The night wind was biting. It swept through the window, carrying the chill of early winter into the hall and making the candle flames sway wildly. Jolted by the cold, Emperor Chen's drowsy mind cleared at once.
"Where are the new weapons submitted by the Armaments Bureau?"
Zhao Delu hurriedly answered, "Your Majesty, they are temporarily stored in the arsenal at Ritual Harmony Hall."
"Prepare my conveyance to Ritual Harmony Hall." Emperor Chen turned, his gaze as deep as an ancient well beneath the candlelight. "Summon Lu Aping to await my arrival."
"As you command." Zhao Delu withdrew with quick, mincing steps, his shrill voice carrying through the night. "His Majesty proceeds to Ritual Harmony Hall..."
The imperial palanquin arrived quietly, borne by eight eunuchs whose shoulders remained steady and whose steps were even. As Emperor Chen stepped aboard, he glanced back one last time at the mountain of memorials inside Purple Dawn Hall and the cup of tea on his desk, still trailing a thin wisp of steam.
The night was black as ink, the waning moon curved like a hook. The palanquin traveled along the palace paths, crushing the silvery radiance strewn across the ground.
Zhao Delu followed beside it with his head bowed. From the corner of his eye, he saw Emperor Chen's fingers resting on the armrest, tapping the gilded carvings again and again.
The rhythm was steady, yet every tap fell heavily upon everyone's heart.
Cold frost glistened on the glazed tiles of the secluded palace halls. Tree shadows swayed like specters against the palace walls. A few caws from winter crows tore through the night sky, only to be swiftly swallowed by the boundless silence.
Inside Ritual Harmony Hall, the candlelight stretched Emperor Chen's shadow long and slender. He stood before a weapons rack,