The early summer sun filtered through the layers of grape leaves in the Xiefang Courtyard of the General's Mansion, casting coin-like dappled light across the bluestone slabs. Bunches of unripe grapes, shimmering green, swayed gently in the breeze, shattering golden sunlight onto the stone table where Shen Weiwan squatted. She stared blankly at a plate of freshly baked lotus cakes, her nose stained with white flour, like a Persian cat licking icing sugar, while the tips of her ears flushed slightly from stifling a smile.

"Miss, what are you thinking about at the stone table again?" Chuntao approached, holding a celadon teacup. The steam from Biluochun tea rose up, dimming the smile on her face. "You've almost stared holes through this plate of lotus cake."

Chen Weiwan suddenly looked up, her index finger raised to her lips in a hushed gesture. With her other hand, she pulled a small linen bag from her sleeve and waved it before Chuntao's eyes. Embroidered on the corner was a crooked "keng" character, her signature symbol. "See? This is the Western Region pepper powder the Imperial Hospital just delivered yesterday. It's ground finer than Su embroidery thread!" She proudly shook the bag, the powder rustling inside. "Wait for His Highness to come over, and we'll see the show."

Chun Tao's hands trembled with fear, and a few drops of scalding tea spilled out. "Miss! That's the Seventh Prince! Are you trying a new trick on him? Last time you tricked him with croton cake, he ignored you for three days!"

"What do you mean by cheating?" Shen Weiwan raised an eyebrow. She scooped half a spoonful of pepper with a silver spoon and sprinkled it on the lotus cake like petals. The snow-white cake immediately showed a few suspicious red spots. "This is called the 'love sweetness test'. Yesterday, that idiot Lin Wanrou was able to harm me with laxatives. I have to develop some new skills to prevent being cheated, so as not to be forced to drink croton soup next time."

Before he finished speaking, the swish of a folding fan opened and closed outside the moon-shaped cavern door, accompanied by the crisp scent of ambergris. Xiao Yu entered, dressed in a lake-blue, patterned uniform. The Hetian jade Pisces pendant hanging from his belt shone softly in the sunlight. Seeing the two men acting furtively at the stone table, he deliberately drew out his words, "I heard someone muttering the word 'swindle' outside the second gate. What evil scheme is he up to?"

Chen Weiwan immediately put on an innocent smile, holding a hibiscus cake and came forward, the pearl tassels in her hair shimmering with silver light: "Your Highness, you are here! Try the 'Hibiscus Drunken Immortal Cake' I made myself, with a secret warming seasoning!"

Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, rubbing his fingertips across the flour on the tip of her nose. He looked at the cunning hidden in her sparkling almond-shaped eyes and teased her deliberately: "Secret seasoning? Could it be that you ground the thousand-year-old ginseng that I gave you last time, and mixed it in?"

"How could that be!" Shen Weiwan stuffed the porcelain plate into his hand and gently poked the back of his hand with her jade finger. "This time it's sweet, I guarantee that you will feel warm inside after eating it!"

Xiao Yu skeptically picked up a piece and sniffed it. Sure enough, the sweet, sticky rice aroma was mingled with a subtle hint of spiciness. He understood, but deliberately frowned as he took a large bite.

"Cough... cough cough!" The next second, Xiao Yu's face flushed red from the pepper. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes, and he sneezed seven or eight times in a row. Like a cat whose tail was stepped on, he took three steps back before holding on to the stone bench. "Chen, Chen Weiwan! You...you put chili powder in the pastry?!"

Shen Weiwan had already squatted on the ground laughing, pounding her fists on the stone bench and unable to straighten her back. Tears of laughter came out: "Hahaha! Your Highness, the way you sneezed just now was exactly the same as the Persian cat in my room! Especially the way your ears turned red, it was so funny!"

Xiao Yu was both angry and amused, wiping his tears with a moon-white handkerchief. Suddenly, he reached out and lifted up the limp Shen Weiwan, who was laughing so hard, and hugged her sideways. She cried out in surprise and instinctively hugged his neck. Her nose touched the buttons on his chest and she could smell the faint scent of ink mixed with his clothes. "Your Highness! Put me down quickly! Chun Tao is still watching!"

"That's just right. Let her see how you, a little rascal, tease me!" Xiao Yu pinched her cheeks, which were red from laughing, and deliberately put on a stern face. "How dare you use me as a guinea pig? Tell me, how do you want to punish me?"

"I was wrong, I was wrong!" Shen Weiwan laughed so hard in his arms that her whole body trembled. The Dongzhu on the hairpin rubbed his chin. "You won't dare to do it again next time... At most, try using Croton Cake next time?"

"Do you dare to do it again?" Xiao Yu flicked her forehead, his tone soft as a smile, "If you continue to act like a fool, I will throw you into the clan residence and make you drink croton porridge with Lin Wanrou every day!"

"Your Highness~" Shen Weiwan dragged out her voice coquettishly, and poked the jade belt hook on his chest with her fingertips, "When you sneezed just now, the corners of your eyes didn't even wrinkle, so you didn't want to punish me."

Xiao Yu sighed helplessly and placed her back on the stone bench, his fingertips still lingeringly brushing the top of her hair. "Yes, yes, yes, I can't bear to let you go. But next time you use me to test poison... I'll punish you by making you embroider ten 'Tiger Descending the Mountain' paintings for me!"

"Ten?" Chen Weiwan exaggeratedly widened her eyes, her almond-shaped eyes widening like a frightened deer. "Your Highness, do you still remember the tiger I embroidered last time? The butler said it was the fattest sick cat he had ever seen, and he almost fed it as a tabby cat!"

As the two of them laughed and joked, Chuntao came over with a slice of iced honeydew melon. Seeing her young lady being pinched on the face by the prince, she couldn't help but chuckle. Xiao Yu glanced at her and said, "What are you laughing at? Hurry up and put away your young lady's 'weapon', so she doesn't put pepper in my tea next time."

Shen Weiwan took the opportunity to slip out of his arms, picked up a piece of untouched hibiscus cake and stuffed it into his mouth. Her fingertips felt slightly hot when they brushed against the corners of his lips: "Okay, okay, I'll make it up to you. Seriously, Your Highness, what do you think of my pepper routine? Next time, when dealing with those noble ladies who gossip behind their backs, sprinkle some on their snacks. I guarantee that they will sneeze a dozen times in public. It's more exciting than painting a face mask!"

Xiao Yu chewed his cake and raised an eyebrow, saying, "It's a good idea, but it's too cheap for them. I'll teach you a better way - mix pepper powder into rouge, have them smear it all over their faces, and then sneeze at the princes. They'll look like Nuo opera performers in their makeup. Wouldn't that be even more interesting?"

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