The candlelight in the study of the Lu Mansion flickered in the biting north wind. Lu Jingyuan held the anonymous letter, his thumb tracing the characters "blood-stained wedding dress." The wax seal at the edge of the parchment had coagulated into dark red splotches, looking hauntingly like the soil of the mass graves in West City. An imperial guard knelt on one knee; the qilin pattern on his armor reflected the embroidery on Lu Jingyuan’s brocade robe. "Heir Lu, the paper used for this letter is the secret-patterned stationery once used by the old guard of the Right Prime Minister's Estate."
"Jiang Rou's handiwork." Lu Jingyuan tossed the letter into the brazier. As the flames devoured the writing, he suddenly recalled the sight of Jiang Wan trying on her wedding dress earlier that day—the red satin against her snow-white skin, the golden hairpin in her hair catching the light. A bitter sensation rose in his throat. He turned to look at the snow accumulating outside the window. "Pass the word: triple the number of secret guards for tomorrow's betrothal procession. Focus on securing the second gate of the Marquis's Mansion and the storehouse where the wedding dress is kept."
"Should you not inform Miss Jiang, Heir?" the guard hesitated.
Chapter 227