At the third quarter of the Si hour (10:45 AM), the glazed screens of Taiye Pavilion reflected shards of golden light. Jiang Wan’s hand, holding the Poison-Detecting Hairpin, suddenly froze. The tip of the hairpin caused ripples across the surface of the nuptial wine—there, on the edge of the wine jar, was a partial, broken plum blossom seal, matching the pattern of the copper whistle carried by Steward Zhang.
"Jingyuan, this wine jar..."
"It was replaced long ago," Lu Jingyuan whispered. His fingertips brushed the sachet at her waist, which contained threads from a plum blossom motif torn off a fake bridal gown. "Ren Yao just sent word: the remnants of the Xue family at the West City Ruined Temple have mobilized in full force this morning. Their target is Taiye Pavilion."
Chapter 249