Xiao Yu walked forward, naturally put his arm around Shen Weiwan's waist, and whispered in her ear: "You, don't bring children to the front court to make trouble in the future." His breath brushed her hair, carrying a faint scent of ink.
"How can this be considered trouble?" Shen Weiwan raised her eyebrows and looked sideways at him, her eyelashes casting tiny shadows in the candlelight. "This is called maintaining the dignity of Dasheng. Besides..." She deliberately dragged out her tone and leaned close to his lips, "Don't you think, Your Highness, that watching the envoy being tricked is much more interesting than reading those boring memorials?"
Xiao Yu looked at the cunning glint in her eyes and couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, compared to the intrigues in the court, he loved her lively and bright appearance, the one that took pleasure in revenge.
By the time Chuntao returned to the Prince's residence, he'd already prepared some iced sour plum soup. Seeing Kenkeng squatting in the hallway, stuffing his pockets with croton seeds, she couldn't help but step forward and say with a smile, "My young prince, are you planning on eating croton seeds for dinner? You just gave me ten carts of cash yesterday. You could almost open a grocery store with all that money in your pocket."
"Mom said, croton is a treasure!" Kengkeng didn't even raise his head as he stacked the crotons one by one on the stone table, like he was arranging troops. "Yesterday I fed them to the scorpions, today I feed them to the messenger's horse, and tomorrow..."
"Feed your father tea tomorrow." Shen Weiwan walked over with sour plum soup and smiled maliciously.
Xiao Yu paused as she was about to sip her tea, the porcelain cup making a crisp clinking sound on the tea tray. "Weiwei, the disaster has nothing to do with my husband! It was Dahuang who took the osmanthus cake yesterday. What does it have to do with me?"
"Oh? Really?" Shen Weiwan raised her eyebrows and tapped her chin with her fingertips. "But I clearly saw that it was His Highness who personally broke the osmanthus cake and fed it to Da Huang, and said, 'This is a reward for you. It tastes better than what your wife makes.'"
Xiao Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and rubbed his dangkeng's hair. "Son, can you help your father persuade your mother not to put croton seeds in your husband's tea?"
He paused, tilted his head, and thought for a moment. "Then Dad, buy me ten strings of candied haws, coated with sesame seeds and crushed peanuts, and I'll plead for you!"
"Deal!" Xiao Yu agreed immediately, causing Shen Weiwan to laugh. Watching the father and son haggle earnestly, she felt a warm warmth in her heart—the cold and betrayal she'd experienced freezing to death in the snow in her past life now transformed into tangible warmth. A loving husband, a lively and adorable child, and a wealth of trickery skills—this was the kind of life Shen Weiwan truly desired.
That night, Aguda tossed and turned in the inn, his mind replaying the image of the scorpion dying of diarrhea. The attendant sent to gather information returned with a strange look on his face, reporting, "Sir, that Madam Shen is no ordinary woman! She tricked my aunt into digging croton fields in Lingnan years ago, and then tricked my cousin into itching all over at the Spring Festival banquet, scratching herself like a monkey... The young master of the Seventh Prince's Mansion is even more formidable. A few days ago, he used maltose to stick the Taifu's white beard into the shape of the character "八" (eight characters). His Majesty laughed at him for three whole days when he attended court!"
"Enough!" Aguda sat up abruptly, oblivious to the fox fur coat slipping off his body. He finally understood that the most important person to avoid in the Dasheng Dynasty was the Seventh Prince's Consort, known as the "Trickster," and her band of imps. He decided to confront the Emperor at dawn and finalize the marriage arrangements as soon as possible. If he stayed in the capital for another day, he feared that the mother and son would use croton seeds to trick him into not even being able to find the Northern Di's tent!
At this moment, in the warm room of the Prince's Mansion, Shen Weiwan was holding Wa Wa and telling him a bedtime story: "Once upon a time, there was an envoy who brought a poisonous scorpion to Dasheng to show off his power. In the end, he met a clever little kid..."
"Little kid, just take out the croton seeds and spread them!" Kengkeng poked his head out from under the quilt and rushed to answer. "If the scorpion eats it, it will have diarrhea, and if it has diarrhea, it will die!"
Wawa was so amused that she giggled, twisting and turning in Shen Weiwan's arms. Xiao Yu leaned against the door frame, watching his wife and children laughing together under the light. He felt that the splendor of the Golden Palace was not as precious as the warm and "pitting" daily life before him.
"Your Highness," Shen Weiwan looked up at him, her eyes gleaming with anticipation, "Who do you think we should trick next time?"
Xiao Yu walked over, bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then embraced her and the children: "It's up to you, just don't let me down too much."
"That's hard to say." Shen Weiwan smiled like a cunning fox and poked his chest with her hand. "Who made you my husband? It's the most fun to trick your own people!"
The moonlight shone brightly outside the window. Laughter from the Prince's mansion drifted far away on the night wind, startling the bronze bells on the eaves with a crisp tinkle. Shen Weiwan leaned against Xiao Yu's arms, listening to his steady heartbeat, knowing that the days of "swindling the world" had just begun. And she, along with her entire family, would transform the Dasheng Dynasty into their own private theater of joy—after all, what could be more exhilarating than a family united in "swindling" others?
The next morning, Aguda arrived at the Golden Throne Hall early. Not only did he bring a betrothal gift far exceeding expectations, he also approached the emperor and, with a bitter face, instructed him, "Your Majesty, could you please issue an order directing the Seventh Prince's Consort... not to send me croton seeds anymore?"
The emperor looked at his expression of having survived a disaster and laughed heartily: "Don't worry, envoy. I have asked her to send you the most famous candied haws in the capital."
Aguda was about to express his gratitude, as if he had been pardoned, but the emperor slowly added, "But I don't know whether the candied haws were mixed with croton powder."
Aguda: "..." He suddenly felt that this journey to marry the princess was probably even more difficult than crossing the most dangerous snowstorm on the grassland.
At that moment, in the Prince's Mansion, Shen Weiwan was standing in the courtyard, watching Chuntao direct the servants to move ten carts of croton seeds into the warehouse. Kengkeng and Wawa each held a small bag of croton seeds, running around the yard as if they were holding a treasure, shouting, "The croton seed project has begun!"
Xiao Yu stood in the corridor, watching his wife and children busying around. He shook his head helplessly, but couldn't help but smile. He knew that the Dasheng Dynasty's "era of deception" had truly arrived—and he willingly became the happiest "victim" of this "deceptive family."
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