Pei Ye paused momentarily when he arrived at the Jingchi, seemingly without realizing it.
This lake, located behind Mingyue Palace and viewed from inside the courtyard walls, revealed an untrimmed corner of the lake shrouded by grey branches. Walking into the area now, Pei Ye only saw Ping Lake's tranquil snow and stout trees towering erect while the ground snow remained untouched by human feet.
Despite being situated within the Imperial Palace, this one of the forgotten eight lakes, even in winter, formed a vast stretch of beautiful ice. Upon stepping onto it, Pei Ye unexpectedly felt as if he stepped back into Kongtong Mountain in [Zhao You].
A fragile figure was half-kneeling on the ice, furiously digging with her head bowed, resembling a dull grey water bird from afar. As Pei Ye approached, the maid was sucking on her bright red, trembling fingers and subsequently drying them inside her bosom before daring to use them again.
