The late autumn west wind, laden with withered branches and shattered leaves, whipped like gold foil against the green bamboo curtains of the Marquis's Mansion carriage. Jiang Wan leaned back against the silk cushions, her fingertips tapping a rhythmic code against the carriage pole—three long taps and two short, woven into the sound of wheels grinding over gravel, casting a fine net across the silent bamboo path. Lüluo lifted the curtain just enough to reveal half of her veiled face, her gaze drifting casually toward a brawny man ahead who was feigning the act of chopping wood. His grip on the axe was unmistakably that of a man holding a blade, and the black fabric peeking from his sleeve was the distinct mark of Lu Jingyuan’s elite guards.
"Miss, bamboo branches are blocking the path ahead," Xiaocham’s voice drifted from the carriage shaft, her tone deliberately trembling. "Shall I step down and clear the way?"
"No need," Jiang Wan said with a light laugh, her voice raised just enough to startle the sparrows from the bamboo tops. "It is merely a secluded path; surely no tiger will jump out to waylay us?" She lifted the carriage curtain, letting the west wind sweep the veil across her brow. The Mandarin Duck Jade Bracelet on her wrist swayed with the movement, tracing a cold, sharp arc in the mottled bamboo shadows.
Chapter 110