On the second day of the eighth lunar month, before the gilded screen in the main hall of the Marquis's Mansion, Jiang Wan's hand holding the teacup paused in mid-air. Outside the door came the clamor of carriages and horses, mixed with harsh, heavy shouting: "Marquis Jiang must give us an explanation today! Otherwise, we'll smash the gates of this Marquis's Mansion!"
"Father, I'll go take a look." Jiang Wan set down her teacup. The moon-white hem of her skirt brushed against the bamboo mat, and the jade hairpin in her hair swayed gently with her steps. The Marquis looked at the calm composure in her eyes, suddenly remembering his late wife's dying words: "Wan Niang was born to be someone who can hold her own in any situation."
When the threshold of the main hall was kicked open, Jiang Wan was sitting upright in the master's seat, her fingertips tapping lightly on the red sandalwood table. Mister Wang, who led the crowd, had a face full of fleshy menace, his thick waist distorting his silk belt: "Jiang Wan! Your Marquis's Mansion forcibly seized my rice shop in the West City. Do you take us merchants for pushovers?"
Chapter 178