Maomao scowled: the western side of the palace grounds was home to many civil officials, while the east was the province of the soldiers. Her father had been assigned to the western office as an act of consideration, to allow him to avoid the soldiers as much as possible, although it hadn’t done him too much good in the long run. And why had he wanted to avoid the soldiers? For the same reason Maomao did. How did he find me already?
