The once-glorious banquet hall was now a shadow of its former self, with hundreds of nobles from Jinhe Town seated between the long tables.
The sound of flutes joyfully trilled, while trumpets emitted wavering tremolos, and the dancers freely displayed their graceful figures at the ball.
The peasant girls, captured from nearby farms and armed, wore crude powder on their faces, flattering the aristocrats by serving drinks.
However, unlike the past, these nobles, who seemed to have no worries, were now all distracted.
Though it was a bustling banquet, the atmosphere felt so cold that it could almost condense into water.
They dryly raised their wine glasses, uttering irrelevant toasts, yet there wasn't a trace of joy on their faces.
Only a few unruly drunkards kept singing loudly and reached into the dancers' collars.
"Hey, why aren't you drinking?" A drunken noble hiccupped, pouring wine into the glass of an injured noble, "Drink up."
