"By the way, Your Highness," she hurriedly changed the subject, pointing at the dust rising from the long-vanished convoy in the distance, "Do you think that old Liu was carried off by a mountain wolf on the way?"
Xiao Yu looked in the direction she pointed, a hint of indifference flashing across his dark eyes. "Even if she hadn't been carried off by the wolf, three thousand miles of exile, subjected to wind, frost, rain, and snow, would have been enough for her to endure." He suddenly took a half step forward, his warm breath brushing against her ear, lifting a few strands of hair. "But what I'm more concerned about is... when will Miss Shen give me a chance to legitimately 'bribe' you?"
Shen Weiwan's heart skipped a beat, and she tilted her head pretending not to understand: "Bribe what? I, Shen Weiwan, never accept..."
"Take me in." Xiao Yu interrupted her, his eyes filled with an unwavering smile, as if filled with starlight. "Take me in, and I'll guard the general's warehouse for you. I'll protect you from the wolves and tigers in the capital. Even if you want to plant sugar cake trees all over the backyard of the palace, I'll find you the most fertile soil. How about that?"
"Puff—" Chun Tao couldn't help laughing and quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief. The old housekeeper coughed twice tactfully and led the servants back to the porch, leaving the two enemies alone in the sunlight. Shen Weiwan looked into Xiao Yu's sparkling eyes and suddenly remembered the coldness and despair in the snow in her previous life. Then she looked at the tenderness in the eyes of the man in front of her. The place in her heart that had been frozen by the ice of two lifetimes suddenly cracked with a "crack".
"Who asked you to guard the warehouse..." She turned away, her voice softening, "I'm a good scammer myself, why would I need you..."
"Oh?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, the smile in his eyes deepening. "Who asked me to deliver the radish seeds to Jingxin Temple last time? And who asked me to lead those bandits from Black Wind Village to the gate of Shuntian Prefecture?"
Shen Weiwan was choked and speechless, her toes unconsciously rubbing against the bluestone slabs on the ground, like a child whose secrets were exposed: "That's what you want!"
"Yes, I'm happy to do so." Xiao Yu looked at her puffed-up face and couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm happy to help you deliver radish seeds to Miss Shen Er, I'm happy to lure the wolves and tigers to the authorities for you, and I'm even more happy..." He paused, his eyes becoming particularly serious, "I'm happy to protect you for the rest of my life and prevent you from suffering even the slightest injustice."
The early summer breeze rustled the wind chimes under the porch, making a crisp sound. Sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, shattering into tiny specks of golden light in Xiao Yu's dark eyes. Chen Weiwan, observing the clear reflection of herself in his eyes, suddenly felt a soreness in her nose. She sniffed, turned her head to gaze at the floating clouds on the horizon, and spoke in a voice as thin as a mosquito: "Who asked you to protect me... But since you've brought me lotus seed soup so many times, I'll, I'll reluctantly let you come along."
A smile instantly spread across Xiao Yu's eyes, like moonlight shimmering into a lake. He reached out and gently rubbed Shen Weiwan's head, his movements so natural, as if he'd practiced them a thousand times. "Okay, from now on, I will reluctantly serve as Miss Shen's attendant."
Chun Tao was amused watching from the side, thinking that when she wanted to cheat people in the future, she would finally have the support of His Royal Highness the Prince. Shen Weiwan slapped Xiao Yu's hand away, but she was not really angry. Instead, she looked up at him with a cunning glint in her eyes: "Your Highness, don't forget that I am an expert in cheating people. Don't let me lead you astray and cry and shout to go back to the palace."
"I couldn't ask for more." Xiao Yu led the horse over, the reins twisting beautifully in his palm. "Come on, I'll take you to the West Market. I heard there's a new 'Yuanyang Sugar Cake' shop that's made with lotus flowers."
"Yuanyang sugar cake?" Shen Weiwan's eyes lit up, like a puppy smelling a meat bone, "But is it the buy one get one free kind?"
"Of course." Xiao Yu helped her onto the horse, his fingertips touching the soft satin around her waist. "Buy one, get one free. The free one...I'll eat it."
The two rode side by side towards the city, Chuntao followed behind with her lunch box in her arms, humming a tune she had just learned from the street. When they passed the "Tingfeng Teahouse" on the corner, the storyteller inside was clapping his wake-up stick and telling a story with saliva flying everywhere:
"...Ladies and Gentlemen! This is the story of Chen Weiwan, the legitimate daughter of the General's Mansion! She outsmarted her wicked aunt, toyed with a scumbag, and now has brought that vicious mother and daughter down to earth. It's truly a delight to watch—!"
"That's right!" the tea drinkers started to cheer, their tea bowls clattering against the table. "I also heard that the Seventh Prince loves Miss Shen deeply and sends delicious food to the General's Mansion every day!"
"A talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Weiwan secretly glanced at Xiao Yu beside her and saw that he was also looking at her with a smile. The moment their eyes met, they both couldn't help laughing. The sunlight stretched their shadows long, entwining them together, making them look like the immortal couple in the storybook.
"Miss," Chuntao approached the horse and asked in a low voice, "What are we going to do next? We can't really go to the West Market to eat sweet cakes, can we?"
Shen Weiwan stretched lazily, looking at the bustling West Market ahead. There was the sweet fragrance of sugar painting stalls, the glittering display of silk shops, and her brand new life. She tilted her head and looked at Xiao Yu beside her, deliberately dragging out her voice so that each word was wrapped in the sweetness of honey:
"What? Of course... to carefully consider the love confession of a certain prince!"
Xiao Yu chuckled at this and reached out to cover her hand on the saddle. The warmth from his palm pierced through the fabric, surprisingly warm. "Oh? I wonder what Miss Shen has in mind? I'm all ears."
Shen Weiwan looked at the undisguised expectation in his eyes and deliberately put on a serious face to pretend to think: "Well... well, it depends on your highness's performance. For example, if there is a buy one get one free deal on today's mandarin duck cake, maybe I will..."
"Buy ten, get ten free," Xiao Yu replied immediately, his tone firm. "As long as you agree, I'll buy out all the candy and cake shops in the capital, so you can eat as much as you want every day."
"Deal!" Shen Weiwan smiled with curved eyebrows, like a little fox who finally got something fishy, revealing her pointed little fangs.
Chun Tao clapped her hands as she watched, thinking about packing the dowry box for the young lady when she got home. Meanwhile, Shen Weiwan leaned against Xiao Yu, smelling his refreshing scent of ink mixed with the scent of sunlight. Suddenly, she felt that the biting cold and pain of her past life had vanished into thin air at this moment.
The scumbag has been offline, and the hatred has been avenged. In the days that follow, the sun is shining, the breeze is not dry, it is time to let go of the past grudges and have a sweet love affair that belongs to Shen Weiwan.
Volume 6, End.
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