"One day you'll be able to crawl out of the pigpen and continue stealing." Xiao Yu stepped forward, his dark court robes splattering as they swept through the manure. "I've already reported this to my father. You'll be stuck here forever."
Liu fell to her knees, her forehead hitting the frozen dung: "Your Highness, spare me! We know we were wrong..."
"Wrong?" Shen Weiwan sneered, and when she squatted down, the hem of her wedding dress almost got stained with pig manure. "In my previous life, when I was beaten to death in the snow, did you ever say 'wrong'?" She stood up and said to Xiao Yu, "Your Highness, I think they like it here. At least pigs are more honest than people."
Xiao Yu nodded and said to the eunuch in charge, "If you continue to be lazy, you will be starved for three days and the pigs will eat you first."
Shen Ruorou screamed and tried to pull at the eunuch's clothes, but was pushed by the boar and fell into the manure pit. Shen Weiwan smiled and dragged Xiao Yu away. As the horse's hooves crushed the morning light, she heard Chuntao muttering behind her: "Miss, did you spill the chili powder you hid in the food bucket?"
On the way back to the mansion, Shen Weiwan finally couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, where is the surprise?"
Xiao Yu gestured for Chuntao to present the food box. Opening it revealed two strings of bright red candied haws, their shells gleaming an eerie red in the sunlight. "Try it," he raised an eyebrow.
Shen Weiwan took a bite and started coughing instantly: "Ahem! Why is it so spicy?" The syrup was coated with finely crushed chili powder, which was so spicy that her tongue tip was numb and tears came out.
"Specially made 'wife-protecting candied haws'." Xiao Yu smiled like a fox, "I also gave some to Liu's mother and daughter. Their mouths are probably redder than monkeys' butts right now." He reached out to wipe the candy stains from the corners of her mouth, and dipped his fingertips in some chili powder.
"Your Highness!" Shen Weiwan was angry and laughed, punching his arm, "You are even more deceitful than me!"
"A red man becomes redder when he is near a red man." Xiao Yu put his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "Who made them offend my princess?" At this time, the sound of children laughing and playing could be heard from the street, and a new jingle floated through the curtain of the sedan chair:
"Seventh Prince, you are very resourceful.
The chili gourd feeds the pig demon,
The legitimate daughter laughs, the scumbag cousin howls,
The palace is full of joy every day!
Shen Weiwan leaned in his arms, listening to his chest-shaking laughter, and suddenly felt that the suffering of her past life had become a thing of the past. She looked at the eaves passing by outside the window and thought: Those who had bullied her should all have a taste of this "labor reform" - God has a good turn of events, and those who cheat others will eventually get their comeuppance. It's not that there is no retribution, it's just that the time has not come yet. When the time comes, report to the pigpen!
The next day, when Chuntao came in with the gilded post, Shen Weiwan was filling the sachet with freshly ground itching powder. "Miss, you're a popular figure in the capital now!" The maid's words made her raise an eyebrow. As she tied the sachet around her waist, the pig relief on the jade plaque pricked her palm.
"A hot commodity?" Shen Weiwan looked at Xiao Yu who was playing with the "Trick Token". "I'm afraid they want to see me sprinkle itching powder into their tea."
Xiao Yu put down the token, stood up, and tidied her hair. He smiled as his fingertips brushed her earlobe. "Of course I will go. But this time..." He paused deliberately, looking into her sparkling eyes, "You can only sprinkle half a bag of itching powder."
"I know!" Shen Weiwan stuck out her tongue and secretly stuffed a bag of pepper into his sleeve with her fingertips, "Sprinkle at most two-thirds of the bag!"
As the two smiled at each other, sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, casting long shadows on the "deceitful couple." Meanwhile, in the pigpen, Liu was weeping and wailing over a spicy, almost fiery candied haws, completely unaware that she had become the daily laughingstock of the capital's citizens, and even less aware that the next "surprise" had already been quietly prepared with the invitation for the flower-viewing banquet.
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