After the imperial city gates closed, the Ministry of Justice, located in the right wing of the Department of State Affairs, received Prince Qin. The Minister of Justice, a man over fifty, invited Prince Qin inside to discuss matters. Prince Qin walked with his hands behind his back, his face cold. Only after sitting down and drinking a cup of water did the summer heat that had drenched him in sweat seem to ease somewhat.

Prince Qin let out a long breath and looked at the Minister of Justice, who stood bowing at his side.

He coldly snorted, “Uncle, tell me, what’s the situation now?”

The Minister of Justice was Prince Qin’s maternal uncle, but the distinction between ruler and minister remained. He too found the situation vexing.

He explained, “According to the law, Yan Erlang should be executed for killing someone in public. However, it’s said that these past few days outside the imperial city, crowds of commoners gathered daily in protest. Even those scholars who should be focusing on their studies are causing trouble, submitting endless memorials praising Yan Erlang’s actions.”

Glancing at Prince Qin’s alternating expression, the Minister continued, “According to them, after killing someone, Yan Erlang has become a sage who should be venerated.”

Prince Qin responded, “Given the current situation, isn’t he already being venerated?”

Prince Qin continued, “What remarkable influence! Killing one person to win the hearts of all scholars and common people across the realm. If we execute him now, I fear both he and we will be recorded in history—though he would be remembered favorably, while we would gain the reputation of cruel officials.”

The Minister replied, “But if we don’t execute him, how do we explain the law? Should the government encourage such killings? If people start taking justice into their own hands whenever they see injustice, killing whoever they wish, wouldn’t society fall into chaos?”

Prince Qin said, “Then execute him.”

The Minister remained silent.

Prince Qin glanced at the old man and sneered, “What’s wrong, Uncle? When we couldn’t execute him, you said it violated the law. Now when I tell you to execute him, you dare not?”

The Minister smiled bitterly.

He said, “Your Highness understands. We all come from scholarly backgrounds. Besides serving the people as officials, aren’t we also seeking a reputation? If we execute Yan Erlang, that reputation… would be gone. I’m old now, and truly cannot bring myself to be so ruthless.”

Prince Qin responded with an “Oh”: “When told to execute him you dare not, when told not to execute you say it’s impossible… it seems Uncle wants to throw this difficult problem to me.”

The Minister lowered his head and said softly, “This old servant has always served Your Highness. As long as Your Highness gives the order, even if I don’t want to execute him, I will sign the execution order.”

Prince Qin fell silent.

Due to his maternal family connections, since entering court service he had easily gained control of three major ministries: War, Justice, and Personnel.

Among the Six Ministries, Personnel ranked first, followed by the Ministries of Rites and Revenue which the Crown Prince managed.

The Crown Prince’s control of Revenue was the result of the Yang family’s maneuvering, while his control of Rites… was his natural birthright, as the imperial clan would certainly entrust the Ministry of Rites to the Crown Prince.

So the Crown Prince controlled finances, while Prince Qin controlled the military.

Prince Qin had never believed he would lose the succession struggle to the Crown Prince.

That things had reached this point today… also made Prince Qin secretly furious.

He had originally planned to use a palace maid, sending her into Prince Jin’s mansion to manipulate Mu Wanrao, causing a rift between Mu Wanrao and the Crown Prince, or even making the Crown Prince lose popular support by siding with the powerful families… who could have known that Mu Wanrao was no longer her former self, immediately seeing through it and decisively cutting off her arm, severing ties with the powerful families behind her.

The Zheng clan!

To think that girl Mu Wanrao would have such resolve, not only cutting off her support but also submitting a memorial asking the Crown Prince to regulate the powerful families across the realm.

Though powerful, these families were not aristocratic clans. Mu Wanrao hadn’t touched the interests of the aristocratic clans, and those clans had likely been annoyed by the powerful families over the years… this was the perfect opportunity for internal and external forces to work together to redistribute power.

Mu Wanrao hadn’t held things back.

