When the morning sun was still low in the sky, from the royal palace, as per tradition the mourning bell rung again, seven times, loud and resonant, echoing throughout Taiyuan, the Imperial capital, and millions souls were mourning.
The old reign of Emperor Sogo of Akishino had ended.
The court had finished preparations for the memorial ceremony. The eunuchs and maids wrapped all the living quarters with white silk cloth. And the majestic casket was covered with carved and painted golden dragons. The coffin was so big, it would be borne on the shoulders of one hundred and twenty men.
