The imperial hunting grounds in early summer were scorched by the midday sun. The animal-tusk flags atop the tents drooped, and even the patrolling guards slowed their pace. Chen Weiwan crouched in the shade in front of her tent, fiddling with a small squirrel carrying a pine cone with a branch. Chuntao stood nearby, holding a plate of chilled honeydew melon, her skirt rustling in the wind. "Miss, look over there—Lin Wanrou is coming our way, walking like she's treading on hot coals!"
"Oh?" Chen Weiwan raised her eyebrows. The branch tilted and the little squirrel was frightened and slipped into the crevice of the rock. "Are you here to give yourself away again?" She brushed off the grass debris on her skirt, deliberately straightened her waist, and put on an innocent expression.
Lin Wanrou, dressed in a water-green, gold-embroidered kimono, and the pearls in her hair swayed so dazzlingly that it made one dizzy. A thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead as she approached. Glancing around, she saw that Xiao Yu's hunting tent was empty. A smirk played on her lips. "Sister Chen, you're in such a refined mood, playing with squirrels here?"
"Sister Lin, is there something wrong?" Shen Weiwan tilted her head, the sunlight casting shadows on her eyelashes like a small fan. "If you're here to deliver snacks, forget it. The last time you sent me osmanthus cake, there was croton in it, and I had diarrhea for three days!"
Lin Wanrou's face froze, and she suppressed her anger. "Sister, you're joking. Today I'm here to tell you something serious." She took two steps closer, her voice lowered to a whisper, a hint of "heartache," "There are some things I shouldn't say, but since we're sisters, I have to remind you—"
"Oh? What?" Shen Weiwan blinked and moved forward deliberately, the white magnolia in her hair brushing against Lin Wanrou's cuffs.
Lin Wanrou took a deep breath, grasped Shen Weiwan's wrist, her fingertips cold: "Sister, don't be fooled by His Highness the Seventh Prince!" She glanced at Shen Weiwan's stunned expression, thinking she had succeeded, and her tone became more urgent, "His Highness is of noble status and will be the heir to the throne in the future. How could he really marry you?"
Shen Weiwan stared at her whitened knuckles, and suddenly screamed "Ouch!", grabbed Lin Wanrou's wrist with her backhand and squeezed it hard: "Sister Lin, why are your hands like ice cubes?"
Lin Wanrou felt pain from being pinched, and frowned, "What does my cold hands have to do with you?"
"Why is it none of my business?" Shen Weiwan raised her voice, causing the maids hanging clothes nearby to look out. "Are you so jealous that your blood is blocked? My mother taught me a set of 'Warm Hands Exercises' before she died. They are very effective!"
"Hand-warming magic exercise?" Lin Wanrou was stunned. She subconsciously wanted to pull her hand back, but Shen Weiwan held it tighter.
"Yes, yes!" Shen Weiwan smiled so hard that her eyes narrowed into crescents. She suddenly grabbed Lin Wanrou's right hand, "Watch carefully - first, rub your palms to warm them up..." She suddenly turned her wrist, and with a crisp "snap" sound, Lin Wanrou's palm slapped her left cheek hard!
"You!" Lin Wanrou exclaimed, covering her burning cheek and taking a step back.
Shen Weiwan did not let go, and grabbed her left hand again: "Don't worry, there is still your left hand!" Before she finished speaking, there was another "snap" sound, and the bows were fanned left and right!
The surroundings immediately erupted in laughter. Chun Tao laughed so hard that she slapped her thigh and said, "Miss, this hand-warming exercise is really amazing. Miss Lin's face immediately turned red when I saw it!"
Lin Wanrou was so angry that she was shaking all over, and her fingers pointing at Shen Weiwan were shaking: "Shen Weiwan! You dare to hit me?!"
"Hit you?" Shen Weiwan spread out her hands, looking innocent, "I'm saving you! Look," she pointed at Lin Wanrou's flushed cheeks, "after hitting me, aren't my hands warm and my face red? This is called 'no pain if the flow is unobstructed, and pain if the flow is obstructed', my mother said!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Lin Wanrou screamed, the pearl hairpin in her bun almost falling off. "I'm doing this for your own good! His Highness doesn't really care about you, he just thinks you're new—"
"Oh?" Shen Weiwan raised her eyebrows and suddenly grabbed Lin Wanrou's sleeve. "Then tell me, why doesn't His Highness find you fresh?" She deliberately looked Lin Wanrou up and down. "Is it because your face is too stiff and you look like crying when you smile? Or is it because your hands are too cold and feel like ice?"
Lin Wanrou was speechless and her eyes were red with anger. At this moment, a clear voice came from behind her: "Who is making noise here?"
Everyone turned around and saw Xiao Yu wearing a black hunting suit, holding a bow in his hand, and his quiver was still stained with grass debris. He saw Lin Wanrou covering her face with her hands, and Shen Weiwan grinning beside her. He immediately understood about 70% of what was going on, and walked over quickly to protect Shen Weiwan behind him.
"Your Highness..." Lin Wanrou's eyes lit up and she wanted to complain immediately.
Xiao Yu didn't even look at her. He lowered his head to brush the grass leaves off Shen Weiwan's shoulders, and said in a doting tone: "Are you naughty again?"
Shen Weiwan immediately put on an aggrieved face and pulled Xiao Yu's sleeve and shook it: "Your Highness, Sister Lin said that you were just playing with me, and said that you would throw me away in the future..."
Xiao Yu's face darkened, and he turned to look at Lin Wanrou, his eyes as cold as ice: "Miss Lin is very concerned about my personal affairs?"
Lin Wanrou shuddered at his gaze and argued, "I'm just worried about Sister Shen..."
"Worried?" Xiao Yu sneered, took a half step forward, and released his full aura. "The world can bear witness to my feelings for Wei Wan. But Miss Lin," he glanced at Lin Wanrou's red and swollen cheeks, "what's wrong with your face? Could it be that you have also been infected with the cold poison, and need Wei Wan to warm your hands again?"
The surrounding maids and eunuchs could no longer hold back, and the sounds of puffing rose one after another. Lin Wanrou's face turned red and white, and she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. She stamped her feet and screamed: "No! It was Shen Weiwan who hit me..."
"Oh?" Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows, "Why did she hit you?"
Lin Wanrou was speechless at the question. She couldn't say that she was the one who started the discord, could she? She stamped her feet, covered her face and cried, "I don't care! Your Highness, you have to make the decision for me!"
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