Late afternoon, at the government office.
Magistrate Lu Wen of Hangzhou was drinking tea in a room at the back of the office.
Over the past couple of days, something odd had happened: Mr. Lu's right eyelid kept twitching, intermittently getting better and worse.
According to modern understanding, this is called eyelid spasm, which could have various causes and usually resolves itself after a few days; however, in ancient times, people were more superstitious, believing that "left eye twitches bring wealth, right eye twitches bring disaster," so Mr. Lu had been feeling restless these days, sensing trouble might be coming.
"Sir —" Suddenly, a shout came from outside.
The voice grew louder as it approached, crossing the courtyard swiftly until the caller was nearby.
