When the hour struck, an exceptionally small wooden magpie popped up from a slot in the self-sounding clock.
Jiang Xian had originally intended to use a royal auspicious beast, but as the device's purpose shifted toward fostering affection, she decided a magpie was more in line with the symbolism the Yan Chi Ren used to express their feelings.
Following Jiang Xian's modifications, its loud time-announcing chime was removed.
The Emperor's study was very quiet, so the sound of the wooden bird popping up was more than enough to get his attention, no disruptive noise needed. At first glance, it might seem as if the magpie carried a different note every hour. However, that was too technically difficult to achieve. Instead, Jiang Xian had the Manufacturing Office craft twelve identical, delicate magpies. Beneath the slot was a wheel that would pop up a different magpie each hour.
This way, all Liang Yuyin had to do was change the notes for the twelve magpies each day.
