When the evening bell of Hanshan Temple shattered the sunset, Shen Weiwan finally picked off the last bit of grass from her hair with the help of Chuntao.

"Miss, you've broken three combs trying to comb your hair." Chun Tao held up the half-broken wooden comb, wanting to cry but unable to. "That mud spot just now was stuck too firmly!"

Shen Weiwan turned around in front of the bronze mirror. She was wearing a plain cloth skirt borrowed from Abbot Huiming. Although it was a bit loose, it finally got rid of the mud monkey image. She touched her smooth forehead and suddenly remembered something. She clapped her hands suddenly:

"Oh no! The handkerchief given by the Seventh Prince has not been returned yet!"

Chun Tao's eyes lit up: "Miss, are you thinking of taking this opportunity to go find the Seventh Prince again?"

"Nonsense!" Shen Weiwan glared at her, but she was calculating in her heart. The handkerchief was obviously valuable, and more importantly, it was the first "gift" from her future husband, so she had to keep it well!

She adjusted her skirt and cleared her throat. "Let's go to the meditation room to return the handkerchief. By the way... let's see if Liu has given the ten carts of grain to the Bodhisattva for her 'last rites.'"

As the master and servant reached the corridor, they saw Xiao Yu standing in the courtyard, his back to them, lost in thought as he gazed at the blossoming locust tree. He had changed out of his moon-white brocade robe for an ordinary blue cloth gown, yet his elegance remained undisguised; even the curve of his hem, swaying in the wind, revealed a certain sophistication.

Shen Weiwan muttered in her heart: Why is this prince like a husband-waiting stone? Is he waiting for me?

As she was thinking, Xiao Yu suddenly turned around, his eyes fixed on her, and a hint of a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Miss Shen, do you have something to ask me?"

Shen Weiwan was caught, but she was not panicked at all. Instead, she walked over and took out the white handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it over: "Your Highness, thank you for your handkerchief. I will return it to you after washing it."

Xiao Yu took the handkerchief, and when his fingertips touched her slightly cool fingertips, his heart moved inexplicably. He looked down at the handkerchief - the dark gold lotus pattern embroidered on it was clearly visible, obviously it had not been washed.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Miss Shen, haven't you washed yet?"

Shen Weiwan blinked, her face calm and her heart steady: "I washed it! But I thought the material was too precious, and I was afraid it would be ruined by washing, so I rinsed it with clean water and let it dry for a long time!"

Chuntao covered her face silently and said: Miss, you clearly hid the handkerchief under the pillow and didn’t move it at all!

Xiao Yu naturally didn't believe it, but seeing her serious look, he was too lazy to expose her. He just stuffed the handkerchief into his sleeve and said, "Forget it, I'll give it to you."

"Really?" Shen Weiwan's eyes lit up, and she immediately snatched the handkerchief back and stuffed it into her sleeve pocket like a treasure. "Thank you very much, Your Highness! I will use it to wipe my mouth from now on!"

Xiao Yu: "..." He suddenly felt a little regretful. If she used this handkerchief to wipe her mouth, it would be difficult to regain any of the preciousness of the prince's token.

At this moment, Liu's sharp voice came from a distance: "...Hurry up, all of you! Sift out all these stones. If His Highness sees this, you'll be in trouble!"

Shen Weiwan and Xiao Yu looked at each other and saw smiles in each other's eyes.

"Let's go and take a look." Shen Weiwan rubbed her hands, with an expression of watching a good show, "See how my aunt 'picks' tributes for the Bodhisattva."

Xiao Yu laughed and followed her. He wanted to see what tricks this girl could come up with.

In the open space of the backyard, Liu was directing a few servants, sighing over the ten carts of "grain." The so-called grain had become a hodgepodge of mud and pebbles, with barely a handful of grain left after sifting through, leaving only a mountain of gravel.

"Madam, how...how do we sift this?" a woman cried, "There are more stones than grains!"

Liu stamped her feet in anger, "How do you sift? Pick it up with your hands! Pick out the grains one by one!"

Shen Weiwan hid behind the rockery, watching with amusement, and couldn't help but grumble in a low voice: "Aunt, are you planning to pick out ten carts of millet with your hands? I'm afraid you won't be able to pick up all the grains until next spring!"

Xiao Yu stood beside her, smelling the faint scent of locust flowers lingering in her hair, and looking at her shoulders trembling slightly as she tried to hold back her laughter. A corner of his heart suddenly softened.

This girl… was truly different from the well-behaved noble ladies of the capital. Others would either tremble in fear or try to curry favor with the prince, but she was the only one who dared to roll like a monkey in his presence, offering ten carts of mud as tribute. And now, she was hiding behind a rockery, like a little mouse stealing candy, secretly mocking her aunt.

"What are you thinking about?" Shen Weiwan turned around and met Xiao Yu's inquiring gaze. She couldn't help but be stunned, "Your Highness, why are you looking at me like that?"

Xiao Yu retracted his gaze, picked up the teacup and took a sip, trying to cover up his gaffe. "I was wondering if the Bodhisattva would like Miss Shen's 'down-to-earth blessing method'?"

Shen Weiwan immediately perked up, leaning forward and lowering her voice: "Your Highness, to be honest, I just went to the main hall and saw that the gold paint on the Bodhisattva's face was frightened off by my 'sincerity' of ten carts of grain!"

Xiao Yu: "..." He put down the teacup and looked at Shen Weiwan's sparkling eyes. He suddenly wanted to know how many wonderful ideas this girl had in her head.

"By the way, Your Highness," Shen Weiwan changed the subject and said mysteriously, "Do you think my aunt can sell all these stones if she sifts them out? These days, the most in need of garden construction in the capital is this kind of 'natural pebbles'!"

Xiao Yu followed her gaze and saw that the pile of gravel was indeed of different sizes and shapes. If it was really sold as pebbles... it seemed like it could really fool people?

He couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Miss Shen, are you planning to help your aunt increase income and reduce expenditure?"

"Of course!" Shen Weiwan nodded seriously, "After all, she rubbed her hands raw for my mother's relics. As her niece, shouldn't I feel distressed?"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!