The palace roof was lined with colorful ceramic tiles. Auspicious beast statues perched atop the four black cornices, head raised at the vast galaxy.
The weather was colder as the empire was swept into autumn.
Voluminous dark clouds gathered in the night sky as if the first snow of late autumn was brewing within. The clouds looked so heavy that they threatened to weigh down on Earth, suffocating the people.
In the green-tiled ring at the center of the White Jade Square, there was a tiny figure in a green robe. The figure was minuscule in comparison to the enormous palace.
Fang Lang held the Obsidian Sword, a warm smile on his face. His green robes fluttered, eliciting the sounds of a flag in the high winds.
The entire White Jade Square was silent.
The same silence extended to the crowd on both sides of the imperial pathway beyond the Vermillion Bird Gate.
The crowd stood gaping, stunned by what they had just witnessed.