At the first quarter of the Mao hour, the water clock in the study of the Marquis’s Mansion ticked rhythmically. Shen Mingyuan’s hand, gripping his teacup, showed bulging veins, his knuckles white from the pressure. On his desk lay the latest audit records, along with the forged poems discovered in Jiang Rou’s room. The scent of ink mingled with the heavy aroma of agarwood, forming a stifling cloud in the morning light.
"Bring the Second Miss here," he said, his voice as cold as ice, startling the birds beneath the eaves into a sudden, frantic flight.
When Jiang Rou entered, supported by a maid, her face was paler than the plain white dress she wore. She had spent the previous night copying *Lessons for Women* ten times; her fingertips were still stained with undried ink. Yet, upon catching sight of the poems on the desk, her pupils contracted sharply.
Chapter 24