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.

• Ma Pingshan's SealA seal with its inscription scraped away. One of the things the enemy left behind for Ma Pingshan. At first he took it for a clue meant to lead him…
• Sang Yu's Disciple TokenDragonbend Academy Disciple Token It also serves as a fire striker and a seal. The carving at the base appears to be the owner's name. It reads: Sang…
• Blurred NoteA notebook soaked through with blood and rain. He clutched it tight against his chest. To him, perhaps, it was dearer than life itself. The writing…
• Yunniang's LetterTo my husband, Qian Duo, It is I, Yunniang. The days have turned colder of late, and snow has begun to gather in the courtyard. I do not know whether…
• Sui Ying's Disciple TokenDragonbend Academy Disciple Token It also serves as a fire striker and seal. The carving at the base appears to be the owner's name. It reads: Sui…
• A splintered long spear, its notched spearhead stained…A splintered long spear, its notched spearhead stained with the dark crust of dried blood.
• Yangyang CakeLittle Radish's favorite treat. Little Radish always lights up at the sight of a Yangyang Cake. Everyone at the academy knows it.
• Blessing Bell CordA crimson blessing bell cord with golden bells at each end. The ribbon bears the inscription: "Success in the Imperial Exams."
• Letter to Ding XiaoMeng KuanDing Xiao, This venture into the Central Army Camp to steal military supplies is no small matter. Your life may well hang upon it. Though you have…
• Diary 1Du Qiyin sought out his uncle Du Chongwei as kin, yet never won his favor. Living in the shadow of his uncle's name, he gave himself over to revelry…
• Diary 2Du Qiyin was placed in charge of the military storeroom by his uncle, and so became entangled in Du Chongwei's dealings with outsiders. It was a…
• Diary 3Du Qiyin caught Li Huiwu in secret correspondence and, through it, learned a shocking secret concerning the Marshal. So stunned was he that he could…
• Diary 4Du Qiyin discovered that a trusted retainer sent by Du Chongwei was in secret correspondence with a shaven-headed man. Du Chongwei then learned what…
• Family Letter IFather, It has been two years since I marched north with the army. All is well with me. I only do not know whether your health is sound, and whether…
• Family Letter II(The letter bears scorch marks along the edges.) At Jin'an Fort, we met the Khitans in battle and suffered a crushing defeat. General Zhao…
• The Cruel NightThe first watch has begun. Old Sun is on the clapper tonight. I can tell. His clapper sounds lighter than other men's, light and faintly trembling…
• Northern Vow's BannerIn the end, the debt was never settled. Pity my benefactor... and the savings I managed to scrape together over half a lifetime. Should fate still…
• Letter to Qian ChuanQian DuoduoBy the time I hid away this silver, you had already been with me for years. I watched you grow from a tiny little thing into a fine young man taller…
• Ding Xiang... After receiving the casket, the General ordered the matter concealed... As for going into battle, I fear he no longer cares for his own life…
• Family Letter III(The letter bears scorch marks along the edges, and the hand grows more and more unsteady as it goes on.) ...By nightfall, the Khitans began taking…
• Yueniang's NotesFirst Page Husband gone two years. Now know some words. Write this. Second Page Today learned "home, safe, Yue, Xia, return"... Home safe. You well?…
• Unsent Letter1. To Qiuniang Master He is teaching me to write. I did not want to learn. He said learning a few characters would be useful, said then I could write…
• Essential Farming Arts (Annotated)Autumn seed. Gather when dry. Keep high. Keep from damp... Joint note after Sang Yu sought instruction: Seed gathered in winter should likewise be…
• Thousand-Character ClassicA much-thumbed copy of the Thousand-Character Classic, its edges frayed from turning. Cold comes, heat goes. Harvest in autumn, store in winter…
