Unknowingly, the sun had already slanted west overhead.
The entire afternoon, Luo Shangyu spent immersed in Lumia’s stories.
“So, you know what to do now, right?”
After finishing the story, Saintess Saint Lumia Kriat asked Luo Shangyu.
“Mm, this time, I’ll take the initiative.” Luo Shangyu’s eyes were full of determination.
“Last time, I wasn’t prepared in my heart, but now, I’m ready!”
“By the way, it’s getting late. Shouldn’t we head back?” Lumia pointed at the darkening sky.
“Let’s just go straight to the banquet hall.” Luo Shangyu stood up, leading Lumia toward Xiande Hall.
***
In an Eastern Palace side hall, after Lysieltine Caroline finished telling her and Lumia’s love story, the little chef Qin Yu was still lost in Lysieltine’s tale.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t space out! Do you know what you’re supposed to do now?” Lysieltine shook Qin Yu’s shoulders as she asked.
“I… I’ll try again!” Qin Yu bit her lip and said softly, “Even if she’s still not ready, I’ll always stay by her side!”
“Hmph!” Lysieltine watched Qin Yu’s reaction, feeling that her and Lumia’s plan had succeeded perfectly.
“Ah!” Qin Yu glanced at the clock in the side hall and cried out in surprise, “Is it this late already?”
The clock pointed to five-thirty; only half an hour remained before the banquet would begin.
“Shall we wait here for them to come back?” Lysieltine asked.
“Let’s go straight to the banquet hall. They’ll probably head there directly as well.”
With that, Qin Yu grabbed Lysieltine’s hand and headed out the door.
***
Leaving the Eastern Palace and passing through the main gate between the Eastern Palace and the imperial palace, Qin Yu led Lysieltine to the square before Xiande Hall, just behind Weiyang Hall.
The construction of Xiande Hall was the same as that of Weiyang Hall, except Weiyang Hall had only one floor while Xiande Hall had two.
Xiande Hall was usually the venue for royal banquets and also the place where the Emperor received vassal envoys or accepted the ministers’ festive greetings.
Compared to Weiyang Hall, which was used for administrative affairs, Xiande Hall primarily showcased the national prestige of the Chengji Empire.
Lysieltine’s Saint Roppu Empire was a staunch ally of the Chengji Empire, and the meeting between Qin Yu and Lysieltine was extremely formal and equal.
That was why this morning’s meeting was held in Weiyang Hall.
But tonight’s banquet was less formal, so it was set in Xiande Hall.
“How did you know Luo Shangyu would come straight here instead of looking for us in the Eastern Palace?” Lysieltine asked curiously as they walked.
“Because…” Qin Yu feigned mystery and paused, “I can feel it.”
“What’s with that mystical talk?” Lysieltine teased.
“Hmph, she and I are connected at heart. I just know she’ll come straight here!”
“Are you two really that in sync?”
“Of course!” Qin Yu answered with great pride.
As they talked, the two had already arrived at the front of Xiande Hall.
Like Weiyang Hall, Xiande Hall was grand and imposing.
High along the outer wall, there was a floating corridor built along the wall, circling the palace—a true ‘corridor embracing the waist of the hall.’
From the midair corridor, two passages led to the pavilions on either side of Xiande Hall.
The two walked to the entrance.
The guards, recognizing Qin Yu’s arrival, quickly bowed in greeting and opened the doors for them.
Qin Yu led Lysieltine inside, stepping over the high threshold and entering the grand hall.
Inside, the lights shone brightly.
Several large tables were arranged in a circle, facing the main doors, with Qin Yu’s seat of honor at the center.
In the middle was a spacious stage for musicians to perform.
Only a few eunuchs and maids bustled about, perfecting the venue’s setup.
“Long live Your Highness!” The eunuchs and maids, upon seeing Qin Yu enter, hurriedly paid their respects.
“That won’t be necessary.” Qin Yu waved her hand, letting them continue their work.
“Let’s go upstairs for a look!” Qin Yu pointed at the second floor of Xiande Hall.
“Sure!” Lysieltine agreed happily.
The second floor of Xiande Hall was not a true upper floor; its middle had a huge rectangular opening, allowing a direct view of the main hall below.
This upper floor was more like a wide corridor, encircling the four sides of Xiande Hall.
Qin Yu and Lysieltine climbed to the second floor and strolled along the corridor.
The walkway was close to Xiande Hall’s ceiling, where one could clearly see the dazzling gold and jade inlaid ceiling studded with pearls, forming constellations and emitting brilliant radiance.
Xiande Hall had no other lighting; the whole palace was illuminated by these bright lamps alone.
As Qin Yu and Lysieltine strolled along the corridor, the shouts of the busy palace staff occasionally echoed up.
“Let’s go outside for a look!” At a door, Qin Yu suggested.
“Sure!” Lysieltine pushed open the door.
The door opened, and cold air rushed into the hall.
Qin Yu sneezed from the chill.
“You really should dress warmly!” Lysieltine straightened her court gown as she spoke.
“I just… just got startled by the cold wind!” Qin Yu tried hard to explain.
Lysieltine shrugged, long since used to Qin Yu’s stubbornness.
The two walked out and stood on the corridor outside the hall’s outer wall.
The setting sun cast its last rays, gilding the golden tiles atop the palace with a layer of radiance.
The cold wind howled through the gaps between the halls, making a low, mournful sound.
