章 157: Tenuous Peace

The outdoor clearing for the autumn hunt banquet was staged on a podium that was erected for this purpose. With the endless sea of tents serving as a formidable backdrop, the emperor's place on an elevated dais was opulently decorated with folding screens and embroidered cushions that padded the seats slotted neatly behind low tables.

At the spring banquet just earlier in the year, Yan Zheyun had gazed up upon Emperor Xuanjun in all his dignified glory. Now, he sat by Liu Yao's side, robes of finery spilling over onto the wooden platform like a colourful fan, gazing down upon the rows of guests like an idol upon an altar, distant and indomitable.

クリエイターの想い
Queeniecat

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! <3 Phew, a lot of bits and pieces of the multiple plotlines tie into the autumn hunt and I need to make sure I don't leave anything out or make a mistake so it's a real challenge to write these chapters and I still post them paranoid that I messed up somewhere... x.x But it's worth it because of all the support you've shown me, dear readers! Your gifts, lovely comments, golden tickets and power stones are all very appreciated! <3

I've taken onboard the suggestion by a lovely reviewer to create a list of characters but this is taking longer than I thought because it's...rather complicated. ^^;; But please watch this space (or rather, the auxiliary volume...) for more information on that! Hopefully, once completed, it will make keeping track of who's who easier. <3