The curtains were bathed in silver-gold light from outside, and when the gauze rippled, it flowed like golden clouds.

Everything was gleaming with gold.

Mu Wanyao’s neck was damp with sweat, and with the young lord’s face pressed against hers, her cheeks grew warm and flushed along with his.

His long hair scattered across her neck, his trembling breath brushing against the back of her ear. The hand around her waist gripped so tightly it seemed as if it would snap her in two, and when he raised his eyes to look at her, they were glistening with moisture.

Mu Wanyao was already somewhat flushed with embarrassment—doing such things was her way of trying to please Yan Shang… but his intense reaction had exceeded her expectations.

Mu Wanyao stared at him blankly, thinking that a man’s most primitive desires were fierce and truly ugly, and she couldn’t imagine any words to beautify it. But Yan Shang was different. While other men became ugly when faced with desire, he remained pure and clean, perfectly beautiful in her heart.

Even now… in this state, she didn’t find him frightening or repulsive. Not only did she not find him repulsive, but she also loved seeing the moisture in his eyes and the flush at the corners.

Mu Wanyao lowered her eyelids to look at the hem of her skirt. Her begonia-red dress had turned a deeper red near her legs. As her eyes darted downward, Yan Shang, probably thinking she was about to cause more mischief, quickly covered her eyes, saying in exasperated embarrassment: “No peeking.”

The young lady’s thick, long eyelashes brushed against his palm like a brush, and her voice was both coquettish and dissatisfied as she complained, “You got it on me!”

With her eyes covered, Mu Wanyao imagined that Yan Shang’s face must be burning hot with embarrassment.

She heard him stammer in a very low voice, “I’m sorry… I’ll clean it up.”

As he said this, he removed his hand from her eyes and started to prop himself up to deal with the aftermath of their fooling around. Mu Wanyao quickly pulled him back down to lie with her, protesting, “You’re such a workaholic. Can’t you just lie down and rest for a moment? Besides, you got even more on yourself. We can clean up later.”

Yan Shang’s thoughts were in turmoil and conflicted: Wouldn’t that be inappropriate? Won’t it dry and leave stains? Won’t the maids notice?

But since Mu Wanyao insisted he lies down, he reluctantly complied, thinking she must have a solution. Lying in bed with Mu Wanyao in broad daylight, looking at her in his arms, Yan Shang gazed at her upturned snow-white face for a long moment before he couldn’t help himself and, holding her chin, leaned in to kiss her for a while.

It was a gentle, delicate kind of kiss.

Mu Wanyao laughed again and burrowed into his embrace. Yan Shang was quite helpless; watching her nestle into his arms, he adjusted himself slightly, and while she didn’t slip her hands inside his already loosened robes, she did wrap her arms tightly around his waist.

Just as Yan Shang was reflecting on how pleasant the atmosphere was, Mu Wanyao said, “Your waist is so slim, I noticed earlier when we were…”

Her mouth was quickly covered by Yan Shang’s hand.

His face had turned bright red again: “More nonsense! Your Highness is always so unrestrained with your words.”

Mu Wanyao pulled his hand away from her mouth and rolled her eyes at him. While Yan Shang was still stunned that she would roll her eyes at him, she said, “You’re so dishonest about your own body. Whatever it is, it is what it is. You neither dare to look nor dare to speak about it. How will you play with me in the future?”

Yan Shang paused slightly, looking at her: “In the future… Your Highness still wants to… play with me?”

Mu Wanyao’s eyes widened: “What else? What do you mean—you don’t think I like someone else, do you? I’ve already… done such things for you. Do you think a woman would do such things for a man without it meaning anything?”

Yan Shang said, “I did vaguely feel… that Your Highness treats me differently.”

As they lay in bed sharing intimate conversation—

Mu Wanyao: “Have you noticed that when you’re close to me now, you’re not as tense as before? Although there’s still a little tension, you’re not always so stiff anymore.”

Yan Shang: “You keep surprising me from time to time, I’ve gotten used to your shocks. It’s just that today… daytime isn’t good, next time let’s wait for night.”

Mu Wanyao glanced at him: “Oh, you’re already planning for next time? How greedy.”

Mu Wanyao curiously cupped his face, observing his expression, and shyly bit her cheek before asking in a whisper, “Was it really that good? Especially good? You were very… excited. More excited than before.”

Yan Shang was embarrassed and annoyed that she dared to ask anything. But as Mu Wanyao pressed him for an answer, he finally gave a reluctant nod. Mu Wanyao let out a cheer and threw her arms around his neck to kiss him. But with this movement, he started to… Mu Wanyao noticed and gave him a look.

