When Yan Shang closed the study door and turned back, he saw Princess Mu Wanyao’s act.

Princess Mu Wanyao was pretending to be drunk with great dedication, yet she clutched the wine jar tightly, afraid of dropping it. This made her motives completely transparent to Yan Shang.

Yan Shang sighed. “Does Your Highness take me for a fool?”

Leaning against the bookshelf and feigning intoxication, Princess Mu Wanyao rested her forehead against the back of her hand, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Unwilling to face reality, she continued to whimper, “I am a bit drunk. It feels so hot in here. My head is spinning, Second Brother Yan, you don’t care for me at all.”

Yan Shang smiled. “Weren’t you just saying you were too drunk to recognize who I was?”

Princess Mu Wanyao: “…”

She covered her face and eyes with her hands, secretly watching Yan Shang through the gaps between her fingers. She saw him sit down on the other side of the long table, glancing down at the wine cup she had placed there. Her heart immediately began racing – earlier when Yan Shang had knocked, she had been startled and spilled some wine. There might still be traces in the cup…

Before Yan Shang could look closely, a flash of moon-white robes darted forward. Princess Mu Wanyao stumbled over and collapsed onto the table. Her arm knocked against the wine cup and as she winced in pain, Yan Shang quickly steadied it, afraid it would fall and shatter.

This prevented him from checking whether there was wine in the cup.

Still concerned about Princess Mu Wanyao, he looked up after securing the cup, only to hear a thud as she tossed the wine jar from her arms onto the table.

Princess Mu Wanyao had been secretly watching Yan Shang through her fingers the whole time. When she saw him look over, she quickly laid her head down, rubbing her forehead and continuously complaining of a headache.

“Your Highness!” Yan Shang said disapprovingly.

How could she toy with him like this?

“I am drunk, my head hurts!” Princess Mu Wanyao stubbornly insisted.

Yan Shang hesitated slightly. He didn’t quite believe her, knowing how high her alcohol tolerance was. However, seeing the young princess with her flushed cheeks, covering her face and crying about feeling unwell, looking so delicate and fragile, he worried she might truly be suffering.

“Shall I massage your forehead?” Yan Shang asked.

Princess Mu Wanyao lifted her face toward him, her enchanting eyes flickering.

Yan Shang moved closer and placed his cool fingers on her forehead. Sitting beside her while massaging her temples, he studied her carefully. Princess Mu Wanyao lay on the table, whimpering softly, making Yan Shang blush as he said, “Please stop that.”

His lowered eyes met the princess’s gaze as she secretly watched him.

Yan Shang froze, then dropped his hand. “I knew you weren’t drunk. You were deceiving me.”

Seeing him about to leave, Princess Mu Wanyao smiled brightly and tugged at his sleeve. “If I had known you wouldn’t be angry, I wouldn’t have pretended! I just needed to confirm you weren’t upset.”

Though she hadn’t pulled hard when grabbing his sleeve, Yan Shang felt rooted to the spot as if by some powerful force. Hating his lack of principles, he could only say, “I was never angry. You were the one who swore to me you wouldn’t drink anymore. I never demanded such a thing, I only asked you to drink less.”

“I have such a poor memory,” Princess Mu Wanyao pouted. “It’s your fault for always saying drinking is bad. If you didn’t constantly lecture me, why would I need to hide my wine?”

Yan Shang glared at her, meeting her cat-like eyes. “So it’s my fault again?”

Princess Mu Wanyao bit her lip and blinked at him. Blushing, he softly replied, “Fine, I won’t lecture you. I never really did… because I’ve been secretly drinking myself.”

Princess Mu Wanyao immediately sat up straight, eyes wide. “What?”

His face reddening further at her surprise, Yan Shang coughed. “You said my inability to drink was a flaw, right? I recognized this and have been practicing in secret. Sometimes at night, I try a little wine. I think with more practice, at least I won’t become muddle-headed at the first taste.”

“You really… even practiced drinking?” Princess Mu Wanyao asked.

Yan Shang remained silent.

Grabbing his arm excitedly, like sharing a secret between them, Princess Mu Wanyao asked, “So how much can you drink now? Can you avoid passing out?”

