Just below them, occupying the tables of supreme honor, was the Lin family.
However, the family had been strategically divided by Imperial protocol.
General Lin Tianzong and the Vanguard Commander, Lin Feng, the heroes of the hour, were seated at the primary table directly beneath the Emperor's gaze, surrounded by high-ranking military officials and ministers eager to pour their wine.
Lin Ji'an had been placed at a secondary table alongside her little brother, Lin Xuan.
Their three half-sisters were seated further down the hall with the other unmarried noble daughters, giggling behind their silk fans and enjoying the spectacle.
It was an arrangement designed for comfort and prestige.
And yet, sitting amidst the overwhelming wealth, the clinking of jade goblets, and the roaring laughter of the victorious generals, Lin Ji'an had never felt so isolated before.
