Yan Shisheng still managed to persuade Mu Wanyao back into the chambers.

While the maids were arranging luggage outside, Mu Wanyao sat inside. When Yan Shisheng returned, he brought her a cup of hot tea.

“Your Highness must be tired from shouting outside. Please drink some tea to soothe your throat,” Yan Shisheng said.

Mu Wanyao held the teacup, her tone peculiar: “After how I spoke to you, you’re not angry?”

Yan Shisheng replied: “In this world, up until now, nothing has appeared that could make me angry.”

Mu Wanyao leaned forward, intrigued: “When you say that, it makes me want to provoke you.”

Yan Shisheng: “However, Your Highness is leaving, so there’s no time for provocations.”

At these words, their gazes froze simultaneously.

Mu Wanyao shifted her gaze away, lowering her head to silently drink her tea. In her downcast view, she saw Second Young Master Yan kneeling beside her, gently tugging at her cloud-embroidered brocade sleeve. Mu Wanyao stared intently at the tea leaves floating in her cup.

Yan Shisheng said: “If Your Highness encounters any difficulties, even if I cannot help directly, perhaps I could offer some suggestions. Even if Your Highness disregards my advice, having another person to talk to can help relieve one’s melancholy, can it not?

“Besides, Your Highness is about to leave. Even if you tell me something, you needn’t fear I’ll spread it. After all, I live in this remote region of Lingnan, Your Highness can trust me to some degree.”

Mu Wanyao looked up to see him kneeling beside her, his green robes draping to the ground, his hair bound with a headband. His features carried a natural, soothing gentleness that made one’s heart pause, wanting to trust him.

But Mu Wanyao was, after all, the once-married Princess of Danyang. She no longer believed in human emotions and relationships; she only believed that nothing happens without self-interest.

She also didn’t think a rural scholar with no worldly experience could offer any solutions to her predicament.

So with the mere intention of relieving her melancholy, Mu Wanyao spoke to him casually in a desolate tone: “I have an old acquaintance with whom I have some conflict. They will likely cause me trouble soon, and I must resolve this matter.”

Yan Shisheng asked: “Can His Majesty handle it?”

Mu Wanyao: “This matter cannot reach my royal father’s knowledge. I should handle it myself. Once my father becomes involved, the situation would become disadvantageous for me.”

Yan Shisheng said: “What is this person’s family background, how do they treat their relatives, do they have any weaknesses? Does Your Highness want a permanent solution or just a temporary one?”

Mu Wanyao: “…”

Yan Shisheng smiled: “What’s wrong? Did I say something incorrect?”

Mu Wanyao: “…I feel you’re suggesting I kill this person.”

Yan Shisheng smiled faintly: “Your Highness heard correctly.”

“Crash!”

The teacup Mu Wanyao was holding fell, shattering on the ground, and soaking the floor covering. Yet neither of the young man and woman sitting together in the chamber paid any attention to the broken cup. They gazed at each other silently, with Mu Wanyao utterly shocked.

She barely recognized Yan Shisheng anymore: “Aren’t you just an ordinary scholar? How can you speak of ‘killing’ without changing expression?”

Yan Shisheng lowered his eyes: “This humble one was merely speaking thoughtlessly.”

Mu Wanyao remained silent for a long while. As if possessed, she began to consider the possibility in Yan Shisheng’s words.

Kill Meng Zanshi?

She had wanted to kill him for a long time… During the Wuman internal turmoil a year ago, she had already attempted it. But that person didn’t die.

Mu Wanyao shook her head: “Having survived death once, he will be extremely wary of my methods. Besides, I cannot kill him. The forces at his disposal far exceed mine, and that’s his territory – I cannot even get close to him. But waiting for him to come find me… I cannot accept that either.”

Yan Shisheng spoke slowly: “In that case, if you cannot permanently eliminate the threat, you should delay matters… For instance, if there’s something he cares about that Your Highness could obtain at a small cost, you could keep him occupied with that.”

Mu Wanyao nodded slightly, falling into deep thought.

