Wanglu Ward
It was deep into the night. There were almost no pedestrians on the streets. Even the toll gate guards had put on rain capes and sheltered in nearby posts, only occasionally glancing outside.
Even though the drizzle had temporarily ceased, revealing a somewhat gray and murky sky, it no longer possessed its usual clarity. The light of the stars and moon was thinner than before, while dark clouds seemed to be gathering in the distance. Before long, rain would likely fall again.
A stifling atmosphere shrouded the entire Capital City, and the weather was not unrelated to it.
On Green Bamboo Alley along the eastern side of Wanglu Ward stood faint glimpses of green-tiled roofs and whitewashed walls. Several civil officials of the court lived there. Land in this alley was not cheap; anyone able to buy a house and settle here was an official of Fourth Rank or above.
Such officials usually had no shortage of carriages and horses parked before their gates, yet today, not only here but elsewhere as well, everything was quiet.
The occasional residence held a nighttime banquet, yet there was no singing or dancing. They merely listened to singing girls croon in soft, winding voices. It seemed that anyone with even a little influence had caught the scent of an approaching storm. Even those who usually loved gathering friends and calling companions chose to keep a low profile for the moment.
"Creak—"
At the end of Green Bamboo Alley, the tightly shut gates of a residence opened from within, and two men emerged one after the other.
Several attendants dressed in blue followed them out. Other than the sound of footsteps, no one spoke.
No one saw them off either. Yet if one looked behind the two men, one could see a