She was about to ask if he wanted more, but Yan Shang covered her mouth, not wanting her to ask such things.

Yan Shang: “…Excessive indulgence isn’t good.”

Mu Wanyao admired: “How is this even close to excessive?”

Yan Shang tensed his body but still refused. After all, he was the one who would be uncomfortable, not Mu Wanyao. Seeing how shy he was, she let him be.

With the little princess finally settling down in his arms, Yan Shang’s eyelashes lowered over his eyes as he smiled helplessly. His smile was gentle, flowing like still water.

He lowered his head as if in thought, and Mu Wanyao left him to it. She snuggled into a comfortable position in his arms and gathered a handful of his black hair that was scattered on the soft pillow, playing with it between her fingers. She couldn’t help but kiss his hair, still able to smell its clean fragrance and a slight hint of dampness.

Because he had just bathed.

Mu Wanyao thought smugly that she had known he had bathed when she embraced him in the courtyard. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have done that for him. How clever she was, both pleasing Yan Shang and getting him to forgive her.

Just as Mu Wanyao was feeling quite pleased with herself, Yan Shang lowered his head and said to her, “It’s still not right for you to be so close to the Wuman King.”

Mu Wanyao’s face immediately turned cold. She looked up expressionlessly: “What, you still want to settle accounts with me?”

Yan Shang said helplessly: “That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying there could be some solutions. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just… you never tell me anything, you should at least give me some peace of mind, right?”

Mu Wanyao coldly: “What do you want?”

Yan Shang: “I don’t want anything. Just that when I’m not busy with official duties, I can help at the Court of State Ceremonials. When you’re with the envoys and the Wuman King, when you’re dealing with them, I want to go too.”

Mu Wanyao was stunned.

She said: “You want to supervise me up close?”

Yan Shang said: “Not supervise. Just want to protect you.”

Mu Wanyao: “Isn’t it still supervision?”

Yan Shang fell silent, lowering his eyes.

And when he didn’t speak, Mu Wanyao became afraid he would be sad or angry, and her heart instantly softened. She thought that she had nothing to hide anyway, and although having Yan Shang following her would be a bit troublesome… she couldn’t bear to see him sad.

Mu Wanyao slowly said: “Come if you want to. I don’t mind.”

Yan Shang glanced at her, and Mu Wanyao smiled: “So we’re past this now, right? No more settling accounts?”

Yan Shang still had many doubts, but Mu Wanyao’s behavior made him realize it wasn’t very convenient to discuss too deeply with her.

She was a rose with thorns, always extending her thorns, warily watching everyone, fearing someone would come close to hurt her. She tried hard to spread her branches and leaves, welcoming Yan Shang into her world. But after all, he was an outsider, and couldn’t expect her to completely abandon her thorns from the start and embrace him with complete trust.

Yan Shang lowered his head, brushed aside the hair on her forehead, and gently kissed it, saying: “No more settling accounts.”

Mu Wanyao sighed in relief, showing her smile again.

Yet just as Yan Shang had set aside those worries, he seemed to develop a rare curiosity about matters between men and women. He leaned close to her ear and softly asked, “What you did to me earlier… can I do the same to you?”

Mu Wanyao: “…”

She suddenly froze, feeling Yan Shang’s hand around her waist subtly sliding downward, and she hurriedly pressed it still in panic. Yan Shang looked down at her, and she felt his intentions weren’t pure. Mu Wanyao’s face flushed red as she heard Yan Shang say softly with his red face: “I think people are all the same. If it felt good for me, it should for you too… I want to try.”

Mu Wanyao shouted: “You dare! You dare!”

She began to struggle, not letting him touch her. Her face was like dyed clouds, both panicked and embarrassed, jumping like a fish in his arms. Yan Shang was startled and released his hand, and Mu Wanyao said in embarrassed anger: “If you dare do that to me, I’ll never speak to you again!”

She could observe and control Yan Shang, but how could Yan Shang observe and control her? He should be under her control, not the other way around!

Yan Shang withdrew his hand, saying dejectedly: “Alright, alright, stop jumping around.”

Mu Wanyao relaxed.

They chatted more about trivial matters, the kind of repetitive lovers’ talk that others would find boring but made them laugh.

Later, Yan Shang first lifted the curtain, emerging with disheveled clothes. He avoided looking at the marks he had left earlier on Mu Wanyao’s dress, urging her to call the maids to bring water so they could clean up. Yan Shang worried again: “Let’s not do this again… what about your dress?”

Mu Wanyao: “What do you mean ‘what about it’?”

Yan Shang stammered: “What if- what if people notice the marks?”