Yan Shang smiled slightly. “I can sip a little cloudy wine, but I still can’t touch clear wine. Though in time, I should improve.”

In this world, wine was divided into cloudy and clear varieties. Cloudy wine had lower alcohol content, wasn’t transparent, and didn’t intoxicate easily. To Princess Mu Wanyao, such wine was like water, bland and tasteless. However, Yan Shang’s being able to drink cloudy wine was progress that deserved encouragement.

Princess Mu Wanyao quickly pushed the wine cup and jar away, saying, “These are all clear wine, I dare not let you drink them.”

Yan Shang smiled. “I know.”

After thinking for a moment, Princess Mu Wanyao still wanted to test Yan Shang. She clapped her hands and called to her maid outside, asking them to fetch some cloudy wine from Yan Shang’s neighboring residence. When it arrived, she poured a tiny cup and secretly took a sip herself, finding it indeed nearly tasteless, barely able to detect the wine flavor.

Princess Mu Wanyao wrinkled her nose in distaste, then pushed the cup toward Yan Shang.

Yan Shang froze, looking at her.

Princess Mu Wanyao looked down at the wine cup, urging, “Drink! Let me see if you really can handle it.”

Yan Shang hesitated. “But… Your Highness just sipped from this cup. Isn’t this Your Highness’s cup? How could I share it?”

Princess Mu Wanyao looked up, her expression darkening. “What, you’re disgusted by my saliva?”

“Of course not. It’s just not proper…” Yan Shang protested.

“We’ve shared a bed who knows how many times, and now you’re afraid to drink from the same cup? Stop being so fussy. Drink!” Princess Mu Wanyao demanded impatiently.

She held the cup to his lips, forcing him to drink. Under such pressure, Yan Shang could only grasp her arm and reluctantly take a sip.

Afterward, they fell silent as Princess Mu Wanyao watched him nervously.

After sitting quietly for a while, she suddenly leaned against his chest, saying, “Your heart is beating faster.”

She felt his forehead, exclaiming dramatically, “Your temperature has risen too!”

She waved her hand in front of his face. “Are you still conscious?”

Torn between laughter and tears, Yan Shang took her hand and held it. He assured her he was fine, and that a small amount of wine wasn’t a problem. Princess Mu Wanyao continued to observe him seriously as he gazed down at her. After watching her for a while, he couldn’t help but smile.

It was an extremely restrained yet warmly content smile.

Princess Mu Wanyao wondered why he was smiling.

Yan Shang spoke softly, “I just haven’t seen Your Highness in so long, haven’t seen Your Highness care for me like this in so long. I missed it.”

As he spoke, his face reddened again.

Princess Mu Wanyao paused, then smiled along with him. Now certain he was alright, she relaxed, resting her chin on her hand as she leaned against the table. “It’s because you’ve been busy lately. I’ve been busy too.”

Yan Shang said quietly, “But we shouldn’t be so busy we barely see each other.”

The few times he’d encountered Princess Mu Wanyao in the alley, they’d only managed quick greetings, barely exchanging a few words.

This was only because they were neighbors and could run into each other often. If Yan Shang hadn’t lived here, he truly didn’t know how he could have seen Princess Mu Wanyao regularly.

“I wish I could see Your Highness every day, be with Your Highness,” Yan Shang said softly.

Princess Mu Wanyao slowly turned to look at Yan Shang kneeling beside her. He lifted his gaze slightly, his ink-black eyes meeting hers, his expression tender and focused. Like a stone cast into still waters, it made Princess Mu Wanyao’s heart ripple, her cheeks burning under his gaze.

She turned her face slightly away, stammering like a frightened quail, “You must be a bit drunk, speaking such nonsense. We already see each other every day…”

Yan Shang fell silent.

He knew she was again avoiding his subtle hint – he wanted to discuss their future, but she always evaded the topic.

Seeing Yan Shang’s silence, Princess Mu Wanyao tried to appease him: “What brought you here today? Surely you didn’t come just to see me?”

Yan Shang replied gently, “Am I not allowed to visit Your Highness without a reason? Must I have business every time I seek Your Highness?”

