Chu Tianyin welcomed him into the front courtyard, treating Shen Yangge with genuine hospitality, gentle and courteous.
Once inside, Shen Yangge gave the courtyard a cursory glance and discovered that quite a few others were present, all dressed in elaborate robes and headdresses.
Even through his veiled hat, he could feel them studying him like an animal on display. Anyone else would have lost their patience by now, but Shen Yangge had weathered all manner of upheavals. He needed only to steady his mind and quiet his thoughts to remain unaffected by those around him.
Chu Tianyin seated him immediately to the right of the seat of honor, with no one between them. The others grew even more brazen in their scrutiny.
Jia Zhengyuan had not expected Chu Tianyin to treat Shen Yangge as an honored guest. Still, slow-witted though he was, he managed to suppress his doubts on such an occasion and took the first seat on Chu Tianyin's left.
Once Jia Zhengyuan sat down, many of those gazes shifted to him.
With everyone present, the banquet began.
The dancing girls were skilled in both song and dance, their eyes alluring and their figures slender, stirring an unbearable itch in many of the guests. A few of the bolder men simply caught a dancer around the waist, pulled her into their arms, and kissed her without restraint.
Those nearby cast mocking glances at them and moved farther away, unwilling to associate with such behavior.
Shen Yangge neither ate nor drank. He sat in his seat like a statue.
"I thank you all for coming."
"To have your esteem is the greatest honor of my life."
Well, his opening words had put everyone present on a pedestal. Everyone liked flattery, especially when most of those present were treacherous ministers and