The copper water clock in the embroidery room of the Marquis's Mansion ticked rhythmically. Jiang Wan’s hand, holding a silver needle, suddenly froze; the tip of the needle pricked the petal of the Twin Lotus, leaving a tiny bloodstain. Xiaotao walked in carrying a piece of cloud brocade that had just been dried. Seeing this, she hurriedly set down the embroidery frame. "My lady, you’re drifting off again. This is the third time you’ve pricked your finger."
"I don't know why, but I’ve felt flustered all day." Jiang Wan gazed at the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, her fingertips tracing the dark, silver-threaded pattern on her cuffs—the Peace Talisman that Lu Jingyuan had specially commissioned for her. "When you went to the market yesterday, did you hear any rumors?"
Xiaotao leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "It is rather strange. The waiter at the tavern in the west of the city said that a group of strangers moved into the Yuelai Inn recently. They all wear black cloth wrapped around their waists, looking very much like men of the underworld." She reached into her bodice and pulled out half a sesame candy. "I exchanged this information with a beggar for a piece of candy. Those men are often seen on street corners whispering about 'the Marquis’s Mansion' and 'jade pendants'."
Chapter 196