Princess Mu Wanyao felt increasingly guilty under his words, her eyes widening, “So you came just to see me, with no other purpose?”

Yan Shang paused, his tone becoming less certain, “…This time, I do have business.”

Princess Mu Wanyao immediately shot him a teasing look, feeling vindicated again, “See, what did I tell you?”

Yan Shang sighed helplessly, hating himself for always needing an excuse. This self-imposed behavior had given Princess Mu Wanyao the impression he only visited her when he needed something.

Internally reminding himself to be mindful of this issue in the future, Yan Shang focused on the matter at hand: “Regarding the South Mountain incident last time, didn’t Your Highness mention having a backup plan? You said you found someone who greatly resembled the Barbarian King, almost indistinguishable? Is this person still in the Princess’s residence?”

Princess Mu Wanyao explained, “He’s not that similar – some facial alterations would be needed to achieve the resemblance. However, his build and height are identical. He’s still in the residence, as I can’t easily move him now, fearing something might happen with the Barbarian King. But why do you ask about him?”

Yan Shang’s lips curved slightly, his eyes showing some joy, “Would Your Highness lend him to me? The military exercises begin tomorrow, and he might prove very useful.”

“Do as you wish,” Princess Mu Wanyao replied casually.

She answered so offhandedly because his serious attitude toward official duties reminded her that she also had several letters she hadn’t replied to.

With the military exercises starting tomorrow, the scholarly competition would begin as well. The “Merit Stone” she had arranged to be transported from the South by the Li family of Jinling had arrived in Chang’an and would be displayed tomorrow. She should write back to the Li family of Jinling about the situation in Chang’an.

Princess Mu Wanyao pulled out some paper and began writing.

Having finished considering his matters, Yan Shang turned his attention to Princess Mu Wanyao, becoming lost in thought. The young woman sat beside him, but unlike usual, she hadn’t leaned against him or sought his embrace since he sat down.

She hadn’t clung to his arm, hadn’t wrapped her arms around his neck, hadn’t even… hadn’t even kissed him.

Yan Shang felt somewhat dejected as he gazed at her profile, wondering why she wouldn’t kiss him.

Perhaps the cloudy wine from earlier was only now taking effect, as Yan Shang’s heart began racing. His fingers tingled as he stared at her slightly upturned crimson lips, unable to look away.

Princess Mu Wanyao was writing when she felt his gaze and turned her face toward him. Her eyes were like rippling water, her lips red against white skin, turning so casually that Yan Shang’s heart pounded wildly, his throat going dry.

Afraid of losing control, Yan Shang lowered his gaze.

But Princess Mu Wanyao rolled her eyes and said coyly, “Second Brother Yan, look at me!”

Yan Shang looked up, his gaze unconsciously falling to her lips again. His voice was slightly hoarse, “What is it?”

Princess Mu Wanyao massaged her wrist, complaining, “My hand hurts from writing. I don’t want to continue.”

Yan Shang paused before saying, “Then you needn’t continue.”

“I can’t stop. This letter must be sent before tonight,” Princess Mu Wanyao replied.

Yan Shang became lost in thought again.

Princess Mu Wanyao pushed him, glaring at his distraction.

He barely dared look at her, his gaze flickering as he kept his eyes downcast, asking awkwardly, “What does Your Highness wish to do?”

Princess Mu Wanyao smiled mischievously, “Second Brother Yan can help me write!”

“That wouldn’t be proper…” Yan Shang started.

But Princess Mu Wanyao suddenly stood up, pushing him into her seat and placing the brush in his hand to write the reply for her. She knelt behind him, hands resting on his waist, chin propped on his shoulder, the fragrance of a young woman brushing his reddened ear.

“I’ll dictate the content, you write it…” Princess Mu Wanyao said languorously.

Her hands rested on his waist, and Yan Shang glanced down, unsure whether it was intentional or not. As he wrestled with whether his thoughts were too improper, Princess Mu Wanyao urged him to begin writing.

Yan Shang’s heart pounded. He struggled to maintain control, trying to steady himself, his head slightly dizzy, unsure whether from her proximity or the earlier wine. He felt he had written many characters, his palm growing sweaty around the brush.

