Rain drummed against the dark tiles of Ministry Lane, casting gray shadows across the damp cobblestones behind the sprawling government compounds. The newly renovated tea house stood proudly with freshly painted red pillars and a polished cedar sign hanging above the doorway bearing the golden characters of The Gilded Lily. Inside the front hall, the air smelled of roasted tea leaves, sweet pastry dough, and cheap grain wine. Low ranking scribes, junior clerks from the archives, and disaffected palace guards sought refuge from the afternoon downpour, crowding around simple wooden tables to warm their hands on clay mugs.
Behind the polished front counter stood Han Ping, completely transformed into the capital legend known as the Golden Toad. Heavy silver chains clinked against his thick ch
