The heavy, rhythmic clatter of iron-shod hooves against the estate's cobblestones announced the Matriarch's arrival. The Jin Clan carriage was an opulent statement of sovereign wealth, crafted from dark mahogany reinforced with spirit-iron and draped in banners of deep violet and silver that shimmered under the estate's lanterns.
As the door swung open, Meng Yan stepped into the night air, the temperature around the carriage instantly plunging. She was a vision of lethal elegance, her midnight-silk robes clinging to a mature, statuesque frame that commanded respect. Her dark emerald hair glowed with a faint luster in the moonlight, and her hazel eyes swept over the Tang Estate with a mixture of curiosity and nostalgia.
