At three quarters past midnight, the moonlight streamed like molten silver through the moon-shaped gate of the west wing of the General's Mansion. As Chen Weiwan saw off Grandpa Wang, carrying a target for candied haws, the old man was still singing his newly composed version of "The Crooked Poetry Society is teeming with talent, and the eldest daughter is as beautiful as Chang'e," his voice resonating particularly clearly in the summer night. Turning, she saw Xiao Yu leaning against the moon-shaped doorframe, the hem of his moon-white formal attire lifted by the draft. In his hand, he toyed with a lustrous jade pendant, its color gleaming warmly in the lantern light.
"Your Highness, are you staking out?" Chen Weiwan shook the curled-edge revised edition of "Three Hundred Crooked Poems" in her hand. The five golden characters "Poetry Landslide" on the cover shone brightly under the lantern light. "Are you trying to steal this president's secret weapon?"
Xiao Yu stood up and approached. The moonlight outlined his straight nose and the corners of his smiling eyes. Even his eyelashes were rimmed with silver. "I'm here to collect the manuscript fee."
"Royalty?" Chen Weiwan raised an eyebrow, snapping her folding fan open to cover half her face. The words "Stir-fried Cabbage with Pork" engraved on the fan ribs were faintly visible in the shadows. "Your Highness, do you still remember that I still owe you ten jars of iced sour plum soup for that 'Hungry Poem'?"
Xiao Yu chuckled softly and handed the jade pendant to her. It was a peach carved from mutton-fat white jade. Atop the peach sat a small monkey, its head tilted and grinning. Each hair was distinct, even the nails on its claws were clearly carved. When Shen Weiwan leaned in closer, she could smell the faint scent of pine wood, similar to his own.
"This is..." As soon as her fingertips touched the jade peach, she was startled by the warm coolness and retracted her hand.
"My mother left this." Xiao Yu's voice was very soft, as if he didn't want to startle the moonlight. "Before she died, she said she wanted to give this jade peach to someone who could make me laugh."
Chen Weiwan's grip on the folding fan suddenly tightened, the fan bone rubbing against her palm. She looked up into Xiao Yu's eyes, the moonlight was soft and full of stars, and suddenly she remembered that in her previous life, when she was beaten to death in the snow, she seemed to have a pair of such gentle eyes, but she thought it was just a dying hallucination.
"Your Highness," she deliberately tilted her head, her lips raised in her usual "asking for a beating" smile, but she found her voice trembling a little, "My poem has a price tag - how many 'Stir-fried Pork and Cabbage' can this jade peach be worth?"
Xiao Yu chuckled, reaching out to gently grasp her fan-holding wrist. The warmth of his fingertips pierced through the gauze sleeve, scalding her heart. "If that's not enough..." He paused, his gaze fixed on her intensely, as if to draw her into those star-filled eyes. "With this prince's money, is it enough to pay you a lifetime of royalties?"
Shen Weiwan's heart thumped against her ribs, like a stone thrown into a well, sending ripples through the air. She tried to tease him, but her throat tightened, and she could only watch as the smile in his eyes deepened. Chuntao's suppressed chuckle echoed from behind the nearby rockery, and even the lanterns swayed.
"Ahem," she cleared her throat, abruptly shook off his hand, snatched Yutao and put her in her arms. The coolness of Yutao ironed her heart through her clothes. "For the sake of Yutao and... and the prince, this president will reluctantly accept it." When she turned around, her steps were a little unsteady, and she almost tripped over the threshold. "It's getting late, Your Highness, please go back. Chuntao - see you out!"
Xiao Yu watched her back as she practically fled into the corridor. The moonlight fell on his smiling face, and the curve of his mouth was so gentle that it could drip water. He knew that this little fox, who always loved to raise her thorns, was finally willing to let go of her claws and let him enter her world.
Back in the room, Shen Weiwan placed Yutao on the dressing table. The moonlight shone through the window lattice onto Yutao, and the little monkey seemed to come alive, tilting its head and smiling at her. When Chuntao came in with the lotus seed soup, she saw her staring at Yutao in a daze, her eyes shining surprisingly brightly.
"Miss," Chun Tao placed the celadon bowl on the table, her eyes curved with a smile, "What His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince said just now was clearly a confession of his love for you! Look at this jade peach, it was left by my mother, how solemn it is!"
Chen Weiwan picked up the jade peach and caressed it, her fingertips touching the monkey's furry tail. She said stubbornly, "What confession? I'm clearly here to pay off my poetry debt." But her heart was beating like a drum, and even her ears were quietly red. She remembered the look in Xiao Yu's eyes when he said "plus this prince." The seriousness in his eyes made her panic, but she couldn't help but feel secretly happy.
Three days later, the Emperor held a flower viewing banquet in the Imperial Garden. Shen Weiwan initially tried to decline the invitation, claiming the "Wrong Poetry Society has a meeting," but Xiao Yu forced her into a carriage with the remark, "This prince has prepared new 'royalties.'" Inside the carriage, he mysteriously claimed he had something important for her, leaving her guessing the entire way.
In the imperial garden, hundreds of flowers were in full bloom. Noble ladies gathered in groups of three or four by the waterside pavilion. When they saw Shen Weiwan come in, their voices buzzed like bees. As soon as she sat down next to Xiao Yu, Zhang Yushi, a remnant of the Liu family, came over with a wine glass in hand, his mustache sticking up high.
"I've heard Miss Shen's poetic talent is renowned throughout the capital," Censor Zhang said with a forced smile, pointing to the koi carp wagging their tails in the pond. "Why don't you write a poem about this koi carp to open my eyes and let everyone witness this 'debris flow in the poetry world'?"
Just as Shen Weiwan was about to speak, Xiao Yu put down his wine glass first, his tone filled with his usual laziness: "I'm afraid that Zhang Yushi has forgotten that Weiwan's poetry has always been 'folk art'. She can't write about topics that are too elegant."
Censor Zhang snorted coldly, stroking his beard and said, "Oh? Could it be that Miss Shen can only write some rustic rhymes?"
Shen Weiwan stood up slowly, tapped her folding fan on her palm, and walked to the edge of the pond. In the pond, koi were circling the lotus leaves, their plump bodies gleaming golden in the sunlight. She stared at the koi for a few seconds and started to speak:
"The koi in the pond are fat, and Censor Zhang is jealous.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
