The gilded ceiling of the Imperial Garden's waterside pavilion shone glaringly in the autumn sun. The tinkling of wind chimes on the eaves couldn't mask the icy stillness within. Everyone's gaze pierced Shen Weiwan like thorns, and the sound of Liu's nails digging into her palm was especially clear in the silence. The silver crane patch on Lord Zhang's official robe trembled slightly as he trembled, his saliva threatening to splash onto the manuscript on the desk. "Your Majesty! Shen Weiwan dared to plagiarize Zhuge Liang's 'The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital'. The evidence is irrefutable!"
Liu seemed to have been injected with a stimulant, and immediately rushed to the front of the dragon throne. The jade armor made a crisp "crackling" sound on the blue bricks, and the red gold phoenix hairpin on her bun shook violently: "Your Majesty, please understand! If such acts of deceiving the emperor are not severely punished, how can we rectify the government and improve the people's morals!" She stared at Shen Weiwan from the corner of her eye, as if she had seen the scene of the other party being dragged away for questioning.
Hiding behind Liu, Shen Ruorou dug the tips of her embroidered shoes into the cracks of the blue bricks, her fingertips nearly shredding the handkerchief embroidered with twin lotus flowers. As long as Shen Weiwan was convicted, the Seventh Prince's eyes, always following her, would return to her sooner or later. She had even rehearsed countless times in her mind how to "gently persuade" the Seventh Prince and prove Shen Weiwan's "despicableness."
At this critical moment, Xiao Yu, who had been standing quietly beside the dragon throne, suddenly stepped forward. The hem of his dark brocade robe brushed against the polished blue bricks, bringing with it a faint scent of cedar. With a flick of his wrist, he unfurled his folding fan. The five characters "Auntie's Abacus" inscribed in cursive script on the fan surface faintly appeared in the sunlight. It was Shen Weiwan's masterpiece.
"Master Zhang, what you said is quite biased." Xiao Yu's voice was as clear as the clash of jade, but with a hint of teasing at the end. "Miss Shen used the 'Memorial to the Emperor' to express her aspirations, alluding to the generations of loyal and righteous people in the General's House. What's wrong with that?" He raised an eyebrow at the ashen-faced Master Zhang, tapping his folding fan against his palm. "Could it be that Master Zhang feels that Prime Minister Zhuge's loyal advice is no longer worth reading?"
"Your Highness the Seventh Prince! This... this is clearly a copy of an ancient article. How can it be considered a poem?" Lord Zhang's official hat was almost tilted to the back of his head. Beads of sweat on his forehead slid down his wrinkles and dripped onto the edge of the manuscript on the desk.
"Stupid!" Xiao Yu suddenly raised his voice, banging his folding fan on the table, causing the ink in the inkstone to splatter. "Prime Minister Zhuge's admonition to 'befriend the virtuous and stay away from flatterers' is just pedantic talk in Lord Zhang's eyes? Miss Shen uses history to satirize the present, criticizing current ills, and you accuse her of plagiarism?" He turned toward the dragon throne, his tall, graceful figure gilded in the sunlight. "Father, I believe Miss Shen is not only innocent, but deserves a reward."
The Emperor paused, twirling his graying beard. His eyes flickered between Xiao Yu and Shen Weiwan, who stood with her head bowed. Suddenly, he erupted in deafening laughter: "What a way to use history to satirize the present! What a way to criticize current ills!" The throne shook slightly with his laughter. "Xiao Yu is right! Lord Shen used the writings of sages to warn the world, but you, the examiner, only looked at the surface. How foolish!"
Zhang fell to his knees as if struck by lightning, his forehead slamming heavily against the blue bricks with a dull thud. "Your Majesty, spare me! I...I was blinded by greed..."
Seeing this, Liu screamed and rushed over to pull the emperor's dragon robe, but was stopped by the guards: "Your Majesty! How could you be deceived by this girl's sweet words..."
"Shut up!" The emperor slammed the armrest of the dragon throne, causing the jade paperweight to jump. "Liu! Master Zhang has already confessed to bribing the examiner, and you still dare to make such a fuss?"
Shen Weiwan raised her head at the right time, blinking her innocent big eyes, and her voice was as sweet as freshly brewed honey: "Aunt, you really spent three thousand taels of silver? That's enough to buy many Quanjude roast ducks..."
These words were like a thunderclap dropped into a calm lake, and the whole room erupted in laughter. The Grand Tutor's wife laughed so hard that tears came out of her eyes. The old scholars in the Hanlin Academy stroked their beards and shook their heads, unable to suppress their grins. Even the guards standing in the corner of the hall turned away secretly, their shoulders shaking like sieves.
Xiao Yu walked slowly to Shen Weiwan's side, lowering his voice as he leaned over to adjust his sleeves: "Want to eat roast duck? I'll have someone send you ten, all coated with chopped walnuts."
Shen Weiwan glanced at him sideways, her eyelashes trembling like frightened butterfly wings, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise up, and she replied in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Your Highness, are you trying to feed me into a fat girl?"
The Emperor took in this scene, his smile growing even wider, practically spilling out: "Come here! Reward Chen Weiwan with a hundred taels of gold, and also give her a plaque inscribed with the words 'Speak Straight and Dare to Advise', to be hung in the main hall of the General's Mansion!"
With a loud bang, Liu collapsed to the ground like a sack of rags, her hair disheveled and her pearls and jadeite tumbling all over the floor. A jade hairpin happened to roll right at Shen Weiwan's feet. Shen Ruoruo let out a short scream, rolled her eyes, and completely fainted. The maid frantically supported her.
When Lord Zhang was dragged away by the guards, he was still crying, "Madam Liu harmed me... She was the one who gave me three thousand taels of silver..." The voice became farther and farther away, and finally disappeared at the end of the corridor of the waterside pavilion.
Outside the pavilion, the ginkgo leaves rustled in the autumn wind, their golden flakes drifting down like bits of gold. Chen Weiwan, clutching a heavy load of gold ingots, followed Xiao Yu out of the pavilion. The setting sun stretched their shadows far out. The hem of his dark robe intertwined with the hem of her moon-white skirt, creating a warm and cozy scene against the azure bricks.
"Your Highness," Shen Weiwan shook the gold ingots in her arms, and the ingots collided with each other, making a crisp sound. "Where do you think we should hang this plaque that says 'Speak Straightforwardly and Daringly Remonstrate'? If we hang it in the kitchen, will it scare away the cooking fumes?"
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