On the sixth day of the fifth lunar month, the pomegranate blossoms in the capital bloomed like a ball of fire, illuminating the waterside pavilion of the Imperial Tutor's Mansion with a brilliant crimson glow. Shen Weiwan was trawling through the red gold hairpin in her dressing box when she suddenly cried out, "Ouch!" The pearl on her hairpin rolled onto the mirror and landed beside the note Liu had sent.
"Miss, are you still looking at this lousy invitation?" Chun Tao came in with rouge cream. Seeing Chen Weiwan staring at the words "Royal Poetry Gathering" on the invitation, she couldn't help but curl her lips. "That old pious woman Liu was whispering with the young master of the Hanlin scholar's family yesterday. She might be up to something bad again."
Chen Weiwan picked up the Dongzhu and tossed it around, the pearl shimmering softly in her palm. "Bad intentions? With that little brain of hers, what else can she pretend to be besides playing tricks on me?" She suddenly sat up straight, a cunning glint in her eyes. "By the way, what was the name of the young master of the Hanlin scholar's family?"
"It seems to be... Li Congwen?" Chuntao twisted her handkerchief. "I heard he's quite sour, even reciting a few lines from the Book of Songs when he walks. Yesterday he was even scolding a wonton vendor in a teahouse for being uneducated!"
"Li Congwen?" Chen Weiwan muttered the name, and suddenly stood up, slamming the table. Her pearl and jade headdress shone in the mirror, "Chun Tao, go get my 'hidden book'!"
"The book hidden in the bottom of the box?" Chun Tao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Young lady, are you talking about... the 'Collection of Folk Jokes'?"
"Shh!" Shen Weiwan covered her mouth and looked out the window warily, "Be quiet! That's a 'treasure' I found at a flea market. The 'poems' inside are thicker than Liu's face!"
As the master and servant were talking, the old butler hurried in on crutches, his beard covered in willow catkins. "My lady, Liu sent Aunt Zhang to tell you to 'perform well' at the poetry gathering and not bring shame to the General's Mansion." He paused, lowering his voice. "This old servant sees something wrong. She went to the Hanlin Academician's residence yesterday..."
"I see, Grandpa Butler," Shen Weiwan shook the Dongzhu in her hand, "Don't you just want me to embarrass myself at the poetry meeting? It just so happens that I also want to show her what a 'surprise' is."
The old butler looked at the light in her eyes and suddenly remembered what the old general said before he left for the battle: "A girl from the Shen family must be as sharp as a knife." He couldn't help but stroke his beard and smiled: "What does the young lady need an old servant for?"
"Help me prepare a 'prop'," Shen Weiwan leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words. The old housekeeper was stunned at first, and then laughed so hard that his beard stood up: "Miss, this trick... is quite 'clever'!"
Meanwhile, in Xiefang Courtyard, Liu was inserting her hairpin in front of a bronze mirror, her gilded phoenix hairpin casting a subtle light through her hair. Shen Ruorou squatted nearby, packing her belongings, her face still haggard from returning from the ancestral temple. "Mother, can you really make Shen Weiwan look bad? She's so cunning now..."
"Don't worry," Liu adjusted the angle of her hairpin in front of the mirror, her nails scratching the surface. "I've already made an agreement with Li Congwen. I'll let him come up with topics for the poetry meeting. I'll pick some off-the-beaten-path topics—like 'chamber pot' and 'latrine'. What kind of poem can she, who doesn't like reading, write?"
Shen Ruorou's eyes lit up: "Chamber pot? Mother, you are so smart! If she can't make it, the whole capital will laugh at her for being a fool!"
"Not only that," Liu said with a smug smile, "I even had word spread that she can't even pronounce 'goose, goose, goose'—she'll cry at the poetry gathering later!"
The mother and daughter were talking happily when Aunt Zhang hurried in: "Madam, His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince sent an invitation, saying... that he wants to sit at the same table with the eldest lady."
The hairpin in Liu's hand fell to the table with a clang, and her expression changed instantly: "Seventh Prince? Why is he joining in the fun?"
Shen Ruorou was also panicked: "Mother, what can we do? With the Seventh Prince here, will Li Congwen still dare to make things difficult for us?"
"What are you afraid of!" Liu slammed the table, "Even the prince has to be reasonable! The poetry gathering is to make friends through poetry. How can you protect a fool?" She put her hairpin back on, her eyes fierce, "Chen Weiwan, this time I will definitely bring your reputation to ruin!"
At three o'clock in the morning, the waterside pavilion of the Taifu Mansion was already filled with noble ladies from the capital. Shen Weiwan, wearing a newly made tasseled hat, heard whispers as soon as she stepped into the pavilion:
"Look, that's the general's daughter. I heard she can't even recognize all the Chinese characters for 'zhihuzheya'!"
"Mrs. Liu said that she might make a fool of herself in public later..."
"Shh! His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince is over there!"
Shen Weiwan pretended not to hear and walked straight to the Seventh Prince's seat. Xiao Yu, wearing a moon-white brocade robe and playing with a jade pendant in his hand, saw her coming over and a familiar smile appeared on his lips: "Miss Shen, are you wearing a 'bug net' today?"
Shen Weiwan pulled off her veil, revealing a head full of pearls and jade: "Your Highness, what do you know? This is called 'fashion' - by the way, did you bring your osmanthus duck today?"
Xiao Yu chuckled softly and pointed to the food box on the table: "Of course it's prepared, but..." He took a half step closer, and his warm breath brushed her ear, "I heard that someone prepared a 'surprise' for Miss Shen?"
Shen Weiwan felt warm in her heart, but she pretended to be stupid on the surface: "Surprise? Could it be that Aunt Liu wants to give me a 'chamber pot' as a gift?"
Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when he saw Liu walking over with a twisted waist and a hypocritical smile on her face: "Wanwan, you're finally here! Come here quickly, Master Li is waiting to 'learn from you'!"
Shen Weiwan looked in the direction she pointed, and saw a young man in a long blue cloth gown shaking his head. When he saw her, his eyes lit up, like a hungry wolf seeing meat.
"Miss Chen," Li Congwen bowed and said sourly, "I have long heard of your talent. Today I have a special topic for you - how about writing a five-character poem on the theme 'Chamber Pot'?"
As soon as the words fell, the whole audience was in an uproar. Using a chamber pot to write poetry, this is clearly a challenge! Liu covered her mouth and laughed secretly, while Shen Ruoruo looked at Shen Weiwan with pride, waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
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