"Have you heard? The Seventh Prince's wife was very anxious before her marriage, worried that she wouldn't be able to cheat anyone once she entered the royal family!"
"What nonsense! Didn't you see the red silk chili bag hanging from the Seventh Prince's waist? Yesterday, I saw him fighting with Mr. Wang for candied haws in the West Market, insisting on having two more, saying, 'My princess likes sour food!'"
Shen Weiwan couldn't help but lift a corner of the sedan chair curtain and saw Xiao Yu riding on a snow-white horse, Zhuifeng. As expected, a red silk chili bag was tied around his waist, swaying gently with the horse's body, facing the jade pendant on her waist. He looked back, a familiar smirk on his lips, and pointed with his whip at the teahouse ahead. Liu Ruolin was hiding at the second-floor window, peeking in. When he glared at her, she was so scared that she retracted her neck like a frightened quail, and the hairpins and rings clashed with a crisp sound.
As the sedan landed, Shen Weiwan took a deep breath. During the ceremony, she caught a glimpse of Xiao Yu's sleeves moving slightly. As the Empress Dowager handed over the candied fruit, he quickly sprinkled something between his fingers. The next moment, several noble ladies standing nearby sneezed, their makeup falling and drawing the attention of the guests. She stifled a laugh as she heard Xiao Yu say in a whisper only they could understand: "See? This is called 'royal-style swindling.' You have to know when to quit while you're ahead."
At night, in the bridal chamber where red candles were burning brightly, Shen Weiwan stroked the piglet pattern on the jade plaque and suddenly sighed again.
Xiao Yu was helping her take off the heavy phoenix crown. Hearing this, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you still worried?"
"Hmm..." She tugged at the buttons on his chest, her voice muffled by his collar, "I'm worried I won't be able to go out to the market as I please...I won't be able to squat in the corner of the silk shop and watch vendors quarrel, and I won't be able to stick dog shit on the soles of scoundrels' shoes..."
Xiao Yu laughed and lifted her up, carrying her sideways on his lap. The bright red wedding blanket formed a soft cloud beneath them. "This prince will take you out of the palace three times a month in disguise. If you want to see a quarrel, I'll book out all the teahouses on the street. If you want to catch dog poop...this prince will personally find you the fattest big yellow dog in the capital." He shook the jade pendant at her waist, and it dinged against the bag of chili peppers at his waist. "Remember, you are the consort of the Seventh Prince, married by this prince. Whatever you want, this prince will accompany you."
Chen Weiwan looked up into his bottomless eyes, which reflected the red candlelight and her own shadow. Yes, she was marrying the Seventh Prince, the man who would squat on the street with her, nibbling on candied haws for five cents a string, the man who would quietly offer her chili powder when she was being harassed, the man who would take her every joke to heart. Even though the royal rules were strict, with him, she could always be the naive legitimate daughter who clearly distinguished between love and hate and took pleasure in repaying her debts.
Later, a new joke spread throughout the capital: The Seventh Prince's wife wore a "scam token" around her waist. From leaving senior officials speechless at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet to teaching street vendors a lesson, she was truly capable of swindling anyone she pleased. And the Seventh Prince always followed her closely, shouting "Nonsense" but always keeping chili powder at the ready, his eyes practically overflowing with doting.
Someone at the palace banquet teased Xiao Yu, "Your Highness, the princess is so... careless about details, isn't that a headache for you?"
He would subconsciously touch the bag of chili peppers at his waist, smiling softly and helplessly: "Headache? I just regret that I can't help her cheat a few more people, so that she can have less trouble."
When Shen Weiwan heard this, she would always shake the jade token and hum a self-composed tune: "It's not easy to be a princess who cheats people? I think it's good. At least you can cheat a prince to be your backer. Later on..." She glanced at Xiao Yu who was pretending to enjoy the scenery beside her, and dragged out her voice, "If you cheat all over the capital, you will be invincible. Your life will be better than that of a living god!"
Beneath the sycamore tree, the red gauze lantern still swayed in the wind, stretching the shadows of the two people leaning against each other. As for those who had bullied her? They had long since become a byword in her and His Highness's "daily royal mischief," filled with chili powder and laughter, a joke even storytellers wouldn't bother to mention. After all, who would take a couple who lived their lives like a comedy seriously? This was perhaps the most satisfying ending she could imagine in her rebirth.
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