Mu Wanyao: “Look how worried you are. I’m a princess, if they notice then they notice, who dares to question me?”

Yan Shang fell silent—

But when Mu Wanyao went to bathe, the maid Xia Rong anxiously came to ask: “Your Highness, should we prepare the contraceptive medicine?”

Mu Wanyao paused for a moment, turned to look at her, and said: “Not necessary.”

Xia Rong was shocked, her expression more troubled. She thought, could it be that Her Highness means she’s willing to bear Young Lord Yan’s children?

But… pregnancy before marriage, isn’t that improper?

Xia Rong heard Mu Wanyao’s cold voice: “I don’t need such things, and I will never need them in the future. Don’t ask me again. If you ask me again about ‘contraceptive medicine,’ I will kill you.”

Xia Rong was terrified and aggrieved, but could only withdraw.

The Princess’s mansion had a bathhouse with a hot pool. After the steam rose and Xia Rong and the other maids withdrew, Mu Wanyao sat alone by the bath. She sat on the edge, her delicate white calves playing in the water for a while.

After spacing out with an empty feeling in her heart for a while, Mu Wanyao gave a self-mocking smile before getting in to bathe—

Afterward, the envoys dealing with Princess Danyang noticed that an official would occasionally accompany the princess.

He was said to be from the Court of State Ceremonials, following Princess Danyang to help receive the envoys.

The envoys reluctantly accepted this.

When Meng Zanshi went out with Mu Wanyao again and saw Yan Shang following, he was startled and immediately narrowed his eyes.

Mu Wanyao walked in front, with Yan Shang following behind. Mu Wanyao vaguely positioned herself in front of Yan Shang, her eyes warning Meng Zanshi.

Her meaning was crystal clear, threatening that if he dared harm Yan Shang even slightly, she would fight him to the death.

When Meng Zanshi met Yan Shang’s gaze again, Yan Shang gave him a gentle smile, polite. But politeness and courtesy were Young Lord Yan’s usual style… Meng Zanshi remembered how at the Court of State Ceremonials, he had almost fallen into this man’s trap.

If Yan Shang hadn’t written a second booklet then and had directly submitted the first one, although the misunderstanding would eventually have been cleared up, the Wuman would have suffered some trouble in the process.

Yan Shang’s ability to scheme without showing it… was far more insidious than Mu Wanyao’s straightforward style.

Thinking back to that day in the Northern Quarter, when Mu Wanyao had circled Yan Shang like a fool… Meng Zanshi gave a cold sneer, extremely displeased in his heart.

Meng Zanshi shifted his gaze and smiled: “Shall we go horse racing at Leyou Plains with Your Highness today?”

Mu Wanyao: “Let’s go.”

Meng Zanshi looked at Yan Shang: “Surely a civil official like Lord Yan won’t still want to follow?”

Yan Shang replied amiably: “Although my horsemanship indeed can’t compare to the Great King and Her Highness, as an imperial official, I have my duties. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

The meaning was clear – he would still be following.

Meng Zanshi turned and left, and Mu Wanyao looked back to give Yan Shang a secret smile.

Yan Shang returned a reassuring smile.

Actually, over these past two days, regardless of how Yan Shang felt, Mu Wanyao quite enjoyed having him follow along. Because she could secretly tease him, quietly provoke him. And when he was startled, he would often become very nervous.

Mu Wanyao admitted she was a bit mischievous, wanting to see Yan Shang one moment exchanging verbal sparring with the envoys, and the next moment being so frightened by her that his gaze would dodge away, constantly retreating.

The troublesome thing was that with Yan Shang following, to some degree, Mu Wanyao indeed couldn’t carry out her plan to gradually warm her relationship with Meng Zanshi.

In her original plan, she should have changed her attitude during their private meetings, “rekindling old feelings” with Meng Zanshi, and take his life when he let his guard down. However, now with Yan Shang watching, although he usually wouldn’t speak, Mu Wanyao’s plan was forcibly broken into pieces.

This resulted in Mu Wanyao and Meng Zanshi appearing to no longer be at odds, even chatting and laughing together, but… it truly didn’t look like there was any romance.

Fortunately, while Mu Wanyao was struggling with this, one day Yan Shang told her that he had an appointment the next day, an extremely important matter to attend to, so he wouldn’t be accompanying Mu Wanyao to see Meng Zanshi. Mu Wanyao’s heart immediately leaped with joy, but she didn’t show it on her face, only coldly giving two “mm”s, matching her usual casual and perfunctory attitude.

Having fooled Yan Shang—

That night, Mu Wanyao made arrangements with Meng Zanshi for the next day, planning to go hunting on South Mountain together with all the foreign envoys.

