Bianjing had been bustling beyond belief these past few days!
Firecrackers burst across the sky, and the lanterns stretched like long dragons.
By Great Qi custom, dragon and lion dances filled the city streets day and night in the days before New Year's Eve.
But this year seemed different!
In previous years, there had always been a curfew. This year, the court had lifted it entirely.
The snow from recent days had yet to melt, while lantern festivals and poetry gatherings followed one another in the restaurants.
As the year drew to a close, merchants and travelers returned home. Friends and family celebrated together, guessed lantern riddles, and wandered the night markets.
This capital, the finest city under heaven, shone as bright as day even at night.
Fish and dragons danced through the night!
The fragrance of wine filled Bianjing's closely packed streets.
The grand residences of the Nine Great Surnames hung red lanterns and decked themselves in festive splendor.
Even in the depths of winter, young ladies from great households and handsome Academy students brushed past the food stalls lining Bianjing's streets.
Families of three strolled along with their children.
The crowds flowed like woven threads!
Amid farewells to the old year and welcomes to the new, laughter and celebration rang out everywhere.
But the liveliest place of all was West Wing Tower.
Despite its name, West Wing Tower was not a single building, but the name for Bianjing's western pleasure quarter.
Over time, the name had rolled so easily off the tongues of Bianjing's people that it stuck.
Today, with the Gathering of Beauties Banquet selecting its courtesan queen, countless people were heading there.
The streets leading to West Wing Tower were already packed shoulder to shoulder.
At that moment!
The sun had set, and dusk had fallen.