Yin time, the fifth watch of the night.
Before dawn on a winter's day, the sky grew even darker,
the snow fell more intensely, the cold pierced to the bone.
On the long pathway outside the Qian Imperial Palace, the torches of the guards flickered, and the footsteps of the eunuchs within the palace were hurried.
Inside a warm pavilion outside the palace, three people sat in silence.
A man wore bright armor and had a robust build.
A middle-aged man wore a black official's robe and was draped in a silver fox fur.
There was also an elder in a brocade robe, his face was pale without a beard.
They were Wu Sheng, the Capital City Patrol Commander, Qiu Shixian, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Eunuch Wang, the Director of the Astronomical Bureau.
For these three to wait overnight outside the palace, undoubtedly something significant had occurred.
Soon, an old eunuch walked into the hall, filled with the chill, and patted the snow off his shoulders.