Yan Shisheng smiled faintly, took out a handkerchief from his robes, and squatted down to pick up the broken teacup pieces one by one, preventing anyone who might enter from being injured by the porcelain shards. After cleaning up, he looked at Mu Wanyao again and saw her still lowering her head.

Her eyes usually sparkled with charm, but when she was silent and ignored others, her expression carried a hint of coldness.

Yan Shisheng didn’t disturb her further. As he pushed open the door to leave, he suddenly turned back: “Your Highness.”

Mu Wanyao lifted her head coldly: “Hmm?”

Yan Shisheng stood in the doorway, his face hidden in shadow, only revealing a trace of his elegant profile. He asked: “This acquaintance Your Highness spoke of, are they connected to the Wuman?”

Mu Wanyao: “…?!”

The next day, a fine drizzle fell from the sky. Everyone from the Yan family, along with Liu Wenji, came out with umbrellas to bid farewell. Seeing the princess’s magnificent procession of carriages and horses, everyone had their thoughts.

Chunhua wore a rain veil and, together with the other maids, bowed farewell to the Yan family, presenting the gifts bestowed by the princess. When she reached Liu Wenji, through the gauze of her veil, Chunhua quickly glanced at him.

Liu Wenji spoke longingly: “My lady, when I enter Chang’an next March, I will come find you.”

While presenting ink and brushes to Liu Wenji, Chunhua slipped a crumpled paper into his hand. As Liu Wenji looked surprised, Chunhua had already turned away with the other maids, leaving only a whisper as they brushed past: “Read it after I’ve gone, young master Liu.”

Liu Wenji clutched his hand tightly in joy, his gaze bright.

While the maids and guards busied themselves, Mu Wanyao never appeared.

Mu Wanyao sat in her carriage, opening a black wooden box. This box had been delivered by Yan Shisheng when he knocked on her door before dawn.

Inside the box lay a document.

Mu Wanyao opened the document, at first carelessly, but as she read on, her gaze grew more focused.

The document detailed how to deal with the Wuman forces.

Yan Shisheng guessed that the person Mu Wanyao had offended must be among the Wuman leadership. Given that the Wuman still practiced slavery, Yan Shisheng boldly speculated that with someone ascending to the Wuman throne, the person Mu Wanyao had offended was the Wuman king. Since she had offended the Wuman king, what would pain him most would be damage to his territory and harm to his people.

According to Yan Shisheng’s knowledge, Princess Danyang’s maternal family, the Li clan, once commanded the border armies. Though they no longer held that command, after the Li clan’s many years of managing the border armies, some high-ranking military officers should still be loyal to them. Therefore, small border forces could harass without declaring war, either by capturing some Wuman civilians, burning some camps, or sowing discord between the Wuman and the other four Southern barbarian tribes…

Yan Shisheng had written ten feasible strategies in total.

Mu Wanyao: “…”

Holding this document, she felt her heart surge, each word worth its weight in gold. Had he stayed up all night without sleep to devise these strategies for her?

As Mu Wanyao sat quietly holding the document, Chunhua knocked on the carriage window from outside, saying softly: “Your Highness, Second Young Master Yan is outside paying his respects.”

Mu Wanyao came to her senses. Staring at the characters on the document in her hand, she pressed her lips together, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and asked: “What are you here for?”

From outside the carriage, Yan Shisheng said: “Just to inform Your Highness that I’ve had Maiden Chunhua bring along the remaining Lingxi Boluo wine from home, the new agarwood incense that my sister and I made, and the sweets Your Highness enjoys. Everything else is fine, but I wanted to specifically mention the candy in case it melts.”

Mu Wanyao fell silent.

Yan Shisheng’s slightly confused voice came through: “Your Highness?”

Mu Wanyao spoke in a low voice: “You’ve sent over entire jars of your family’s famous Lingnan wine, the Lingxi Boluo?”

Yan Shisheng: “Yes.”

Mu Wanyao: “Would you like to share a farewell drink with me?”

Standing outside the carriage, Yan Shisheng paused, surprised that the princess had forgotten he had mentioned he didn’t drink. Yan Shisheng repeated: “I don’t drink alcohol.”

