"This is called a disciple surpassing his master!" Shen Weiwan clapped her hands, and the bean leaves on the account book jumped in shock. "Think back when I tricked that old wicked woman Liu and threw the account book she had embezzled and enriched herself into the emperor's pocket. The emperor was so angry that he banished her family from the capital. And Shen Ruorou, who I sent to the ancestral temple, heard that she trembles all over at the sight of croton powder now."
She paused, gazing at the swaying Croton lanterns outside the window, her voice softening. "Actually, what I'm most proud of in this life isn't how many people I've cheated, but how I've managed to protect the General's estate and you all, relying solely on my devious wits and ingenuity, without resorting to sorcery or scheming."
Henkeng tilted his head, seeming to understand, his chubby face stained with croton powder. "Mom, are you saying that cheating people is to protect the ones you want to protect?"
"Little clever!" Shen Weiwan scratched her son's nose. "Just like your father, I've tricked him all his life—" She turned to Xiao Yu, a cunning glint in her eyes. "I sprinkled croton powder in the study and sewed itching powder into his court robes, but he still enjoyed it. Why?"
Xiao Yu held her hand, his fingertips tracing the calluses on her palm. "Because the days you tricked me were a hundred times more interesting than being a wooden prince in the palace." He paused, his voice as gentle as honey-soaked croton tea. "You made me realize that the most precious thing in this world isn't the country, but the daily life with you."
[Section 3: The Ultimate Declaration: I’m Worth It]
The third watch gong struck, and the children's snoring drifted from the east wing. Shen Weiwan and Xiao Yu sat on a stone bench in the courtyard. The wind from the croton fields blew sweetly, stirring the croton wind chimes hanging in the corridor, making a subtle sound.
"Your Highness," Shen Weiwan leaned on his shoulder, looking at the full moon in the sky like a silver plate, "Do you think I saved the whole world in my previous life so that I can meet you and the children in this life?"
Xiao Yu hugged her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head, inhaling the faint scent of croton flowers in her hair: "I must have burned incense in my previous life to find a treasure like you who is full of pits."
Chen Weiwan smiled, but a scene from her past life flashed before her eyes—a snowy night in the backyard of the general's mansion, where she had been beaten to the ground, her blood staining the pristine white snow red. Her aunt Liu stood in the corridor, sneering, while her cousin Shen Ruorou hid behind the crowd, secretly delighted. Now, she had a gentle husband by her side, her children sleeping soundly in the house, and a field of croton seeds in the courtyard, which yielded a bountiful harvest year after year.
"In my previous life, I was used like a fool and ended up dying without a complete body." Her voice was choked with sobs, but she smiled and said, "In this life, I've tricked all those jackals, tigers and leopards. My methods were a bit shabby, but I protected my mother's red gold hairpin, guarded the century-old foundation of the general's mansion, and even tricked you into giving birth to a good husband and two quirky children..."
She suddenly stood up, opened her arms to the moon, and shouted with all her strength: "In this life, my life has been worth it!"
The cry pierced the night sky, startling the birds nesting deep in the croton fields. Xiao Yu watched her smile like a child, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. He shook his head helplessly yet lovingly, "Yes, yes, you're the worst... no, the best."
"That's a must!" Shen Weiwan wiped her tears and raised her chin. The moonlight fell on her face, making her eyes shine. "When I have grandchildren in the future, I will teach them how to use croton powder to cheat scammers and pass on the 'cheating business' of our Prince's Mansion from generation to generation!"
Xiao Yu smiled and held her in his arms. The moonlight gave the croton flowers a silver edge, and the croton fields in the distance rustled, as if accompanying this silly yet sincere happiness.
Shen Weiwan knew that her life might not be dignified, her methods might not be elegant, but she had used her "crooked wit" to live her own legend. The pits she had dug over the years had become containers for happiness; those silly tricks were her armor to protect her love.
From a foolish legitimate daughter who was at the mercy of others, to the mistress of the prince's mansion who cheated everyone in the world, Shen Weiwan grinned, revealing two rows of small white teeth. In this life, she cheated beautifully, and it was worth it. She cheated to have a house full of children and grandchildren, and cheated to a life of peace and happiness.
The story of the Prince's Mansion, like the ever-lasting croton fields, continued to produce more hilarious yet heartwarming legends of deception throughout the years of the Dasheng Dynasty. After all, as long as Shen Weiwan was around, the world would always be full of surprises. When the wind blew through the croton fields again, bringing with it the scent of a new year's harvest, she knew that the story of this idiotic family had only just begun.
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