On the eve of her wedding, the wind, wrapped in the sweet fragrance of gardenias from the back garden, swept past the tops of the three-story sycamore trees in Xiefang Courtyard. Twelve red gauze lanterns swayed gently beneath the veranda, their silver bells tinkling softly, painting the blue brick floor a flowing warm orange. Even the newly cut paper wedding characters pasted on Chen Weiwan's window paper were bathed in a soft, warm glow. She wore a half-worn plain nightgown, her fingertips repeatedly tracing the phoenix tail feathers embroidered with gold thread on her wedding gown. The ninety-nine black pearls, the size of rice grains, shone faintly in the candlelight, but her rubbing had dislocated their arrangement.
"Miss, you've already circled the rosewood dressing table twenty-seven times!" Chuntao stepped over the threshold, carrying a celadon bowl of soup. A few drops of the lotus seed soothing soup on the sandalwood tray spilled out, leaving dark stains on the hem of her skirt. "It's going to be three quarters past the hour of Mao tomorrow. If you keep going, you're going to make a hole in your veil that'll need mending."
Chen Weiwan stopped abruptly, her eyes reddening. "Chun Tao, tell me...after I marry into the Seventh Prince's mansion, can I still chase after Mr. Wang from the West Market to bargain?" She tugged at the hem of her wedding dress, the pearl tassels tangled in her palms. "Last month, he overcharged me by two cents, saying, 'A legitimate daughter can afford this.' I haven't even gotten my revenge for the chili powder mixed with candied haws!"
Chuntao's hand trembled, and the copper spoon fell into the bowl with a clang. The splash of hot soup made her fingertips shrink. "Miss, your wedding is coming soon, why are you still thinking about such a small thing?"
"Not only that!" Chen Weiwan grabbed the chili powder wrapped in fine linen on the table and gestured to the hidden pocket on her waist, "Can I sprinkle this into Liu Ruolin's Biluochun in the future? What if the censors impeach me for 'poisoning the prince's wife in the street'? Will they lock me up in the dark room of the clan house where they keep wicked women to feed the rats?"
Before he could finish his words, the gentle tapping of a folding fan against the window frame echoed. A moon-white figure leaped in from the window. As Xiao Yu landed, the hem of his robe whipped up a gust of wind, flickering the lamp flame. A fresh sycamore leaf was pinned in his hair. He shook the night dew from his hem, raised an eyebrow, and looked at the irritated Chen Weiwan. "Which censor dares to impeach my princess? I'll first let him taste the 'croton meal' specially provided by the Imperial Clan Court. It's all you need three times a day."
Shen Weiwan's eyes lit up, and she rushed over and grabbed his collar embroidered with dark gold cloud patterns: "Your Highness! I'm so worried! You said that the royal family has so many rules. Can I cheat people like I do now in the future?"
Xiao Yu pinched the tip of her red nose with his fingers, then pulled her into his arms. The ambergris on her moon-white nightgown mingled with the jasmine scent of her hair. "I'm marrying you as a princess, not as a bodhisattva in a Buddhist temple." He shook the chili powder bag in Shen Weiwan's hand. The crooked "坑" character embroidered on the bag's opening danced under the light. "Starting tomorrow, we'll set up a '坑人特基金'. We'll provide enough Seven Star Peppers from the Western Regions as tribute. I'll have my secret guards take turns as 'chili powder couriers', ready to go whenever I'm called."
"Really?" Chen Weiwan's eyes shone brightly as if they were filled with stars, her eyelashes casting fan-shaped shadows under her eyes. "Then... can I still squat on the street and fight with Zhang Erniang, the wonton seller, for chopped green onions? Last time she gave me half a spoonful less, and I even planned to mix pepper powder into her seasoning jar!"
"Of course I can." Xiao Yu straightened her tangled braids, feeling a slight shiver as his fingertips brushed against her earlobe. "I'll fight with you. If you can't win... I'll pour a whole can of chili peppers into her bone broth pot and see who dares to skimp on it."
"Puff!" Chen Weiwan laughed, then frowned, her fingertips twisting the end of the jade belt around his waist. "But the nanny who came to the palace the other day said that a princess needs to be dignified and quiet... Last time, I sprinkled chili powder in Liu's soup, and she pointed at my nose and scolded me for being 'disrespectful.'"
"Who dares to scold you?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, unfurling his folding fan and slamming it against his palm. The ink bamboo pattern on the fan trembled slightly. "I will immediately order the imperial kitchen to make 'croton and lotus seed soup' for that nanny. Drink it once and she'll have diarrhea for three days. Let's see if she dares to open her stinky mouth again."
As he was speaking, the old butler's deliberately quiet cough came from behind the screen: "My lady, Your Highness, it's three quarters past midnight... It's time to settle down."
Shen Weiwan let go of her hand as if she was burned, turned around and pretended to adjust the phoenix wings on her wedding dress: "I understand, Grandpa Butler, I'll blow out the lights and go to bed now!"
Xiao Yu chuckled softly and took out a square brocade box from his sleeve: "The last gift before the wedding. Open it and take a look."
Inside the brocade box lay a mutton-fat jade plaque, warm to the touch. On the front, the crooked Chinese character "坑" (pit) was carved in relief, with tiny red agates embedded between the strokes. On the back, a cuddly little piglet pawed at a basket of chili peppers. Shen Weiwan traced the anti-slip grooves along the edge of the jade plaque with her fingertips and exclaimed in surprise, "This is..."
"This is the 'Token of Deception' that I specifically ordered the Imperial Household to carve." Xiao Yu hung the jade token on the heart-shaped knot at her waist, the token gleaming with a warm glow. "Anyone who holds this token can defraud anyone they want, from royalty and nobles to commoners." He leaned close to her ear, his warm breath brushing against it. "Including...this king."
Shen Weiwan's heart skipped a beat, and she deliberately put on a stern face: "So I want to trick you now?"
"I'm at your service anytime." Xiao Yu held her slightly cool hand, the calloused skin on his palm caressing her fingertips. "As long as you're happy, I'm even willing to make you the biggest fool in the capital."
The red gauze lantern outside the window flickered again. Chuntao hid behind the porch pillar, her shoulders shaking with laughter, her handkerchief nearly ripping apart. Chen Weiwan stared at the flickering candlelight in Xiao Yu's eyes, suddenly remembering this moment in her past life: locked in the woodshed by Liu, embroidering a crude wedding dress with a rusty embroidery needle, not daring to groan when the needle pricked her fingertips. Now, someone cherished her "hobby of deceiving others," and her nose suddenly tingled with sourness.
The next morning, as the wedding sedan was carried out of the general's mansion, Shen Weiwan felt the jade pendant at her waist through the curtains. It was still warm to the touch. The people on the street were crowded, and the sound of discussion poured into the sedan like a tide:
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