Late winter snow pellets rustled against the papered windows. Jiang Wan toyed with the charcoal ash in a gilded hand warmer, her fingertips grazing a newly received secret intelligence report on her desk. Lüluo lifted the cotton curtain and entered, fine snowflakes clinging to her temples. "Eldest Miss, Qiuju from Tingyu Pavilion has gone to the latrine three times this morning."
"Three times?" Jiang Wan arched a brow, folding the intelligence report into the shape of a paper crane. "The first two times she carried a hand warmer, but the third time she went empty-handed—did she send something out?"
The maid pulled half a soaked scrap of paper from her sleeve, on which the characters "West City" were faintly visible. "I picked this up at the base of the rear latrine wall; I fear it was blurred by the melting snow."
Chapter 89