The exterior of the Duke of Zhenguo’s residence features walls of dark grey basalt and eaves of earthy white. It is dignified, yet neither ostentatious nor extravagant. The main entrance is composed of two heavy, rivet-studded wooden doors; with no servants stationed to attend them, one must push with significant force to open them.
Yan Xiao'er followed Shangguan Xiayu into the estate and was immediately met with a massive jade relief screen standing just inside the threshold. It depicted a grand scene of a great general and his monarch atop a city wall, fighting side-by-side through blood and gore against an invading enemy. Beside it was an inscription: "Arrows rain upon the city as the stars fall; golden spears drink blood, yet the command remains valiant. Blood soaks the ramparts, but the flags do not falter; a mountain of skulls, a hundred fathoms high, builds a legendary feat."
Seeing the fresh, inquisitive look in Yan Xiao'er’s eyes, Shangguan Xiayu offered a practiced explanation. The general, she noted, was the first Duke of Zhenguo, her grandfather Shangguan Jia. A century ago, during the Great War, he had stood guard alongside the frail monarch of the Li Kingdom, Li Ye, to repel the invading forces of the Xu Kingdom.
Chapter 49