When the Sea Turned to Silver: Chapters 21–36

by Grace Lin
When the Emperor kidnaps her grandmother, Pinmei must undertake a daring and dangerous quest to save her.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–10, Chapters 11–20, Chapters 21–36, Chapters 37–55, Chapters 56–76

Here is a link to our lists for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. tiered
    having or arranged in layers or levels
    The grand palace rose above the rest of the city like a mountain, the thick snow lying on its tiered roofs like heavy clouds.
  2. aristocratic
    belonging to or characteristic of the nobility
    “I am here to see the king,” Lady Meng said with the aristocratic dignity of an empress.
  3. regal
    belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler
    “I am not ‘anyone,’” she said with regal authority.
  4. stark
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    Even though they were out of the wind, the room did not feel much warmer, and Pinmei was surprised by its starkness.
  5. conscript
    enroll into service compulsorily
    “We just received some bad news. The emperor has conscripted the men of a village north of here and we”—the king hesitated and glanced around warily—“and we...have friends there.”
  6. warily
    in a manner marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
    “We just received some bad news. The emperor has conscripted the men of a village north of here and we”—the king hesitated and glanced around warily—“and we...have friends there.”
  7. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
    “But we just got here,” Yishan said, lifting his head with indignation.
  8. shrewd
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    Yanna, who did not seem much older than Pinmei, nodded with the shrewdness of an adult.
  9. meander
    move or cause to move in a winding or curving course
    Then, to Pinmei’s surprise, Yanna led them outside to a covered, meandering corridor.
  10. ingot
    a piece of metal cast in the shape of a block
    The villagers began to panic and hid their most valued possessions. Gold ingots, ivory chopsticks, even prized crickets were secreted away. Anything beloved or cherished was put out of sight.
  11. secrete
    conceal or place out of sight
    The villagers began to panic and hid their most valued possessions. Gold ingots, ivory chopsticks, even prized crickets were secreted away. Anything beloved or cherished was put out of sight.
  12. revere
    regard with feelings of respect
    “Especially because the first king of the City of Bright Moonlight is known for being the greatest ruler in the city’s history. All his descendants, including King KaeJae, revere him.”
  13. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    “It must be quite a horse,” Yishan said, watching Yanna’s face closely. It had taken on a wistful, dreamy expression.
  14. deference
    a courteous expression of esteem or regard
    All, including the emperor, sank to the floor in deference, and one of the queen’s companions had to nudge a servant to rise in order to take the peach.
  15. entourage
    the group following and attending to some important person
    Then the unicorns reared and leaped and she and her entourage disappeared back into the sky.
  16. procession
    the action of a group moving ahead in regular formation
    The crowd parted and watched in hushed silence as the trembling servant carried the peach as if leading a procession.
  17. waft
    be driven or carried along, as by the air
    The sweet fragrance wafted through the air like an intoxicating wine, and it was not only the emperor's mouth that watered.
  18. intoxicating
    causing a state resulting from excessive intake of alcohol
    The sweet fragrance wafted through the air like an intoxicating wine, and it was not only the emperor's mouth that watered.
  19. mesmerized
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    But just as the peach was almost within arm's distance of the emperor, someone broke through the mesmerized crowd and grabbed it!
  20. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    The screaming wind had quieted to moans, but it did not calm Pinmei. Instead, she felt as if the sky were in a fitful slumber and about to awaken in a rage.
  21. lament
    express grief verbally
    They scurried down the corridor in silence, the sound of their feet hidden by the lamenting wind.
  22. veer
    turn sharply; change direction abruptly
    Pinmei veered toward the eastern side as much as possible.
  23. cask
    a cylindrical container that holds liquids
    It was larger than the other tents and an imperial flag flew from the cask in front of it.
  24. taut
    pulled or drawn tight
    Pinmei peered over his shoulder as he placed the tip of the knife against the taut tent.
  25. incredulous
    not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
    "Me?" Yanna whispered back with incredulous amusement.
  26. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
    Suddenly, she understood the king’s ashen face and stricken eyes.
  27. throng
    a large gathering of people
    The camp was now alive and swarming, throngs of men starting to swell together like boils of a plague.
  28. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Pinmei quaked and fought to stifle a shriek.
  29. chortle
    laugh quietly or with restraint
    “Ha! Maybe if you took a swim at the Crystal Palace at Sea Bottom you could figure it out,” the emperor chortled.
  30. palpable
    capable of being perceived
    “How?” the emperor said, the excitement palpable in his voice. “When? Ask it when!”
  31. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
    The wind blew a low, plaintive moan, the beginning note of a lamenting song.
  32. vain
    unproductive of success
    “I knew it was a vain hope to look for him,” the king said finally, lifting his head.
  33. kowtow
    a Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead
    The kings had all thrown themselves into kowtows, each swearing he would return at the Moon Festival with splendid flowers.
  34. ire
    anger; irritability
    If nothing grew by the Moon Festival, the king's father thought this chance would be lost and, considering the emperor's ire, perhaps worse.
  35. blanch
    turn pale, as if in fear
    The young king blanched at his father's words and looked at the paper in his hands.
  36. infernal
    extremely evil or cruel
    "It is that accursed paper that is giving you this idiotic advice!" he cried. "You are listening more to that infernal piece of paper than your own father!"
  37. interject
    speak abruptly, especially as an interruption
    “I guess that would make sense...”
    “If you believe the story, that is,” the king interjected.
  38. abdicate
    give up power, duties, or obligations
    “After he abdicated and became quite old, he returned to the palace with the Paper and a strange story.”
  39. defiantly
    in a rebellious manner
    Yishan glared and the king looked back defiantly, almost as if he were the small child and Yishan the adult.
  40. vermilion
    a vivid red to reddish-orange color
    He looked at the king before him and the vibrant flowers surrounding him. Orange and vermilion, magenta and gold—the colors blazed like flames.
Created on Sun Apr 14 13:52:41 EDT 2019 (updated Wed Apr 24 14:36:22 EDT 2019)

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