As the willow catkins of late spring drifted into Qinghe Courtyard, Jiang Wan was busy copying the "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection." Wanqing lifted the curtain and entered, the gold-leafed invitation in her hand shimmering in the sunlight. "Miss, the Liu Mansion south of the city has sent an invitation for a poetry gathering. They say it’s a spring gala at Qinfang Garden on the fifteenth of this month, open to all noble ladies in the Capital."
Jiang Wan set down her wolf-hair brush, her fingertips brushing the lotus vine pattern on the edge of the invitation—the exact same pattern on the silk handkerchief Jiang Rou had used to frame her in her previous life. She raised an eyebrow and took the invitation, seeing the name "Liu Ruyan" written in a flamboyant, calligraphic hand at the bottom, exuding a hint of provocation.
"Liu Ruyan?" Wanqing frowned. "Isn't that the Second Miss's close friend? Last year, when the rumors spread about you having an 'illicit affair with a scholar,' she was the first to make veiled insults at the poetry gathering."
Chapter 31