This year's winter arrived particularly early; just in the beginning of October, the sky was already sprinkled with snowflakes, and the cold wind howled, sweeping through the alleys of the Capital, big and small.
The once bustling main street now only left with chilling winds, whining and swirling under the eaves.
Song Wei, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Sacrificial Worship Office who went to suppress the Tongji Association, the son-in-law of Emperor Guangxi's niece, and a legendary man of humble origin who graduated as the third-place scholar and joined the Hanlin Academy, has been killed.
The death of Song Wei once again reshaped the public's perception of the Tongji Association's derangement; even at the foot of the Emperor, everyone shut their doors, daring not to go out, avoiding where possible.
In just a few short days, the Imperial City seemed to be struck by a plague, shrouded in thick fear, lifeless, showing no signs of joy or vigor for the approaching New Year.