• Shao Ji's ManuscriptA grappling mechanism improved by Shao Ji, meant for use with the Mohist Chain Box. Once loosed, it serves for climbing and crossing, forging paths…
• Little Red ScrollQuestion 1: How did I manage to get picked exactly zero times in the Autumn Selection? Ever since I heard Baoci Palace was running a "Laughter…
• Record of Street Flavors1. Lin'an Specialty: Crab-Stuffed Orange Ingredients: Roe-rich female crab in season, ideally from Taihu; deep-golden orange with the stem cap still…
• Floriculture MiscellaneaThe flowers in the palace are exceedingly delicate and have to be tended every day. Watering, picking off insects, and keeping them warm...not one of…
• Thunder in the Imperial GardenThunderclap Society is the palace's cricket-fighting club. We have put our notes and hard-won tricks into this booklet for fellow enthusiasts. This…
• World in HandDo you often feel dizzy and drained? Do you freeze up the moment a dispute starts? Everyone talks about sabers and swords, but few understand what a…
• Night-shift Log of the Imperial ServiceI Mao hour today: Qian Yiguan: late once. Total this ten-day period: 1. Recorded. Liu Shisan: late once. Total this ten-day period: 3. Recorded. A…
• Bamboos in the WindIt was a dark, blustery night. That is how this account ought to begin. But the Imperial Archives has a proud tradition: the day shift shows up at…
• Notes on Seeking SourcesFirst Month, Day 1 Another year has gone by, and my post is as still as a well with no ripples. New year, new prospects. This year, I must find a way…
• Large Plate of CatnipWord had it that the Kaifeng Prefect would be staying in the palace for a meal today, and at last Chef Wu of the Culinary Office could breathe a…
• Retained Officials' Deeds: Lyu CongshanRecorded by: Ding Xiaoliu Subject: Lyu Congshan, Deputy Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial Reason: A holdover from the previous dynasty. Watch…
• Postnatal Care for Hens[Preface] For us chicken keepers, a hen is like one of our own kids. Of course she deserves proper care. So I went and asked Scholar Li, the most…
• Puppeteer Peddler's Investment ProposalPuppeteer Peddler. Just as the name says, a peddler made of wood. No food, no sleep, no wages. Set it down and it sells on its own. The dream of…
• Diary Fragment IOnly a few lines remain legible on the torn page: Sixth day of the twelfth month, morning ...only a letter arrived, saying the fighting was dire…
• Diary Fragment IIOnly a few lines remain legible on the torn page: Sixth day of the twelfth month, noon The northern raiders burned and plundered their way onward…
• Diary Fragment IIIOnly a few lines remain legible on the torn page: Tenth day of the twelfth month, noon The northern raiders poisoned the water, then loosed toxic…
• Travels Beyond VII15th Day of the First Month, 933 CE I reached Mengjin in Luoyang and there watched fish leap the Dragon Gate. Master Feng said, "The Dragon Gate…
• Letter to Ding XiaoMeng KuanDing Xiao, This venture into the Central Army Camp to steal military supplies is no small matter. Your life may well hang upon it. Though you have…
• Du Qiyin's Notes I21st Day of the Eleventh Month, 946 CE Today I went once again to Uncle's command tent to pay my respects, and once again he treated me with the same…
• Du Qiyin's Notes II2nd Day of the Twelfth Month, 946 CE Today calls for a drink! Ding Xiao has been away these past few days. If he knew that I had won Uncle's favor…
• Du Qiyin's Notes III3rd Day of the Twelfth Month, 946 CE Ever since I won Uncle's favor, even the camp louts have begun to show me some respect. Even Li Huiwu, who…
• Du Qiyin's Notes IV4th Day of the Twelfth Month, 946 CE The key, the key to the storeroom, where has it gone? It was still at my waist yesterday. Where did I drop it?…
• Gilded LamentZuo FenBorn behind a humble gate of reeds, obscure and poor, I never learned the written word in full. No wondrous form of painting met my eye, Nor ever…
• 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…