Chapter One: Spring Deepens in Xudu: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss
In the late spring of Jian'an Year Four, the chill had left the wind in Xudu, which now carried the fresh, green scent of the wheat fields beyond the city as it slipped into the rear garden of the prime minister's residence. Beside the path paved with blue-gray stones, several green plum trees were laden with plump fruit, their branches reaching over a stone table. Dappled shadows screened the bronze brazier and two wine cups on the table, leaving them half-lit and half-hidden. Cao Cao wore a plain brocade robe and no crown, his long hair tied back with a jade hairpin. He held a green plum between his fingers but did not eat it, his gaze fixed on the wine bubbling in the bronze brazier. Wisps of steam rose, blurring the expression in his eyes:
