The palace's endless rows of bricks and tiles are enough to make your eyes blur, but there's one place you can…
The palace's endless rows of bricks and tiles are enough to make your eyes blur, but there's one place you can recognize by ear alone. If you catch a burst of bright laughter, it's likely the Inner Quarters where the palace women live.
It's a private space, so I didn't go in. I only watched the front courtyard from a distance. It was spacious. A trellis by the window was heavy with blossoms. An unfinished game still sat on the stone table, as if waiting for someone to return and settle the score. A cuju ball rolled by at its own pace, not the least bit worried someone might scoop it up.
They are probably quiet now, absorbed in solemn palace duties, but I can't shake the feeling that the laughter is still in the wind, lingering in this courtyard. When their work is done and they come back, the breeze will surely grow lively again.