"Oh, what a beautiful love knot!" Chen Weiwan picked up the love knot, and felt a slight tingling as her fingertips touched the silk thread. She understood in her heart, but pretended to be surprised on her face, "Sister Yueru's craftsmanship is really amazing. This lotus is embroidered as if it were alive!" She leaned in and smelled it. The herbal scent became clearer. It was the unique smell of the dried juice of the "rotten skin grass" that she had seen in medical books in her previous life. It was ground into powder and mixed with silk thread. If it came into contact with the skin for a long time, it would cause redness, swelling and ulceration.
Lin Yueru covered her mouth and chuckled, a hint of pride flashing in her eyes: "I'm glad that my sister likes it. I spent several nights embroidering it. I heard that wearing this heart knot can keep your loved one safe and happy." She deliberately emphasized the three words "sweetheart" and glanced meaningfully at the jade pendant given by Xiao Yu on Chen Weiwan's waist.
Chen Weiwan sneered in her heart, but pretended to be innocent on the surface. She turned to Chuntao and instructed: "Chuntao, look how thoughtful Miss Lin is. She specially embroidered a peace amulet for me." She paused and frowned in pretending to be distressed. "But I suddenly remembered that a few days ago, Aunt Zhang was still complaining about my bad luck and asked me to find a peace amulet to ward off bad luck. Why don't you let Aunt Zhang wear this heart knot for a few days first, and then I can wear it after she finishes embroidering it?"
Chuntao was stunned at first, then she understood what the young lady meant. She suppressed her laughter and replied, "Yes, young lady, I will send it to Madam Zhang right away and tell her that it is a peace amulet specially given by Miss Lin. I guarantee she will like it." She stepped forward to take the knot and secretly winked at Shen Weiwan when she turned around.
Lin Yueru's smile froze for a moment. She didn't expect Chen Weiwan to give the things away, especially to a nanny. But the words had already been spoken, and she couldn't stop it. She could only force a smile and say, "Sister is so filial. She always thinks about the servants in everything..."
Shen Weiwan waved her hand, picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip, then said slowly: "By the way, sister, I heard that your eldest son is preparing for the imperial examination recently?"
Lin Yueru didn't understand why, so she nodded and said, "Yes, I stay in the study all day..."
"That's good, that's good." Chen Weiwan put down the teacup and smiled. "I happen to have a family-transmitted 'Secret Book of Pranks'. It's full of 'tricks' for winning in exams, like adding laxatives to your opponent's ink and slipping cheat sheets into exam papers. Would you like to lend it to your brother? I guarantee he'll have no problem passing the exams. It'll be hard for him to fail!"
"!!!" Lin Yueru was so scared that she almost fell off the chair, her face turned pale. She had heard of the reputation of the "Secret Record of Pranks". It was said that even the emperor had secretly learned it. If her brother took it to the examination hall, he would probably break his legs! She stood up hurriedly and bowed: "No, no need! My brother has his own knowledge, so don't bother me! It's getting late, I should go back, my mother is still waiting for me!" After saying that, she didn't wait for Shen Weiwan to stay, and hurriedly said goodbye with the maid, forgetting even to maintain the fake smile she had when she came.
Shen Weiwan watched her fleeing figure with a sly smile on her lips. Chuntao came back with the empty brocade box, her shoulders shaking from trying to hold back her laughter.
"Miss, you really know how to torment me, giving the poisonous love knot to Aunt Zhang..."
"Don't worry, no one will die, she will just suffer a little." Shen Weiwan teased the cat in her arms, "Madame Zhang has a big mouth and says bad things about me in the mansion all day long. It's just right for her to taste the feeling of being schemed against."
Three days later, a sudden wailing sound came from the main hall of the General's Mansion, startling the swallows on the beams. Shen Weiwan was checking the treasury accounts with the old housekeeper when she saw Aunt Zhang rushing in crying. Her face was covered with red and swollen rashes, as if she had been stung by countless bees. Her originally smooth face became pitted and looked shocking.
"Miss! You have to make a decision for me!" Aunt Zhang fell to her knees, crying so hard that her hair almost fell apart. "My face is ruined!"
Shen Weiwan put down the account book and stood up in surprise: "Mammy, what happened? She was fine a few days ago, why suddenly..." She took a closer look and saw that the edges of the rashes were dark purple, which was the symptom of the outbreak of rotten skin grass.
"Isn't it the love knot Miss Lin gave you?" Nanny Zhang pointed at her face and cried even harder. "When I heard it was a peace amulet Miss Lin gave you, I was so grateful that I wore it every day and refused to take it off. But after wearing it for three days, I first felt itchy on my face, and then these red bumps appeared. It's so painful and itchy that I can't sleep at night!"
As he was speaking, the doorman came to report that the censor's wife wanted to see him and was waiting outside the door. Shen Weiwan's eyes flashed with a gleam, and she ordered: "Please come in."
The censor's wife walked in anxiously. When she saw Aunt Zhang's face, she took a step back in fear and her face turned pale. She never thought that the gift from her daughter would cause such trouble.
"This...what's going on?" Madam Yushi's voice trembled as she looked at Shen Weiwan.
Chen Weiwan made an expression of sudden realization, clapped her hands and said, "Oh! It's all my fault! I thought Miss Lin's knot was for me. I thought Aunt Zhang needed more protection as she was older, so I gave it to her first. So it turned out that Miss Lin prepared it specially for Aunt Zhang?" She turned to Aunt Zhang, her tone carrying a bit of "guilt", "Don't be angry, Aunt Zhang, Miss Lin must care about you too much, so she gave you such a 'special' amulet, hoping to ward off disasters for you."
These words sounded comforting, but in reality, they were a slap in the face. Aunt Zhang, already furious at the disfigurement, immediately pointed at the Censor's wife and cried, "So that's how it is! You're so mean, Censor! Your daughter wanted to harm our eldest daughter, but ended up harming this old slave! You have to pay me back!"
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