It was raining, the pedestrians on the street went to find shelter, and the tourists from other counties also left reluctantly, leaving Ning Que alone. He stood silently before the painting of the Vermilion Bird.
He opened the big black umbrella, and rain fell on the tight umbrella surface, making a dull sound.
He looked at the Vermilion Bird painting that was gradually getting wet by the rain as he held the umbrella and recalled many things.
There was no need to mention the past. Today, in the Palace, her majesty's shocking half squat salute and General Xu Shi both made him feel troubled. Xu Shi's attitude, especially, made him very uncomfortable.
This kind of discomfort was not anger, but was depression, because he had been a soldier of the Tang military. Like all officers in the City of Wei, Ning Que also treated the general of Tang Dynasty military as an idol. Whenever they mentioned the name of Defender-general of the State, they showed respect.