The late spring breeze, scented with the fragrance of roses, dyed the back garden of the General's Mansion a rosy, white haze. Chen Weiwan squatted on a delicate, translucent Taihu stone, clutching a sharpened bamboo pole with half a greasy, dried salted fish tied to its end. She was swinging it intently—her target was the fat, lazy cat in the next yard. Pink and white petals fell all over her shoulders, like a dusting of snow. Chuntao squatted at the foot of the rockery, watching for the wind, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes so tightly that they almost poked holes in her handkerchief.
"My young lady!" Chun Tao craned her neck, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum. "The Seventh Prince has been here for half an hour and is drinking tea in the front hall. The old butler's beard is almost standing on end!"
Without even raising her eyelids, Shen Weiwan slammed the bamboo pole down. The fat cat yelped and pounced, its claws scraping against the stone surface with a harsh sound. "What are you panicking about?" she pouted, the image of the dried salted fish shimmering before the cat's face. "Let him wait. I'm going to catch this slick-mouthed bastard today—I just dried the fish yesterday, and it's already snatched up half of it!"
Before he finished speaking, a low laugh suddenly sounded behind him, as sweet as the clashing of jade stones, and with a hint of helpless indulgence: "Miss Shen, your fishing skills are becoming more and more advanced. Tomorrow I will find you a golden hook. I'm afraid it will be able to catch all the dragons in the North Sea."
Chen Weiwan's hand trembled, and the bamboo pole clanged against the crack in the rock, startling the fat cat and sending it scurrying into the rockery. She turned back to see Xiao Yu leaning against the moon-shaped doorframe. A corner of his dark brocade robe was lifted by the draft, sweeping across the climbing roses near the door, showering him with pink petals. He held a square food box between his fingers. The crimson silk cloth was emblazoned with the words "Tian Xin Zhai" in small, gold-stamped ink, and a smudge of glistening icing sugar stained the corners.
"Your Highness walks without making any sound?" Shen Weiwan jumped down from the stone, patted the petals on her skirt, but glanced at the food box, "Here to feed again? Candy cake or lotus seed soup?"
Xiao Yu took two steps closer and handed the food box to Chun Tao. His fingertips carelessly brushed the lotus embroidery on Shen Weiwan's sleeves and brushed the petals off her shoulders. "We have both. But I came here today to discuss a deal with Miss Shen."
"Business?" Shen Weiwan raised an eyebrow and sat down on the cool stone surface, picking at the moss in the cracks of the rockery with her fingertips. "What kind of business does Your Highness want to make? Dealing in rip-off props, or wholesale dried salted fish?"
Xiao Yu chuckled at this and sat down beside her. He casually picked up a rose petal that had fallen on the stone table. The serrated edges of the petal shone a faint pink in the sunlight. "Scam." He paused, then turned his head to look at her. His dark jade eyes were filled with an unwavering smile, as if filled with starlight. "I'll help you scam someone, and you'll be my princess. Is this deal acceptable to you, Miss Shen?"
"What?!" Shen Weiwan was so startled that she nearly tumbled off the stone, the jade pendant at her waist clanging against the edge. Chuntao's food box shifted with a thud, and a piece of plum blossom candy cake fell onto the bluestone bricks, where it was immediately snatched away by the fat cat that poked its head out. The little maid turned pale with fear and quickly squatted to pick it up, her ears perked up like a rabbit.
Xiao Yu looked at her wide, almond-shaped eyes, deliberately put on a stern face, and tapped the stone table with his fingertips: "Miss Shen, have you forgotten? Last time at the gate of Shuntian Prefecture, when I helped you lure the bandits from Black Wind Village there, you promised me that you would treat me to sweet cakes for the rest of my life."
"Is treating someone to sweet cakes the same as being a princess?" Shen Weiwan jumped up, her head almost hitting Xiao Yu's chin, the pearls in her hair shimmering with tiny glints. "Besides, the art of cheating someone requires the right time, right place, and right people. With your level, Your Highness, I'm afraid you can only be my bag-carrying assistant!"
"Oh?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, a sly glint in his eyes, like a fox that had successfully stolen something. "Then who delivered the radish seeds to Jingxin Temple in the scorching sun? And who got the Shuntian prefect to open the seals on the twenty boxes of jewels that Liu had hidden in the wall?"
Shen Weiwan was choked and speechless. Her toes unconsciously crushed the petals in the cracks of the stone, grinding the pink and white into juice: "That was you...you voluntarily!"
"Yes, I volunteer." Xiao Yu also stood up, towering a head above her, his shadow completely shrouding her. He lowered his eyes to look at her, his gaze grave, his expression unmistakable in its seriousness. "But I'm even more willing to take the blame for you, and accompany you to defraud all the villains in the capital. All you need is a nod—to be my Seventh Princess."
The sunlight filtering through the rose trellis shattered into golden foil, landing on Xiao Yu's slightly furrowed brows, casting a warm hue on even the seriousness in his eyes. Shen Weiwan looked at him, suddenly remembering the icy cold of the snow in her previous life, Liu's sinister smile, Shen Ruoruo's cold eyes, and the piercing pain of falling clubs. And in this life, he always appeared when she needed him most, offering a piece of candy or a word of relief, like a ray of light, abruptly splitting the haze of her rebirth. Her heart, like tea brewed in warm water, felt a subtle itch, yet also a subtle warmth.
But she remained unyielding, tilting her head and snorting, "What's so good about being a princess? Do I have to give you half of the money I scammed?"
Xiao Yu chuckled softly and reached out to rub the top of her head. His movements were so natural, as if he had practiced them a thousand times. His fingertips felt the coolness of her hair. "I'll give you the keys to my warehouse. You'll be responsible for digging the pit in front, and I'll fill it in for you in the back. How about that?"
"Including helping me carry the sacks of stones?"
"nature."
"Take the blame for me?"
"It's my duty."
"As much sweets and cakes as you can get, and they have to be the latest from Tian Xin Zhai?"
"I have the shopkeeper deliver ten baskets to the general's residence every day. When they get cold, they are thrown away."
Shen Weiwan looked at the undisguised smile in his eyes and suddenly felt that this deal was really worth it. She tilted her head and thought for a moment, the sunlight casting shadows on her eyelashes like a small fan. Suddenly, she extended her pinky finger, the tip of which was still stained with the green of moss. "Then it's a deal. I take 70% of the profits from the scam, and you take 30%! Not a penny less!"
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