The night in the Capital was thick as unthinned ink, pressing down in dense layers that smothered the stars and moon. The rhythmic dripping of the clepsydra was piercingly clear in the silence, each drop striking Shen Mingyue’s heart like a heavy mallet. Clad in a palace maid’s uniform washed to a pale gray, she curled up in the shadows outside the residence of the Minister of Rites. Her back pressed against the cold, damp wall, the rough bricks biting into her skin. In the darkness, her heartbeat thundered, threatening to shatter her chest.
Gazing up at the towering, thorn-covered walls, she recalled the warning Xiao Lin had given her before they parted: "Li You is a man of extreme caution. His estate is crawling with secret guards; one wrong move, and you will be beyond redemption." Shen Mingyue took a deep breath, trying to quell her rising anxiety. Slowly, she withdrew the incense powder Shen Qingyao had meticulously prepared. It was a faint violet, giving off an elusive, strange fragrance. Holding her breath, she gently blew the powder toward the two guards at the corner. The dust drifted like a phantom in the night breeze. Moments later, the guards’ eyes glazed over; they swayed like drunks before collapsing into a deep, unconscious slumber.
Steadied by the sight, Shen Mingyue seized the moment and leaped gracefully onto the wall. The thorns raked across her sleeve, leaving crimson scratches on her arms, but she ignored them. She landed as soundlessly as a cat. Enteri…
Chapter 73