takoekino.pro

That year, spring arrived early in the Forbidden City. The palaces were imbued with the scent of damp earth and old lacquer, and the ponds reflected the faded heavens. The Emperor, whose name has long been forgotten but whose decrees are still preserved in silk scrolls, was receiving a new concubine. She was led into a hall where the walls were painted with cranes and pines, and the floors were as slippery as water beneath one’s feet →