Yi Yang rose from his meditation cushion, walked behind the desk, and bent down to open the hidden compartment. He reached inside and felt the letter beneath the paperweight.
The contents had already been written:
"Recent inspections have revealed unusual movements among personnel assigned to certain posts within the prison. Infiltration by outside forces is suspected. Details remain under investigation. This report is submitted for the record."
He had included what needed to be said and left out matters involving himself that would be difficult to explain. Yi Yang rolled the letter tightly, then turned and pushed open the window.
A bamboo pigeon cage hung outside the windowsill, with two gray-feathered messenger pigeons nestled inside.
This was the standard communication tool issued by the Heaven Patrol Office to officials in charge of its various posts, normally used to deliver documents that were not urgent but required a record.
Yi Yang opened the cage and reached in to take one out. It fluttered twice in his palm before he gently held the bases of its wings.
With his other hand, he tied the letter tube to its leg. Once it was secure, he patted the pigeon's head.
"Go."
The pigeon beat its wings and shot out the window. Its gray silhouette traced an arc through the night sky before the ink-black heavens swallowed it.
Yi Yang watched the direction in which it had vanished for two breaths. He had done what he needed to do. What happened after the message arrived was Chen Wuya's concern.
He had only one thing to do-clean up the mess inside the prison before reinforcements arrived.
Yi Yang had just latched the window when a knock came from outside the duty room.
Without pausing, he pulled his official robe off the chair and draped it over