Liu froze, her nails painted with nail polish digging into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped blood marks. The Seventh Prince? Why would he send Ruorou snacks? Chuntao seemed oblivious to her pale face as she added, her voice cloyingly sweet, like honey: "By the way, His Highness also said that nettles are effective in relieving itching, and asked me to bring the remaining half box to the Second Young Lady, saying it would help you avoid sleepless nights. Look, this is the finest nettles His Highness specially ordered, dried and ground into powder."
"Get out! Get out of here!" Shen Ruorou grabbed the rouge box from the dressing table and threw it at Chuntao, but Chuntao dodged it nimbly, spilling the rouge all over the floor like a pool of congealed blood. Liu Shi looked at her daughter's frantic expression, and thought of the Seventh Prince's undisguised preference for Shen Weiwan. That look, that smile, pierced her heart like needles. Suddenly, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground, her silk skirt wrinkling on the blue bricks. She muttered, "It's over... It's all over now... The General's Mansion has been humiliated... Ruorou's life is ruined..."
Inside Tinglan Courtyard, Chen Weiwan listened to Chuntao's vivid description, laughing so hard that she fell backwards. The peach blossom pastry in her hand fell onto the moon-white hem of her skirt, staining it with crumbs. She wiped away her tears and pointed at Chuntao's nose, the pearl pendant on her silver hairpin dangling. "You didn't see that? Liu's face was as green as a vegetable! That look in her eyes, as if she wanted to eat you alive, was like a poisoned knife!"
Chuntao raised her chin proudly, then lowered her voice and leaned close to Shen Weiwan's ear: "Miss, everything has been handled with the old housekeeper. The copy of the account book that Liu embezzled and enriched herself was stuffed into the box that the Censorate handed over the sign last night." She paused, worry showing on her face, and her brows furrowed into a knot. "But... yesterday I saw Liu secretly ask a servant to go to the pharmacy and buy a full three ounces of arsenic, saying that she was going to poison rats... That servant was sneaky, and it was obvious that he was not telling the truth..."
Chen Weiwan paused in her clenched motions while chewing on her peach blossom pastry. The sunlight filtering through the window lattice cast a dappled shadow on her face. Though warm, it reminded her of the coldness of the snow in her past life. She slowly wiped the crumbs from the corners of her mouth, her fingertips moving slowly. Her eyes instantly turned cold, like the surface of a frozen lake, without a ripple. "Poisoning a rat? I think she wants to poison me, this thorn in her side."
In the evening, a servant from the Seventh Prince's residence suddenly arrived with a gilded brocade box. It was tied with a bright yellow ribbon, making it particularly eye-catching in the setting sun. Chun Tao curiously opened it, and out rolled a furry, snow-white rabbit doll. In its paws, it held an embroidered nettle leaf, the stitching so fine that even the veins were clearly visible. Chen Weiwan couldn't help but laugh as she gazed at the word "itch" embroidered in gold thread on the doll's butt. Then, at the bottom of the brocade box, she found a folded piece of plain paper. On it was written the Seventh Prince's uninhibited handwriting:
"Liu bought arsenic, and I've taken care of it for you. Also: I'll give you a rabbit to cheer you up."
"Miss, the Seventh Prince even knows this?" Chun Tao widened her eyes, watching Chen Weiwan holding the rabbit in her arms, her fingertips gently stroking the soft fur, the touch was like a warm stove in winter, "How come he knows everything... It's as if he has eyes in our house." Chen Weiwan didn't say anything, but she remembered the night when she died in the snow in her previous life. The cold stick fell on her body, and her blood seeped into the snow and was frozen. But in this life, there was someone who calmly blocked the knife in the dark for her, and even took this little thing to heart.
Late at night, candlelight flickered in Xiefangyuan, its bean-sized wicks emitting sparks of light, illuminating Liu's distorted face. She stared at the vial of arsenic on her dressing table, its reflection reflecting her sunken eye sockets and disheveled hair, like a hideous ghost. Shen Ruorou suddenly grasped her wrist, her nails digging into her flesh, her voice trembling with fear. "Mother, we can't wait any longer! Shen Weiwan now has the support of the Grand Tutor's wife and the Seventh Prince. If we don't act now, she'll force us to death! Tomorrow's prayers at Ci'an Temple are a good opportunity..."
"What do you know!" Liu shook off her daughter's hand and poured arsenic into the incense burner. The white powder glowed strangely under the candlelight, like a thin layer of frost. "I have already made arrangements with the Seventh Prince. The eunuchs around him have accepted my bribes. Tomorrow at Ci'an Temple, I will let her do it without anyone knowing..." Before she finished speaking, a sharp cat cry suddenly came from outside the window, like a baby crying. Liu hurriedly blew out the candle. In the darkness, she didn't see a thin rope hanging from the beam, which quietly hooked away the arsenic powder in the incense burner, leaving only a faint smell of medicine in the air.
The next morning, Chuntao walked into Tinglan Courtyard, holding an incense burner. It was indeed filled with a fine white powder that shimmered in the morning light. Chen Weiwan picked up the stuffed rabbit on the table and pinched the nettles in its paws. A sly smile curled her lips, like a fox that had stolen something. "Tell the kitchen to put three times more honey in today's desserts. Make them incredibly sweet. I'm inviting my aunt and cousin over for 'tea.'"
Chun Tao blinked, then suddenly understood. Her eyes lit up like stars in the sky: "Miss, are you going to...?"
"Don't worry." Shen Weiwan fixed the rabbit's ears. The sunlight fell on her eyes, reflecting a little smile, but with a hint of coldness. "Last time she wanted me to wear a poison skirt. This time I'll ask her to taste the taste of 'poison snacks' - but this poison must be willingly consumed by her." She remembered the words on the seventh prince's note. The rabbit doll in her palm seemed to still carry his warmth. "Liu, you are still a little naive to play dirty. Do you really think I am still the fool you manipulated in my previous life?"
The wind in the capital picked up again, tinkling the wind chimes in Tinglan Courtyard like a cheerful prelude. In Xiefang Courtyard, Liu stared blankly at the empty arsenic bottle, oblivious to the fact that her nefarious plot had long been exposed, still brooding on the "opportunity" at Ci'an Temple. Meanwhile, Chen Weiwan gazed out the window at the azure sky, gently stroking the word "itch" on her bunny doll, mentally contemplating the next act—this time, it would be Liu's turn to experience disgrace, just as she had made her wear that straw-stained skirt, a double return.
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