And the Crown Prince, who Prince Qin had always seen as treacherous and cunning, hadn’t made any mistakes at this critical juncture either.

So by this point, though Mu Wanrao had lost a palace maid and seemingly become entangled with Prince Jin… she had made an even greater sacrifice for the Crown Prince. Given that Mu Wanrao had severed ties with the powerful protection of the Zheng clan, the Crown Prince wouldn’t grow distant from her over this matter.

After all, what was one palace maid compared to the support of a powerful family?

Prince Qin sighed, truly not knowing how the situation had reached this point. Not only had he gained no advantage, but now the Ministry of Justice had been put in a difficult position by the Crown Prince, with everyone watching to see how they would judge this case…

After a long while, Prince Qin sneered, “The Crown Prince wants the Ministry of Justice alone to bear the negative reputation? How could it be so easy?”

Having made up his mind, he instructed the Minister: “Tomorrow, submit a memorial to the central government stating that given Yan Erlang’s actions for the country and people, this great matter of justice, the Ministry of Justice dare not judge alone. We must convene… a Three Courts trial. Whether Yan Erlang’s actions were meritorious or criminal can only be determined after a joint trial of the Three Courts.”

Prince Qin said mockingly, “These scholars want to elevate Yan Erlang to sagehood? Heh, I want to see when this manufactured sage will turn against them… This time Yan Erlang aligned with their wishes, but I don’t believe his actions will always align with their desires.”

The Three Courts trial meant joint judgment by the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review.

The Ministry of Justice was controlled by Prince Qin’s uncle, so naturally sided with Prince Qin; the Director of the Court of Judicial Review was controlled by the Yang family, so naturally sided with the Crown Prince.

As for the Censorate, which exercised supervisory power, it wasn’t part of the Three Departments and Six Ministries system. However, this time the central government directly appointed someone to the Censorate, transferring personnel down from the Department of the Secretariat among the Three Departments. The purpose of having someone from the Secretariat enter the Censorate was to hear how this case would be judged.

The Great Wei’s official system consisted of Three Departments, Six Ministries, and One Court.

The Court was the Censorate, and the Six Ministries were under the Department of State Affairs among the Three Departments. The Three Departments were the Department of the Secretariat, the Department of the Chancellery, and the Department of State Affairs.

The general procedure for Great Wei’s central administration was: the Department of the Secretariat would deliberate and draft edicts, the Department of the Chancellery would review them, after which they required imperial review, and then orders would be passed down to the Department of State Affairs. The Six Ministries under the Department of State Affairs were responsible for implementing central orders. The Department of State Affairs only had executive power, not decision-making authority.

Under this system, Great Wei also adopted a collegiate prime minister system.

The result was that Great Wei’s Prime Ministers all came from the Department of the Secretariat or Department of the Chancellery. No one from the Department of State Affairs qualified to be Prime Minister. This time when the Secretariat transferred someone to the Censorate, it was because several Prime Ministers wanted to observe this case and see how everyone would judge it.

After the proposal for a Three Courts trial was submitted to the Secretariat, they quickly approved it, and the Crown Prince had no objections. The scholars and students across the realm who were already following this case breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that the court hadn’t left it to the Ministry of Justice alone but would hold a Three Courts trial, knowing the government was still being cautious.

At the Imperial Academy, students gathered to discuss this matter.

One raised his arm and stood on a stone table, calling out to the gathering scholars and students: “Yan Erlang must not die! If Yan Erlang dies, wouldn’t it mean the will of the people means nothing? We’ve studied for so many years—was it just to seek fame and fortune, disregarding heavenly principles?

“Among the scholars of Chang’an, I rank Yan Erlang first! Just for daring to kill that Zheng clan patriarch! If I had been there, I certainly would have killed him too!”

Below, some looked on with disdain, watching the person above speak with flying spittle, thinking that if you had been there, you probably would have been scared witless—how could you have dared to kill anyone? But overall, what the person advocating above hadn’t spoken wrongly. Yan Shang’s actions aligned with the universal values of the era; everyone believed he had done right.

