The late spring sun streamed through the carved lattice windows, casting dappled light onto the xuan paper. Jiang Wan’s hand, holding a brush, hovered in mid-air. A drop of ink fell onto the words "Record of Lu Jingyuan's Official Achievements," blooming into a small, dark stain.
"Miss, these are the last of the repair ledgers for the West City Wharf." Xiaotao walked into the study carrying a stack of account books, grass clippings still clinging to her temples. "Steward Wang at the granary said that back then, Heir Lu stayed in the granary for an entire night just to verify the grain count."
Jiang Wan took the ledgers, her fingertips brushing over the yellowed pages; she could almost see Lu Jingyuan poring over the accounts by candlelight. Since their search for witnesses began, she had been secretly compiling his service record—from the repairs of the Moat to the disaster relief efforts in Jiangnan last year—every entry documented in detail.
Chapter 190