Section 1. Golden Brocade Shoes Shatter the Moonlight
In the thirteenth year of Jian'an, in late spring, the fine drizzle of rain clung like lingering sorrow to the flying eaves of the Prime Minister's Residence. Sixteen-year-old Mo Ningxue squatted beneath the covered veranda, carefully wiping down a pair of gold-threaded embroidered shoes with a handkerchief. The pearls stitched across the uppers shimmered softly in the twilight, bearing a striking resemblance to the stars she had gazed at the previous night during the lantern festival.
"Ningxue, it is time to return to your room," the maid Cuier's voice drifted from behind, tinged with a hint of worry. "Today is the day Young General Xiao returns in triumph, and both the master and mistress are entertaining guests in the front hall."
Chapter 46