Liu looked down at the drug stains on her clothes, and smelled the familiar smell of chili peppers, and was so angry that she trembled all over. She pointed at Shen Weiwan and couldn't speak for a long time: "You...you..."
"What do you mean by me?" Shen Weiwan tilted her head, looking innocent. "Auntie, do you want to say that the soup tastes good? Then I'll ask the kitchen to make another pot for you. Drink it before going to bed tonight, and I guarantee you'll sleep well!"
"Get out! Get out of here!" Liu finally couldn't help herself and grabbed the powder box on the table and threw it over. Shen Weiwan was prepared and pulled Chuntao aside to hide. The powder box fell to the ground with a "bang", and the white powder was scattered all over the floor, which looked very much like Liu's pale face at the moment.
After running out of Liu's yard, Chuntao covered her mouth and laughed out loud: "Miss, you are really mean! How much chili powder did you put in that bowl of medicine soup?"
Chen Weiwan dusted off her hands and looked towards the Liu family's courtyard, a hint of "asking for a beating" appeared on the corner of her mouth: "Not much, not much, just enough for her to sneeze a hundred times." She turned to Chuntao and said, "Go, tell the stewards in the front and back yards that my aunt accidentally spilled the medicine soup just now, and ask them to send some skilled maids to clean it up. By the way..." She paused, a cold light flashed in her eyes, "By the way, let everyone know where the 'spicy chili smell' in my aunt's room comes from."
Chun Tao understood and ran away with a smile. Shen Weiwan stood in the corridor, watching the sunlight shine through the carved window lattices onto the ground, creating mottled light and shadows. She knew that simply embarrassing Liu was not enough. She had to completely deprive her of the power to manage the household affairs in order to preserve the general's estate.
"Miss." The old butler came over with a hunched back, holding a ledger in his hand. "The new account books for the warehouse have been sorted out. Please take a look..."
"Put it here with me first." Shen Weiwan took the account book and ran her fingertips across the large gold-plated characters on the cover. "By the way, housekeeper, the story of the thief yesterday has spread throughout the mansion, right?"
The old butler stroked his beard, a smile flashing in his eyes. "Yes, the servants are all guessing. But the strange thing is, when the thief was caught, in addition to the chili powder, he also smelled of rotten water, as if he had been fished out of a swill bucket..."
"Really?" Chen Weiwan pretended to be surprised. "That's really unfair to that thief. By the way, housekeeper," she leaned closer to the old housekeeper and lowered her voice, "I heard that Lu'e from Liu's room went to the kitchen yesterday and asked for a lot of chili powder, saying that she wanted to make some... um... 'evil-repelling sachets'?"
The old housekeeper nodded knowingly. "So that's how it is. I was just wondering, this morning I saw Lu'e washing her handkerchief, and the water was all red foam."
The two smiled at each other and said no more. Shen Weiwan walked towards her courtyard holding the account book. The sunlight fell on her, gilding the hem of her moon-white skirt. She knew that Liu would never give up, and the next few days would be even more lively.
Back in the room, Shen Weiwan flipped open the account book and her eyes fell on the few items of ink that Liu had withheld. In her previous life, it was these few insignificant expenses that had hollowed out the General's Mansion like termites. She picked up the cinnabar pen and drew wavy lines under the lines of words, like the first nail in Liu's coffin.
"Miss," Chuntao came in carrying a basin of water with a mysterious smile on her face, "guess what I just heard?"
"Oh? What did you hear?" Shen Weiwan asked without raising her head.
"I heard Liu scolding the locksmith in the room!" Chuntao lowered her voice, "Say something like 'What a good key! You made me lose face in front of everyone in the mansion!' She even said she was going to ask the locksmith to return the money..."
"Refund?" Shen Weiwan put down her pen, the corner of her mouth raised, "Does she dare to go? If the locksmith tells others about the key duplication, that would be a real disgrace."
Chuntao suddenly realized: "That's right! If she goes to the locksmith, wouldn't that be like admitting that she stole the key to the warehouse?"
"So," Shen Weiwan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the smoke rising from the Liu family's courtyard, "she could only grit her teeth and swallow her anger. What do you call this? This is called 'stealing a chicken but losing the rice', 'losing both the wife and the army'!"
Chuntao burst into laughter, but Shen Weiwan withdrew her smile, her eyes sharpening. She knew this was just the beginning. Liu was like a termite clinging to the General's Mansion. If she wasn't eradicated, there would be no peace in the General's Mansion.
"Chun Tao," Shen Weiwan suddenly said, "Go and get my box of 'special' perfume powder."
"Which box?" Chuntao was a little confused.
"It's the box I 'borrowed' from Liu's room last time. It's mixed with itching powder." Shen Weiwan raised a wicked smile at the corner of her mouth, "Since she likes to stuff things into other people's clothes, then I have to 'return the favor', right?"
Chun Tao understood and stuck out her tongue: "Miss, this trick of yours is really enough..."
"Enough for what?"
"That's a relief!"
The two smiled at each other, the sunlight filtering through the window lattice illuminating the cold glint in Shen Weiwan's eyes. The "chili powder thief" reported throughout the mansion was only the beginning; she had more "surprises" in store for her beloved aunt. Meanwhile, Liu was still in her room, wiping tears in front of the mirror, completely unaware that she had gradually walked into Shen Weiwan's trap, drawing ever closer to ruin.
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