Once someone called out, students gathered around, signing their names together, jointly submitting memorials to the court pleading for Yan Shang.

It was all about principles like mercy beyond the law and ruling through human sentiment.

After all, Imperial Academy students, brush in hand with scholarly passion, were the ones who had the most contact with the common people below.

One by one, students gathered to sign their names, speaking up for Yan Shang. Wei Shu had just arrived at the Imperial Academy and was startled by such intense public sentiment, thinking they were going to riot. After understanding that they were submitting memorials to the court to plead for Yan Erlang’s life, Wei Shu let out a small sigh of relief.

If they had been planning to riot, Wei Shu would have turned and left immediately.

Wei Shu had come here because he knew the Imperial Academy had the right to directly submit memorials to the court… He couldn’t see Princess Danyang now and didn’t want to seek help from the Wei family, so he wanted to try this method. He hadn’t expected that upon arriving, others had already thought of this idea before him.

Now watching them excitedly signing the joint memorial… Wei Shu thought for a moment, then slowly mixed into the crowd, planning to add his name too.

However, the person advocating above spoke with an extremely loud voice, as if they had a very close relationship with Yan Shang.

Wei Shu thought absent-mindedly that perhaps they were close, but he wasn’t sure.

Wei Shu’s page boy followed his young master in the crowd. Wei Shu stood quietly in a corner, cold and silent, not joining the others.

The page boy returned and excitedly shared with his master: “Young Master Seven, I found out clearly. That person up there shouting for everyone to save Yan Erlang has barely spoken a few words with Yan Erlang. It seems that after Yan Erlang went to the Hongwen Academy, he came back to the Imperial Academy once to see his teacher, smiled at that person, and the person has considered Yan Erlang a kindred spirit ever since… Isn’t that sick?”

Wei Shu: “Mm.”

He said softly, “Second Brother Yan has always been good with people.”

Perhaps it wasn’t sick—the person might truly have been moved by Yan Shang.

The page boy didn’t believe it. He felt his young master was truly Yan Erlang’s good friend. But now watching such a good opportunity for fame being taken by some random student while his young master mixed in the crowd just to sign his name… He anxiously said: “Young Master Seven, you should step forward and lead as Second Young Master’s good friend! Not just leave your name here and go… When Yan Erlang gets out of prison, he’ll only remember the person who led everyone to save him, how would he remember you mixing in the crowd?”

Wei Shu said, “Second Brother Yan isn’t that kind of person.”

He paused, then said with strong resistance: “This is fine as it is. I don’t want to stand out.”

The page boy: “…”

He felt frustrated with his master’s weakness: “Young Master Seven, you’re afraid of talking to people, aren’t you?! What’s there to be afraid of? They’re all people, what are you afraid of saying a few words to them?”

The fourteen-year-old youth’s face suddenly reddened, as if his page boy had hit upon the truth.

Yet he maintained his cold, aloof demeanor, untouched by worldly matters, and stubbornly said: “I’m not afraid of talking to people. I just don’t want to mix with this mob.”

The page boy said: “Young Master, you’re going to be an official, and you hardly have any friends…”

Wei Shu replied: “Forming cliques for personal gain is a crime, what I’m doing isn’t. And who says I don’t have friends? Isn’t Second Brother Yan one? Isn’t the Princess one? I have a good relationship with the Princess.”

The page boy: “…”

Was that a good relationship?

Princess Danyang only smiled when she saw you because she found you good-looking. If you want to talk about good relationships, wasn’t her relationship with Yan Erlang even better?

Ah, how worrying.

The page boy thought Young Master Seven’s teacher was Princess Danyang’s maternal uncle, Lord Li. Lord Li had already expressed hope that Young Master Seven could form a marriage alliance with Princess Danyang… Wasn’t this one of the reasons his young master had come to Chang’an?

But now, this marriage alliance… looking at his young master’s current state, it seemed difficult—

These days, with the Crown Prince vigorously regulating the powerful families, even the aristocratic clans were conducting self-examinations to some extent, cooperating with the Crown Prince. All at once, the entire Chang’an had become lively, with urgent letters being sent daily to the Eastern Palace for the Crown Prince’s approval.