Princess Mu Wanyao complained from behind, “You’re distracted again! What’s wrong with you?”

As if to punish him, she turned her face, causing her golden leaf-shaped earring to brush against Yan Shang’s cheek.

That crisp “tap,” accompanied by the flickering candlelight on the table, rippled like waves through both their hearts.

Yan Shang stopped writing, sitting frozen. Suddenly he set down the brush, turning to embrace Princess Mu Wanyao who had been secretly watching him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

His grip was a bit strong as he forcefully pulled her from behind into his embrace, settling her before him. Princess Mu Wanyao, held in his arms facing him, had her slender waist bump against the table behind her. She was nearly overwhelmed by Yan Shang, and just as her eyes widened, he leaned in and embraced her.

“Yan Shang, what are you doing!” Princess Mu Wanyao cried out.

She thought to herself: He’s so agitated.

Yan Shang lowered his face to look at her, likely unaware of how intense his gaze was. His fingers caressed her face as he spoke softly, “Your Highness, do you want to… want to…”

“Want what?” Princess Mu Wanyao asked.

After stammering for a while, Yan Shang fought through his embarrassment to ask, “Do you want to kiss?”

Princess Mu Wanyao was stunned, then cast a sidelong glance at his slightly reddened eyes before declaring, “No!”

Yan Shang: “…”

His disappointment was obvious as he stared at her blankly. He hesitated, “Weren’t you teasing me?”

“You’re seeing what you want to see, aren’t you? When did I tease you?” Princess Mu Wanyao proclaimed loudly, inwardly amused at toying with him while maintaining an outwardly righteous tone. She lifted her eyelids to see what he would do. Would he give up just because she said no?

Yan Shang seemed to have calmed somewhat and said, “I’m sorry.”

Princess Mu Wanyao was shocked.

She watched as he released her and helped her up. He avoided looking at her and returned to writing the letter.

Princess Mu Wanyao: “…”

Yan Shang spent an hour at Princess Mu Wanyao’s residence but left without getting anything he wanted.

When he was about to leave, he tried to say something, but Princess Mu Wanyao just smiled and waved at him. Yan Shang could only depart.

Returning to his residence, he washed his face, and with slightly clearer thoughts, considered tomorrow’s military exercises before retiring to bed early.

In the middle of the night, as he dozed half-asleep, he suddenly felt some rustling and moonlight filtering through the bed curtains. Yan Shang opened his eyes, his heart nearly skipping a beat when he saw Princess Mu Wanyao kneeling beside the bed, looking down at him.

He sat up in confusion as Princess Mu Wanyao shushed him.

“Am I… dreaming?” Yan Shang asked hazily.

In the darkness, with no lamps lit, the bed curtains glowed translucent in the moonlight. Princess Mu Wanyao lay by the bedside, whispering to him, “I remembered something I hadn’t told you, so I came specially to let you know.”

“What is it?” Yan Shang asked.

Princess Mu Wanyao said seriously, “I wish you victory and success, may tomorrow’s military exercises achieve the results you desire.”

Yan Shang sat up supporting himself with his hands, looking at her puzzled, unable to understand why she would sneak over in the middle of the night just to say this.

Princess Mu Wanyao urged, “Aren’t you going to wish me well too?”

Yan Shang replied bewildered, “Then I… also wish Your Highness success in presiding over the scholarly competition?”

Princess Mu Wanyao nodded in satisfaction, and having said her piece, she lifted her knees from the bedside, lowered his curtains, and prepared to leave.

Yan Shang: “…”

She was driving him mad!

As Princess Mu Wanyao turned away, the bed curtains behind her were lifted again as Yan Shang grabbed her, pulling her inside. She cried “No,” but Yan Shang gritted his teeth and dragged her back onto the bed. She was pinned beneath him, his long hair falling onto her face, tickling her.

“Your Highness is leaving already? Leaving again? Is Your Highness deliberately torturing me?” Yan Shang demanded.

Princess Mu Wanyao bit her lip and laughed, pinned beneath him, covering her eyes as she continued laughing. Her expression was animated, her face flushed red. He lowered his head to kiss her face, kiss her eyes. His breathing was uneven and she just kept laughing.

