As night deepened, the palace lanterns across the floating islands of Rongguo Immortal Estate lit up one after another. The lights around Grandmother Jia's courtyard shone brightest of all, and the place was especially lively.
That evening, Grandmother Jia had invited the young women and wives of Jia Residence to dine and enjoy themselves at her courtyard under the pretext of a family banquet. After the feast, Grandmother Jia, Lady Wang, Li Wan, and the others had each taken Daiyu aside to chat at length, dropping vague hints and speaking privately with her.
By now, in the great hall of Grandmother Jia's courtyard, everyone had gradually left, until only Daiyu remained.
The maids had long since cleared away the feast and the scattered plates and cups. Only a few spirit lamps carved from solid pieces of mutton-fat jade still cast a warm, gentle glow. The hall had grown empty again. In the gilded immortal-crane incense burner in the corner, thin wisps of blue smoke still curled upward, filling the room with a soothing fragrance.
"..."
For some reason, Daiyu was still sitting alone in the rosewood armchair by the window.
The lively laughter and conversation of the girls at the family banquet still seemed to echo in her ears, but now everyone had left, and she was all alone.
She paid it no mind. Her gaze drifted through the half-drawn beaded curtain to the nearly full moon outside. Her slender fingers kept unconsciously twisting the plain white embroidered handkerchief in her hands, and her knuckles had turned faintly white from the pressure.
Grandmother Jia had taken her hand earlier, and her words still echoed in her ears: "A young lady must find a home sooner or later," and "Your mother and father left too soon. As your grandmother, I must