Not only had the entire Zheng clan been imprisoned, but the powerful families in the countryside were all fearful, seeking help everywhere. But the aristocratic clans who had once tolerated them now closed their doors and refused to see them, unwilling to invite trouble.

At once, as officials came to investigate, some directly admitted guilt and asked for redemption, some hesitantly offered seventy percent of their family wealth for peace, some were directly imprisoned, and some were beaten to death.

The common people actively reported to the officials, and the government offices that had once been reluctant to act were now handling cases with extreme speed.

The most influential event these days was the Crown Prince personally investigating Princess Imperial Luling.

The Crown Prince submitted a memorial to the Emperor, saying Princess Imperial Luling couldn’t control her servants, causing constant trouble over the years; moreover, since Princess Imperial Luling had become a Daoist priestess and lived in a temple, why didn’t she abstain from male companions and instead collected handsome men everywhere?

Many things, when not investigated, people would turn a blind eye, but once investigated, they all became crimes.

It was said the Emperor spoke a few words for Princess Imperial Luling, which was why her temple wasn’t confiscated and she could continue living there. But half of the princess’s mansion’s property was confiscated, and even though the princess wept and begged to see the Emperor, the Crown Prince used the Emperor’s summer retreat for rest as an excuse to prevent her from disturbing him.

By this point, those with discerning eyes in Chang’an could see that Princess Imperial Luling’s influence had been personally suppressed by the Crown Prince, and without the Emperor’s protection, she could no longer be as arrogant in Chang’an as before.

Those scholars who considered themselves handsome all breathed sighs of relief, not caring whether the princess would have been interested in them, just feeling they had escaped from the clutches of a female demon.

Under such lively regulation, the entire Chang’an seemed renewed. Ten days later. On the day of the Three Courts trial, Yan Shang was brought out from the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry’s people, fearing accusations of mistreating Yan Shang, even attentively let him wash up and change clothes.

However, even so, outside the imperial city, students from the Imperial Academy and common people gathered and wouldn’t disperse, shouting things like “A true scholar should be like Yan Suchen” and “The court cannot execute Yan Erlang.”

The clamor of the crowd outside the imperial city carried over the palace walls. The Ministry of Justice official escorting Yan Shang glanced at him, expecting him to either feel ashamed or be moved to tears upon hearing the crowd’s shouts, but unexpectedly… the handsome young man seemed lost in thought.

Yan Shang was indeed lost in thought.

He remained lost in thought until he entered the great hall and saw the various officials who would judge his case.

People from the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice—at a glance, the divisions were clear, and one could immediately tell which side was which.

Yan Shang saw a familiar face here—Yang Si, the Third Young Master Yang.

Ten days ago, when Yan Shang was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice’s jail, Yang Si had come and caused a scene, essentially demanding that the Ministry treat Yan Shang well, saying that if they learned of any mistreatment, the Court of Judicial Review would take over the case directly. Yan Shang had naturally thanked Yang Si.

And today… Yang Si sat imposingly in the chief position on the Court of Judicial Review’s side. He removed the sword from his waist and placed it on the table, blade pointing outward, sharp and intimidating.

This posture suggested that if the outcome didn’t satisfy him, Third Young Master Yang would take direct action.

The Ministry of Justice people secretly despised Yang Si’s lack of propriety but inwardly wondered why someone who liked to resort to force should be working with the Crown Prince instead of mixing with Prince Qin.

How could someone like this Third Young Master Yang adapt to the Crown Prince’s style of constant scheming and intrigue?

Besides the Ministry of Justice and Court of Judicial Review, Yan Shang saw the Censorate people for the first time. What startled him was how everyone showed great respect to those sent by the Censorate.

Yang Si folded his arms impatiently and said: “What are we still waiting for? Let’s start the trial. His Highness the Crown Prince sent me today to supervise you all, none of you try any tricks.”

