It was autumn in the fifth year of the Qing calendar. The young eunuch Hong Zhu was holding onto a thick collection of documents. Struggling with the amount, his back hunched, he ran into the room of the western corner. His little feet dashed along the puddles of the soaked floor with no hesitation. The length of his robe had already been lifted and tied higher for greater mobility and to reduce the chance of tripping. His right hand atop the documents, he used the wide sleeves to umbrella the parchments he was delivering, for he was afraid that the grey skies could at any moment part and make way for another downpour.
He stepped through the door and handed over his regulation papers, and then performed a register check with the other eunuchs that had gathered there. Hong Zhu was relaxed and after carefully signing the documents, gave them over, too.
