In the back garden of the Banan Prefecture City yamen, wintersweet blossoms bloomed bravely against the bitter cold. Hua Wujiu leaned obliquely on a sandalwood couch, his copy of the *Classic of Waterways* opened to the chapter on the "Waterways of Bazhou," yet his brows were tightly furrowed by the official documents on his desk. A pageboy quietly stepped forward to refill a cup of Yunwu tea, the billowing steam blurring the icicles hanging from the eaves.
"My Lord, Defense Commander Xia of Panhua County and Zhao Henian request an audience," the gatekeeper reported, bowing as he presented their calling cards with both hands.
Hua Wujiu’s fingertips paused. He closed the book, stood up to take the cards, and leaned in to inspect them closely before speaking. "It really is Xia Huai'an, the author of *Sympathy for the Farmers*, along with Elder Libationer Zhao. How on earth did they manage to find me?"
Chapter 109