Sudden noice brought his thoughts back and he looked at the hall once more.
The hall was beautiful.
It stretched beneath a high wooden ceiling supported by enormous carved pillars, each one decorated with delicate patterns of dragons, clouds, and flowering branches. Layers of silk hung between the pillars in crimson, ivory, and gold, their edges embroidered with intricate patterns that caught the lantern light whenever the fabric shifted.
Hundreds of lamps burned behind thin silk screens, filling the room with warm, hazy light. Their glow softened the sharp edges of the architecture and reflected across the polished wooden floor.
Low tables had been arranged around the edges of the hall, each covered with dark lacquer and set with porcelain cups, silver utensils, and plates of carefully arranged fruit. Bowls of peaches, grapes, sliced pears, and small cakes filled the spaces between wine jars and tea pots.