The Princess of Great Wei wanted to go hunting! Such grace, truly befitting a great nation’s style.

The envoys naturally agreed happily, and Meng Zanshi also agreed.

However, that evening, studying Mu Wanyao’s invitation in his quarters, Meng Zanshi found it interesting.

Meng Zanshi stroked his chin, muttering: “Hunting, eh… so there’ll be weapons involved… can I trust her?”

His subordinates said: “This is in Great Wei territory, Princess Danyang shouldn’t dare to do anything, right? If something goes wrong, it would cause conflict between the two nations.”

Meng Zanshi appeared thoughtful.

But said: “After all, she’s a heartless and cruel little princess, I can’t be cautious. Must make some preparations.”—

That evening, the Princess’s mansion was also brightly lit.

Sitting in the inner hall, Mu Wanyao sat before a long table with her eyes closed in false sleep, listening to Fang Tong discuss the arrangements.

Fang Tong said: “These past days, we’ve been carefully moving the Princess’s mansion guards to South Mountain. Now all the mansion’s guards have been transferred there. Although the Wuman King is martially powerful… with our preparations, we should be able to kill him.”

Mu Wanyao nodded, then said: “Bring the person in.”

Fang Tong withdrew and shortly returned, leading a burly man.

Mu Wanyao opened her eyes and looked at the silent man standing in the hall. Under the dim lamplight, at first glance, his build was somewhat similar to Meng Zanshi’s, and his facial features also had some similar contours. More strangely, this person also had a long scar on his face.

It hadn’t been in vain that Fang Tong had worked hard to buy this person from the foreign market.

Fang Tong introduced: “This person was originally from Wuman, his mother was a horse slave. His mother was trampled to death by Wuman iron hooves, he resents the Wuman, and after many confrontations with Wuman soldiers, when he was almost killed, he was saved by Wei merchants doing business in Wuman. After various twists and turns, this person drifted to our Great Wei’s market, becoming a slave.

“Although he is Wuman, he has lived in Great Wei for ten years and even gave himself a Wei name. This person’s heart is with Great Wei, and he hates Wuman, so we should be able to cooperate.”

Mu Wanyao raised her chin.

The man standing below bowed, making a crossed-hands salute to the noble, breathtakingly beautiful Princess, speaking in now-standard Wei language: “This humble one Han Suxing greets Your Highness. Your Highness’s people gave this humble one’s master a thousand strings of cash, and Your Highness wants to eliminate Wuman, this humble one will naturally do his utmost to serve Your Highness.”

Mu Wanyao said coldly: “If I ask you to die, would you be willing?”

Han Suxing looked extremely cold, the scar on his face moving like a swimming dragon as he spoke: “It doesn’t matter. This humble one’s life is worthless, this life already has no hope. If I can kill a few Wuman people to accompany me in death, it would be this humble one’s honor.”

Mu Wanyao was silent for a moment, then asked this person a few more questions. Seeing that he was indeed reliable, she had Fang Tong take him away.

In the quiet inner hall, Mu Wanyao sat alone for a while, her heart pounding at what she was about to do.

However, she must—

Meng Zanshi had always been good to her.

But she refused to marry him!

Killing him would solve everything once and for all!

He was her shameful past, she didn’t want this past constantly hovering before her eyes… she was just that cruel—

The next day, Meng Zanshi came to escort the princess to Leyou Plains.

The Wuman party wore bronze masks as usual. The masked Wuman King mounted on a tall horse from Longyou, nodded to the flamboyant and beautiful Princess Danyang.

Mu Wanyao languidly glanced over their party, giving Fang Tong on her side a meaningful look.

Mu Wanyao smiled, and as she tilted her head, her beautiful eyes glanced about, as elegant as fine jade, making everyone dazzled with praise. Then she suddenly gripped her reins tightly, called out a loud “Ya!” and galloped away, her clothes flying, taking the lead on horseback.

The Wuman King and others gave chase!

On Chang’an’s streets, such as the nobles’ bearing, and as the commoners made way, they saw Mu Wanyao riding with the Wuman King, leaving the city, heading for South Mountain!—

Yan Shang was entertaining the merchant traders he had previously hired, who had struggled back from Wuman.

He couldn’t wait for them to find him; hearing these people had returned, he went directly to the Western Market to find them.

Yan Shang had come here several times, asking about the merchants’ safety, and after their return, once again gave them money, paying more commission than initially agreed upon when hiring them.

The merchants were moved. When they left Chang’an, Lord Yan was still studying; but when they returned, Lord Yan had already become an imperial official.

