The old emperor, his old face flushed, reluctantly handed the hand warmer he'd been clutching all afternoon to the eunuch beside him. He rubbed his hands together, took a deep breath, and, with steady steps, walked onto the Golden Hall.
Only then did Su Juan compose herself and bow along with the other officials.
She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but it seemed like they were kneeling longer than usual this time.
As the end of the year approached, the weather was bitterly cold, and the vast Golden Hall wasn't warm enough with just a dozen or so braziers.
Su Juan, who had always been very afraid of the cold since childhood, quietly placed her reddened hands in front of her to keep warm, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Whew! It's a good thing I wore the warm clothes pre-filled with hot water, otherwise depending on just a few braziers in this weather would be freezing to death."
