The late spring breeze carried willow catkins against the carved windows of the Marquis's Mansion. Jiang Wan gazed at her calm reflection in the bronze mirror, though her fingertips unconsciously tightened around her handkerchief. The scene of that "chance encounter" in the garden stung like a thorn in her heart; the image of Liu Shiyao clinging to a strange man would not fade. Yet, she knew that what she needed now was not a confrontation, but composure.
"Lüluo," she said softly. In the mirror, the maid immediately set down her comb. "Go and fetch Afu. Remember to use the side gate."
Lüluo understood. As she turned, half a silver ingot slipped from her sleeve—the one that had been "accidentally" knocked from the sleeve of Lord Qingyan earlier that morning. Jiang Wan studied the inscription on the ingot that read "West City Pawnshop," her mind already at work.
Chapter 96