Hua Yan came back very soon, bringing with her a pair of kingfishers.
Yun Chi heard footsteps and peered out the window. In the misty drizzle, she was holding a green bamboo umbrella in one hand and carrying a birdcage in the other, with two kingfishers inside, all bright emerald green, very striking to the eye. He slightly raised his eyebrows, thinking to himself that when she said she'd step out for a moment, she meant to go and get a pair of kingfishers.
Ascending the steps at a leisurely pace, Hua Yan closed her umbrella and entered the room with the birdcage. Seeing Yun Chi seated at the desk surrounded by stacks of letters and petitions, she asked with a smile, "How many letters did the Emperor send today?"
"Three," Yun Chi said.
Hua Yan laughed, "It seems the Emperor is getting impatient."
