"No!" Xiao Yu snatched the purse, and the silver notes made a crisp sound in his palm, "Make me a new court dress! Last time you cut my purple robe into a kite, and the Minister of Rites asked me if I was dressing like a beggar when he saw me!" He was so angry that his teeth ached when he remembered the last morning court session when the exposed frayed edges of his cuffs were impeached by the censor as "disrespectful to royal decorum."
Kenkeng pouted and poked the oil stains on the purse with his fingers: "Dad's court robes look better when they are torn, like the leader of the Beggars' Sect in the storytellers' stories..." Before he could finish his words, Xiao Yu grabbed him by the back of the collar, and he kicked his legs in fear.
Finally, Shen Weiwan counted out fifty taels from her purse and handed it to the accountant, specifically instructing them to weave the most expensive "seawater and river cliff" pattern in brocade. She traded the remaining silver for fireworks, filling three carts and piling the Prince's Mansion's treasury like a small mountain.
At three quarters past the hour of the twilight, the moon gate in the back garden was completely blocked by fireworks. Kenkeng and Wawa danced around the corridor, holding oil-soaked hemp sticks. Sparks splattered on the blue bricks, leaving tiny black spots. Xiao Yu emerged carrying his newly finished court robes. The gold thread on the dark material shimmered in the twilight. "It's a deal! Only the sky is allowed, not me!" He had deliberately changed into his old casual clothes, fearing that his new court robes would be harmed again.
Shen Weiwan helped him straighten his collar, her fingertips sliding across the cold jade button: "I understand, Your Highness." She stuffed a "Sky-piercing Monkey" into Kengkeng's hand, turned her head and winked at Wawa, and the two little guys immediately understood.
"Bang!" The first "Mantanghong" shot up into the night sky, exploding against the inky blue canopy, sending sparks raining down like a meteor shower. Kengkeng and Wawa clapped their hands and screamed, saliva dripping down their lapels. Xiao Yu looked at the smiling faces of his wife and children, illuminated by the firelight. His tense lips curled upward, but his hands clenched quietly in his sleeves, fearing some mischievous firework would land on his new court robes.
"Dad! Take this!" He handed over a red silk-wrapped "Sky-piercing Monkey" (a type of firecracker), the fuse still emitting sparks. Xiao Yu took it hesitantly, and just as he bent down to light it, the firework suddenly shot out with a whoosh, brushing past his temple and singeing a hole in the sleeve of his newly made court robe.
"Hahaha! Dad has become a flaming beard!" Kengkeng pointed at the burnt hair on Xiao Yu's temples and laughed so hard that he squatted on the ground and clapped his legs. Shen Weiwan laughed so hard that she fell backwards and pointed at him with her round fan: "Your Highness, your 'flaming sideburns' style will probably become the new fashion in the capital at tomorrow's morning court!"
That night, the Prince's residence was ablaze with fireworks, as bright as day. "Nine Dragons Flying" exploded into nine golden dragons of light, while "Peacock Spreading its Tail" showered the sky with confetti. Even the Empress Dowager, within the palace walls, parted the curtains to peer in. The eunuch on duty reported, "The fireworks from the Seventh Prince's residence outshine the stars in the West Market!" The Empress Dowager laughed so hard she knocked over her teacup, spilling amber tea onto her phoenix robe. "As expected of my granddaughter-in-law! They're even more spectacular than the ones I used to set off in the palace!"
The next morning, Kenkeng and Wawa broke into the Cining Palace holding a gilded lacquer box. The box contained the latest "kaleidoscope" fireworks, and there was a crooked note attached: "Grandma, next time buy five itching powders and get one free!" The empress dowager touched the saliva marks on the note and laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face, which scared the palace maidens next to her.
Xiao Yu stood by the window, watching his children playfully chasing each other in the courtyard. The cuffs of his new court robes still bore scorch marks. Henkeng chased Wawa with a firework stick, yelling, "Next time, we'll make more money selling fake snakes!" Wawa, in turn, brandished the gold-inlaid jade hairpin the Empress Dowager had given her, her laughter resonating like silver bells against the carved ornaments on the veranda.
Chen Weiwan leaned on his shoulder, the jasmine scent in her hair mixed with the smell of last night's fireworks: "Let them be, it's rare to be happy." She watched the children stuff the firework sticks into the old housekeeper's collar, making the old man blew his beard and glared, but he couldn't bear to hit him. The smile lines at the corners of her eyes were full of warmth.
As moonlight crept over the rooftops, Xiao Yu tucked the sleeping Kang Kang into bed and noticed some unspent silver coins beside his pillow. From outside the window, he could hear Shen Weiwan and Wa Wa whispering about buying the Queen Mother some explosive firecrackers with their next earnings. He looked down at Shen Weiwan's gentle profile, remembering her past life, beaten to death in the snow. Now, watching her counting coins with the children, his heart softened as if soaked in warm water.
This bag of 100 taels of silver, earned with the itching powder, not only bought a courtyard full of fireworks but also brought unprecedented bustle to the prince's mansion. From then on, a proverb emerged in the capital: "The little devil of the Seventh Prince's family—made his fortune with itching powder." And Chen Weiwan, touching the small change the children had hidden under her pillow, knew this was just the beginning. Her children would, like her, use their cleverness to thrive in this world. So cool! So cool!
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