Sea spray, heavy with salt, surged into the ship’s cabin. Shen Xitang tapped her knuckles against a brass compass, listening to the subtle clicking of its gears.
The morning mist on the Canal had yet to dissipate as the Transport Gang’s cargo ships slowly entered the dock along the newly built stone locks. She pried open a hidden compartment in the cabin; the "Records of River Defense," retrieved from the Ministry of Works warehouse the previous day, lay quietly in a pine box. The wax seal on the spine still glowed with a dark red cinnabar hue.
"Mistress, Master Xiao has arrived." Old Qin, a shop hand, tapped three times outside the cabin, his footsteps heavy with moisture as he approached.
Chapter 68