The early summer sun was so hot that it made people dizzy, but the area in front of the general's storehouse was like a pot of boiling water.
Liu rolled on the ground, clutching her swollen, red eyes. Drops of water seeped from between her fingers, not sure if they were tears or snot. She gasped, "It hurts so much... There's chili powder in the keyhole!"
"What? Chili powder?" The onlookers were so frightened that they stepped back three feet, and looked at Shen Weiwan with a bit of awe in their eyes - when did the eldest lady become so cruel?
"Get out of the way!" The old housekeeper came quickly with a cane, followed by four burly security guards. Seeing the mess at the door of the warehouse and the locksmith still holding the wire in a daze, his face instantly became so gloomy that water could drip out of it.
Shen Weiwan hid behind the old housekeeper at the right time, and said timidly: "Old housekeeper, you are here... I just passed by and saw my aunt and the locksmith here..."
When Liu heard the sound, she crawled forward two steps as if grabbing a life-saving straw, and shouted hoarsely: "Old man! Quick! Catch this little bitch! She is the one who hurt me!"
"Harm you?" Shen Weiwan blinked her innocent eyes and squatted down to help her blow her eyes, but was slapped away by Liu Shi. "Aunt, please don't wrongly accuse me. I just picked a peony from the garden and wanted to add some fragrance to your room!"
She raised the flower in her hand, the tender pink petals still covered with dew, making her face look innocent.
The old housekeeper frowned as he looked at the locksmith's tools on the ground, then at the red marks between Liu's fingers. He said in a deep voice, "Madam Liu, why did you bring a locksmith to the storeroom?"
Liu choked at the question. She couldn't just say she was trying to pick the lock and steal, could she? Her eyes rolled, a plan dawned on her mind, and she suddenly pounded the ground and wailed, "My poor husband! This warehouse is haunted every night. I'm afraid I'll disturb the general's spirit, so I've asked a locksmith to see if they can strengthen the lock!"
"Haunted?" Shen Weiwan seemed to have heard a huge joke, "Aunt, didn't you say the other day that the warehouse was fine and asked me not to worry about it? How come it's suddenly haunted?"
She took a step closer and lowered her voice: "Is it... that you took the golden nanmu box from the storeroom a few days ago and made my father's heroic spirit unhappy?"
"You're talking nonsense!" Liu screamed, the pain in her eyes making her vision black. "When did I ever take..."
"Oh? You haven't taken it before?" Shen Weiwan tilted her head, "What is the locksmith doing here? Is he here to help you release the ghost?"
When the locksmith heard this, he was so scared that he almost dropped his tools: "I didn't! I just came to check the lock..."
"Do I need a crowbar to check the lock?" The old housekeeper pointed at the iron pick on the ground and said sternly, "Madam Liu, the storeroom is a key area of the general's residence. What is the penalty for bringing a locksmith to pick the lock without permission?"
Liu was completely panicked. Tears mixed with the stimulation of chili powder made her unable to even quibble. She could only cover her eyes and hum: "I... I did it for the safety of the mansion..."
"For safety's sake, you should have informed the old servant." The old housekeeper snorted coldly, "Come here, take Madam Liu back to her room to apply medicine. Without my order, you are not allowed to step out of the courtyard!"
The two maids stepped forward to help Liu, but she pushed them away: "Let me go! I did nothing wrong! It was Shen Weiwan who framed me!"
Shen Weiwan looked at her struggling, sneered in her heart, but showed worry on her face: "Aunt, your eyes are so swollen, you should go apply medicine first! Oh, by the way," she seemed to suddenly remember something and took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve pocket, "This is the golden wound medicine given by His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince, would you like to try it?"
"Seventh Prince?" Liu suddenly looked up, her eyes unable to open due to the spicy chili powder, and she could only vaguely see the bottle in Shen Weiwan's hand, "Why did he give you medicine?"
"Maybe she feels sorry for me." Shen Weiwan sighed, "After all, I'm a motherless child, and my aunt is always giving me trouble. Even His Royal Highness can't stand it anymore."
The words were spoken softly, but the servants around them heard them clearly. Rumors of Liu's harsh treatment of her daughters had already spread, and now that she had been caught picking a lock, everyone's gaze towards Liu changed.
Liu was so angry that she was shaking all over. She wanted to scold but was afraid of offending the Seventh Prince, so she could only limp away with the support of her mother-in-law. Before leaving, she glared at Shen Weiwan fiercely, and her eyes wished she could eat her alive.
The locksmith was so frightened that he fell to his knees without waiting for the old housekeeper to speak. "Old housekeeper, spare me! Madam Liu hired me and said she would give me ten taels of silver after the job was done!"
"Ten taels of silver?" The old housekeeper's eyes sharpened. "Can the treasury of the General's Mansion be pried open with ten taels of silver?"
The locksmith was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly: "I don't know how to live or die! I am blind! I beg the old housekeeper to have mercy on me and spare me!"
Shen Weiwan kindly reminded: "Old housekeeper, since the locksmith is so scared, why not send him to the government? Let the government sentence him to trespassing with intent to steal?"
"No, no, no!" the locksmith's face turned pale. "Miss, spare my life! I won't dare to do it again!"
The old housekeeper looked at the locksmith's frightened expression, then at Shen Weiwan's half-smile, and he already knew what was going on. He waved his hand and said, "This is your first offense, so get out! If you dare to step into the general's mansion again, I'll break your legs!"
The locksmith seemed to have been pardoned and ran away, crawling and tumbling, more than three times faster than when he came.
The warehouse was finally quiet. The old housekeeper looked at Shen Weiwan with complicated eyes: "Miss, this chili powder..."
Shen Weiwan stuck out her tongue and lowered her voice: "Old housekeeper, I was afraid that my aunt would secretly take my father's things, so I thought of this stupid idea... Please don't tell others!"
The old housekeeper looked at the cunning in her eyes and suddenly felt that the young lady in front of him was completely different from before. In the past, Shen Weiwan would only cry and make a fuss, but now she can set a trap without making a sound, causing Liu to suffer a great loss.
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