"His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince is really interesting." Chun Tao covered her mouth and laughed, "He always sends gifts to Miss Shen Er after she makes a fool of herself. Is he afraid that the whole capital doesn't know that he favors you?" Shen Weiwan picked up a piece of cake, and the sweet fragrance of osmanthus melted on the tip of her tongue. She thought of her previous life when she was embroidering wedding clothes for Shen Ruorou, and her hands were covered in blood from being pricked by the needle. Now she has become the prince's favorite daughter, and her heart felt like a honey pot had been overturned.
Late at night, Shen Ruorou's screams echoed from Xiefang Courtyard, piercing the night sky like the sound of a pig being slaughtered. Chuntao, secretly eavesdropping on the wall, laughed so hard she couldn't straighten her back, nearly tilting her hair bun sideways: "Miss! Liu mistook glutinous rice flour for arsenic and scattered it at your courtyard gate, only to step on it and end up in a mess. Now she's grabbing the servant's ears and scolding him! She says the arsenic he bought is fake, and it won't even work on a person!"
Chen Weiwan was looking through the account book when she heard Liu's words and drew a large red circle around the furs Liu had inflated. "Tell the kitchen to send a bowl of lotus seed soup to Auntie tomorrow, saying... to dispel the bad luck she's carrying. Remember to put plenty of sugar in it, to make her sweet to death." She remembered the words on the Seventh Prince's note and couldn't help but glance out the window. The peonies at Ci'an Temple were in full bloom, but the flowers at Xiefang Courtyard had probably long since been gnawed bare by jealousy.
The next day, Shen Weiwan and Chuntao went to deliver soup to Liu. As soon as they arrived at Xiefang Courtyard, they heard the sound of something being thrown. Liu, seeing her, rushed over as if she had seen the murderer of her father. Her hair was disheveled, and the silver hairpin in her bun was askew. "Chen Weiwan! Did you replace my arsenic? Tell me!" Shen Weiwan took a half step back and accidentally knocked over the lotus seed soup, splashing the soup onto the hem of Liu's skirt.
Chuntao screamed at the perfect moment, her voice piercing the ceiling: "Oh my! What's that on your skirt, Madam? That white powder... could it be... arsenic?" Liu looked down and saw that the hem of her skirt was indeed stained with glutinous rice flour. She was terrified and frantically patted her skirt: "No! No! This is... This is... glutinous rice flour! Yes, I use it to ward off evil spirits!"
"Is it glutinous rice flour?" Shen Weiwan squatted down to pick up the broken pieces of the bowl, smiling innocently, "I knew that my aunt was afraid of insects, so I asked the kitchen to make lotus seed soup to repel insects, and added glutinous rice flour to it." She raised her head, her eyes shining like stars in the sky, "If my aunt likes it, I will send you another bowl tomorrow? This time, add more glutinous rice flour, and I guarantee that the insects will avoid it when they see it!"
Liu looked at her clear eyes and suddenly felt a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. How could this be the fool she used to let her control? This is clearly a fox in sheep's clothing! She pointed at Shen Weiwan, her lips trembling with anger: "You...you stole the warehouse key! The old housekeeper must be an accomplice!"
"Key?" Shen Weiwan pretended to be surprised, took out a copper key from her sleeve, and shook it in front of Liu's eyes. The key rings clashed and made a crisp sound. "Is this what I'm talking about? The old housekeeper said that you are old and your memory is not good, so she asked me to keep it for you first."
Liu looked at the familiar key, her eyes went dark, and she almost fainted. However, Shen Weiwan acted as if nothing had happened and said to Chuntao, "Look, Auntie really forgot about it and thought I stole it." She put the key back into her sleeve, bowed to Liu, and smiled innocently, "Auntie, take a good rest. I'll go back first to avoid delaying your 'exorcism'."
Leaving Xiefang Courtyard, Chuntao couldn't help but ask, "Miss, did you really get the key back?" Chen Weiwan shook her head and swung the copper key in her sleeve, making a slight sound. "It's a fake. The old housekeeper hid the real key under the madam's tablet." She looked up at the azure sky and remembered the peonies in Ci'an Temple that the Seventh Prince had mentioned. "Chuntao, prepare the car. Let's go to Ci'an Temple to admire the peonies and... listen to what new jokes the ladies have come up with."
As the carriage drove out of the courtyard, she saw Shen Ruorou hiding behind a tree, like a frightened rabbit. Shen Weiwan lifted the curtain and smiled at her, "Cousin, do you want to go with me? I heard that the peonies at Ci'an Temple are in full bloom, much more beautiful than the 'itchy skirt' at the Spring Banquet."
Shen Ruorou screamed and ran away, her skirt hem lifted, revealing the patched lining underneath. Chuntao watched her from behind and whispered, "Miss, do you think she'd dare wear a new dress again?" Shen Weiwan smiled, her fingertips tracing the carved patterns on the car window, her eyes sly. "If she dares, I'll make her itch again—but next time, it won't be just grass scraps. I'll make her feel what it means to be 'itched to the core.'"
The peonies in Ci'an Temple were still in full bloom. The noble ladies gathered together and waved to Shen Weiwan with a smile when they saw her, as if they saw their own sisters: "Miss Shen, come quickly! We were just saying that in the future, when we attend banquets, we must prepare 'itch-relieving mud' to avoid being 'borrowed clothes' by Miss Shen Er!"
As Shen Weiwan walked over, she heard someone muttering, "I heard that the Seventh Prince gave her something again. She's really envious..." When she sat down, she deliberately showed off the jade bracelet on her wrist and said with a smile, "They're just some little things. But my cousin fell down in Xiefang Courtyard yesterday. I wonder if she's feeling better now? I heard she fell pretty badly, like a mud monkey."
The ladies all laughed knowingly. Lin Churan leaned close to her and lowered her voice as if sharing a secret: "I heard that Liu wanted to sue you for stealing the key, but the old housekeeper retorted! She said she locked the key in the box and forgot about it!" Shen Weiwan picked up the teacup, hiding the smile at the corner of her mouth, and the tea rippled in the cup: "Really? That's really unfair to my aunt. After all, she's old and her memory is not good."
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice onto her, making the jade bracelet appear even more lustrous. Shen Weiwan watched the tea sway in the cup, remembering the coldness of the snow in her previous life, yet the sunlight in this life felt exceptionally warm. The new meme in the circle of noble ladies continued, but she knew it was only the beginning. Liu and Shen Ruorou's good days were numbered. Next time, it would be their turn to experience true disgrace.
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