“This wind comes from the Cold Plains!” Qin Yu stretched out her hand, feeling the biting chill.
“It wasn’t this cold this morning!” Lysieltine gripped the railing, gazing into the distance.
“Indeed! Winter has arrived so suddenly.” Luo Shangyu’s voice drifted over, growing closer.
“!” Qin Yu turned toward the sound.
Luo Shangyu and Lumia were approaching from the other side of the corridor.
“I brought Lumia to see the scenery,” Luo Shangyu said.
“Mm, I came to show Lysieltine the view as well.”
“You two really are in sync!” Lumia commented.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu’s faces turned slightly red at her words, and the gazes that had just met quickly darted away, both of them turning their faces to the side.
“Hehe~” Lysieltine and Lumia exchanged a smile.
“We should head down now!” Qin Yu coughed lightly and composed herself.
“All right!” Luo Shangyu was the first to respond.
Together, they descended the stairs to the first floor of Xiande Hall.
The eunuchs and maids had already finished setting up the banquet and now stood quietly by the walls.
The group moved to the seats of honor.
There were five seats at the main table: Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu sat on the left, Lysieltine and Lumia on the right, and the center seat was left empty.
“Long live His Majesty!” No sooner had they taken their seats than the eunuchs and maids called out in unison.
Qin Yu turned and saw that her father, Qin Ling, was forcing himself to walk in, supported by a close eunuch, entering Xiande Hall through the rear door.
“Father…” Qin Yu rushed over to help Qin Ling to his seat.
“I’m fine, no need to help me.” Qin Ling waved her off, freeing himself from Qin Yu and the eunuch, and stumbled to his seat on his own.
Once the Emperor was seated, the Grand Herald overseeing the banquet hurried over to report, “All officials have assembled outside the doors.”
“Let them in,” Qin Ling commanded.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
A moment later, the doors of Xiande Hall swung open.
The officials entered the hall in order of rank.
Those in front were, of course, members of the cabinet; behind them were civil officials from the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and other departments, followed by the Vice-Ministers and Ministers of the Six Ministries, then other officials.
The military officers followed, led by the Grand General, then generals of various ranks: Chariot General, Cavalry General, Dragon Rampant General, and so on, in descending order of seniority.
There were also various inspectors working in the capital and heads of the court’s guards.
Everyone took their seats according to their rank: civil officials to the right, military officials to the left; the higher the rank, the closer to the Emperor, the lower the rank, the farther away.
Once all were seated, the Grand Herald handed a speech draft to Qin Ling.
At that moment, the palace’s great clock tolled—six o’clock.
“Silence!” Qin Ling intoned.
Magic amplified Qin Ling’s voice so that, though weak, it rang clear to everyone present.
“Here, I am very pleased to gather with you all…” Qin Ling began the welcome speech.
Qin Yu didn’t listen closely to Qin Ling’s speech; she sat in her seat, lost in thoughts of Lysieltine’s story from that afternoon.
‘Be a little more proactive… But how am I supposed to bring this up…’ Qin Yu sneaked a glance at Luo Shangyu beside her, anxiety filling her heart.
“What’s wrong?” Luo Shangyu noticed Qin Yu’s troubled expression.
“N-no, it’s nothing!” Qin Yu was startled by Luo Shangyu’s question and quickly waved her hands to deny it.
Qin Yu was never good at lying; Luo Shangyu could see right away that she was hiding something.
‘Did I really hurt Qin Yu’s feelings? Does she not want to talk to me anymore?’ Luo Shangyu grew anxious, her heart aching as if a piece was missing, unable to sit still.
‘I have to explain everything clearly!’ Luo Shangyu made up her mind, ‘Tonight is the night!’
The rest of the time was utter torture for Luo Shangyu.
At last, Qin Ling finished her welcome address, and the officials applauded in unison.
Then, the banquet officially began.
To the accompaniment of musicians’ melodies, the dancing girls took to the stage, drawing rounds of applause.
At the table, Lysieltine, Lumia, Qin Yu, Luo Shangyu, and Qin Ling chatted about the future relations between the two countries, raising their cups, the conversation lively and pleasant.
But all the while, Luo Shangyu was preoccupied with how to explain things to Qin Yu that night, appearing somewhat absent-minded.
“Luo Shangyu, are you tired?” Qin Yu asked with concern.
“Huh? No, I just…” Luo Shangyu was caught off guard by the sudden question.
“If you’re tired, we can go back and rest.”
“No need…” Luo Shangyu shook her head.
‘What’s up with Luo Shangyu?’ Qin Yu wondered, ‘Is she unhappy? Is it because I left her alone this afternoon?’
Qin Yu grew a little flustered, worrying that perhaps tonight wasn’t the right time to make a move.
The feast offered every rare delicacy and dish, but with both Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu weighed down by their thoughts, everything tasted like wax in their mouths.
***
The banquet passed in an awkward atmosphere between Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu.
At last, the musicians played the final tune, and the feast drew to its end.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu bid farewell to Qin Ling and walked out of Xiande Hall, shoulder to shoulder, with Lysieltine and Lumia following close behind.
Luo Shangyu hesitantly reached out her hand, and Qin Yu quickly took it, the two sharing warmth against the chill wind.
Behind them, Lysieltine quietly asked Lumia, “All going well?”
Lumia gave a gentle smile and gave Lysieltine a thumbs-up.