The Linchuan County Yamen Hall.
Attendant Regular Service Zhang Rang sat upright in the seat of honor.
He did not look burly. In fact, his frame seemed rather slight.
Yet his long, jet-black hair draped over his shoulders, and his complexion was ruddy and exceptionally well maintained, without a trace of the pallid, listless appearance common among eunuchs.
Combined with his narrow eyes, this gave him an air of sinister ruthlessness.
Ordinary folk would surely have felt afraid at the sight of him, but everyone present hailed from an aristocratic clan in the Thirteen Prefectures of the Capital. Which of them had not seen the wider world?
Zhang Rang's meager air of authority was not enough to cow them.
Xie Xuan'an sat in the first seat to Zhang Rang's left, his expression calm, as though he cared nothing for the discussion before him.
Today, he wore a plain white brocade robe with a piece of black jade hanging at his waist. Every gesture exuded the reserved nobility unique to the scions of aristocratic clans.
Cui Changfeng sat in the first seat on the right, his hands tucked into his sleeves, following Xie Xuan'an's example and remaining equally silent.
As for the representatives of the other seven aristocratic clans from Capital City, their expressions varied upon hearing Zhang Rang's words.
The third seat on the left was occupied by a middle-aged man with a long beard.
His face carried an air of dignity, and his arms reached past his knees. One glance was enough to tell that he came from an aristocratic clan.
In the fourth seat on the right sat a thin, middle-aged man in a gray brocade robe, a large jade thumb ring on his finger. His eyes were narrowed now, and no one knew what he was thinking.