Princess Mu Wanyao sighed, “You’re such a strange person. When I get close to you, you’re nervous, but when I keep my distance, you complain that I’m ignoring you. You’re so troublesome, how am I supposed to know what you want?”

Yan Shang’s face reddened as he said resentfully, “I’ve never disliked you being close to me! Don’t you know that!”

She had nearly driven him mad, or perhaps the night provided some private courage, allowing him to say things he wouldn’t dare say during the day.

She lay beneath him, so soft, so fragrant. Just kissing her left him intoxicated, unconsciously wanting more.

Princess Mu Wanyao glanced at him sideways and said loudly, “But you’ve never said you liked it either!”

Yan Shang was startled by her volume and quickly covered her mouth, saying with a red face, “Don’t be so loud. Does Your Highness not care about your reputation?”

Princess Mu Wanyao rolled her eyes.

In the darkness, as if he could see her expression, Yan Shang kissed her eyes, “Young miss shouldn’t make such unrefined gestures.”

Princess Mu Wanyao hadn’t blushed before, but now reddened at his kiss on her eyelids. She made a small sound and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down close to her. But he refused, still supporting himself with his arms, afraid of hurting her. Princess Mu Wanyao felt both moved and fond, and she too kissed the tip of his nose.

Princess Mu Wanyao said, “I want to tell you if you want to be close to me in the future, be more proactive. If you’re not proactive, I won’t pay attention to you.”

Yan Shang: “…I can be proactive?”

Princess Mu Wanyao was both annoyed and amused: “Whenever I don’t dislike it, you can.”

Hearing this, he wasn’t quite sure when she would dislike it and when she would like it.

Yan Shang hesitated: “Then now…?”

Princess Mu Wanyao put on a stern face: “Now it’s time to sleep.”

Yan Shang: …Oh.

He released her wrists and reluctantly rolled away. He was conflicted, wondering if she wasn’t returning to her residence tonight, planning to sleep with him instead. But he didn’t dare ask, as whenever he got close to her, he couldn’t help but… Yan Shang sighed softly and turned his back to her.

In the darkness, neither spoke.

After a while, Princess Mu Wanyao stared at his rigid back: “You sleep like you’re dead, with a girl beside you and not making a single move.”

Yan Shang lay facing away from her, silent.

Princess Mu Wanyao’s eyes flickered as she guessed his thoughts, that he was afraid of losing control. She gently moved closer, resting her head against his back.

His body was as stiff as stone, and Princess Mu Wanyao laughed softly, embracing his waist from behind and closing her eyes with her forehead against his back.

Princess Mu Wanyao said with a smile, “Second Brother Yan, after the military exercises end, after the Barbarian King and those envoys leave Chang’an, I’ll give you a grand gift, alright?”

Yan Shang: “What kind of grand gift? Are you sure I’ll like it?”

In the dark bed curtains, Princess Mu Wanyao gazed at his back and said solemnly, “You’ll like it.”

And so passed a night of sweet dreams—

The next day, the military exercises and scholarly competition began.

Before dawn, Princess Mu Wanyao was woken up, by Yan Shang reminding her to return to her residence while no one saw her. Princess Mu Wanyao wanted to say it didn’t matter, as all the servants of both households knew about their relationship. But with Yan Shang worried about her reputation, Princess Mu Wanyao sighed and obediently followed his wishes, yawning as he escorted her back for more sleep.

By the time Princess Mu Wanyao woke again, Second Young Master Yan had already left his residence, and the scholarly competition had begun.

The scholarly competition and military exercises were held simultaneously, each lasting three days. For convenience, both events were held in the suburbs, with the scholarly competition at Le You Plains and the military exercises backed against South Mountain, with nearly ten li of distance allocated to both sides.

As Princess Mu Wanyao rode her horse to Le You Plains, she could hear the ground trembling.

When she dismounted, Le You Plains was already crowded with nobles. Many nobles had private residences by Fan Creek near Le You Plains, and those who couldn’t attend the military exercises had gathered here. When news came of the Emperor’s sedan chair arriving, Princess Mu Wanyao went to greet him personally, casually asking a noble lady beside her, “With such strong ground tremors, are they using horses in the military exercises?”

