The dew of the fifth watch mixed with blood as it slipped down. In the inner layer of a cargo crate, Shen Xitang discovered bundles of magnetized Madao, the tungsten sand patterns on their blades matching the male-pheasant motifs of the court robes from the embroidery tower.
When she triggered the improved early-warning device, the iron filings attracted by the magnet suddenly spelled out the Mobei secret text in the air—"Slaughter the city at the hour of Chen"—leaving only a meager three quarters of an hour before the time designated by the Ministry of Works for the presentation of the "Emperor's Longevity Embroidery."
The post-rain morning light pierced through layers of conspiracy. As the first ray of sunlight illuminated the "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" embroidery screen, the pupils of the pheasants suddenly attracted sulfur crystals all over the floor, revealing the Ministry of Works' secret order in plain sight.
Chapter 53