A night passed. The snow had finally stopped, but the sky was still gloomy.
The snow on the ground was a good two feet thick, and the roads were deserted.
In weather like this, no one with grain for their next meal would venture outside.
Besides, the circumstances were highly unusual. Everyone had heard the sudden tolling of the Jingyang Bell and the sound of horses' hooves that had galloped through the night.
Under such circumstances, no one dared risk coming out, even though the curfew had been lifted at dawn.
The main streets were thus deserted. Only a few winter crows flapped past, knocking snow from the eaves before vanishing on the wind.
But before the gates of the Imperial Palace, the situation was different.
Carriages and horses thronged the area, and all who arrived were major figures in the Imperial Capital—high-ranking officials from the Six Ministries, or princes and nobles.