The noble lady replied with a dreamy expression, “Yes. I heard both sides are using cavalry.”

Princess Mu Wanyao was surprised, then understood.

The use of cavalry meant that both Great Wei and the allied armies of other countries took these military exercises very seriously, not just making do with infantry and archers. Cavalry was nearly invincible on the plains, and both sides using it showed they both wanted to win.

The Emperor descended from his sedan chair and saw his young daughter talking with the lady beside her. He beckoned to Princess Mu Wanyao, who went to support him.

The Emperor spoke first: “I heard you’ve arranged something called a ‘Merit Stone’?”

Princess Mu Wanyao was startled before nodding. She hadn’t expected the Emperor to take the initiative in caring about her affairs, thinking she would need to lay considerable groundwork before he showed interest.

However, the Emperor had just arrived and already showed interest: “Accompany me to see it.”

The Emperor paused, looking at his young daughter, and sighed, “You’re presiding over this scholarly competition? You’ve worked hard, Yao Yao.”

Princess Mu Wanyao wasn’t used to the Emperor showing such fatherly love and smiled perfunctorily. She didn’t disguise her expression, and the Crown Prince behind them coughed in warning, but the Emperor turned to look at the Crown Prince with an indifferent expression.

The Crown Prince hesitated briefly and stopped commenting about Princess Mu Wanyao.

As Princess Mu Wanyao went with the Emperor to see the “Merit Stone,” a eunuch arrived on horseback to report the situation at the military exercises: “Both sides have defined their territories and are preparing for battle.”

The Emperor nodded: “Hmm… Yao Yao, are you worried?”

He had noticed Princess Mu Wanyao looking toward the direction of the military exercises with concern in her eyes. The Emperor pondered, “What is Yao Yao worried about, or who are you worried about?”

He intended to show concern.

But Princess Mu Wanyao instantly became guarded: “I’m merely curious about the military exercises, not concerned about anyone.”

The Emperor fell silent for a moment, then smiled wryly, knowing his daughter’s wariness of him, and spoke no more—

Meanwhile, in the Great Wei’s territory at the military exercise grounds, several generals were discussing attack strategies in the main command tent when a minor incident occurred.

Yan Shang and Yang Si looked at a soldier brought in by other troops.

That soldier was forced to clean their face and remove their helmet, revealing a delicate young woman – Yang Si’s cousin, Zhao Lingfei, also known as Fifth Lady Zhao.

Yang Si looked skyward: “…How did you get in here?”

Zhao Lingfei stood smiling before the young commanders, greeted her cousin, and then shyly glanced at Yan Shang before saying straightforwardly, “I’m not good at scholarly competitions, but I’m very interested in your affairs. Second Brother Yan, don’t blame my cousin, he didn’t know I wanted to come. I snuck in by myself.”

Faced with the disapproving looks from several generals, Yang Si crossed his arms: “I didn’t know.”

Zhao Lingfei was still making promises: “Don’t mind me, just let me go to the battlefield! My martial arts are quite good, ask my cousin if you don’t believe me.”

Yang Si snorted: “Why ask me? I don’t know.”

Zhao Lingfei fumed: “You! So disloyal!”

Yan Shang was both troubled and amused by Zhao Lingfei’s boldness.

Zhao Lingfei said she could be used as a regular soldier, but who would dare abuse a young girl like that?

As Yan Shang was pondering this, the tent flap was pushed open as Wei Shu entered. Wei Shu was holding a register, intending to discuss supplies with the others.

The handsome young man hadn’t even lifted his head when Yan Shang made arrangements: “Juyuan, you’re in charge of the rear, a heavy responsibility. I’ll assign someone to protect you. Lingfei, you follow Juyuan and protect him.”

Zhao Lingfei: “But why? Why won’t you let me go to the battlefield? I don’t want to protect anyone! Second Brother Yan, how could you do this? Cousin, won’t you say something for me?”

Wei Shu slowly raised his head, bewildered: …Had he just heard a girl’s voice in here?