On a rainy spring night, the bamboo shadows in the West Side Courtyard of the Marquis's Mansion swayed in the wind. Steward Wang hugged the base of the wall as he walked into the secluded courtyard, the corners of the ledger hidden in his sleeve already soaked through by the rain. Madame Li, dressed in a dark purple cloak, sat by the window playing with an incense burner, while Jiang Rou paced the room irritably, the hem of her skirt brushing against the blue bricks and making a faint rustling sound.
"Why are you only just getting here, Steward Wang?" Jiang Rou asked as she turned, the Gold Step-Shaker in her hair striking the folding screen. "If this drags on any longer, that girl Jiang Wan is going to hollow out the Marquis's Mansion!"
"What are you panicking about?" Steward Wang closed the doors and windows tightly, taking the ledger out from his sleeve. "The bigger the matter, the more you need to keep a steady head." He glanced at Madame Li. "Has the Madam spread the word as planned?"
Chapter 121