The birthday banquet had ended, but more than half the palace lanterns in Taihe Hall were still lit. The officials filed out of the hall, the sound of their boot soles against the golden bricks gradually fading. Several elderly ministers supported one another down the steps beneath the covered walkway, still remarking on how His Majesty had been in good spirits tonight and had drunk a few extra cups. Qi Xiao had indeed drunk a few extra cups tonight. He had accepted the toasts of officials from across the realm, the grand secretaries, and several elderly hereditary nobles. The wine was Osmanthus Wine specially prepared by the Imperial Kitchen, mellow on the tongue but potent afterward. He sat on the throne watching the officials depart, propping his forehead on one hand and gently rubbing his temple with his fingertips.
The imperial consorts' minds were even busier than the officials'. Consort Xian had played "Boundless Longevity" tonight, taking even greater care with her fingering than during her usual practice. When she finished, she rose and curtsied, her gaze lingering on Qi Xiao's face for two breaths. Qi Xiao had been looking down at his wine cup and had not met her gaze. Consort Jing had presented a string of sandalwood Buddhist beads that she had personally obtained from Great Xiangguo Temple, each bead having passed through her fingers through a hundred recitations of scripture. Qi Xiao had taken them, looked them over, said, "How thoughtful," and set them aside. Jiang Baolin had learned her lesson after her last time attending him at a meal. Tonight, she merely sat in a distant corner in a subdued pale mauve palace gown, without even bringing her zither. Several newly admitted Ladies of Talent were also dressed in dazzling finery, with fashionable silk flowers pinned