The torrential rain in the Capital had just ceased, leaving the air heavy with the pungent smell of damp earth and decay. Puddles mirrored fragments of shattered clouds, and street lanterns swayed in the wind, casting hazy pools of blood-red light. Shen Mingyue stood by the second-floor window of the inn, gazing at the hurried pedestrians on the street below. Water droplets dripped from the eaves, striking the bluestone pavement and kicking up splashes that mirrored her chaotic state of mind. The window lattice was swollen from the rain, and dark brown water stains seeped through the wood grain like tear stains of time. From the distant bell and drum tower came the muffled sound of the night watch drum, each beat striking straight to her heart.
Gu Jinghong leaned against the edge of the bed, cold sweat still clinging to his pale face. Though he could barely manage to stand, he remained utterly weak. His hand shook slightly as he gripped a wolf-hair brush, copying military treatises in an attempt to devise strategies for the impending crisis. The handwriting on the Xuan paper was crooked, the ink bleeding like un-dried tears. Hearing the movement, he raised his head, his gaze falling upon Shen Mingyue, filled with worry. "Yue'er, you have secluded yourself for three days. If you do not show your face now, I fear those rumors will only grow fiercer." Mid-sentence, he broke into a violent fit of coughing, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. A few spots of dark red blood sta…
Chapter 133