The next day, nearly all the most influential figures of the Rongguo Immortal Estate had gathered in the main hall of Grandmother Jia's rear courtyard residence: Grandmother Jia, Jia She, Lady Xing, Lady Wang, Wang Xifeng, and the others.
It was nearing noon. The sun hung high outside, and the patches of light cast through the carved lattice windows into the hall seemed especially blinding.
But no one had time to pay attention to them.
What was more, Grandmother Jia's courtyard, usually full of laughter and warmth, was now utterly silent, shrouded in a heavy gloom that was almost suffocating.
"..."
Grandmother Jia sat upright in the purple sandalwood armchair inlaid with mother-of-pearl at the center of the room. She clutched the string of white jade prayer beads she never usually let out of her hands so tightly that her knuckles had turned faintly white.
It was plain to see that she was not nearly as calm as she looked.
"..."
Lady Wang sat in the seat just below Grandmother Jia.
Her expression was composed and her posture proper, but for some reason she seemed restless. She kept picking up her teacup and setting it down, then picking it up again. Her gaze also darted toward the doorway from time to time, as if she had something to feel guilty about.
"..."
"..."
The master and mistress of the Rongguo Mansion's main branch—Jia She and his wife, Lady Xing—sat farther away on Grandmother Jia's other side.
Unlike Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang, whose emotions were clearly unsettled, they simply lowered their heads and drank their tea, eyes lowered in studied detachment, as if the matter had nothing to do with them.
"..."
As for Wang Xifeng, she stood with her head bowed slightly behind Lady Wang's side.
Her usual brisk,