The sun set behind the western mountains, lanterns began to glow, and inside the Baohe Palace of the Forbidden City, the crowd surged like a flowing river.
On New Year's Eve, Jiajing Emperor hosted a banquet for his ministers, with over a thousand seated guests, and countless palace maids, eunuchs, dancers, and singers.
The palace was radiant with lights, booming with drums and music, and the cacophony of voices resonated throughout.
Outside the Purple Gold City, in the Capital, every household lit lanterns, gathering together to eat rice cakes, drink Tusu Wine, and snack on melon seeds.
In the dense night, the Capital seemed like an illuminated Evernight City floating in a void of darkness.
Li Changzhou and Turquoise Pool sat in Baohe Palace, opposite Shao Yuanjie, with Jiajing Emperor and Empress Fang above them.
In the center of the great hall, after a dance had finished, envoys from various tributary states stepped forward to congratulate Jiajing Emperor.
