On a midsummer afternoon, the scorching sun beat down on the golden tiles of the Imperial Palace, and waves of heat washed over the air.
Fu Yingzhi stepped across the scalding white marble stairs before Yangxin Hall, her back already drenched in sweat.
The guards on either side of the palace doors stood as motionless as stone statues, save for the beads of sweat rolling down their temples, which betrayed the torment of the oppressive heat.
Chapter 74