The nights at the Prince's residence were softened by the sweet fragrance of croton flowers. Just after the third watch, Chen Weiwan tiptoed out of the study, her moon-white skirt sweeping past the croton vines under the corridor. The plump pods crackled softly in the night breeze, as if accompanying her sneaky escape. She clutched a half-eaten croton cake, its crumbs rustling onto the blue bricks, attracting a few greedy ants. She was contemplating Xiao Yu's red sandalwood money box hidden under the bed when she felt a sudden tightening around her waist. She was plucked from behind into an ambergris-scented embrace.

"Ouch!" Shen Weiwan wanted to smear the cake crumbs on the other person's chin, but her nose hit a piece of cold brocade. She looked up and saw Xiao Yu looking at her with raised eyebrows, and the croton wind chimes hanging under the corridor were reflected in his eyes, which made her dizzy.

He rested his chin lightly on the top of her head, the silver python pattern on his black brocade robe brushing against her shoulder. "Want to explore my money box again?"

"Nonsense!" Chen Weiwan turned her head, and cake crumbs fell on the gold embroidery on his lapel. "This princess saw that the moonlight was just right tonight, so she came out... to appreciate the croton flowers." She pointed randomly at the flower field not far away. The dew on the petals looked like a handful of broken diamonds in the moonlight.

Xiao Yu chuckled softly, took her hand, and walked toward the pond. The moonlight, like silver gauze, cast a soft glow over the entire croton field. The bean leaves rustled, as if whispering something. The koi in the pond were startled, and the bubbles they spewed reflected the moonlight, shattering into a pool of silver foil. He suddenly stopped, and as he turned, the smile at the corner of his eye caught in the moonlight, illuminating it with a startling brightness.

"Wei Wan," he said, his voice softer than honey-soaked croton tea, "I used to feel that the Imperial Palace was a gilded cage, and this Prince's Mansion was stagnant water. My life there was duller than unsweetened croton cake."

Shen Weiwan raised her eyebrows and stuffed the remaining half of the cake into his mouth: "So what now? Do you feel that life is like three pounds of spicy croton powder?"

Xiao Yu bit into a cake and mumbled, "Like the croton flower tea you brew yourself. It's so spicy at first, but it's so sweet it makes my throat choke." He held her hand, his fingertips rubbing against the thin calluses on her palm—the result of years of kneading croton powder and digging pits and setting traps. "It wasn't until I met you that I realized there's more to life than just the tricks you use to deceive people."

Across the pond, Kengkeng and Wawa were busy among a pile of croton powder. Hanging from Wawa's pigtails were strings of copper coins, earned from selling "honest laxatives" during the day. Each swing made a jingling sound, startling the fireflies perched on the bean vines. Chen Weiwan looked at the children's little figures, her lips curled up. "Your Highness, are you praising my tricking skills for bringing so much fun to your life?"

Xiao Yu lowered his head, and gently brushed his nose against hers, carrying the coolness of the night dew. "The first time I saw you holding grains and cereals for your aunt to rub your hands, I thought, this girl is quite interesting. Then I saw you shake Shen Ruoruo's itching powder back into her skirt pocket, and tricked that cripple Li Xiu into becoming a laughing stock..." He paused, and the smile in his eyes deepened a little, as if filled with starlight. "It's not that I like to see you tricking people, but I like the light in your eyes."

"What light?" Shen Weiwan tilted her head, the croton flower hairpin in her hair brushed across the back of his hand, and the pearl pendant on the hairpin flickered in the moonlight.

"Like the midday sun over a field of croton seeds," Xiao Yu's fingertips gently traced her brow bone, his movements as gentle as if he were painting a precious treasure. "It's dazzlingly bright, yet so warm that you want to reach out and grasp it." He suddenly tightened his arms, encircling her in his embrace, his chin resting on the crown of her hair. "I used to think you were stupid, but later I realized you were using your intelligence where it was needed, like a knife, slicing through those with bad intentions."

Suddenly, from a distance, I heard Kengkeng shouting, "Dad! Mom! We built a glowing croton castle!"

Shen Weiwan struggled to get over, but Xiao Yu held her tighter. His voice came muffled from above his head: "Weiwan, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" She tugged at the jade belt around his waist and smelled the faint scent of croton on him - that was the powder she had secretly mixed into his fumigant.

"Thank you for letting me know," Xiao Yu's Adam's apple rolled, his voice low and hoarse, "There really are girls in this world who are like croton powder. They can make swindlers cry for their parents, but they can also warm people's hearts." He turned her face, and the moonlight fell on his eyelashes, casting a small shadow. "I used to think that marrying anyone was a matter of imperial decree, until you, wearing a bright red wedding dress, lifted the sedan chair curtain, and smiled like a little fox who had stolen candy..."

"Stop!" Shen Weiwan hurriedly covered his mouth, her fingertips touching the stubble on his chin, "If you continue talking, this princess will blush. How can I go out and cheat people tomorrow?"

Xiao Yu bent down and kissed her palm, his eyes curved into crescents. "You look best when your face is blushing." He suddenly bent down, picked her up horizontally, and walked behind the rockery. "Let the children play by themselves, we'll go look at the moon."

Behind the rockery lay a hidden field of croton flowers, their petals shimmering like pearls in the moonlight. Xiao Yu placed her on a stone bench, but didn't sit down himself. Instead, he squatted before her like a child begging for candy. "Weiwan, tell me another deceptive story. It's about that 'laxative tea' that gave the Southern Chu envoy diarrhea."

"No stories to tell," Shen Weiwan kicked his knee, her skirt sweeping across the croton seedlings beside the stone bench, "Want to hear a story? Bring me your private money."

Xiao Yu smiled and pulled out a brocade box from his sleeve pocket. He opened it to reveal a pair of delicately carved croton powder earrings. Each flower's stamen was inlaid with tiny gold pieces the size of rice grains, gleaming brightly in the moonlight. "Is this enough to buy you three stories?"

Chen Weiwan's eyes lit up, but she deliberately curled her lips: "It's barely enough to exchange for the secret behind the 'fake shit plan'." She picked up the earrings and gestured, her earlobes shining in the light, "Do you know? When I tricked that fake medicine seller, what I asked Chuntao to apply on the sheep dung balls was not gold powder at all, but..."

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