At the banquet, all the ladies felt somewhat puzzled, as today the Empress was particularly warm towards the Crown Prince.
This warmth manifested itself in her ceaselessly introducing the ladies to the Crown Prince, complimenting one on her lovely eyes, another on her beautiful nose, and yet another on her mastery of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, or her complete proficiency in poetry and prose. She praised each girl as if they were descending fairies from heaven, causing them both surprise and delight.
However, the Crown Prince did not seem very interested today, remaining cool and mostly silent, drinking one cup of wine after another. This made the girls who managed to get close to him even more reserved, fearful that a single misstep might ruin their chance to enter the Eastern Palace.
