The late spring sunlight filtered through the carved lattices of the General's Mansion's hanging flower gate, casting coin-like specks of light on the blue brick floor. Chen Weiwan was squatting in the courtyard, playing with her new cat when Chuntao hurried over, holding a gilded gift box. The velvet flower on her temples was blown askew behind her ears by the wind.
"Miss, Miss Lin from the Censor's family has arrived and is waiting in the main hall!" Chun Tao placed the gift box on the stone table. "She also brought a brocade box, saying it's a gift for you."
Chen Weiwan raised her eyebrows and knocked on the worship box with a cat teaser: "Lin Yueru? What good intentions can she have?" This Lin Yueru is the legitimate daughter of the censor Lin Wenqing. On the surface, she is gentle and polite, but behind the scenes, she always follows Shen Ruoruo to gossip, a typical green tea character.
In the main hall, Lin Yueru was wearing a lilac-colored silk dress embroidered with gold. When she saw Shen Weiwan, she immediately stood up with a sickly sweet smile on her face: "Sister Weiwan, long time no see. I brought you a little toy." She opened the brocade box, and inside lay an exquisitely embroidered heart-shaped knot and a lotus embroidered with silver thread. Upon closer inspection, one could find some dark purple silk threads mixed in the petals.
"Oh, what a beautiful love knot!" Shen Weiwan picked up the love knot and felt a slight itch as her fingertips touched the silk thread. "Sister Yueru has such a clever hand." She had seen similar poisonous grass embroidery in her previous life. This dark purple silk thread was clearly soaked in poison ivy juice.
Lin Yueru covered her mouth and smiled, "As long as you like it, sister. I embroidered it specially for you. Wearing it will keep you safe." A barely perceptible sense of pride flashed in her eyes.
Chen Weiwan sneered in her heart, but smiled innocently on the surface: "Sister is so thoughtful! It just so happens that Aunt Zhang in my room always says that I have a lot of bad luck. Why don't you let her wear it for a few days to ward off bad luck?" She turned around and shouted, "Chun Tao, give the heart knot to Aunt Zhang and say it's a peace amulet given by Miss Lin."
Chuntao was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "Yes, Miss." She held back her laughter and walked away holding the heart knot.
Lin Yueru's face changed slightly, but she didn't know what to say: "Sister is really filial..."
Shen Weiwan changed the subject: "By the way, sister, I heard that your brother is taking the imperial examination recently? I have a copy of "Secret Records of Tricking People" here, how about lending it to him to read? It will surely help him succeed in the exam?"
Lin Yueru was so frightened that she almost knocked over the teacup: "No, no thanks!" She knew the reputation of the book, so she quickly found an excuse to slip away.
Three days later, Aunt Zhang rushed into the main hall, crying. Her face was covered with red rashes, as if she had been stung by a bee. "Miss! Please help me!"
Shen Weiwan was researching a new braised egg recipe. When she looked up and saw Aunt Zhang's face, she pretended to be surprised: "What's wrong, Aunt?"
"It's the love knot Miss Lin gave me!" Aunt Zhang cried, tears streaming down her face. "I've only worn it for three days, and my face has become like this!"
It happened that the Censor's wife came to the General's Mansion to apologize. When she heard this, her face turned pale: "What? Something sent by my Yueru..."
Chen Weiwan suddenly realized: "Oh! So my sister wanted to give the amulet to Madam! It's all my fault for misunderstanding. I thought it was for me." She turned to Madam Zhang and said, "Madam, don't be angry. Miss Lin must care about you too much to give you such a 'special' amulet."
The censor's wife was so angry that she was shaking all over. She grabbed Nanny Zhang and said, "Come on! Let's go home and settle the score with that damn girl!"
The news quickly spread throughout the capital. Storytellers in the West Market coined a new tale: "Green tea delivers poison to the Empress Dowager, intending to rot her skin, but turns around and delivers it to the nanny, leaving her face covered in rashes like a monkey!"
Shen Weiwan looked at the jingle on the oil paper and laughed so hard that she fell backwards. Xiao Yu came back from the palace and saw her laughing like this. He shook his head helplessly: "What are you laughing at again? Are you trying to trick me again?"
"No way!" Shen Weiwan recounted the incident, "She brought this upon herself."
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow and said, "Father has heard about this and asked you to lend the Secret Record of Pranks to the Imperial Censor next time to help his son improve his knowledge."
The two looked at each other and smiled. Shen Weiwan knew that this green tea lady's road to death had just begun. After all, in front of her, Shen Weiwan, being clever would cost you!
In late spring, the roses in the courtyard of the General's Mansion were in full bloom, their pink and white petals falling on the bluestone slabs like a dusting of fine snow. Chen Weiwan squatted on the porch, teasing her new calico kitten with a bamboo stick. The cat stretched out its pink paws to catch butterflies on the branches, making her laugh. Chuntao hurried through the moon-shaped door, carrying a gilded gift box. The hem of her skirt, embroidered with lotus flowers, swept across the rose bushes, startling a few petals.
"Miss, Miss Lin Yueru from the Censor's family has arrived and is waiting in the main hall!" Chuntao put the gift box on the stone table next to her and said breathlessly, "She also brought a palm-sized brocade box, saying it's a special gift for you."
Shen Weiwan tapped the cat's head lightly with a bamboo stick and raised an eyebrow, "Lin Yueru?" She thought of the censor's daughter who always followed Shen Ruoruo, speaking softly but with a calculating look in her eyes. A sneer curled up at the corner of her mouth, "What good intentions could she have? I'm afraid she's just a weasel wishing a happy new year to a chicken."
In the main hall, a calming scent of lilies burned. Lin Yueru sat upright on a pearwood chair, her face gentle and graceful in a lilac-colored dress with gold embroidery. Seeing Shen Weiwan come in, she immediately stood up, a sickly sweet smile on her face, but her eyes quickly glanced at Shen Weiwan's clothes.
"Sister Weiwan, it's been a long time since we last met. You've become more and more beautiful." Lin Yueru took Shen Weiwan's hand, her fingertips icy cold. "We said goodbye in a hurry at the last Spring Banquet. I've always been thinking of you, so I specially embroidered a little thing for you." She turned around, took the brocade box from the maid's hand, and opened it. Inside lay an exquisite heart-shaped knot, with a snow-white brocade base and silver thread embroidered with a lotus pattern. The edges of the petals were mixed with some barely noticeable dark purple silk threads, and a faint herbal scent was faintly permeated.
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