Mo Xuemin received the letter from the fifth princess at night. She slipped out the back door and boarded an inconspicuous carriage by the road. The horses pulled her down several turns until she arrived at a store filled with exquisite jewelry. The cases inside the newest and best hairpins, bracelets, bangles, and earrings.

Even though it was late at night, there were still a few madams and young ladies in the shop.

A nanny in her late forties waited at the ...