An old man’s voice laughed and sighed: “Third Young Master, how is it that after so many years in the Eastern Palace, you still haven’t developed more patience? Is this how the Crown Prince usually manages you?”

Yan Shang, standing in the center of the hall, looked over and saw that when this old man’s voice sounded, everyone in the hall stood up and turned to welcome someone entering from outside.

Even someone as casual and arrogant as Yang Si, who relied on the Crown Prince’s backing, stood up and went to help the white-haired yet spirited old man who entered. Though his hair and beard were white, the old man’s spirit was vigorous, and his steps entering the hall showed no signs of faltering, but rather were strong and steady.

Yang Si said awkwardly: “Prime Minister Liu, you’ve come too?”

Yan Shang’s brow twitched slightly. Hearing Yang Si address the other as Prime Minister, he knew a Prime Minister had personally come. He grew solemn, not expecting that he would trouble a Prime Minister to come.

Someone brought a low stool for Prime Minister Liu to sit. After sitting, Prime Minister Liu looked at Yan Shang, examining him up and down.

Prime Minister Liu smiled at Yan Shang with some approval.

Yan Shang hurriedly bowed in greeting.

Prime Minister Liu then casually answered Yang Si: “Today while working in the Hall of Government Affairs, several Prime Ministers mentioned the Three Courts trial and were all somewhat interested. In Chang’an now, Yan Erlang’s reputation is thunderous. We old men were curious about what kind of extraordinary person could win such admiration.

“As official business wasn’t busy today, I came to take a look. Proceed with your trial, don’t mind me.”

The Hall of Government Affairs, located in the Department of the Secretariat, was where the Great Wei’s Prime Ministers governed.

Though Great Wei was said to have a collegiate prime minister system, there were never more than ten Prime Ministers at most. Currently, there were barely five Prime Ministers.

Not counting the Prime Minister Zhang whom Yan Shang had visited earlier when submitting his writings, now he had met Prime Minister Liu. Adding them together, Yan Shang had met half of the Prime Ministers.

Yan Shang knew well that he was now at a crucial turning point—one misstep would mean total failure. However, if he succeeded… this would be the best possible start to his official career.

Today’s situation was so important.

Yet under such importance, as Yan Shang scanned the people in the hall, he couldn’t help but lose focus again, his melancholy deepening.

Ten days.

Everyone had come to see this peculiar figure—whether from the Ministry of Justice or elsewhere, people came daily to see him, question him, wanting to understand the exact process of his conflict with the Zheng clan that day.

In these ten days, it could be said that except for His Majesty the Emperor, Yan Shang had met everyone, even the Crown Prince once. The Crown Prince told him not to worry, said heaven’s mandate was with him, told him to wait a few more days and he could go free. The Crown Prince was naturally trying to win him over, and Yan Shang acted appropriately moved.

Both sides were satisfied.

However… with so many people visiting, why had Mu Wanrao shown no concern for him?

According to Third Young Master Yang, she wasn’t uninvolved in this matter—she was actively participating, taking the lead for the Crown Prince, proposing measures to regulate the powerful families. She actively cooperated with the Crown Prince, not only cutting ties with the Zheng clan’s powerful faction but also reorganizing all the powerful families that depended on her, pledging loyalty to the Crown Prince.

Third Young Master Yang said impatiently that Mu Wanrao submitted more than ten memorials to the Eastern Palace daily, annoying everyone terribly.

And in Chang’an, Princess Danyang’s reputation for wisdom and virtue was growing.

Given how actively she was involved, why wouldn’t she ask about him once, or look at him once? Even if she was a princess and it wasn’t convenient to visit him personally, why wouldn’t she even send a servant with a message, to show some concern? He was in prison, and even the Crown Prince came to put on a show, so why wouldn’t she even make a gesture?

Had she abandoned even the basic courtesy between ruler and minister?

Even if she was angry at his presumptuous actions, she could have come to scold him, reprimand him—that would have been her right. But this complete disregard… was what truly chilled one’s heart.

Yan Shang closed his eyes.

