In the Yuande era, strange celestial omens appeared. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau reported them to the emperor, who grew uneasy and dispatched Zongzheng Rongying, the Minister of Justice known as the Iron-Faced Yama, to inspect the thirteen provinces with the Dragon Tally in hand. There he encountered Zhuohua, a princess of the Baidi people who had fled her homeland.
That year, they met just once, and left each other with wounds scattered everywhere.
“Your eyes are beautiful, sir. There’s no wind, no moon, no stars, and no me.”
