The Capital in early summer felt as if it were being roasted over charcoal. The shrill chorus of cicadas, swept up in scorching gusts of wind, baked the bluestone paths until they burned. The heat rising from the ground distorted the air, and even the leaves of the weeping willows along the streets hung limp and lifeless.
Shen Mingyue sat inside her carriage, her fingertips repeatedly tracing the shark-skin sheath of the dagger hidden in her sleeve; the cool texture offered a slight respite from the sweat on her palms. Outside the curtain, the overlapping cries of peddlers were occasionally punctuated by the metallic clatter of tools—an abnormal sound that felt like a thorn, prickling the back of her neck. Ever since her secret meeting with the Second Prince, she had anticipated that the Crown Prince would take action, and she had long since deployed hidden sentries throughout the Capital via the Tianji Pavilion.
Each jolt of the carriage felt like the drumbeat of fate, urging her toward an unknown crisis, yet she did not realize that a meticulously designed death trap was quietly closing in on her. Amidst this perilous situation, the feelings between her and those around her were also undergoing subtle changes. As the carriage reached the corner of Zhuque Avenue, the wheels suddenly emitted a harsh, splintering sound, and the carriage lurched violently.
Chapter 19