Early that morning, at the Rongguo Immortal Estate, Wang Xifeng was hurrying toward Grandmother Jia's courtyard with her personal maid, Ping'er.
She had no idea what was going on. First thing in the morning, the old lady had sent Yuanyang with a message, saying that she and Lady Wang had something important to discuss with her.
Hearing that the old lady had summoned her—and that Lady Wang was there too—Wang Xifeng, who had gotten up a little late that morning, naturally didn't dare delay.
So she had no time to linger in bed with Jia Lian. She quickly had a few young maids help her dress and wash, then hurried off with her maids toward the cluster of floating islands where Grandmother Jia's rear courtyard was located, without even stopping for breakfast.
Before long, the two arrived at Grandmother Jia's courtyard. Ping'er was no fool; when she saw Yuanyang signal to her, she stayed outside, leaving Wang Xifeng to enter the heated pavilion alone.
The pavilion was burning top-grade silver-thread spirit charcoal, making it as warm as spring and rich with spiritual energy.
The glass in the window lattice softened the morning light to a gentle white. Several plates of delicate pastries sat on the table, and a pot of spirit tea was warming on a red-clay stove. Its fragrant steam mingled with the scent of charcoal, enveloping the room in warmth.
"..."
Grandmother Jia was reclining in a rosewood armchair inlaid with mother-of-pearl and fitted with a soft cushion. A dark blue bolster supported her back, and a low rosewood footstool rested beneath her feet.
As usual, she wore her dark-patterned ochre-gold robe of longevity, which made her well-kept face look even more dignified.
But now, when she looked at Wang Xifeng, her usually kind, smiling eyes held a