Though an official, he still treated them as equals as before, not looking down on them.

The merchants naturally wanted to do their best to repay Lord Yan.

Yan Shang asked directly: “Other trivial matters can be discussed later, let me first ask what I most want to know. Do you know what exactly the relationship between the current Wuman King and Princess Danyang who went for the political marriage?”

The foreign merchants exchanged glances, showing knowing, masculine smirks.

Yan Shang’s heart emptied.

He heard one merchant say: “My lord, you asked the right question! There are rumors all over the Wuman grasslands, saying that when the current Wuman King was still a prince, he and the then-queen – that is, that princess who married into Wuman – had an unclear relationship, the two of them were different from others. When the old Wuman King was still alive, such rumors were suppressed, but now that this Wuman King has taken the throne, no one suppresses these rumors anymore, many people on the grasslands have heard such gossip!”

Yan Shang’s face turned slightly pale.

Yet his mental fortitude was strong, and he showed no reaction.

Besides, this was just what he had suspected… he had always felt Mu Wanyao was deceiving him!

Yan Shang said: “Your words confuse me. What do you mean by the current Wuman King being a prince?”

The merchant was surprised: “Don’t they know this in Great Wei? Although the current Wuman King is said to have fought his way up through chaos, he is the eldest son of the previous Wuman King! He was originally the previous Wuman King’s son, just that the throne wasn’t passed to him at the time.

“Everyone says it was the current Wuman King and the princess who married into Wuman who together killed the old Wuman King, killed the young Wuman King who hadn’t yet ascended the throne, that’s how the current Wuman King could take power! Wuman doesn’t care about this, so such rumors spread everywhere, no one manages them, who knows if they’re true.”

Another merchant added: “Although we don’t know if it’s true, it must be close to the truth. Otherwise, how could the princess who married Wuman return to Great Wei after just two or three years? She must have made a deal with the current Wuman King!”

They all started chattering, telling various pieces of information.

Until they saw Yan Shang’s face turn unwell, and he suddenly stood up.

For someone like Yan Shang, it was rare to see his expression turn bad… everyone stopped talking, uneasy: “What’s wrong, my lord? Did we say something wrong?”

Yan Shang forced a smile at them, reassuring them: “It’s nothing, I suddenly remembered something. The remaining questions, I’ll ask you all next time. This time I have matters… I must go, please excuse me!”

Perhaps the matter Lord Yan suddenly remembered was particularly important, as his courtesy became somewhat rushed, and his departure was especially hurried—

After leaving that shop, Yan Shang rode straight back to his mansion, then headed without hesitation to the Princess’s mansion.

He suddenly realized he had missed a very serious possibility.

He had always been guessing that Mu Wanyao and Meng Zanshi had lingering feelings, deep emotions.

Yet he never thought that Mu Wanyao might hate him to the bone.

Perhaps her smiles at Meng Zanshi weren’t rekindling old feelings at all, but rather… to lull Meng Zanshi into a false sense of security, harboring another purpose.

If Meng Zanshi was the old Wuman King’s son!

If Mu Wanyao had had a close relationship with Meng Zanshi when the old Wuman King was still alive… serving both father and son, the father had married her, and now the son had also come to Chang’an to seek her hand.

Serving both father and son!

What humiliation for Mu Wanyao!

It couldn’t be love, so it must be hatred!

Hatred to the extreme must lead to thoughts of murder… but what if something happened to her in the process?—

Yan Shang rushed to the Princess’s mansion, and sure enough, the mansion’s guards had all been moved out.

Yan Shang ignored the confused palace maids, not explaining things to them as he usually would, he came in a hurry and left in a hurry. Yan Shang’s mansion had no guards, but thinking of his friends, he immediately hastily mobilized people to head for South Mountain.

As Yan Shang urgently rode through the streets, his mind chaotically calculating whose troops he could borrow, a group approached rapidly from ahead, coming toward him.

Their horses moved extremely fast!

Yet just as they were about to pass him, the lead horse stopped.

Banners fluttered as the riders all halted. Yang Si sat on his horse, looking back at him: “Yan Suchen?”

Yan Shang looked and saw it was Yang Silang whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, leading a group of riders, swaggering into Chang’an city. Yang Si’s face was handsome, slightly darker than before.

Meeting unexpectedly on this narrow road, amid the bustle of the market district, this young lord sat astride his horse, raising an eyebrow to look at him lazily. In a black robe with a red collar, hair slightly brushing his face, Yang Si was so splendidly dressed and fierce on horseback, unrestrained and romantic.

Yan Shang immediately said: “Third Young Master, I need your help with something, please come with me to South Mountain!”