In early summer, the Forbidden City's Imperial Gardens, the lake surface dyed a golden crimson by the morning light, and thousands of acres of water lilies were in full bloom. Dewdrops clung to pink and white petals, and fish darted among the emerald leaves, giving the Nine-Curved Pavilion, situated on the waterfront, a sense of floating in a fairyland. The Empress hosted a banquet to admire the lotuses, and the ladies of the capital arrived in sedan chairs. When the curtains were lifted, the shimmering light of pearls and jade illuminated the morning mist.

Today, Chen Weiwan wore a soft, aqua-green silk gown with a lotus pattern. Her dark hair was tied up in a loose, hanging bun, pinned with a single, dewy white water lily. Compared to the filigree and jewel-studded garb worn by the others, her simple attire created a unique and striking scene in the garden. As she sat down in a corner of the pavilion, An Ruyue, the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Anguo, burst in with her maid. Her pomegranate-red gown, embroidered with gold and peony patterns, ignited like a flame, drawing the attention of the surrounding noble ladies.

"Oh, isn't this Sister Chen?" An Ruyue smiled as she sat down, her fingertips deliberately brushing against the small bamboo basket held by the maid. "Why are you dressed like a lotus flower emerging from the water today? Are you trying to steal the limelight from the water lily?"

The basket was padded with soft, snow-white silk, and curled up in it was a palm-sized coral snake. Its black and white body shone with a cold light, and its tongue hissed, startling the daughter of Li Taifu, who was sitting next to her, so much so that she cried out and nearly fell off the waterside beauty seat.

Chen Weiwan raised her eyebrows and fiddled with the teacup: "Sister An, you're joking. How can my plain clothes compare to the bright peony skirt of yours? But the 'things' in your basket, aren't you afraid of disturbing the emperor?"

"Sister, you don't understand." An Ruyue pretended to touch the snake's head, and suddenly exclaimed, flipping her wrist and pinching the snake's tail between her fingertips, "Look how happily it's twisting! It must have smelled the fragrance on my body and wanted to get close to you!" The snake was shaken by the shaking, and Xinzi almost licked Shen Weiwan's wrist.

Chun Tao cried out "Ouch" and hid behind Shen Weiwan, digging her nails into the young lady's forearm: "Miss! Snake!"

Shen Weiwan suddenly turned around, grabbed Chuntao's hand and pushed it forward, smiling innocently: "Chuntao, don't you always say that the poisonous snakes in Lingnan are strange-looking? Miss An is so generous, quickly reach out and catch it - this snake is not poisonous!"

"I'm scared!" Chuntao was shaking like a sieve and almost kneeled down.

An Ruyue's eyes flashed with a hint of pride, but she said "considerately": "Sister, don't make things difficult for the servants. You should do it yourself. I had someone pull out the fangs a long time ago. It is more docile than the Persian cat in my arms." As she spoke, she pushed it into Shen Weiwan's sleeve. The "rustling" sound of the snake's body sliding across the brocade hurt people's eardrums.

Shen Weiwan reluctantly stretched out her hand, and when her fingertips were only an inch away from the snake's scales, she trembled suddenly and screamed, "Ah! How did it crawl towards you?"

Everyone looked intently as the snake unexpectedly broke free from An Ruyue's fingers and turned to dart towards the hem of her pomegranate-red skirt. An Ruyue's face suddenly changed. She bent down to grab it, but was accidentally bumped by Shen Weiwan, causing her to stumble. In that split second, Shen Weiwan grasped the snake's tail with lightning speed, and with a flick of her wrist like a butterfly, the snake slithered and slid precisely into An Ruyue's wide-open skirt pocket!

"Sister An! A snake has crawled into your skirt!" Shen Weiwan covered her mouth, but her eyes quickly swept over the maids and old women around her who were trying to hold back their laughter.

An Ruyue froze like a stone statue, then felt a cold, wriggling movement beneath her skirt. "Ah!" she screamed, leaping to her feet. Her hands frantically tore at the satin hem, ripping the pomegranate-red skirt like a rag. "Snake! There's a snake! Take it away! Quick!"

A black and white snake head poked out from the opening of her skirt pocket, its tail trembling in the air before retreating back beneath the satin. The surrounding ladies cried out, "Oh my God!" and fled in all directions. The pavilion was in chaos: hairpins fell to the ground, teacups shattered, and the timid ones hid behind the carved wooden pillars.

The female official beside the Queen shouted, "How disgraceful! Where are the guards? Capture them immediately!"

The sword-wielding guards looked at each other in dismay, none daring to step forward and tug at the noble lady's skirt. Just then, a cold voice rang out from behind the crowd: "What's the noise? You're disturbing the Empress's banquet."

Everyone turned to see the Seventh Prince, Xiao Yu, pushing through the crowd and approaching. A few water lily petals stained his moon-white brocade robe, and in his hand, he held a half-eaten piece of pea yellow. He glanced at An Ruyue, who was rolling on the ground, and then at the pale-faced Shen Weiwan beside him, unable to hide the curve of his lips.

"Seventh Prince, save me!" An Ruyue burst into tears, her skirt ripped open to reveal her moon-white panties. "Snake...snake is in my skirt pocket!"

Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows and his eyes fell on Shen Weiwan. Shen Weiwan immediately took a step forward, her eyes slightly red and she said "grievance": "Your Highness, Sister An said that this snake is not poisonous and insisted that I touch it... Who knew it would suddenly get into her skirt pocket? I, I don't know what happened!"

"You're talking nonsense!" An Ruyue screamed and tried to grab Shen Weiwan, "It was you who bumped into me just now! You were the one who threw the snake in!"

"How can Sister An slander me?" Shen Weiwan blinked her innocent eyes, her voice trembling. "I was so scared that my hands were weak. Besides, didn't you bring the snake here yourself? Maybe it thought the incense on you smelled good and wanted to go home with you."

"Pfft..." Some noble lady couldn't hold back her laughter and burst out laughing. Immediately, a suppressed sneer rang out from all around:

"That's right. You brought a poisonous snake into the palace yourself, and you still want to blame others?"

"Look at her, she's like a cat whose tail has been stepped on!"

"Miss Shen is so pitiful, she was almost bitten by a poisonous snake..."

An Ruyue was trembling with anger, but the snake in her skirt stirred restlessly again. She cried out, rolled her eyes, and fainted. The guards then dared to step forward and hurriedly carried her away. Half of the snake's tail slid out from under her pomegranate-red skirt, causing the onlookers to exclaim again.

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