A Cup of Tea at Dawn’s End

Jinya crouched beside a rain barrel with her sleeves rolled high, studying the steam rising from her tea cup as if it were a map. That gift made her useful in the inner court, where weather meant crops, marching roads, and the day a tribulation might strike. It also made her easy to use, which was worse. When she inherited access to the WeChat group, she found messages hidden inside the palace's old habit of tea exchange, and every name inside it pointed to people above her station. A dead prime minister, a missing seal, and a prince's oath left her with three trails and one dangerous rival. Yuze kept blocking her path, but he also kept bringing her food, clues, and a look she could not quit...