"Not yet," Chun Tao shook her head, her eyes lighting up as if she remembered something, "but I heard that the cripple Li Xiu hasn't left the house since he returned from Ci'an Temple. The young masters in the capital are all saying that he was caught flirting with his lover in a teahouse--"
Before he finished speaking, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "His Highness the Seventh Prince is visiting—"
Both the master and the servant were startled. Shen Weiwan quickly stood up and tidied her appearance, but she was wondering in her heart: Why does this guy come to the general's mansion every few days?
Xiao Yu, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, walked in, waving a folding fan. His dark hair was tied back with a jade crown, and the Hetian jade inlaid in the jade belt buckle at his waist gleamed softly in the sunlight. His eyes flickered to Shen Weiwan's plain skirt, and a playful smile curled his lips. "Miss Shen is quite elegant today, unlike her usual flamboyance."
"Hello, Your Highness," Shen Weiwan bowed politely, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the hem of her skirt, "I'm just dressed casually, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Highness."
Xiao Yu sat down at the main seat. A maid brought him a freshly brewed Biluochun tea. He took a sip, his eyes fixed on Chuntao, who stood by with her hands draped over her shoulders. "Just now, outside the door, I thought I heard someone mention 'a clean skirt.' Was it because they were saying that the jade hairpin I gave her complements this plain dress so well?"
Chen Weiwan's cheeks flushed slightly. Before she could speak, Chuntao rushed to reply with a flattering smile on her face: "Your Highness is really perceptive! My young lady said yesterday that this jade hairpin looks elegant with plain clothes, and is a hundred times more beautiful than those embroidered with gold and silver!"
"Oh? Really?" Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows and looked at Shen Weiwan with a mischievous look, "I thought Miss Shen preferred more lively outfits."
Shen Weiwan glared at Chuntao and said to Xiao Yu, "Your Highness, don't listen to this girl's nonsense. She is just a silly girl who has no control over her mouth."
"Silly girl, what you said makes sense," Xiao Yu said, putting down his teacup, a smile in his voice, "A plain dress with a jade hairpin does have a certain charm. Unlike some people who wear gold and silver but hide a belly full of dirt, which only stains their fine clothes for no reason."
This was a mixture of praise and sarcasm, and Shen Weiwan couldn't help but laugh out loud, thinking to herself that the Seventh Prince's sharp tongue was quite amusing. Just as she was thinking this, Xiao Yu pulled out an exquisite brocade box from his sleeve and pushed it in front of her: "I heard that Second Miss Shen was 'unwell', so I specially prepared a small gift. I would like Miss Shen to pass it on to you."
Chen Weiwan opened the brocade box with suspicion, only to find it filled with dried nettles, their brown stems still covered in fine hairs. She was immediately confused and asked, "What does your highness mean by this?"
"I heard this herb is very effective in relieving itching," Xiao Yu said with a mischievous smile, tapping the edge of the brocade box with his folding fan. "Giving it to Miss Chen Er is a small token of my concern."
Chun Tao was trying so hard to hold back her laughter that her face turned red, and her shoulders were shaking like sieves. Shen Weiwan glared at her and said to Xiao Yu, "Your Highness, thank you for your trouble. But if my cousin saw this 'thought', I'm afraid she would faint on the spot."
"Oh?" Xiao Yu feigned surprise. "Could it be that Miss Shen doesn't like it? I even had someone go outside the city to get some top-quality stuff."
"It's not that I don't like it," Chen Weiwan said as she closed the brocade box, her tone somewhat helpless, "It's just that this grass has such a deep connection with my cousin that seeing it inevitably reminds me of the beautiful things that happened at the Spring Feast. I'm afraid it will make me sad."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu laughed out loud, stood up and said: "In that case, I will not disturb Miss Shen anymore. I will come to see you another day... and your 'clean skirt'." After that, he turned and left, the hem of his moon-white brocade robe swept across the ground, leaving behind a string of hearty laughter.
After sending Xiao Yu away, Shen Weiwan looked at the nettle grass brocade box on the table and shook her head helplessly. This Seventh Prince's actions were becoming more and more unpredictable.
"Miss, the Seventh Prince is so kind to you," Chun Tao came over, her eyes gleaming with gossip, "and he even specially gave nettle grass to Shen Ruorou. This revenge is really unique!"
"Go away," Shen Weiwan knocked Chuntao's forehead, but her heart was as sweet as a piece of honey. She was about to say something else when the old housekeeper hurried in with a letter sealed with wax in his hand.
"Miss, this was sent by someone from Li Xiu's residence, saying that you must open it in person."
Shen Weiwan opened the letter and saw Li Xiu's slightly trembling handwriting on it. The words were full of pleading, asking her to help clarify the rumors of "Duanxiu" for the sake of their past friendship. The words were so humble that he almost kowtowed to the ground.
"Oh," Shen Weiwan sneered and threw the letter on the table. The edge of the letter was wrinkled by her. "What were you doing before? Why didn't you think about today when you designed the marriage fraud? You want me to help? Dream on!"
She walked to the window, her gaze passing through the courtyard to the direction of Xiefang Courtyard, where Liu lived. At this moment, the hanging flower door of Xiefang Courtyard was closed, and the copper bells on the eaves swayed in the wind, but they could not ring out a single pleasant sound. As Shen Weiwan looked at the door, the warmth in her eyes gradually cooled, like the surface of a frozen lake in winter.
"Chun Tao," she turned around, her voice calm but with unquestionable determination, "Go to the front yard and prepare the car. We're going to the Censorate now."
"Now?" Chun Tao opened her eyes wide in surprise, "You're not going to wait anymore, miss?"
"No more waiting," Shen Weiwan said with a cold smile, her fingertips lightly running across the copy of the account book on the dressing table, "It's time to let my aunt have a taste of what it means to be ruined."
As the carriage pulled away from the general's residence, Shen Weiwan lifted a corner of the curtain. The late spring sunlight was just right, illuminating the bluestone pavement. A low-key ebony carriage was parked on a nearby street corner, its windows half-open, revealing the moon-white sleeves of the Seventh Prince, Xiao Yu. He was leaning against the wall, his wine glass raised towards her from a distance, offering her a meaningful smile across the bustling crowd.
Shen Weiwan was slightly startled, then she also raised her hand and nodded to him from a distance through the car window. The moment she lowered the curtains, she saw a glimmer of approval in Xiao Yu's eyes.
As the carriage slowly moved forward, Chuntao watched the calm smile on her young lady's face, knowing that the next storm sweeping across the capital was about to arrive. And she would always be her sharpest weapon and her strongest support. This time, they would make all their enemies pay with blood.
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