The late spring sun shone obliquely on the vermilion columns of the General's Mansion, tinting the Xiefang Courtyard where Shen Weiwan lived with a warm yellow. Shen Weiwan was leaning against a carved window, her fingertips pinching crushed Impatiens petals, carefully smearing them on her nails. The rouge-like liquid spread, making her already fair fingers even more translucent.

"Miss! This is bad!" Chuntao stumbled in, her hair askew, a few fallen leaves stuck to her embroidered shoes, her chest heaving violently, her face flushed. "News has suddenly spread in the capital that you can make poisonous snakes behave, and that you are in collusion with snake dealers in Lingnan!"

Shen Weiwan paused in her application, and a small smudge of Impatiens juice spread across her nails, like a drop of congealed blood. She raised an eyebrow and chuckled, her voice a touch playful. "Oh? Interesting. It seems someone felt An Ruyue's drama wasn't exciting enough and wanted to add fuel to the fire."

"It must be An Ruyue!" Chun Tao stamped her feet in anger, her clenched fists trembling slightly. "Who else could hate you so much besides her? She must be very upset about what happened at the palace banquet last time!"

Chen Weiwan put down the jade pestle she was using to pound flowers, stood up, and walked to her dressing table. She slowly adjusted the jade hairpin in her hair before the bronze mirror. In the mirror, a meaningful smile played at the corner of her mouth, but a cold look shone in her eyes. "Not necessarily. An Ruyue's brain wouldn't be capable of such a sinister scheme. There's probably someone behind the scenes fanning the flames. A single venomous snake could stir up the entire capital. This person is no ordinary person."

Before he finished speaking, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince has arrived!"

Shen Weiwan and Chuntao exchanged a glance and hurried out to greet him. Xiao Yu, dressed in a dark brocade robe with cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, was leaning against the door frame, waving a folding fan in his hand. A hint of a smile played on the corner of his mouth, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Miss Chen is so elegant that she even has the mind to paint her nails?" Xiao Yu looked up at Shen Weiwan, his gaze lingering on her fingertips stained with Impatiens juice for a moment, a smile flashing in his eyes.

Shen Weiwan bowed and sighed deliberately, her voice full of helplessness: "There's nothing I can do. Who made someone want to make my life difficult? Your Highness should have heard those rumors, right? They say I'm some kind of 'snake demon' who can drive poisonous snakes to harm people."

Xiao Yu walked into the courtyard and, passing the flower stand, casually plucked a branch of a vibrantly blossoming peony. The petals, still clung to morning dew, shimmered in the sunlight. "Of course I've heard about it. Speaking of which, I'm actually quite curious about one thing—who was so bold as to release a venomous snake at a palace banquet and even attempt to throw dirty water on you? They clearly don't take me seriously."

Shen Weiwan blinked, tilted her head and pretended to be innocent: "Your Highness, are you trying to help me check? This is really too much trouble for you. I am just a little daughter of the general's mansion, how can I trouble His Royal Highness the prince?"

Xiao Yu tucked the peony into Shen Weiwan's hair and whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing her earlobe: "How can I be bothered by helping my future princess? Don't worry, I want to see who dares to touch my people. If you dare to throw dirty water on you, be prepared to be hit back by the dirty water."

Shen Weiwan felt her cheeks grow slightly hot, and her heartbeat quickened unconsciously. She took a step back, coughed twice, and changed the subject: "Actually, I have a guess in my mind. Although An Ruyue is annoying, she doesn't have the brains to come up with such a sinister idea. I heard that the Prime Minister's daughter, Su Yingxue, has been very close to her recently. Su Yingxue appears gentle and virtuous, but in fact, she has a deep mind. Maybe..."

Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and opened his folding fan with a swish. "The Prime Minister's daughter? Su Yingxue? Interesting. Her father has been trying to trip me up a lot in the court recently. It seems this is Xiang Zhuang dancing with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong."

Chun Tao was confused and couldn't help asking, "Your Highness and Miss, do you suspect Miss Su is behind this? But there's no evidence. You can't just frame someone out of thin air, right?"

Shen Weiwan and Xiao Yu looked at each other and laughed at the same time. Xiao Yu shook the folding fan in his hand, with a bit of cunning in his smile: "It doesn't matter whether there is evidence or not. What's important is that certain people must know that if they offend Shen Weiwan, they will offend this king. It's not their turn to act recklessly in this capital."

Over the next few days, the most sensational news among the imperial ladies of the capital was that the Seventh Prince, Xiao Yuguang, had invited a large number of distinguished ladies to the palace to enjoy the flowers. The peonies outside the Qionghua Palace were in full bloom, their crimson like fire and their pink like clouds, but the atmosphere within the palace was remarkably subdued.

Xiao Yu held the teacup in hand, his eyes sweeping over everyone's faces. He spoke casually, "Ladies, how did this venomous snake suddenly appear at the palace banquet? If it had injured any of the nobles, it would have been a serious matter."

The ladies all shook their heads, claiming they knew nothing of the situation. Only Su Yingxue forced herself to remain calm, forcing a smile, her voice trembling as she said, "Your Highness, why bother with such a trivial matter? Perhaps someone brought it in accidentally. Such a vulgar matter is truly not worth your concern."

Xiao Yu looked at her with a half-smile, then his tone suddenly turned cold. "Miss Su, that's easy for you to say. But I've heard that Miss Su is very knowledgeable about rare and exotic animals, especially snakes. I wonder if Miss Su would be interested in helping me research that venomous snake? I've heard that Miss Su raises many rare birds and animals at home, so she must be very knowledgeable about this."

Su Yingxue's face paled instantly, and the teacup in her hand clanked, nearly dropping it. She hurriedly stood up and bowed, her voice trembling. "Your Highness, you're joking. I don't understand these things... They're just some boudoir pastimes."

Xiao Yu didn't ask any further questions, simply smiling and changing the subject. But since then, a new rumor has spread throughout the capital: the Seventh Prince suspects the Prime Minister's daughter of being involved in the venomous snake incident at the palace banquet and is secretly investigating. The news spread like wildfire, swiftly spreading through the streets and alleys of the capital.

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