The colors of the willow by the palace wall were fresh and new. Icicles hung from the eaves of the Hall of Manifest Virtue in the Crown Prince's Mansion, refracting a thin, cold light in the morning sun. Xiao Jingyan's hand trembled slightly as he held the wolf-hair brush. The ink bled across the rice paper, blurring the characters for "the people are supreme" into a pool of black stains.
"Is the Crown Prince practicing calligraphy again?" A clear, melodious voice came from the covered walkway. Su Wanyue stepped across the threshold carrying a food box. Her moon-white pleated skirt was embroidered with twin lotus flowers, and a silver hairpin was slanted through her hair, making her look even more ethereal than if she wore gold and jade. She placed the warm almond milk on the desk, her gaze sweeping over the ruined paper. "The Grand Tutor said just the day before yesterday that Your Highness's handwriting ought to have more backbone."
A tight knot formed in Xiao Jingyan's throat, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the brush. Seven days ago, the Grand Tutor had held this very pen to affix his final stroke to a memorial impeaching a powerful minister. Now that memorial had become a death warrant; the Grand Tutor's corpse had been dumped on Zhuque Avenue yesterday, the deep rope burns around his neck testifying to a harrowing end.
Chapter 216