It was the twelfth day of the eighth month, a date that would soon be etched into the dark annals of the capital’s history.
Ren'an District was a quiet, working-class neighborhood on the southern edge of the city, home to several hundred families of modest means—mostly small-time merchants and craftsmen. Tucked away within this labyrinth of brick and stone was Locust Blossom Alley, the smallest and most obscure lane in the district. It was a place largely forgotten by the rest of the world, save for the few weeks in spring when the locust trees bloomed and locals gathered to harvest the fragrant white petals.
As twilight began to settle, a group of men dressed in the drab livery of household servants came to a halt in front of a non-descript residence deep within the alley. They carried
