"Easy!" Chen Weiwan clapped her hands, the croton flower hairpin in her bun dazzling everyone. "Set up a feast of croton flowers! Let him taste our Dasheng's 'anti-fraud holy product'. It will be so spicy that he will have a conditioned reflex when he sees a scammer in the future!"
On the day the King of Southern Chu visited, the banquet hall of the Prince's Palace was filled with the rich aroma of croton seeds, mixed with the spices brought by the Southern Chu envoys, creating a unique flavor. Twelve croton seed desserts filled the long rosewood table: stacked croton seed cakes, crispy croton seed pastries, and steaming croton seed dumplings. Even the tea was brewed with dried croton seed flowers, with a fine powder floating on the surface.
The king picked up a piece of croton cake and put it in his mouth. His face flushed crimson, tears and snot streamed down his cheeks, and a hissing sound emanated from his throat. He stuck out his tongue from the spiciness, but he still gave a thumbs-up and mumbled, "So... so spicy! But after eating this cake, I feel like my head has cleared up, as if someone had poured a basin of ice water over my head!"
Chen Weiwan smiled and handed over a wet wipe with a crooked croton pattern embroidered on it. "This is our Dasheng's anti-scam secret recipe. Eat croton cake and scammers will run away. If you encounter a scammer next time, treat him to three pounds of diarrhea. I guarantee he will be so exhausted that he'll question his life and never dare to cheat again!"
The monarch nodded repeatedly and accepted the "anti-fraud gift pack" prepared by Shen Weiwan - it contained ten kilograms of premium croton powder and a croton powder-bound book "A Beginner's Tutorial on How to Scam People." He stroked his beard and sighed, "I'll order it back that all teahouses and restaurants across the country serve croton cakes! Let the scammers have a taste of what it's like to be scammed!"
After seeing the king off, Xiao Yu stood in the courtyard, watching the bunches of croton seeds drying in the air under the porch sway in the wind. He sighed helplessly, "Madam, your trickery has spread abroad. Are you going to open an 'International College of Tricksters' and expand it to Beidi?"
"That's exactly what I meant!" Chen Weiwan's eyes sparkled as she pointed at the sunset glow in the sky. "Those scammers selling fake mink fur in Beidi are too arrogant. Next time, I'll bring Kengkeng and Wawa to Beidi to open a branch and let them know that croton powder is not only edible, but can also be sprinkled on fake fur. It will be exposed once burned!"
That night, the gardens of the Prince's Palace were bathed in silvery moonlight. Kengkeng and Wawa squatted beneath a rockery, drawing a complex Bagua trap with croton powder. Nearby, a crooked wooden sign read, in charcoal, "Contains squirrel snacks. Greedy eaters will be at their own risk." Shen Weiwan leaned against Xiao Yu's chest, listening to the children's playful laughter and watching the croton powder on their tiny hands gleam in the moonlight.
"Your Highness," she asked softly, looking at the bright moon in the sky, "Do you think we have really created a prosperous era?"
Xiao Yu bent down and kissed the top of her head, the sweet scent of croton flowers lingering on his nose. "Hmm, a prosperous world created by you using croton powder and your perverse wit."
The night wind rustled through the croton trees in the courtyard, their leaves rustling as if they were singing a ballad composed by the people of Southern Chu: "There was a Chen Weiwan in Dasheng, who made even the swindlers cry out for her father..." And at that moment in the capital of Southern Chu, the former swindlers were working in the fields with hoes on their shoulders, gazing towards the Dasheng Dynasty in the horizon. As they hoeed, they muttered to themselves, "Farming is still a good way to live. I never want to be ripped off by that Chen Weiwan and lose everything..."
Shen Weiwan's career of deception, like the croton vine growing wildly in the backyard of the prince's mansion, spread from the inner courtyards of the capital to the streets and alleys of neighboring kingdoms, producing the most absurd yet brilliant blossoms. She relied on no sorcery, no scheming, no secret techniques, but only a cunning mind and a mind full of wit and cunning schemes. Not only did she avenge her past life's blood feud and marry the prince of her dreams, she also forged a peaceful and harmonious world where deception was absolved and the people lived in peace. As for what new tricks she might devise in the future? The croton powder in the prince's mansion warehouse still piled high, and the story was far from over. When a caravan of Northern Di merchants, bearing fake mink furs, arrived at the border of Dasheng, Shen Weiwan was addressing the new students of the Deception Academy, the croton powder bag swaying gently in her sleeve pocket, as if foreshadowing the next ridiculous drama to unfold.
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