Half past the Horse Hour, the Eastern Palace.
Though the Crown Prince had yet to begin his public duties, the architecture of the Eastern Palace was naturally unlike that of an ordinary palace compound.
Its corridors were deep and broad, its eaves swept upward, and golden coiling dragons adorned its vermilion pillars.
Sunlight shone upon them, setting their scales agleam, as though they might soar away into the clouds.
Palace servants stood on either side of the hall doors, heads bowed and eyes lowered, their hands tucked solemnly into their sleeves.
Like figures molded from clay or carved from wood, they even kept their breathing exceedingly faint.
Only the bronze bells beneath the eaves occasionally sounded in the wind, their notes cool and clear.
This was no accident.
The master of the Eastern Palace wished neither to be known nor to remain unknown.
As Wei Nisheng followed the young eunuch through the covered passage, his steps were unhurried, but his eyes had already taken in everything within sight.
There were no idle figures beneath the corridors, no clamor outside the hall.
At this, Wei Zi nodded inwardly, his mind already weighing matters.
When they reached the hall doors, the young eunuch bowed and withdrew, leading him no farther.
Wei Nisheng stopped outside the threshold. Only after straightening his clothes, adjusting his Futou, smoothing his robe, and brushing his sleeves did he step across it.
The hall of the Eastern Palace was pleasantly warm. More than a dozen dishes stood arranged upon a long red sandalwood table, their fragrant steam filling the room.
Mutton-Fat Jade Custard, Honey-Preserved Golden Peach, Golden-Thread Quail Roll.
Imperially Prepared Crab-Stuffed Orange, Jade-Slab-Braised Jiangyao, Snow-Floating Cream Cheese-a lavish array.
Imperial cuisine demanded all five qualities-color, fragrance, flavor, form, and vessel-and was beyond comparison with an