@sljzz haha its okay, I love sharing tidbits of the world the haven’t made it into the game yet/I myself haven’t thought through and can address henceforth so constructive questions are always welcome!
Yes, the intelligence competition was Fang Yun’s idea to deter suitors (and it was through this that she drew the Emperor’s attention) with the additional benefit of exhibiting the intellect she’s so proud of. However, she does not actually expect superior intellect of a MC who wishes to marry her - that depends on other factors, mostly r/s in general which can be earned from high intelligence stat but that’s only 1 out of a few options. Although that being said at the beginning of the game Fang Yun does not have any plans to get married; throughout the game MC can persuade her otherwise, although certain choices late in the game may permanently lock her from a marriage to MC (this applies to all other major characters as well).
For some stats (especially combat, persuasion and magic) I am considering sub-categories, some of which r alr evident in the Trial choices. However because I’m finding it difficult to create an equal number of sub categories for stats like religion and intelligence I may scrap the idea. This is probably why all definitions of intelligence seem vague for now - although Fang Yun herself definitely prefers both in a package bc both apply to her, lol.
Yes, of course you will be able to make her your ally - or vice versa lol its debatable - without romancing her! That is one of the key tenets (?) of her personality that I had in mind when I crafted her character. On the scale w other major characters she’d be the most “ice-queen”, and I hate the idea that she’d only work with u if she’s been “melted by love”. There is even be the option to romance her while maintaining a barb tongued kinda rivalry with her. In the next update, if you choose to carriage-ride w Fang Yun, there will be some insight into her political views and strategies, so I won’t spoil that now. Throughout the next chapters you can either choose to work with or against her politically.
As will be explored further next update with the right choices, the court is currently in a rather triangular power balance. Not everyone supports the Crown Prince’s faction, and when he publicly begged permission to go to the borderlands w the army before the court to the Emperor, he was forced into agreeing both for his usually impartial reputation and bc of politicking by the other two factions. And there’s always the excuse of the trueborn MC still being around… Still this was viewed as a shocking event shrouded in mystery (that you can unveil throughout the game) bc the Crown Prince was set for a safe(r) and smoother career in court paved by his faction as already hinted in-game. Btw, the actual age of adulthood ceremony is 14 in-game as hinted in the prologue w Chen Kun (as young boys and girls were presented as ripe for marriage back in ancient china at 15? 及笄/束髮) but bc of dramatic plot purposes the age royals are presented to the realm is 18 (and they get to express themselves instead of being instructed by elders w greater free will at this age) for their coronation ceremony.
I actuallt think 14 was a p common age for boys to join the army back in the ancient world(? Although fair warning, my knowledge of the military at any period is shaky at best) although of course even w his status making him general immediately would’ve been both social and literal suicide. Long Qing is no prodigy as for example Fang Yun is, but he is has a p successful military career so far bc he does treat soldiers well (a fact exacerbated by his high birth to commoner soldiers) + bc of his status the best soldiers and advisors gather in his camp and help him secure victories. In my mind he probablt started as a squiring kinda role to a trusted military officer in his political faction and gradually was given opportunities to work his way up swiftly through the ranks, although I probablt won’t explore this much other than in brief flashbacks bc im rly not th best person to write military fiction.
The conflict in the borderlands is a nod to the ongoing skirmishes throughout dynasties by the Mongolians on Ancient China in history, the xiongnu and nuzhenzu etc, w all the historical connotations thereof. While being a reminder to the court to keep the army strong enough to deter an actual invasion, it also serves as an excuse for the bulk of the army to be kept safely away at the borderlands against rebellion. Its a delicate balancing act, and it technically could play a role late in the game, but currently it’s just a historical reference and I’ve no solid plans for that. The foreigners mentioned refer to the fictional counterparts of other great ancient civilizations that in this timeline exist in overlapping time periods bc ~magic~ and ~fantasy~ lol (it’s bc I love ancient history too much), namely the ones hinted in the ethnicity choosing. As mentioned above bc of recent rapid advancements in magic tech, portal magic has become a common privilege of aristocrats, some of whom have married/married into these foreign civilizations to maintain political balance (I think there’s a more detailed ver somewhere above in the thread) As for treatment, the realm is split on it. Cross marriage has become prevalent enough among aristocrats that even the traditionalist Emperor has taken foreign nobles for concubines (the chief of which can either be the Empress or Imperial Consort Nefertari/Yi acc to MC’s ethnicity), but some remain vehemently anti-miscegenistic. This is another plot point that ties in w the Uprising’s cause as can be read in a post above.
Yes LmAo I didn’t think of it that way, but yes. Hey at least MC is old enough to consciously decide their choices with knowledge of the consequences!
You will mostly have choices to build up your own support base compared to Long Qing’s (bc solely smearing your opponent can’t take you all the way man) but for certain political factions you will have the chance to sabotage Long Qing. Whether he attempts the same is dependent on your choices, mostly your general r/s, but w some… Spoilery exceptions.
About world building… I personally dislike long chunks of expository text which can really put me off playing/reading completely bc I prefer to experience elements of the world rather than reading a history book in the middle of a fiction lol. But I’ll consider an optional lore dump like you suggested if others express interest - however it’ll probablt be added in after I’ve written the entire game to avoid retcons or spoilers.
Hehe, definitely some of the events and names etc r inspired by mythological/historical things, although I can’t rmb all of them now… Feel free to ask about any suspicions tho haha.
accepts cake 
I’m glad you like it so far!
Tbh I wouldn’t mind having princess as my gender lol, but I see your point. This originated bc I didn’t want a cluttered stat chart lol.
Thanks for the long review! 
