The news spread like wildfire throughout the harem, quickly reaching the emperor's ears. In his study, the emperor laughed so hard he fell backward, dropping the memorials he'd approved in red to the floor. His beard trembled like a reed in the autumn wind. "Your wife is truly audacious. She brought eggs to the harem to start a fight?"

Xiao Yu stood in front of the dragon table and said helplessly: "Father, Weiwan is just joking..."

"I think it's quite good!" The emperor slammed his hands on the table, shaking the ink in the inkstone. "It's much more interesting than those people who scheme all day long! Next time, let her bring duck eggs, and smash them even louder!" He suddenly lowered his voice and leaned closer mysteriously. "And bring some chili powder, to choke those chatterboxes!"

At night, Shen Weiwan was tinkering with a new "trick" formula when Xiao Yu pushed the door open and came in with a letter in his hand. "My father asked me to give it to you, and he said it's urgent."

On the bright yellow letter paper was the emperor's flamboyant calligraphy, stained with a few ink blobs, and at the end was a crooked smiley face:

"Daughter-in-law, I heard you threw eggs at the noble lady? Very good! Next time you throw eggs at Concubine Shu, remember to call me. I'll be hiding behind the screen to cheer you on! Also: You've almost bought up all the eggs in the imperial kitchen. One day, ask your mother to send two baskets of goose eggs to the palace. The bigger the better!"

Shen Weiwan laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back. The letter in her hand trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind: "Your Highness, look, the emperor wrote the word 'oil' as 'chop', and even drew an egg face on it!"

Xiao Yu held his forehead and said, "I finally understand. If you two get together, this harem will turn into a vegetable market sooner or later."

"That's right!" Chen Weiwan raised her chin proudly, and the pestle slammed into the mortar with a "dong". The smell of mint and chili powder filled the air. "In the future, my 'School of Tricks' will open a harem branch to teach concubines how to use eggs to deal with green tea!"

Xiao Yu walked over and scratched her nose, rubbing the powder on her face with his fingertips. "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say. But don't really smash the eggs next time. Father said the chefs in the imperial kitchen are already complaining, saying they can't make egg foo yung without eggs."

"I know!" Shen Weiwan responded, but secretly stuffed a bag of freshly ground pepper into his sleeve, "Then use this next time? It won't hurt people if it chokes them, and it can also make them sneeze and spray rouge all over their faces!"

Xiao Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he took advantage of the situation and hugged her in his arms, smelling the minty scent in her hair: "I have really fallen into the hands of you, little devil."

Outside the window, the night watchman struck the second watch. Faint laughter and shouting from the patrolling guards drifted into the Seventh Prince's residence, mingled with a newly composed jingle: "The imperial concubine bursts into the harem carrying an egg, the green tea concubine is terrified, the emperor and the eunuch come to cheer, the harem has turned into a vegetable market!"

Shen Weiwan leaned against his chest, unable to help but laugh as she thought of Concubine Liu's humiliation during the day. She knew that life in the harem was destined to be turbulent, but with Xiao Yu's indulgence and the emperor's "backing," those who tried to harass her would sooner or later be smacked with an egg. And her legend of "deceiving others" would continue to write more exciting chapters in this deep palace. After all, in the Dasheng Dynasty, what could be more satisfying than watching your enemies be humiliated by your own cunning tricks?

At this moment, in the Concubine Shu's palace, Concubine Liu was checking her cheeks in the mirror. Thinking of the basket of eggs during the day, she was so angry that her teeth itched. The maid next to her carefully handed her the ointment: "Master, calm down..."

"Calm down?" Concubine Liu slapped the ointment away. "That little bitch Chen Weiwan, I will make sure she knows the palace rules!"

The maids looked at each other in bewilderment, none daring to speak. A storyteller from the West Market had already adapted the "Empress Carrying an Egg" story into a comedy, to be performed tonight in a teahouse. The harem of the Dasheng Dynasty was truly about to be turned upside down by this Seventh Imperial Concubine.