August 27th, light rain, oppressive.
In the Imperial City, this time of year always brings abundant rain—light showers every three days, heavy rain every fortnight. Sometimes the moat can't handle the flow and overflows; every year it's repaired, but the problem never disappears.
At mid-5 a.m., two small palace gates opened, and officials from each Government Office entered in single file. They stepped inside the palace walls to report for duty at their respective offices. Some were young, others old, but all had sharp looks in their eyes; each was deftly skilled, and to serve here, you needed real ability—and more importantly, cunning.
After entering, the various Government Offices were still far ahead; even the nearest took the time it takes to burn a stick of incense by foot. So if you didn't look at the official robes, you could judge rank by whether someone walked or was carried by sedan chair. Only Senior Third Grade Officials and above could ride a chair inside the palace.
