When the bells and drums sounded for the end of court, the hum of the bronze bells shook the golden bricks in the hall. Shen Weiwan practically skipped out of the Golden Throne Hall, her skirt brushing the copper-clad corners of the threshold with a jingling sound. As soon as she reached the Seventh Prince's residence's hanging flower gate, Chuntao came running in breathlessly, holding a piece of oil-paper. The velvet flower on her temple had fallen behind her ear, and a few fallen crabapple petals were still stained in her hair.

"Miss! The storyteller from West Market has come up with a new joke!" Chuntao unfolded the oil paper. On it was a crooked jingle written in charcoal. At the end, there was a picture of a little man wearing a phoenix crown stuffing a stone under a chair leg. Next to him was an emperor with his mouth wide open.

"The imperial concubine is so bold as to commit suicide.

There are stones under the dragon throne.

The emperor had just stretched himself,

My butt almost broke.

His beard was eight feet high.

I was so angry that I called a carpenter to repair my house.

Who knew the culprit was smiling?

Hide behind the prince!

The dragon robe is stained with ink, which is really embarrassing.

The eunuch suppressed his laughter and wiped his tears.

If you ask who came up with this trick?

The little enemy of the General's Mansion!

Chen Weiwan was so shocked by what she saw that she almost fell down laughing at the beauty in the corridor. The oil paper in her hand was almost shaking into a dough twist: "Isn't this storyteller a clairvoyant and a clairaudient in the palace? He even knew clearly that I got a little mud on my sleeve when I was putting stones under it!"

At dusk, the glow of the palace lanterns shone through the window lattices onto the golden brick floor, creating circles of warm yellow light. Xiao Yu returned from the palace, carrying a gilded food box covered with a brocade handkerchief embroidered with lotus flowers. "My father asked me to bring this to you."

Shen Weiwan's eyes lit up, like a cat seeing dried fish. She quickly opened the food box and saw two plates of sweet osmanthus cakes, sprinkled with fresh sweet osmanthus flowers. The golden petals were dipped in icing sugar and shimmered in the light. "Is my father still angry with me?" She pinched a piece and stuffed it into her mouth. The sweet and sticky taste melted on her tongue, and even her eyebrows were stained with a smile.

"Angry?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow and sat beside her, his jade belt buckle gleaming warmly under the light. "Father said next time he'll ask you to put two stones under the throne to see if you can turn it into a rocking chair. He can lie on it and listen to memorials, and have Li Zhong fan him beside him. It's as beautiful as a celestial being."

The two looked at each other and smiled. Chen Weiwan knew that although the emperor said he disliked her, his fingertips had rubbed a patina on the cobblestone. He had long regarded her mischief as the most interesting pastime in the Yangxin Palace.

Three days later, Shen Weiwan went to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. As she passed by the Imperial Study, the dim candlelight reflected on the window paper, and the emperor's laughter came from inside, like a leaking bellows. Curious, she slowed down her pace and peeked inside through the crack of the door.

The emperor was sitting at his desk, fiddling with the pebble she'd used as a cushion for his throne. His fingertips caressed the lines on it, a smile playing on his lips, even the wrinkles around his eyes smoothing out. "Li Zhong, how could Wan'er be so troublesome? She tricked Concubine Liu into raising chickens the other day, and then she came to shake up my throne yesterday. I'm afraid she'll have to add chili peppers to my meals next time."

Li Zhong stood aside, his hands hanging down, a smile plastered on his face, his wrinkles brimming with warmth. "Your Majesty, the Seventh Imperial Concubine is naturally lively and wants to cheer you up. From what I've seen, the palace is much more lively with the Seventh Imperial Concubine here."

Shen Weiwan couldn't help but push the door open and put her head in. The pearl tassels in her hair almost hit the door frame: "Father, I dare not put stones under the dragon throne, but you can consider adding two spoonfuls of chili powder to your imperial meal. I guarantee it will be spicier than the Seven Star Tribute from the Western Regions!"

