The autumn wind rose, the plants and trees yellowed.
Deep moss stains were entrenched on the long steps of the courtyard.
In the Grand Preceptor's Mansion, under the eaves white gauze lanterns swayed in the wind, and in the ancestral hall a row of black wooden tablets stood like a line of upright coffins, their shadows elongated by the dim candlelight.
Qi Yutai was entombed yesterday.
The legitimate heir of the Grand Preceptor's Mansion had a funeral that was exceedingly austere. Rituals for the deceased were deemed an ominous omen, so the cause of Qi Yutai's death was not publicized. Discussing the matter was forbidden in the palace, and to outsiders, it was merely said that Qi Yutai died abruptly of a serious illness.
