On the ninth day of the fifth lunar month, the heat of the Capital had not yet faded, though twilight was already staining the bluestone paths of the West City black market. Lu Jingyuan stood before the mirror in the General’s mansion, his fingertips lightly grazing the tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye. It was a pigment Jiang Wan had concocted from pine soot and honey; once dried, it created the illusion of a dark bruise that would take three days to fade. He shed his suit of silver-white armor, donning a faded blue cloth tunic instead. He tied his Kirin Jade Pendant close to his body with a red cord, then draped a rough, wine-stained cloak over his shoulders—the very picture of a down-and-out young gentleman.
"Heir, the Shadow Pavilion’s scouts have appeared at Zuixian Pavilion," Afu said, stepping forward with a forged token, the bronze engravings glinting coldly under the candlelight. "As you commanded, the teahouse errand boy has spread the word that 'Lu Jingyuan is furious because Jiang Wan is having an affair with members of the poetry society,' and Wang Er from the West City textile mill added fuel to the fire, claiming he saw you shatter your sword at the training grounds."
"The better I act, the more they will believe," Lu Jingyuan said, hanging the token loosely from his waist so that a corner remained visible. "The accountant at Zuixian Pavilion has a cinnabar mole under his left eye; I saw him delivering secret letters for remnants of the previous dynas…
Chapter 174