The emperor was startled, nearly dropping the pebble on the inkstone. A few drops of ink splattered, creating a small dark cloud on the rice paper. He pointed at Shen Weiwan, his beard quivering with laughter, his goatee nearly reaching his eyes. "You're getting more and more lawless, girl! Believe it or not, I'll have you make spicy rice cakes for me in the imperial kitchen for three months. I'll use double the amount of chili peppers, so spicy you won't be able to stick your tongue out!"

A few days later, during the morning court session, the emperor suddenly put down the memorial in his hand and glanced at Shen Weiwan, who was standing next to Xiao Yu, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "My lords, I have made a decision," he paused deliberately, watching Shen Weiwan blink, her eyelashes casting fan-shaped shadows under her eyelids. "Let the Seventh Imperial Concubine be responsible for repairing all the furniture in the imperial palace!"

The entire court, civil and military officials, exchanged bewilderment. Many were so stifled in laughter that their shoulders trembled, and the Grand Tutor's beard quivered slightly. The Grand Tutor coughed, took a step forward, and nearly dropped his ivory tablet. "Your Majesty," he said, "repairing furniture is the responsibility of the Imperial Household Department. I'm afraid the Seventh Imperial Concubine, a precious daughter, might be inappropriate..."

"No problem!" The emperor waved his hand, staring at Chen Weiwan with a smile, as if he were looking at his most proud grandson. "Wan'er is clever and skillful. She will definitely be able to repair my dragon throne firmly. Maybe she can even improve it to make it sway, so that I can lie down and read memorials more comfortably! If she repairs it, I will reward her with a basket of South China Sea pearls."

Chen Weiwan stepped forward and bowed, her eyes glittering with cunning, as if hiding two little stars: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your trust! I will do my best, especially the Dragon Throne. I promise to make it more stable than Mount Tai! But..." She deliberately dragged out her words, and the air in the hall seemed to be hanging. "If the Dragon Throne shakes even more after the repair, Your Majesty, please don't punish me to raise chickens. I'm afraid that the chickens will think of Concubine Liu when they see me and stop laying eggs."

The emperor laughed so hard he nearly fell off the throne, his goatee almost sticking up to the beams. "You! Just stop making it sway more than it should! If it does, I'll stuff you and Xiao Yu under the throne as cushions!"

The story spread quickly throughout the capital, from the storytelling stalls in the West Market to the silk shops in the East Market. Everyone was talking about it. The old man selling candied haws, carrying his load, sang a new rhyme as he walked, the tune twisting and turning:

"The Empress is braver than the sky,

Playing in the mud under the dragon throne,

The emperor was so angry that he slammed the table.

Turning back to admire the sweet osmanthus,

Now I am appointed to repair furniture,

I'm afraid they'll demolish the palace.

First lay the stone and then hammer the nail.

The dragon throne shook like a rattle,

If you ask who this woman is?

The little oddity in the General’s Mansion!

Jumping up and down to tease the emperor,

The whole court was filled with laughter.

Dasheng has this living treasure,

There's a lot of noise every day!

Chen Weiwan sat in the garden of the Seventh Prince's residence, waving freshly picked osmanthus flowers in her hand, listening to the folk songs drifting from beyond the walls. The osmanthus petals fell on the bluestone slabs, like scattered gold. She knew that within the palace, with the emperor's unconditional indulgence and Xiao Yu's smiling gaze, she could indulge herself in this way, leading a prosperous life. Her daily, "suicidal" activities had long become the most vivid and interesting scene in the Dasheng Dynasty, adding a touch of street life to the solemn throne room and allowing her to live an even more unrestrained and flamboyant life. After all, being able to make the emperor's dragon throne shake and then beg for a box of sweet cakes sprinkled with fresh osmanthus flowers was a life not afforded to every imperial concubine.