Mu Wanyao’s voice was languid, carrying a hint of regret: “Oh.”

Seeing that after giving her so many gifts, she had no intention of coming down from the carriage for one last meeting, Yan Shisheng felt quite disappointed.

Since the princess wouldn’t see him one last time, Yan Shisheng could only nod resignedly to Chunhua and turn to leave. Mu Wanyao’s voice came from inside the carriage: “Come closer.”

Yan Shisheng glanced at Chunhua, then stepped closer to the carriage.

Mu Wanyao’s voice carried a touch of allure in the fine rain: “Even closer.”

Yan Shisheng was already next to the carriage and had to lower his umbrella.

Mu Wanyao spoke again: “Come up into the carriage.”

Yan Shisheng hesitated, then lifted his robes to step on the mounting stool. As he bent forward, the tightly closed carriage door suddenly pushed open from inside with a “bang.” As he looked up, in that moment of surprise, Mu Wanyao grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the carriage.

Below, the maids and guards exchanged glances as the carriage door closed again.

Pulled into the carriage, Yan Shisheng stumbled and fell onto the cushions. A strand of hair fell across his cheek as he looked up at her, about to speak, when Mu Wanyao leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips to his.

Yan Shisheng’s eyes widened, his head hitting the carriage wall. As he tried to retreat, Mu Wanyao pressed closer, giving him no chance to refuse. When he opened his mouth to protest, she curved her eyebrows, seizing the opportunity to brush her nose against his, teasing him with light touches.

Yan Shisheng’s body went half numb.

When he tried to push her away in resistance, she whispered against his lips: “Do you want everyone outside to know what we’re doing?”

Yan Shisheng’s entire body grew even more rigid.

With his back against the carriage wall, he tilted his head slightly back, seeing her thick black eyelashes, feeling her warmth. Fragrance swirled around them, the heat and softness between their teeth making his elbow suddenly knock against the carriage wall.

The fine rain drifted in through the wooden lattice window, both cool and hot; the elaborate cushions on the floor both spinning and spreading out;

The numbing pain from his elbow, the mist spreading before his eyes, the trembling rising in his heart, waves of impulse locked beneath ice then breaking free from iron chains…

Yan Shisheng dared not move and wanted to push away but dared not. Outside were maids and guards; he couldn’t even make a sound. He held his breath, his face quickly flushing red, breath mingling between their lips like a mosquito sharply stinging his heart.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, red gradually spreading from the corners of his eyes. The restraint of being unable to move and the secret pleasure arrived simultaneously; between ice and fire, bringing both shame and intoxication.

Sweat dripped down, involuntarily, eyes growing hazy. Yan Shisheng raised his hand, loosely embracing her back, wanting to respond to her…

“Bang!”

Yan Shisheng was suddenly pushed out of the carriage; fortunately, Guard Fang below caught him.

From inside the carriage, Mu Wanyao’s husky voice rang out: “Let’s go.”

The rain connected the earth and sky.

Yan Shisheng stood in the rain, not minding his soaked clothes until Yan Xiaozhou stood on tiptoes with an umbrella to shield her second brother. He remained dazed, staring long at the rain, at the departing procession.

He vaguely saw the beginning, when she sat on a low stool beneath the carriage, red skirts trailing the ground, turning her face behind a feather fan, smiling at him;

He vaguely saw just now, when she pressed him against the carriage wall, teasing him so.

As the princess’s procession disappeared into the distance, Chunhua, wearing her veil, sat on horseback and looked back at those seeing them off. Their figures vanished into the rain curtain as Liu Wenji secretly opened the note Chunhua had slipped to him.

Written in elegant small script were the words—

“May our affection never be forgotten, strive to love Chunhua.”

*Author’s Note: The original line was “Strive to love Chunhua, don’t forget times of joy.” Because it didn’t match the plot, I adapted it to “May our affection never be forgotten, strive to love Chunhua.” Remember this poem, it runs through this work from beginning to end!*