The main hall of the Xie residence in Wuyi Lane was built entirely of timber, with eight wooden pillars bearing its weight and a main beam forty feet long. Its layered brackets spanned a vast width, leaving the interior lofty and spacious, partitioned by curtains. If the curtains were removed, the entire hall could accommodate over a hundred guests.
The soft patter of rain on the high roof made the hall seem especially quiet. Seated within were Chen Caozhi, Gu Kaizhi, Yuan Tong, Zhi Fahan, Zhuge Zeng, Fan Wuzi, Wen Lin of Taiyuan, Cai Xin of Chenliu, and Zhou Jiong of Runan, along with the attendants behind each of them. All held their breath and concentrated, waiting for Xie Daoyun to set the topic from behind the screen.
For a long while, there was no sound. Only a slender, graceful silhouette showed against the screen bearing the Painting of Kuaiji Dongshan, her hair piled high and her gown flowing elegantly. The lovely shadow swayed with the flickering lamplight, as though about to dance.
Seated on a folding stool, Xie Wan urged her again, "Daoyun, it is your turn to set a topic for debate."
From behind the screen came a voice as soft and lovely as a flute. "Please wait a moment, Fourth Uncle. Allow me to think."
Everyone seated there perked up at the sound of Xie Daoyun's voice and involuntarily straightened their backs.
Chen Caozhi had spent his days in close company with Xie Daoyun in Wu Commandery, but to disguise her female voice, she had always spoken in a heavily nasal Luoyang accent. Hearing her voice now, lilting like pearls strung together, he could not help recalling the two previous occasions when she had spoken to him without such concealment. Both had been moments of parting, when