Letters & notes

The letters and notes you come across, in full. Find one by who it's to or from, or by a line you remember.

• A Letter Hidden Beneath a Dead TreeThe storehouse has been under inventory these past few days. There are too many eyes on it now, and the time is not yet ripe. Wait quietly for…
• Old LetterYour younger brother, WenboTong, The boy has a gift. That ear for music is something heaven gave him, and not something he can train himself into otherwise. He is frail and…
• Han Wei A condemned manI am the last servant of the fallen Zhou, orphan of the House of Han. Ten years I spent in shadows, spying for a kingdom already dead. I called that…
• Exhortation to Well of Heaven HeroesWith utmost respect, Your guilty disciple, Wang QingTo the heroes of Well of Heaven, I have heard that three hundred disciples are making for Zhongdu Bridge, and I am ashamed beyond words. Bearing the…
• Thanks to Well of Heaven HeroesWith utmost respect, Your guilty disciple, Wang QingTo the heroes of Well of Heaven, I have heard that three hundred disciples are making for Zhongdu Bridge, and I am ashamed beyond words. Bearing the…
• Northern Vow MessageDing XiangThe Beacon Fort has fallen into disorder, and the situation has taken a strange turn. All who could be deployed have already been sent to the front…
• Zhao Tie's RequestWith deepest respect, Zhao TieTo General Wang, I, Zhao Tie, a commoner of Luancheng, take the liberty of writing to you, for I have one humble request. My son Buyi is twelve this…
• Ding Xiang's Letter to Gu PanDing Xiang Winter, Third Year of KaiyunSister Gu Pan, I trust you have been well since we last parted? I have so much fresh gossip bottled up here that I am nearly fit to burst. In the…
• Letter from Spring and Autumn HallShen HanyingInventory completed. Three hundred Mo Blades are missing from the storehouse. Shen Jifang, you have grown capable indeed. Kneeling to beg…
• Jin Army Secret Order29th Day of the Eleventh Month, 946 CE Central Command Tent, North CampGeneral Du Chongwei's Order To all troops under General Du stationed along the Hutuo: If Khitan cavalry are seen taking the side route across the…
• Urgent Letter to Xue LinPei Fan of Silver NeedleTo my friend Xue Lin, An urgent message has come from the Sect Master, bearing word that the fighting around the Hutuo River has grown dire. The dead…
• Drifter Settlement Supply ListQian Duoduo of Northern VowRules for Contributions: Nothing will be taken from households with the old, the weak, or young children to care for. Nothing will be taken from…
• Qian Duoduo's MessageQian DuoduoNo knowing whose hands this letter will end up in. That little brat Ding Xiang's? Or Xiaotang's, that henpecked fool's? Did not see this coming, did…
• Letter to Little HeroMotherMy child, My little hero, before long you will be setting out on an adventure of your own. You will cross mountain after mountain, ford river after…
• Prescriptions for Blood Tonic and Throat ReliefBoth sides are densely covered in writing. On the reverse, a prescription faintly shows the words "Burdock Seed".
• Biography of Supervisor Lu YaoLu Yao, a man of Hedong. His family had tilled the soil for generations. In the second year of Kaiping, he joined the army on campaign. Over…
• Secret Letter 1The Southern Tang naval commander has been reinforcing river defenses in secret. Iron chains have been laid beneath the water to block passage. I am…
• Secret Letter 2It is said that the Southern Tang is forging a new weapon, the Fierce-fire Oil Device, which spews fire and is meant especially for warfare on the…
• Handwritten NoteLiang GuAn elephant has lately been seen in the fields beyond the capital. By all rights, such a sight should be taken as auspicious. As the White Tiger…
• Note by the Vases1.Yuhuchun Vase: First cabinet from the right, first column, fourth shelf. 2.White Jade Brush Holder: Second cabinet from the right, first column…
• An IOUDebtor: Li XiaToday I took on credit from Wang San one packet of herbs for headache and chills, consisting of three qian of Chuanxiong, two qian of Jing Jie, and…
• Mad Wei's Torn PagePage One Grain levy at Zhao Hamlet. Took half a jin of cured meat and two hundred copper coins. The householder had hidden grain in the cellar. Dug…
• An Old FluteHan Tong had a fiery temper, yet his son turned out to be a hunchback. He could not carry a load. He could barely lift a thing. He could not draw a…
• Palace Architectural PlanA detailed set of architectural plans for the palace and the capital. Beneath them lies an unfinished memorial to the throne. From your servant Han…
• A Pigeon PostShouliangFATHER! Zhao Kuangyin has turned!! Run! Do NOT make a stand!
