The mountain villa was enormous in scale, with numerous pavilions, covered bridges, and ponds.

One of its halls was currently well lit with lamplight,

Yu Baiting sat upright at the head of the table.

He was the head of the Yu Family, one of the top five clans of the Imperatorial Provincial Capital. His authority was far-reaching, and his prestige shook all six of the province’s prefectures.

Were you to make a list of the ten greatest authority figures in the province, Yu Baiting would securely occupy a seat.

He wore wide-sleeved, long robes, and he had clear features and a willowy beard. He carried a string of prayer beads. His smile was warm and amiable, but his long, narrow eyes glinted with a fiery light.

An elderly servant stood in the center of the hall, delivering a report.

“Your Excellency, in just ten days, the curtain shall open on Provincial Governor Xiang Tianqiu’s ‘Tea Party.’

“Of the provincial capital’s five great families, the Zhao and Bai families have already made their position clear. They are to support the governor of the Huai’an Prefecture, Zhang Lingyu, as Xiang Tianqiu’s replacement. This implies that both families have stood with the second prince.

“Them aside, the Xue Family has yet to make its position clear,...