The royal flower-viewing banquet was held at the Peony Pavilion in the Imperial Gardens. Peonies of all colors blossomed in profusion, eclipsing the brocaded garments in the courtyard. Chen Weiwan wore a moon-white skirt embroidered with a few dark bamboo branches, as pure as a handful of fresh snow. Yet, the red gold and jewel-encrusted hairpin, a gift from Chen Ruorou, sat slanted in her hair. The ruby ​​on the tip shone delicately in the sunlight.

"Miss, do you really want to wear this hairpin?" Chun Tao followed behind, looking at the faintly visible spikes on the hairpin, her heart pounding, "What if Second Miss..."

"I was just worried she wouldn't come." Shen Weiwan curled her lips into a smile, her fingertips gently twisting in her sleeves. Last night, she had used pliers to bend the spikes on the hairpin into hooks, the angle as tricky as a scorpion ready to pounce. She shook her head, and the hairpin trembled slightly against her temples. "Look, how beautiful it is, as if it was tailor-made for me."

As they were talking, a figure appeared from behind the rockery. It was Shen Ruorou, who was supposed to be under house arrest. She had somehow managed to sneak out, her face covered in thick powder to hide the pimples she had gotten from anger a few days ago. When she saw the hairpin on Shen Weiwan's head, a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes, but then she smiled gently, "Sister, you're here too? This hairpin looks really good on you."

Chen Weiwan tilted her head, deliberately making the hairpin shake more violently: "Really? Cousin, you have a good eye, but this hairpin is a bit prickly. It pricked my finger last night." As she spoke, she raised her index finger, and there was indeed a small Band-Aid on it - that was where she pricked it with a needle this morning, and the blood drop was just right.

Shen Ruoruo dug her nails into her palm, but her smile became even sweeter: "Really? Let me see." She took a step closer and stretched out her hand to fiddle with the hairpin, "Maybe the workmanship is a little rough, I can help you adjust it..."

At the moment when her fingertips touched the hairpin, Shen Weiwan suddenly turned sideways and raised her wrist slightly at the same time - Shen Ruoruo's index finger hit the curved thorn accurately!

"Ah!" Shen Ruoruo cried out in pain, and blood instantly gushed out from her fingertips, dripping onto the moon-white hem of her skirt, like a fallen gorgeous red plum blossom.

"Cousin!" Shen Weiwan exclaimed, grabbing her hand with a "horrified" look in her eyes, "What's wrong with you? Did you get pricked by my hairpin?"

The noble ladies gathered around after hearing the noise. Looking at Shen Ruorou's bleeding finger and the hairpin, their expressions instantly became subtle. The daughter of the Taifu family covered her mouth and said, "How could this hairpin... have thorns?"

“I don’t know!” Shen Weiwan let go of her hand and took a half step back, her face full of “innocence”, “This was given to me by my cousin a few days ago. She said it looked good and asked me to wear it… It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have worn such a dangerous thing. I almost hurt my cousin!”

Shen Ruorou looked at her bleeding fingers, then at the suspicious eyes of the people around her, her face flushed with anxiety: "No! You did it yourself! This hairpin originally has no thorns!"

"No thorns?" Shen Weiwan picked up the hairpin and held it to the sunlight, revealing the curved thorn. "But look, cousin, how sharp this thorn is! I pricked my hand last night and thought it was just carelessness. It turns out there's really something wrong!"

She suddenly turned to the Seventh Prince Xiao Yu, who was standing nearby, watching with great interest. Shen Weiwan's eyes reddened, and her voice tinged with tears: "Seventh Prince, what's going on? My cousin gave me a hairpin out of kindness, how could it have thorns on it?"

Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows, his eyes fell on Shen Ruorou's bleeding fingers, and the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile: "Oh? The hairpin given by Miss Shen Er actually has such a 'surprise'?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the noble ladies around could no longer hold back and began to whisper to each other.

"No wonder Second Miss Shen was grounded a few days ago. It turns out she was giving a thorny hairpin to her eldest sister?"

"Tsk tsk, isn't this too vicious?"

"Fortunately, Miss Shen is fine, otherwise it would be terrible..."

Shen Ruorou listened to the discussion and felt dizzy. Blood dripped from her fingertips onto the bluestone road, as if punching blood pits in her heart. She wanted to argue, but found that everyone looked at her with contempt. Even Liu, who had always favored her, hid behind the crowd and did not dare to come forward.

"I didn't!" Shen Ruoruo screamed, pointing at Shen Weiwan, "It's her! She made the spikes herself, trying to frame me!"

"Cousin," Shen Weiwan shook her head and handed the hairpin to the old nanny next to her for inspection. "There's your blood on this tattoo. How could it be me?"

The old nanny took the hairpin and saw the tricky curved thorn. Her face darkened. The thorn was obviously bent by humans, and the angle was just right to hurt someone when touched. It was no coincidence.

Xiao Yu took a step forward and took the hairpin from the old nanny's hand. His fingertips gently brushed the curved thorns, his eyes colder. "Second Miss Shen, do you admit your guilt for doing such a vicious thing at the royal banquet?"

Shen Ruorou was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost fell to her knees. She looked at Xiao Yu's cold eyes, then at the contemptuous eyes of the people around her, and finally realized that she had completely lost. This hairpin was originally used by her to frame Shen Weiwan, but now it has become a sharp blade stabbing herself.

“I…I…” Shen Ruoruo’s lips trembled, and she couldn’t utter a word.

Shen Weiwan cried out "Aiya" at the right time and supported her shaky body: "Cousin, don't scare me! Is it hurting? Quick, call the imperial physician!"

She turned around and winked at Chuntao, who immediately understood and screamed and ran to call for help. The noble ladies around looked at Shen Weiwan's "concerned" look, and then looked at Shen Ruoruo's embarrassed appearance, and their sympathy for Shen Weiwan increased a little, and their disgust for Shen Ruoruo deepened.

Xiao Yu looked at the cunning flash in Shen Weiwan's eyes, and the smile on his lips became even deeper. This woman always managed to make a good deal out of a bad hand without realizing it. He handed the hairpin to the guard beside him and whispered, "Keep it, this is evidence."

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