Unbeknownst to Shūrei, Kurō comes to the capital to extend the full protection of the Hong clan when she embarks on the path to become an Imperial official. When Reishin is accused of manipulating the exam results on her behalf, Kurō protests by ordering the Hong work stoppage that brings half of the country to a halt. Kurō also intervenes on Shūrei's behalf when she is appointed as the co-governor of Sa province; the travel pass for the journey bears the clan crest of Kijin Kou, as the minister who issues the pass, but in the special "seven-colored" ink that can only be made by the Hong clan and marks her as a person of importance to them.