Someone on the bench called out: “Yan Erlang, let’s begin. Tell us again about your actions that day.”

Yan Shang came back to his senses, forcing himself to stop thinking about Mu Wanrao and focus on the present. Once again, as he had done many times in recent days, he tirelessly repeated what had happened that day…

The Three Courts trial lasted an entire day.

During the proceedings, high-ranking officials sternly questioned whether Yan Shang’s actions were merely to gain fame and curry favor with the common people; Yan Shang responded neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Some officials tried to be kind while setting verbal traps in their questioning; Yan Shang spoke steadily, refusing to be provoked.

When Zheng clan members were brought in for questioning, they initially confronted Yan Shang loudly but were left speechless and ashamed by his responses.

Some opposed Yan Shang, while others spoke in his favor…

Prime Minister Liu stroked his beard throughout, quietly observing. Sometimes he would look at Yan Shang, sometimes at those confronting him. He offered no opinion, and the others treated him as if he weren’t there.

By evening, most were exhausted, and half of those present had begun to lean toward Yan Shang’s side.

In truth, they had been inclined to support him from the start… but their duties required them to conduct the trial.

After setting a time to announce the verdict the next day, the Three Courts trial concluded. The officials escorted Prime Minister Liu out, and Yan Shang was returned to his cell—

A full day of mental strain had left Yan Shang utterly exhausted.

None of these court officials were easy to deal with. Third Young Master Yang among them seemed almost childishly straightforward in comparison.

Yan Shang had needed to maintain complete focus to handle these people, and regardless of the outcome, he felt he had done his best.

Back in his cell, as the door was locked again, a jailer attentively brought food, but Yan Shang was too mentally drained to eat and politely asked for the food to be taken away.

The jailer advised: “Young Master, there’s no need to worry. From what I can tell of our prefect’s attitude, you’ll likely be released tomorrow. As long as the Court of Judicial Review and Censorate have no objections. The Court of Judicial Review certainly won’t object… and the Censorate probably won’t either.

“They say Prime Minister Liu didn’t seem displeased when he left. Young Master, please eat something at least—there might be more questioning tomorrow?”

Yan Shang replied gently: “I really can’t eat, let me rest for now. I can eat tomorrow. Thank you for taking care of me these past days.”

The jailer quickly said no thanks were needed, and added kindly: “Young Master, you should sleep then. When I change shifts in the late night, I’ll bring food again.”

Yan Shang: “That’s not necessary…”

But the other insisted: “There aren’t many people like you, Young Master, who speak up for us common folk. Young Master, you must get out of here. In the future when you become an official, if you remember today’s meals and remember us common people… that would be our blessing.”

Yan Shang’s eyes flickered slightly. He nodded and smiled at the minor official, no longer refusing.

Despite being a prison, though the Ministry of Justice’s people wanted to care for Yan Shang, they couldn’t exactly move a mansion in for him.

It was just that while other prisoners had to provide their meals, his were delivered on schedule; while others slept directly on straw, he had bedding underneath; while others could only sleep or stare blankly, he had candles and books to read when awake.

Everyone assumed Yan Shang would be released, and no one deliberately made things difficult for him.

Yan Shang washed his face briefly with clean water, then lay down to sleep in his clothes, thinking he might need to engage in another battle of words tomorrow and should preserve his energy.

He didn’t know how long he had slept when he suddenly felt something pushing at his hand.

In his drowsy state, he moved toward the wall, but the thing followed, again stepping on his hand that he was using as a pillow.

There was a continuous rustle.

Yan Shang opened his bleary eyes and dimly saw a beautiful young woman in fine silk robes.

Her magnificent red and gold dress embroidered with phoenixes spread across the prison straw, revealing jeweled shoes beneath the hem. It was these shoes that had been stepping on his hand.

Yan Shang looked up to meet Mu Wanrao’s half-smiling eyes.

Yan Shang sat up immediately. Though in prison, he wasn’t wearing prisoner’s clothes, but only his middle garments. Fortunately, it was summer, so it wasn’t too cold.

