[Rarity]

Excellent. Very helpful detail. Here are some follow-ups...

Spoiler:

1. Kouyuu and the emporer seem to accord Shuurei's father with a measure of respect greater than the status that his position confers. I'm sure that's part of the story... But head of the treasury seems like a fairly visible prestigious position that could stand on its own. And it seems like the pay for that position would be handsome.

Shuurei's father as the head archivist seems to fit into the story better. The pay's bad. The status conferred isn't very high. Nobody's supposed to know the head archivist, etc.

3. So Shuurei is surprised that she is accorded the status of high consort right off the bat, as if she's the emporer's favorite concubine? And then she remembers that she is the only consort and hence the high consort by default?

4. So Ran Shuuei is the left general of the guard -- i.e., the lowest ranked of three generals of the guard?