Thirteenth year of Taixing, the fifth day of the tenth month.
Left Brave Guard General Yuwen Bo attacked the bandit camp on Longmen Mountain and was soundly defeated.
...
In the early winter season, the fallen leaves were desolate.
The small grove to the west of Huntian Academy mostly had bare branches, with only one red maple tree remaining vibrant.
Tang Xiaobai sat alone on a large rock under the red maple, with a stack of papers on her lap, diligently writing and sketching while muttering to herself: "… a hundred and ten li east to the prefecture… Does the prefecture refer to Zhengping County?… Fen River… Fulong Plain, is it southwest or southeast?"
"Eighteen li southwest of the county."
Tang Xiaobai gathered the papers and pen and jumped up.
In her haste, the pen dropped to the ground, rolled a few times, and gently stopped at a pair of black cloth shoes.
The owner of the shoes bent down, with long, fair fingers slightly curved, picking up her pen.
