The Story of the Saiunkoku

Sae Yukino's "The Story of the Saiunkoku" A shojo light novel series that was also adapted into an anime, but it has not been digitized. The author's policy seems to be not to digitize it, as they want to support the publishing industry, including printing companies. It started and concluded with Kadokawa Beans Bunko, and now a new edition is published by Kadokawa Bunko. It's a novel I love for its charming characters and world-building, which incorporates literary elements throughout. For example, there's a setting where the king bestows flowers with heartfelt meaning upon his trusted retainers. Thinking about the flower's language, its alternative names, and the retainer's personality to choose the gift... I was thrilled at the time by such an elegant and interesting concept... The author seems to like flowers, as they often give them symbolic meanings. Names are taken from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin, and I personally liked that, so I was completely hooked. I wonder if it was popular in China too. A long time ago, a girl I met at work was humming the anime theme song "Hajimari no Kaze" from The Story of the Saiunkoku. I also remember writing the character names on a whiteboard. This novel holds many fond memories, as it led me to make several friends. It was the inspiration for me to aspire to become a novelist, and it's also why I came to love the alternative names for flowers, stars, and jewels, among other things.