palace revives Shuurei's dream of being a court official, and, together with the many companions she meets along the way, continues moving bravely forward while trying to fend off the Emperor's advances. 
(Source: Anime News Network)

__Height:__ 158 cm

[Profile (Aoni)](https://www.aoni.co.jp/search/kuwashima-houko.html) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/roudokuya_dajai) | [Wiki (en)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houko_Kuwashima) | [Wiki (jp)](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/桑島法子)

Houko Kuwashima is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is capable of playing a variety of roles, ranging from young boys to feminine women. Kuwashima is currently affiliated with Aoni Production. Her first major role was as Yurika Misumaru in Martian Successor Nadesico.

__Non-anime roles:__
- Android 21 - Dragon Ball FighterZ (VG)
- Presea Combatir - Tales of Symphonia (VG)
- Serenica - Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition (VG)
- Kasumi - Dead or Alive series (VG)
- Roselinde Freya - Shining Blade (VG)
- Mei Ling - Metal Gear series (VG)

Shuurei needs to deal with more obstacles in the new series. More danger comes her way but at the same time meeting friends who will help her with her work as an official. 
(Source: Anime News Network)

Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a consort to the emperor to persuade the ne’er-do-well ruler to govern.
 
Shurei enters the palace as Ryuki’s consort, but he has yet to seek her out. It is rumored that men, not women, share the emperor’s bedchamber. Shurei must think of a way to stop the emperor from shirking his responsibilities, but she has to find him first!
 
(Source: Viz Media)

The story, which takes place in the fictional medieval empire of Saiunkoku, follows the adventures of Shuurei Kou, a descendant of a noble family that has fallen on hard times. 
Her father works as a librarian in the Imperial palace, a post which offers prestige and respect, but little compensation. Shuurei teaches in the temple school and works odd jobs to make ends meet, but her dream is to pass the imperial examinations and take a post in government, a path forbidden to women. 
Shuurei's plans come to an abrupt halt when the Emperor's Grand Advisor makes a startling offer, which is joining the imperial household for six months as the young Emperor's consort, and teach the Emperor to be a responsible ruler. If she succeeds, the financial reward will be great. 
The story details Shuurei's growing relationships with the Emperor and other members of the court, the intrigues that surround imperial politics, and her commitment to better herself and her country. 
Note: This entry consists of 18 regular volumes, 4 volumes consisting of side stories, and a single volume consisting of short stories.