The banqueting tables on the top floor formed a rough semicircle, arranged in traditional kneeling style with low stools in front and a fairly spacious open space in the middle. Under Geng Fu's direction, pretty female attendants led the prominent figures to their seats. Yu Ci took a deep breath, forcing his mind to tear away from the Zhaoshen Bronze Mirror, and swept his gaze across the vast hall, taking in all the people within it.
His first glance landed on Jin Huan. The master of Bai Ri Mansion had not entered Yunzhu Garden earlier; instead, he had been speaking with someone in a corner of the hall. Hearing the banquet music, he walked over, and the person who had just been speaking to him followed closely at his heels, step for step—that was Kuang Yanqi.
Jin Huan still wore his habitual appearance: a dark gold long robe, a jade belt around his waist, and an authority that naturally emanated from his square face. The passive situation of the past few days seemed to have had no impact on him. He strode over, exchanged pleasantries with Xie Yan, and then made a "please" gesture with quite the air of a host.
Everyone immediately took their seats. Xie Yan naturally took the first seat at the head, and Yu Ci sat next to him. This seating arrangement probably made many people unhappy, but no one dared voice any objections. Jin Huan went to sit on the other side, directly opposite the two of them, while Kuang Yanqi had no seat and simply stood behind him, his head lowered and silent.
The various prominent figures were naturally allowed to bring attendants, and Kuang Yanqi also held the errand of "coordinating from the center." As for why it was not Jin Huan's closer