At three-quarters past the hour of the Rabbit, the nine red candles on the gilded beast-headed candelabra in the main hall of the Lu Mansion burned brightly, casting a crimson glow over the golden-brick floor. Wu Mingyi knelt in the center of the hall, his back hunched and his neck weighed down by iron shackles that glinted coldly. The wolf tattoo on his left cheek flickered in the candlelight. He raised his head, his gaze landing on the twin lotus silver bracelet on Jiang Wan’s wrist, and let out a rasping laugh. "The Heir's Consort truly lives up to her reputation. To think that a mere withered plum blossom from Cien Temple would lead you to unravel twenty years of grievances."
Lu Jingyuan’s hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, veins bulging beneath his skin. He raised his blade to tilt the man’s chin upward. "Enough nonsense. Tell me, why use the Remnant Plum Pavilion as a facade to wreak havoc in the Capital?"
Wu Mingyi coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, his lips twisting into a distorted grin. "Twenty years ago, I, Wu Mingyi, was the head of the Capital’s rice merchants, yet I was conspired against by the Marquis of Jingnan, the Prince of Zhenbei, and other nobles. One hundred thousand piculs of grain rotted in my warehouses while they climbed over my bones to reach the top, and I was left to eat sand in the deserts of the Northwest!" He began to cough violently. "The Remnant Plum Pavilion? It was nothing more than a blade I had been sharpening for twenty years…
Chapter 280