The Empress led her attendants to set up a table in the Imperial Garden.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, she instructed Yu Lan, "Go and see if the Emperor has finished with court. If he has, tell Eunuch Li that a banquet is arranged here and invite His Majesty over."
"Yes!" Yu Lan departed.
Other banquets were usually held in the evening. The Double Ninth Festival banquet, however, was different; it was customary to hold it during the day. Appreciating chrysanthemums, drinking chrysanthemum wine, and ascending to high places were all part of the tradition, so it had to be held in daylight.
In the Imperial Garden, by the Taiye Pool, a gentle breeze blew. The Empress was truly in high spirits.
