After His Majesty the Emperor made a brief appearance and delivered a speech, the grand birthday banquet officially began.
The music and dancing started, and the sounds of flutes and strings filled the air.
The banquet hall was abuzz with clinking cups. Nobles dressed in finery moved among the guests, exchanging favors and bargaining chips that only those in their circle could understand.
Just as Gu Yuejin and Meng Hongchen returned to the hall from the corridor and were about to find a quiet corner, a middle-aged man in a dark red palace guard uniform appeared silently before them.
He bowed slightly, his manner respectful, but his eyes gleamed with an undeniable sharpness.
"Master Gu Yue, His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence for a private conversation in the side hall."
He offered no further explanation and left Gu Yuejin no room to refuse.
This was an invitation from the Imperial Power—and an order.
Meng Hongchen anxiously gripped Gu Yuejin's sleeve, but he only patted the back of her hand and gave her a reassuring look.
"I'll be right back."
Then he straightened his collar and followed the attendant through the splendid corridor, its floor covered in expensive carpets, to a quiet and elegant side hall behind the main hall.
The moment he stepped inside, the clamor outside was shut away by the heavy redwood doors.
The hall was furnished in an antique style. Priceless curios lined the display shelves, and premium incense burned in a purple-gold censer. Wisps of smoke curled upward, soothing the mind almost of their own accord.
Crown Prince Xu Tianran sat at the head of the room, his Soul Tool Wheelchair concealed beneath a specially made cushion.
He held a cup of hot tea, his expression gentle and his bearing refined, like a modest