The beginning of the twenty-third year of Shengping was destined to be a tumultuous autumn. From the start of the printing, the stone bricks in front of the Meridian Gate were stained with a new layer of fresh blood, the smell lingering and unresolved. Many families who were reveling in grand feasting today had their homes invaded and confiscated by the Imperial Army by tomorrow, their mansions collapsing in an instant.
In the capital, a tense yet slightly panicked atmosphere pervaded, prompting many nobles to consciously restrain their idle children, reducing unnecessary entertainments, keeping a low profile to avoid offending the Emperor.
The Xia family, in particular, wished to shrink themselves like a trembling quail, daring not to make a commotion.
