In the autumn of the 23rd year of Wanli, the fragrance of osmanthus in Jinan Prefecture is mixed with the earthy smell after the rain.
Li Qinghe stood outside the Gongyuan wall holding the torn letter. The word "Luodi" on the shredded paper was blurred by the rain, like two black tears. This is the third time he has failed the provincial examination. The people around him were crying or laughing, but he only stared at the meandering water traces in the cracks of the bluestone slabs - the water traces flowed in a strange direction, climbing up against the slope.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way, everyone!"
The sound of horse hooves shattered the rain curtain, and a team of black-clothed bodyguards protected the green-covered carriage as it drove through the long street. The curtain of the car was blown up by the wind, and Li Qinghe caught a glimpse of a woman in white sitting in the car. Her side face was like frost and snow, and the scabbard of the sword at her waist was engraved with ripple-like dark patterns. The two people's eyes briefly met in the air, the woman frowned slightly, and then the curtain fell and the car was far away.
"What are you looking at? That's the head escort of Xueyue Escort Bureau!" The old scholar next to him pulled his sleeves, "You can't mess with this aunt. Last month, the bandits in Qinglong Mountain robbed her escort, and the next day there was a layer of ice on the top of the mountain..."
When Li Qinghe returned to the small courtyard in the west of the city in a daze, it was already dark. His father, Li Yan, is still in the government office. This veteran, who has been a secretary for thirty years, has to transcribe the river work documents for his master tonight. Porridge is warming on the stove, and a note is pressed on the bottom of the bowl: "Don't be discouraged by the clear river. The spring has its own eyes, and the road has its own gate."
In the middle of the night, he was awakened by the sound of water.
It wasn't the sound of rain, but the gurgling sound like the echo of a deep well, coming from outside the wall.
