"Thank you, Grandpa!" Wa Wa threw herself on the emperor's lap, rubbing her little face against the gold thread on the dragon robe. "Grandpa loves me more than my mother does!"
The emperor stumbled, looking down at his delicate granddaughter in his arms. The fierceness on his face had already turned into wrinkles. "You only know how to act like a spoiled child. Go away, don't learn from your mother's tricks."
Shen Weiwan thanked the children, jumping up and down, and followed Xiao Yu out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. As soon as they turned around the glazed screen wall, Henkeng raised the gold ingot in his hand and said, "Mom! Grandpa secretly gave it to me and told me not to tell you!"
Shen Weiwan took the ingot, which still retained the emperor's body temperature. The back of the ingot, engraved with "Long Live the Emperor", was stained with croton powder: "Your grandfather is just hard on the outside but soft on the inside."
Xiao Yu put his arm around her waist and watched the children running after the toad in front of them. The toad jumped into the lotus pond, causing ripples. "It's all because of you coaxing me."
"That's not coaxing," Shen Weiwan rubbed his shoulder and smelled the croton fragrance on his sleeve, "This is called the deep love between father and daughter."
Back at the Prince's Mansion, Chuntao came forward, holding a gilded account book. The words "Scam Academy" on the cover were embossed with gold dust. "Miss! The Emperor has allocated another three hundred thousand taels! And the Imperial Kitchen has sent ten baskets of croton cakes, saying they're snacks for the young prince and princess."
Shen Weiwan threw the gold ingot on the table and listened to the sound of it hitting the pile of silver bills: "See? I said it's more effective to cheat grandpa than to cheat others!"
Xiao Yu sat on a rosewood chair and picked up a uniquely shaped croton cake with a grinning toad carved on it. "Next time I try to trick my father, I'll have to come up with something new. Always stuffing him with a toad is boring."
"Don't worry," Chen Weiwan winked, pulling out a small bamboo whistle from her sleeve pocket. "I've had the bird trainer tie a bag of croton powder to the pigeon's tail. Next time Grandpa reads the memorials, the pigeon will spread the 'auspicious powder' as it flies. I guarantee that he'll see golden light before his eyes!"
"Auspicious powder?" Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow, stretched out his hand to pull her into his arms, and nuzzled the croton flowers in her hair. "I think it's croton laxative powder, right?"
"Your Highness is so clever!" Shen Weiwan laughed so hard that the branches of the croton flowers outside the window trembled. "This way, Grandpa will want to dance whenever he sees the memorials. It's both exercise and refreshing, killing two birds with one stone!"
That night, in the Yangxin Hall of the Imperial Palace, the Emperor sighed over a plate of imperially prepared Croton Cake. The cake was a pristine white, a lifelike toad painted in edible gold dust on top. It was the "apology gift" that Chen Weiwan had specially sent. Little Li Zi carefully peeled the cake's skin for him: "Your Majesty, are you still angry with the Seventh Prince's Consort?"
"Angry?" The emperor took a bite of the cake. The spicy croton filling inside made him stick out his tongue. "This girl is such a nuisance. How can she be so annoying?"
"Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince's wife is also trying to eliminate corruption in the court." Little Leo looked at the gold powder at the corners of the emperor's mouth and replied with a smile.
"Alright, alright," the emperor waved his hand, a small jade pendant made of croton powder slipping from his sleeve. It was the "Guarantee of Peace" that Kenken had forced upon him that morning. "Transfer the three hundred thousand taels, and give the children two bolts of brocade. Don't let them go to the croton fields. I'm still waiting to have a great-grandson. I can't let them roll around in a dunghill, can I?"
Little Leo retreated with a suppressed laugh, thinking that the Da Sheng Dynasty was about to be ruined by this family.
In the prince's bedroom, Chen Weiwan and Xiao Yu were counting banknotes in the moonlight. Kengkeng and Wawa lay on the carpet, giving a toad a lesson, teaching it how to use different calls to correspond to the phrase "Long live the emperor, may the country be peaceful and the people be safe." Moonlight streamed through the window lattice onto the floor, illuminating the scattered croton powder like a streak of broken diamonds.
Xiao Yu watched his wife and children, each bustling with activity, and suddenly felt that being tricked was quite enjoyable. At least, there was always laughter in the palace, unlike the deadening atmosphere of the imperial court. He reached out and ruffled Shen Weiwan's hair, feeling a few hard grains—croton powder again.
"What are you thinking about?" Shen Weiwan looked up, the banknotes rustling between her fingers.
"I'm thinking," Xiao Yu bent down and kissed her forehead, tasting the faint sweetness of croton seeds, "Next time my father gets angry, I'll tell him you prepared the 'Dragon Body Rejuvenation Pill'. I guarantee he'll be happy to hear that."
"What pill?"
"Of course, they're balls made with croton powder and honey," Xiao Yu said with a smile. "I guarantee the emperor will be delighted with them. Just be sure to prepare plenty of toilet paper."
Shen Weiwan laughed so hard that she fell into his arms, startling the toad on the carpet so much that it croaked twice, as if in agreement.
The next morning, Shen Weiwan and Kengkeng Wawa went to pay their respects to the emperor. As they entered the imperial garden, they were met with a startling sight—trees covered in auspicious symbols made of croton powder, including gold ingots, jade ruyi, and a crooked "Fu" character. The emperor was standing beneath the tree, holding a small child's slingshot and aiming at a golden toad made of croton powder hanging from a branch.
"Grandpa!" Kengkeng ran over holding the toad, "We'll help you fight!"
The emperor turned around and saw his grandson's eyes light up. He immediately handed the slingshot to Kenkeng and said, "Great! Let's see who can shoot the best! If you can shoot down a golden toad, I'll buy you a candy figurine!"
Shen Weiwan and Xiao Yu exchanged a glance, each seeing a smile in the other's eyes. It seems that this skill of deceiving people must not only be cultivated from the children, but also from the emperor. The eunuchs in the distance watched the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren burst into laughter and shook their heads helplessly - from now on, the croton powder in the palace will have to be transported back by car. Who made them have a Seventh Prince's Consort who is so good at deceiving people?
Meanwhile, in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a newly arrived memorial still stained with last night's croton cake crumbs, the emperor hummed a little tune, completely oblivious to the toad stuffed in his robe. As for Chen Weiwan's next "surprise"? He fingered the croton powder jade pendant Kang Kang had given him in his sleeve pocket, a helpless yet doting smile playing on his lips. "Let her be," he thought. As long as this girl was happy, it was the greatest auspicious sign for the kingdom.
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