• Memorial on Land Reclamation and HusbandrySince the late Tang, war and disorder have followed one upon another. To fill the coffers, taxes grew ever heavier, until those who tilled the land…
• Qian Duoduo's Account ManuscriptAs the year's end draws near, the fighting in the north grows ever more desperate. I fear many in the Northern Vow will not be able to return home…
• Wanted PosterThe Reach Female, appearance unknown. Skilled in Lightness, she often slips into wealthy homes under cover of night. Eccentric by nature, she…
• A record of the wins and losses in…A record of the wins and losses in the bouts between Luo Chengwu and Su Cheng, covered in notes scribbled by Qin Yu and Qin Yuan.
• Memorial on Land Reclamation and HusbandrySince the late Tang, war and disorder have followed one upon another. To fill the coffers, taxes grew ever heavier, until those who tilled the land…
• What is written here records the first spark…What is written here records the first spark of inspiration, the faint outline of a story.
• A brush moved, then stopped. Tangled strokes, half-glimpsed…A brush moved, then stopped. Tangled strokes, half-glimpsed tales, scraps not yet made into anything.
• Each figure's peculiarities, each secret of the palace…Each figure's peculiarities, each secret of the palace. In so vast a palace, all manner of strange things may be found. "Secret Court Chronicles"…
• One Move Short of VictoryThey say defeat comes from being one move short. That missing move is none other than this very move of mine! The older I grow, the less I can rely…
• Letter to Sect Master XieYour disciple, Yi Zixuan, bows in farewell.To the Sect Master, By the time you find this place, I will likely already rest among the mountain stones. Please do not grieve. To take the mountain…
• Scorched LetterTo the Mistress, The Revelry Hall gathering is set for tomorrow. Every minister on the list has received an invitation, and our people are already in…
• Two Carrier-Pigeon MessagesThe first: FATHER! Zhao Kuangyin has turned!! Run! Do NOT make a stand! — Shouliang The second: Kaifeng compromised. Zhao's rebellion imminent…
• Grace Pavilion Obituary NoticeThe Grace Pavilion mourns the loss of its master, Han Wei, taken by sudden illness beyond the reach of medicine. His music endures. From this day…
• Master Pu's FanA folding fan bearing the inscription: "Sincerity moves even metal and stone." It is signed "Pu" in the lower left.
• Protocol for Classified CorrespondenceAll vital correspondence requires the unity of the Two Branches. The listeners are named Sentinels; the receivers,Scribes. Upon securing…
• Elder Peng's MessagePengJunior Brother Crane, (The writing is weak and wavering, as though the writer were badly wounded.) The roster of Mohist Hill and the academy…
• Qin Fen's LetterQin FenWanderer, how have you been lately? I heard from a Mohist disciple that you've been traveling far and wide, opening up new ventures. You must have…
• Grand Artisan Gull's LetterGullTo my young friend, I hope this letter finds you well. Lately, I have heard the disciples chatting among themselves about a generous wanderer at the…
• Money Turns the WheelXiao ShouI heard you've actually built a mechanical puppet! Does it walk steadily? Can it tend the stall and sell goods all on its own? How about I lend a…
• Zhen Gui's LetterZhen GuiDear Wanderer, Qin Fen has been talking about you a lot lately. He says you've been helping him settle the displaced, build houses, and learn all…
• Need assistance?Feng RuzhiZhang Cuo says you're sheltering refugees displaced by the floods at Hidden Mountain and rebuilding their homes. With the new venture only just…
• Shubi PrescriptionShubi Prescription 1 A soothing remedy. Fuling and sour jujube Seed can just barely be made out among the ingredients. The reverse side is blank…
• Huishun PrescriptionA remedy for dispelling cold and relieving pain. The formula is intricate, with several small notes in the margins, most concerning dosage and the…