Within the deep courtyards of the mansion, the cicadas chirped with incessant noise. Jiang Wan leaned against the window, her fingertips tracing the edge of a plain handkerchief. The sun outside was scorching, yet it was no match for the chilling frost gathering in her eyes. Since she had made a name for herself at the banquet for noble ladies, the way Madam Li and Jiang Rou looked at her was like needles dipped in poison. She, however, had already woven a vast net in the shadows to ensnare them.
"Miss, I’ve found out!" the maid, Lüluo, pushed the door open in a hurry, her temple hair damp with sweat. "That scholar went to the silk shop in West City again yesterday. When he came out, he was clutching an oil-paper parcel to his chest—it looked heavy!"
Jiang Wan’s gaze sharpened. The silk shop was part of the dowry of Jiang Rou’s mother, Madam Li. For the scholar to be visiting so frequently at such a critical juncture was certainly no coincidence. "Prepare the sedan chair. We are going to the silk shop." As she rose, the jade bracelet on her wrist clicked against her skin—a crisp, clear sound, like a silent declaration of war.
Chapter 71