The early summer sun scorched the capital, scorching even the thick blue brick walls of the Ministry of Justice's prison. Liu huddled in the darkest corner of the cell, her starched, pale prison uniform emitting a foul odor of mold and sweat. Since her imprisonment following the raid, her once nail polish-coated nails had broken and peeled. Her hair, tangled in a rough straw rope, was tangled, a few gray strands clinging to her sweaty forehead. Her cheeks, once covered in pearl powder, were now covered in dark brown spots. Only her eyes still held a gleam of unwillingness.
"Liu!" The jailer's hoarse voice sounded like a broken gong, accompanied by the creaking sound of the rusty iron door. An oil-paper bag was kicked in from the gap in the door and rolled to Liu's muddy feet.
Her cloudy eyes suddenly shone, and she pounced like a hungry wolf at flesh and blood, her nails scraping harshly on the rough brick floor. Inside the oil-paper package were two hard, cold steamed buns and a small, oil-soaked piece of letter paper. The moment she unfolded it, her daughter, Shen Ruorou's handwriting, once praised by her teacher for its delicate, small, flower-shaped calligraphy, was now distorted and crooked, tears staining the lines: "Mother, save me! Shen Weiwan has framed me, making me a laughing stock at the poetry gathering. Now everyone in the capital laughs at me as a poetry thief..."
"Little bitch!" Liu was trembling with anger, her nails digging deep into her palms, oblivious to the blood oozing out. She suddenly looked up, watching the patrolling jailer outside the cell door gradually walk away. Then, hastily biting her middle finger, she wrote hastily on the back of the letter with the blood, her fingertips rubbing painfully against the rough rice paper:
"Rou'er, remember this: Chen Weiwan is very close to the Seventh Prince, and she must be clinging to him. Quickly use your beauty to get close to Xiao Yu. If you can win the prince's heart, you might be able to ruin their marriage. Remember to accessorize with that scarlet gold hairpin and wear your pastel-colored silk dress. Men all love a coquettish look. If this works, my mother and I will be able to turn things around..."
The bloody words smudged across the paper like eerie flowers. She rewrapped the letter and slipped the last piece of silver she'd hidden in her hair into it. Trembling, she held it up to the jailer, forcing a smile uglier than tears. "Brother, please be kind and give this letter to my daughter. I'll be your slave in my next life and repay you..."
The jailer weighed the silver and grinned: "Don't worry, this little thing won't bother me."
Three days later, in a dilapidated side courtyard, Shen Ruorou received a secret letter from her mother. She sighed before a bronze mirror. The woman in the mirror had dark circles under her eyes, and her cheeks still bore the red, swollen pimples from the previous day's anger. The plain white skirt she had once been so proud of now looked dull and lifeless. The moment she finished reading the bloody letter, her withered eyes suddenly ignited with fire, like a drowning person grasping at driftwood: "A honey trap...seducing the Seventh Prince..."
"Xiao Lian! Quickly bring me my black ink and peach blossom rouge!" Shen Ruorou stood up suddenly, knocking over the dressing box beside her, and the pearls and jade fell to the ground. "And that pastel-colored soft satin skirt at the bottom of the box, and find the red gold hairpin!"
Xiaolian, the personal maid, looked at her frantic behavior and could not help but dissuade her: "Miss, your reputation is bad now, and the Seventh Prince is close to the eldest lady. At this time..."
"Shut up!" Shen Ruorou slapped Xiaolian in the face, making her cover her face and dare not say a word. "My mother said this is the only way to survive! As long as I can get close to the Seventh Prince, who would dare to laugh at me? Go!"
Half an hour later, Shen Ruorou stood before the bronze mirror, her face thickly smeared with lead powder, her cheeks smeared with overly bright rouge, her pastel-colored skirt stretched tight against her body, and the red-gold hairpin stuck askew in her hair made her complexion appear even more sallow. She admired herself for a moment, feeling the reflection in the mirror was radiant, and then hurried out with Xiaolian, heading straight for the road that led to the Seventh Prince's residence.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly. Xiao Yu was riding a tall horse, his moon-white robe billowing in the wind, the jade belt buckle at his waist reflecting a gentle light. He had just finished a meeting with his staff and was about to return home when he saw a flamboyant figure suddenly appear at the intersection ahead.
"Oh, what a coincidence, Your Highness!" Shen Ruoruo twisted her waist and stepped forward, her voice sweet and cloying, but trembling slightly with nervousness. She raised her head and tried to force a shy smile, but forgot that the powder on her face was too thick, and it fell off as she smiled.
Xiao Yu reined in his horse, his obsidian eyes swept over her coldly, his brows furrowed imperceptibly: "Second Miss Shen? What are you doing here?"
Shen Ruorou lowered her eyelids, her long eyelashes fluttering: "I...I was just passing by, and didn't expect to meet Your Highness. Your Highness is so handsome today, it really makes me..." Before she finished her words, she heard the servant next to her suppress a sneer, and her cheeks suddenly became hot.
"Second Miss Shen," Xiao Yu's voice suddenly turned cold, with a hint of subtle sarcasm, "The lead powder on your face is probably thicker than the walls of this Ministry of Justice prison."
"Puff..." This time the servants could no longer hold back, lowering their heads and shaking their shoulders. The smile on Shen Ruorou's face froze instantly, and she frantically touched her face, rubbing off a layer of white powder with her fingertips: "Your Highness...You are joking. I just put on a little makeup..."
"A little makeup?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, and with a swish, he opened his folding fan, covering half of his face, revealing only a pair of smiling yet cold eyes. "I thought you had put the entire box of rouge on your face. You look a bit like your mother in prison."
These words were like a slap in the face, turning Shen Ruorou's face from red to pale. She twisted her handkerchief in a forced composure, "Your Highness really loves to joke..."
"This prince never jokes." Xiao Yu interrupted her, his eyes slashing through her embarrassed appearance like a knife. "Second Miss Shen is not staying at home to reflect on her mistakes, but is instead wandering around in front of this prince's house. Are you trying to frame me again?"
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