But this? This required delicate wrist control, perfectly balanced ink-to-water ratios, and constant, agonizing patience.
She pressed the brush to the paper. The ink instantly pooled, creating a massive, ugly black blotch that looked like a squashed spider.
Heena violently crumpled the paper and tossed it onto the floor to join the other five ruined sheets. She had to rewrite a single paragraph five to six times just to make it look somewhat legible, let alone possess the elegant, flowing grace expected of a noblewoman. The sheer inefficiency of the ancient world was driving her insane.
As she slowly ground a fresh stick of ink against the stone, her mind began to race again.
There had to be a way to control the imperial family, right? A lever she could pull? A weakness she could exploit?
But the harsh truth was, there really wasn't. The Emperor had absolute authority, the Empress controlled the inner palace, and the civil scholars controlled the laws.