He sat against the wall, his long hair slightly disheveled, a few strands falling across his face. Looking up at her, his eyes seemed to hold scattered stars and moving water, quite captivating.

Her sudden appearance was like a dream, and Yan Shang couldn’t tell for a moment whether it was a dream or if she had come to see him.

Just suddenly seeing her, seeing her as noble and beautiful as ever, looking down at him with her dark eyes… countless tender feelings welled up in his heart, mixed with some resentment.

His heart pounding like drums, Yan Shang murmured: “Your High…”

Mu Wanrao crouched down in front of him, so he no longer had to look up at her. She raised her hand to her red lips and made a soft “shh” sound. Moonlight from the small window above fell on her face.

She was right in front of him, both pure and alluring, both heartless and tender.

Mu Wanrao’s eyes were like spring water, slowly flowing into Yan Shang’s heart: “Don’t speak loudly. I came in secretly, I don’t want anyone to know. By rights, I should still be at the summer villa, accompanying my royal father. Someone insignificant like you, I shouldn’t even spare a glance.”

Yan Shang stared at her.

At this moment, her harsh words confirmed to him that this wasn’t a dream, but real.

He said: “Then why did you come?”

Mu Wanrao: “To enjoy seeing how miserable you are.”

She stared at him unblinkingly: “Seeing Yan Erlang in prison isn’t something you see every day. Seeing you disheveled isn’t something you see every day. Seeing you humiliated, scrutinized, watched like a criminal… isn’t something you see every day.”

Yan Shang was silent.

After a long while, he said softly: “So you were angry with me, that’s why you wouldn’t see me? You were unhappy because I didn’t listen to you?”

Mu Wanrao laughed coldly.

She reached out, her cold hand gripping his chin, making him look at her.

She said: “Do you know how I felt when I heard you had killed the Zheng clan patriarch? If you had been in front of me then, I would have slapped you directly.”

Yan Shang: “…So Your Highness doesn’t want to slap me now?”

Mu Wanrao looked at him and said softly: “Did you do it on purpose? Thought since I was ignoring you, you’d use this method to force me to look at you?”

Yan Shang countered: “Don’t the common people oppressed by the Zheng clan matter at all to Your Highness? You think I was just trying to spite you?”

Mu Wanrao asked in return: “Weren’t you trying to spite me?”

Yan Shang’s gaze flickered slightly.

Mu Wanrao repeated: “Weren’t you trying to spite me?”

He pressed his lips together without answering.

Mu Wanrao smiled and leaned in, almost touching his face, making him freeze against the wall.

She spoke against his face, examining him: “So Yan Shang, you weren’t entirely selfless either. You were angry that I ignored you, angry that I turned and left, angry that I didn’t read your letters… You wanted to stand up for the people, but you also wanted to get back at me a little, force me to follow your lead… You manipulated me, and you still think I was wrong to ignore you these days?”

Her breath brushed against him, carrying a light fragrance.

His face had reddened, his fingers curling inside his sleeves.

But he lowered his eyes and said: “If you were angry, you should have come to see me, questioned me, scolded me.”

Mu Wanrao looked at him and gave a subtle laugh: “I thought about that at first, but I deliberately went against your wishes. You wanted to see me, so I wouldn’t see you. What could you do about it?”

He suddenly raised his eyes to look at her, some anger visible in them, though he tried to suppress it.

He took a deep breath to calm himself: “Your Highness…”

Mu Wanrao interrupted: “I came tonight to punish you.”

Yan Shang started, looking at her strangely.

She lowered her eyes, her slender fingers still caressing his chin, her downcast eyes fixed on his long neck and the jade-like skin below it, looking again and again.

Mu Wanrao smiled slightly: “Yan Shang, you need to be taught a lesson.”

Yan Shang: “…”

He froze completely, doubting whether he had heard correctly. How could Mu Wanrao say such things? Though she had a fierce temper, she was still an elegant princess, how could she possibly… While he was still dazed, Mu Wanrao suddenly glanced up at him.

She leaned down and kissed his lips.