The next day, Shen Weiwan arrived at the Seventh Prince's residence in a blue velvet sedan chair. Xiao Yu was already waiting at the moon-shaped gate of the garden. He looked handsome in his moon-white brocade robe, and he was holding a phoenix-shaped kite in his hand.
"Miss Shen," he greeted her with a smile, handing her the kite spool. "I heard you like flying kites, so I specially asked a craftsman to make this one based on the Bifang bird from the Classic of Mountains and Seas."
Shen Weiwan took the spool of thread and saw that the kite was so lifelike, with silver foil adorning the tail feathers that trembled in the wind. Her heart warmed. This Seventh Prince seemed lazy, but his mind was as meticulous as a hair.
The two walked side by side to the peony garden, where peonies of all colors were in full bloom, with yellow and purple peonies competing for splendor. Xiao Yu held the kite for her and watched her run, pulling the string. His eyes smiled. "I heard that the Liu family's mother and daughter went to apologize to you yesterday?"
Chen Weiwan's cheeks flushed from running. She stopped and looked back at him: "They are just two defeated roosters." She recounted the embarrassing story of the Liu mother and daughter, and finally raised an eyebrow and said, "Next, it's Li Xiu's turn."
Xiao Yu's eyes flashed coldly when he heard this: "How dare that cripple show up?"
"Not only does he dare to show up, I'm afraid he wants to use the same trick again." Shen Weiwan sneered, "In my previous life, he blocked me in the Imperial Garden, pretending to be affectionate and deceiving me so much."
"What are you going to do?" Xiao Yu took a step closer, with the clear scent of ambergris lingering around him.
Shen Weiwan winked slyly and whispered something in his ear. Xiao Yu was startled at first, then burst into laughter, causing the peonies in the garden to lose their color. "You, girl, have more tricks than the stars in the sky! But... I like it."
A spring breeze blew by, lifting the hem of Shen Weiwan's skirt and ruffling the strands of hair across Xiao Yu's forehead. The two smiled at each other, the sunlight filtering through the petals and leaves onto their bodies, overlapping their shadows. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of peonies and the spirit of youth. Shen Weiwan suddenly felt that with this person standing by her side, the deep blood feud of her past life seemed to have a warmer footnote.
Returning to the general's mansion, Shen Weiwan immediately called Chuntao into the inner room.
"Miss, are you really going to set up a trap in the Imperial Garden?" Chun Tao's eyes widened after hearing the plan. "What if that cripple Li Xiu gets desperate?"
"He dares?" Chen Weiwan toyed with a mutton-fat jade hairpin, the delicately carved lotus on the top. "Li Xiu is always concerned about his reputation, and I'm determined to tear off his mask at the very spot where he's most proud." She remembered Li Xiu's words in the garden in her previous life, "I'll be there for you in the future," and her stomach churned. "Chun Tao, do a few things: first, spread the word that I've been relaxing in the Imperial Garden lately; second, prepare a handkerchief similar to the one Shen Ruorou often uses; and third, inform His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince... that the show is about to begin."
Chuntao grew increasingly excited as she listened, agreeing repeatedly. Watching her depart, Shen Weiwan walked to the window and gazed at the dusk falling in the direction of Xiefang Courtyard. "Liu, Shen Ruorou, Li Xiu... I've torn through every net you've laid. Now it's my turn to play my cards."
The setting sun stained the eaves of the General's Mansion a golden crimson. Shen Weiwan raised her hand to touch the jade bracelet on her wrist. It was a memory left by her mother, and also the armor of her rebirth. The curtain had fallen on the second volume, and she had already written the script for the next volume - the lame scumbag's "broken sleeve" farce, about to be staged in the capital.
This time, she not only wants revenge, but also wants to live a prosperous life. As for those evil spirits that block her way, they are just clowns in her happy life, entertaining others.
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