The heat began to intensify, and the coolness of early summer mornings was gradually swallowed by the rising sun.
In the wide and narrow corridors of the Imperial Palace, little eunuchs, carrying wooden buckets, busied themselves. They kept pouring freshly drawn, icy well-water over the stone stairways and brick paths, which had been permeated by the heat. The freshly poured water quickly seeped into the parched paths, and a hint of coolness, shining with the morning light, twinkled in the air.
Small-scale renovations and decorations at Xingqing Hall had been gradually underway since last month, as the emperor's illness showed little improvement. Moreover, a sudden rainstorm at the beginning of summer had left Empress Dowager Yan Ping feeling unwell for several days, and even today, she didn't quite feel spirited. Noble Consort Wen wanted to use the Empress Dowager's birthday to uplift the somber mood throughout the Imperial Palace.