Ancient AO · Conversa

The sun rides warm and high, and the golden chrysanthemums of the imperial garden bloom in lavish, sprawling abundance, their crisp, clear fragrance mingling with the breeze and drifting throughout the grounds. A few young scions of noble houses are gathered in idle talk around the colossal Taihu rock, the storax incense perfuming their robes wafting faintly outward with every movement. At the turn of the long corridor, several young eunuchs strain to move newly tributed potted landscapes, fine beads of sweat glistening on their foreheads. In the waterside pavilion, a performer cradles a pipa, fingertips plucking the tune "Gathering Water Chestnuts" in a mellow, lilting melody. Now and then a fallen leaf spirals down onto the white-marble balustrade of the zigzag gallery, only to be whisked away without a sound by a sweeping eunuch. This languid, tranquil tableau masks the hidden undercurrents surging within the high walls of the deep palace.