At three o'clock in the morning, the sun had just broken through the glazed tiles of the General's Mansion when Shen Weiwan was awakened by Chuntao's noisy footsteps. The maid was holding a gilded lacquer box in her arms, the corners of which were stained with fresh morning dew, obviously having just been brought in from outside.

"Miss! His Highness the Seventh Prince has sent a letter with something!" Chun Tao placed the lacquer box on the dressing table, and the jade hairpin almost fell out of her hair. "The eunuch who brought the letter said that His Highness specifically asked you to read it and reply!"

Chen Weiwan rubbed her eyes and sat up. The moment her fingertips touched the lacquer box, she froze. On the lid, a large yellow dog holding a bracelet was painted in cinnabar ink, its tail curled around a piece of jerky, so vivid it looked as if it were about to jump out of the box. She chuckled and pushed open the lid to see a white jade paperweight resting on a stack of rice paper. Beneath the paperweight was a sheet of gold-sprinkled paper, inscribed in vibrant, ink-colored calligraphy:

From Miss Shen: I've heard that children in the capital are enjoying this story so much, so I've ordered someone to compile the manuscript of "The Dog Seizing the Bracelet: On the Second Miss's Art of Stealing," hoping to earn your smile. — Xiao Yu

Chuntao leaned over to take a look, then pointed at the title on the rice paper and laughed, "Oh my god! 'Dog Holding a Bracelet'? Your Highness, that title is so... down-to-earth!"

Chen Weiwan unfolded the manuscript. On the first page was an illustration of Shen Ruoruo squatting in front of a box stuffing a bracelet into it, with a limerick next to it: "Second Miss, your hands are busy, stealing jade bracelets in the middle of the night. The big yellow dog, with bright eyes, wanders around the yard with the stolen goods in its mouth!" She laughed so hard that she almost rolled off the bed. Even the maid who was doing her morning combing came in to watch the fun.

"Miss, look at this second chapter!" Chuntao turned to the third page and pointed at the illustration, exclaiming, "Your Highness even included the scene where you asked Auntie to rub the grains! Auntie's hands are rubbing them like braised pig's trotters!"

Shen Weiwan took a closer look and saw, as expected, the illustration depicting Liu, with a mournful expression, rubbing a bowl of grain mixed with pebbles. The servants watching nearby covered their mouths with their hands, laughing uncontrollably. The accompanying caption was even more captivating: "Auntie, loving and kind, washes her nephew's hands. Pebbles polish jade hands, blood blisters resemble pearls!"

"Your Highness, have you revealed all my family's scandals?" Shen Weiwan smiled and shook her head, her fingertips unable to help but caress the distorted expression of Liu in the painting. "But the artistry is quite good. The shifty look of Shen Ruorou when she stole something is vividly portrayed."

As he spoke, the sound of horse hooves echoed from outside the courtyard. Shen Weiwan drew aside the curtains and saw the Seventh Prince, Xiao Yu, dismount. The hem of his moon-white robe brushed the moss on the steps, and the jade belt buckle at his waist gleamed warmly in the morning light. He looked up and saw Shen Weiwan by the window. Her folding fan swished open, covering half her face, but her voice drifted up clearly: "Miss Shen, are you satisfied with this prince's 'off-field support'?"

Shen Weiwan deliberately frowned and raised the manuscript in her hand: "Your Highness, do you want the joke of my general's mansion to spread throughout the Dasheng Dynasty?"

Xiao Yu ascended the steps, his boots making a rhythmic sound on the blue bricks. "I simply feel it would be a shame not to record such a brilliant example of the 'art of theft.'" He waved his folding fan, which had been painted with a large yellow dog holding a bracelet. "Besides, compared to Miss Shen's idiotic act of bribing a storyteller and then getting slapped in the face, this is nothing if not a joke."

Chun Tao was trying to suppress her laughter and suddenly pointed to the last page of the manuscript: "Look, young lady! His Highness even left a blank page for you to write your inscription!"

Shen Weiwan turned to the last page and saw that half of the snow-white rice paper was blank. She rolled her eyes and picked up the pen to write, the pen tip rustling on the paper. When Xiao Yu came over to take a look, he saw that it was written:

The Dog Takes the Bracelet: On the Second Miss's Art of Stealing

——Subtitle: "On How to Make Yourself the Laughing Stock in Beijing"

"What a 'laughing stock'!" Xiao Yu laughed heartily, clapping his folding fan against his palm. "Miss Shen's title is even more offensive than this prince's."

Chen Weiwan raised her eyebrows and threw away her pen: "Compared to Your Highness turning my family's scandal into a storybook, I am just telling the truth." She suddenly lowered her voice, her eyes glancing at the jade pendant on Xiao Yu's waist, "Your Highness, as a prince, you are meddling in the trivial matters of the boudoir. Aren't you afraid that the old guys in the Censorate will submit a memorial?"

Xiao Yu fiddled with his fan pendant absentmindedly. "I've heard the common people's jingle has spread from the West Market to the East Market." He leaned in closer, and the scent of cedar mixed with the tang of ink filled his face. "Yesterday, when I passed by a silk shop, I heard the shopkeeper's son singing 'The Second Young Lady Stole a Bracelet, and the Big Yellow Dog Came to Tell the News.'"

As they were talking, a sudden commotion erupted from the front yard. Chuntao hurried in, her face wrinkled with a smile: "Miss! Your Highness! The bookshop owners on the street are blocking the entrance to your house! They want to buy the copyright of 'The Dog Holding the Bracelet' from you!"

"Copyright?" Shen Weiwan was stunned.

"It's permission to print a book," Xiao Yu explained, tapping his fingertips on the manuscript. "I had ten copies copied and sent to the bookshop. I didn't expect them to smell the scent and come here."

Chen Weiwan looked at the bookshop clerks who were crowded outside the courtyard and suddenly laughed: "Your Highness, do you want me to earn my dowry by selling storybooks?"

Xiao Yu folded his folding fan and tapped her on the top of her head. "You're marrying into the palace, how can this prince be without your dowry?" He turned and ordered his servants, "Go, invite the head bookshop owner in and tell him that Miss Shen wants to speak."

Half an hour later, Shen Weiwan sat in the main hall, looking at the dozen or so bookshop owners kneeling below, and cleared her throat: "It's fine if you want to engrave "Dog Holding Bracelet", but you have to agree to my two conditions."

The head shopkeeper, Wang, kowtowed immediately: "Miss, please tell me! Don't just say two, twenty will do!"

"First," Shen Weiwan raised her index finger, "the last page of the storybook must be printed with 'This story is completely true. If there is any similarity, it will be her bad luck.'"

The shopkeepers looked at each other, then nodded: "I've got it, I've got it!"

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!