The snow in the Forbidden City always fell more heavily than elsewhere. Yellowed paper covered the windows of the Cold Palace, rustling in the wind like the labored breathing of the deposed empress in Jingren Palace as she lay dying. Ruyi wrapped her faded, plain padded jacket more tightly around herself. Her fingertips brushed the frost flowers on the windowsill. The ice crystals stung her skin, clearing her muddled mind a little.
"My lady, have some hot porridge." Suoxin came in carrying a coarse porcelain bowl. Her breath turned white in the cold air, then vanished at once. The scar from the time her wrist had been crushed still remained, and it stiffened whenever she worked. But serving Ruyi had always been a little difficult...
