The gilded bronze crane incense burner in the Hall of Supreme Harmony wafted with ambergris, its smoke curling around the lotus pattern on its body, weaving a hazy veil across the bright yellow curtains. Chen Weiwan clutched the silk handkerchief with twin lotus stems that Chuntao had crafted overnight, her fingertips twisting the tassels at the corners until they were tangled, and the lilac-colored thread threatened to break. Beside her, Xiao Yu, as if nothing had happened, tapped her waist gently with the bone of his folding fan, the jade pendant on the jade handle shivering with a hint of green. "If you keep squeezing, you'll squeeze honey out of this handkerchief."
"Your Highness!" Chen Weiwan lowered her voice, the red gold hairpin in her hair jingling with her movements, and the oriental pearl inlaid on the hairpin almost knocked her earlobe. "This is to see the Emperor and the Empress! Look at my skirt—" She lifted a corner of her lilac skirt, the lotus pattern embroidered with silver thread on it shimmering in the candlelight. "Isn't it too colorful? And this hairpin, won't it look tacky?"
Xiao Yu looked her up and down, frowning deliberately. "Well... a little." Seeing her face turn pale instantly, he suppressed a smile and changed his tone. "I was just kidding. Father and Mother love bright colors. Last time, the Third Emperor's wife wore plain white to an audience with the Emperor, and Mother kept nagging her so much that she didn't dare leave the palace for three days."
As he was speaking, the eunuch's shrill voice suddenly rang out from outside the palace, shaking the bronze bells under the eaves: "His Highness the Seventh Prince and Miss Shen—come to see you!"
Shen Weiwan took a deep breath, her heart nearly leaping out of her throat. Xiao Yu gave her a gentle push from behind, causing her to stumble and nearly fall onto the polished gold-tiled floor. In a panic, she gave a crooked bow, her hairpins rustling and nearly flying off her shoulders. "Your humble servant, Shen Weiwan, pays respects to the Emperor and the Empress."
The Queen sat on the Phoenix Chair, the nine phoenixes holding pearls on the Phoenix Coronet swaying gently as she frowned. She looked at Shen Weiwan who almost fell, and her pearly voice was filled with a hint of doubt: "I've heard that Miss Shen has a lively personality, but these palace rules..."
"Don't worry, mother!" Xiao Yu took a step forward before Shen Weiwan could speak, and his folding fan "swish" opened to cover half of his face, smiling like a fox stealing fish, "Weiwan really doesn't understand those false etiquettes, but she has one biggest advantage -"
Chen Weiwan's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding. She secretly pinched Xiao Yu's arm, but he grabbed her wrist instead. He spoke loudly, "She can make those who bully her cry for their parents! Take that aunt Liu from the General's Mansion, for example. She tried to steal the red gold hairpin from her mother, but she brought a basin of grains mixed with gravel, rubbing it until the skin on the back of her hand peeled off three layers! Later, Liu embezzled and enriched herself, and she dug out the account books and revealed everything. Now she's farming sweet potatoes in the wilderness three thousand miles away!"
"Puff!" The emperor on the throne spewed a mouthful of Biluochun tea, splashing the white jade teacup before him with droplets. The eunuch in charge of the seal hurriedly handed over a shark silk handkerchief, causing the golden dragon embroidery on the dragon robe to tremble. The empress, startled, slammed the gilded teacup onto the table, her pearl armor clanging against the rosewood surface. "What did you say?"
Shen Weiwan wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it right there, her toes leaving white marks on the gold bricks. Xiao Yu, however, seemed oblivious to her embarrassment and continued to talk: "And there's also the daughter of the Minister of Revenue. She tried to harm her with a venomous snake, but she ended up stuffing it into her skirt pocket. Now she's been sent to Lingnan to deal with the snake infestation. I heard she sleeps in the same tent with a king cobra every day!"
"Hahahaha! Great! What a great Chen Weiwan!" The emperor clapped the armrests of his dragon throne and laughed so hard that the screen behind the throne vibrated. "She's a hundred times better than those timid noble ladies! I just like such a bold daughter-in-law. Exciting!"
The Queen's eyes changed instantly when she looked at Shen Weiwan. The doubts in her eyes turned into curiosity, and even her tone softened: "You kid, do you really have such a skill?"
Chen Weiwan quickly bowed, pretending to be innocent, but secretly glanced at Xiao Yu from the corner of her eyes: "Your Majesty, they are all just clever tricks. For example, last time my cousin wanted to harm me, she sewed itchy grass scraps into her clothes. I shook them into her skirt pocket when she wasn't paying attention, and she ended up scratching her face at the banquet, with a rash all over her face, like she was stung by a bee!"
"Pfft..." The Queen couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth with her jade-studded handkerchief. Even the maidservant standing beside her secretly curled her lips. Seeing this, Xiao Yu immediately responded: "Look, mother, Weiwan is not only able to protect herself, but also can help you deal with those you don't like. For example, if you let Weiwan visit Concubine Liu who challenged you in the Imperial Garden last time..."
"Go away!" The Queen smiled and patted him, the pearl tassels on the phoenix crown shone with a fragment of light. "But this temperament is inherited from my youth. When I was still the Crown Princess..."
"The Queen Mother is going to talk about climbing trees and robbing bird nests again." Xiao Yu sighed helplessly, but secretly winked at Shen Weiwan. Shen Weiwan immediately understood and opened her eyes wide in surprise: "The Queen Mother also climbed trees when she was young?"
This certainly opened up the conversation. The Empress recounted her "heroic exploits," disguising herself as a man to sneak out of the Eastern Palace and climb a crooked tree in the Imperial Garden to rob a magpie's nest. Even the Emperor couldn't resist a joke, recounting how the Empress had once dropped bird droppings in the Imperial Tutor's hat. Shen Weiwan nodded repeatedly, occasionally exclaiming, "So the Empress is so capable!" This made the Emperor and Empress laugh so hard that even the bronze vat in the corner of the palace reflected their wrinkled faces.
Before leaving, the emperor suddenly frowned, and the twelve patterns on his dragon robe rose and fell slightly with his movements: "Chen Weiwan, I hand Yu'er over to you. If he dares to bully you, you..."
"Just make him cry and call for his mother!" Shen Weiwan blurted out, then realized her mistake and quickly covered her mouth. The eunuchs and maids in the palace were so frustrated that their shoulders trembled, but the emperor nodded with satisfaction, his beard curling up: "Good! You have the style of my past! Come, give me a reward!"
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