At three quarters past four in the morning, the sun was at its peak, scorching the bluestone slabs of the General's Mansion. Even the swallows nesting under the porch were too lazy to flap their wings. Liu, however, huddled in a carved, double-stepped bed, wrapped in a thick brocade quilt, her ears catching the muffled laughter from the outer corridor. Her nails dug deep into the quilt, creating crooked wrinkles in the lotus embroidery. Since accidentally ingesting croton powder mixed with rose preserves three days ago, she had spent three full days and nights by the gilded clean bucket. Her limbs felt so achy that they felt like they had been pulled apart, and even the strength to drink a sip of rice porridge was lost, spilling onto the quilt. And yet, as if by agreement, the servants in the mansion always coughed softly when passing her courtyard. The suppressed laughter in those coughs threatened to spill out, pricking her temples.
"Madam... Madam, something terrible has happened!" Lu'e stumbled into the room, the velvet flower on her temples tilted to one side, her face a mixture of surprise and joy. "There's a huge truck in the front yard... in the front yard! It's...it's sent by His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince!"
Liu suddenly opened her eyelids, a glimmer of hope suddenly glimmering in her cloudy eyes. "Seventh Prince? Did you send me some Liaodong ginseng?" She struggled to sit up, but a sudden cramp in her abdomen made her grimace in pain and fall back onto the quilt. Her voice was filled with tears, "Tell me! What did you send me?"
Lu'e swallowed, scratched her head, and her face flushed red from trying to suppress a smile: "It's not ginseng...it's...it's a whole cart full of croton seeds!"
"Croton?!" Liu screamed, overturning the blue and white medicine bowl beside her pillow. The brown liquid splashed out, leaving deep, winding marks on the moon-white curtains. "Why did he give him croton?! Is he trying to kill me?!"
Meanwhile, Shen Weiwan was leaning against the beauty chair in the pavilion, pinching a chilled grape between her fingers. As Chuntao vividly described the grand spectacle in the front yard, she laughed so hard her shoulders shook and she nearly spat out the grape seeds. "You said the Seventh Prince sent a cart of croton seeds?" She blinked, the water droplets on the grapes sliding down her fingers. "And a letter?"
Chun Tao suppressed her laughter and took out a wax-sealed letter from her sleeve pocket: "That's right, Miss. Look--"
Chen Weiwan unfolded the letter and was greeted by the Seventh Prince's flamboyant cursive writing. The ink, tinged with playfulness on the plain white rice paper, said, "I heard that Auntie needs to detoxify and maintain her complexion recently. I have specially prepared a cartload of croton seeds from the Western Regions as tribute. They are effective in moistening the intestines and promoting bowel movements. If that's not enough, I will send ten more cartloads."
"Puff—" Shen Weiwan sprayed a mouthful of grapes onto the white marble table in front of her, laughing so hard that tears welled up in her eyes. "Still as effective as a drum? The Seventh Prince thinks his aunt isn't pulling hard enough!"
The old butler approached slowly, leaning on a jujube wood cane. His goatee was stretched askew by a smile, and he tapped his cane briskly on the bluestone slabs. "My lady, the steward of the Seventh Prince's Mansion just mentioned that these croton seeds are top-quality tribute from a small country in the Western Regions. Each one is plump as a golden bean. I guarantee... I guarantee that Madam will have a smooth bowel movement within three days."
"Go, go," Shen Weiwan smiled and wiped her tears, waving at the old housekeeper, "Hurry up and carry that cart of golden beans to the gate of my aunt's courtyard and tell her... tell her that His Highness heard that she had been having stomach discomfort recently and specially sent her this 'detoxifying holy product'."
The old housekeeper took his orders and left. Moments later, Liu's earth-shattering screams rang out from the west wing of the courtyard. Shen Weiwan, carrying a crystal fruit plate, slowly wandered over and saw an ebony truck parked at the entrance to Liu's courtyard. A mountain of golden croton seeds sat atop the truck, and several servants were kindly carrying them into the courtyard. The clattering sound of the croton seeds rolling down was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.
Liu rushed out with disheveled hair, still wearing a wrinkled nightgown. She pointed at the Croton Cart and trembled with anger, her lips turning pale. "Chen Weiwan! Was this something you instigated the Seventh Prince to do?!"
"Aunt, you're really wronging me," Shen Weiwan blinked her innocent eyes and shook the letter in her hand. The sunlight shone on the letter, making the Seventh Prince's ink words shine brightly. "This is the 'detoxification gift' specially prepared for you by His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince. Look at how plump these croton seeds are. They are very valuable in the Western Regions."
Liu stared at the pile of golden croton seeds, as if she could see herself in such a miserable state beside the bucket. Her stomach churned, her vision went dark, and she almost fainted. "I don't want this! Get this unlucky thing out of my way!"
"Aunt, you're welcome," Chen Weiwan smiled even more happily, gently picking up a croton bean with her fingertips and shaking it in the sunlight. "His Highness said that if it's not enough, he will send ten more carts. Look, this croton bean can be fried and eaten with rice, and it can be ground into powder to cure diseases. It is really a must-have product for home and travel."
The servants watching around could no longer hold back their laughter, and burst into laughter like a tide. Aunt Zhang covered her mouth and laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her back. "That's right! The eldest lady just gave Madam Huanglian Decoction, and today the Seventh Prince sent Croton. It's like 'Good medicine tastes bitter but is beneficial to the disease.' With this two-pronged approach, I guarantee Madam will be completely free of the poison!"
When Liu heard this, she felt a surge of blood rushing to her head. The finger pointing at Shen Weiwan trembled like a sieve. She couldn't say a word for a long time. Finally, she burst into tears and sat down on the ground, throwing a tantrum: "I won't live anymore! I can't live like this! God, why don't you kill this little bitch!"
Shen Weiwan watched her throwing a tantrum, her heart overflowing with joy, but her face revealed just the right amount of surprise: "Aunt, what's wrong? Your Highness is so kind, why are you crying?" She turned to the servants beside her and instructed, "What are you still standing there for? Quickly move the croton seeds into Madam's warehouse and keep them safe. Don't let the moisture get to them and they get moldy."
Liu watched the golden croton seeds being moved into her warehouse. She felt as if she saw a room full of laxatives grinning at her. She felt dizzy, her vision went dark, and she passed out.
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