Hello everyone, I hope you're all doing well.
I'm really sorry for not posting over the past few days. I've been dealing with a bit of writer's block on this novel, plus juggling the new one and my upcoming college finals has made it hard to keep up.
Thank you for your patience, and I'll do my best to get back on track with the updates. Hope you enjoy today's chapter!
—Author
*****
The grand hall of the Xuzhong Empire's central palace was brighter than usual.
Sunlight filtered in through the tall crystal windows, casting soft golden patterns across the smooth white marble floor.
Banners of blue and gold hung along the high walls, and at the far end of the room sat a long crescent-shaped table carved from a single slab of spirit jade.
At the center of it all, Huang Xinyi sat quietly on the royal seat, straight-backed, calm, and dressed in deep imperial red trimmed with silver.
The chair wasn't tall, and the platform it stood on wasn't raised much above the others.
