Everything remained complicated. The exact circumstances of the Late Emperor’s death and whether it was truly connected to the criminal Crown Prince remained unclear, but the Late Emperor still needed to be buried.

The new Emperor’s ascension felt almost too easy – not just to the ministers, but to the Emperor himself. Because of how easily he obtained his position, he felt uneasy and thus put excessive effort into the Late Emperor’s funeral arrangements.

He wished the entire empire would observe three years of mourning for the Late Emperor, but after being berated by the elder ministers, he could only sheepishly impose this requirement on the imperial family members themselves.

Liu Wenji remained concerned about Cheng An’s disappearance. Unfortunately, the Imperial Guards were too busy currying favor with the new Emperor to pay much attention to a missing old eunuch. Unable to find Cheng An, Liu Wenji concluded that the man must either be dead or had truly fled far away. Very well – as long as this person no longer interfered, Liu Wenji was willing to let his former master go this once.

The Emperor’s burial in the Imperial Tomb was set for the beginning of the eighth month.

Though it should have been a scorching hot day, a fine drizzle had been falling since dawn.

The imperial family members and ministers accompanied the new Emperor to the Imperial Tomb through the rain, paying their final respects to the Late Emperor.

The new Emperor put on a complete show of filial piety. Seemingly satisfied, on the final night, he yielded his place to the Late Emperor’s most beloved child – the current Princess Imperial, Mu Wanyao, to keep vigil for the last night.

Mu Wanyao felt ambivalent.

Was she truly the Late Emperor’s most beloved?

Perhaps.

In his final years, out of compensation and guilt, the Late Emperor treated her better than the other princes and princesses.

Now that the Late Emperor was gone, the former Princess of Luling spent her days in a daze, worried that her days of hardship were approaching. The former Princess of Yuyang, implicated in her brother’s attempted rebellion, had a husband who was no longer the Metropolitan Governor. This time when she appeared, Princess Yuyang looked somewhat haggard.

Looking around, the new Emperor truly had no siblings with whom to act out scenes of deep familial affection. Only his youngest sister Mu Wanyao, held great power and maintained a less strained relationship with him due to Chunhua’s influence… thus the new Emperor paid much more attention to the Princess Imperial of Danyang.

Mu Wanyao had anticipated all of this.

Initially, she had wanted to participate in choosing the heir, but later was manipulated by the Late Emperor until she had no choice left. Now, being able to continue as her princess was already quite fortunate.

—

Mu Wanyao kept vigil for the Late Emperor’s final night at the Imperial Tomb, accompanied by her consort Yan Shang.

The couple knelt before the spirit hall through the night without sleep, silently adding spirit money to the burning brazier. Dressed in plain white, they appeared just like common folk mourning their father.

Mu Wanyao turned to look at Yan Shang – with his refined bearing, dressed in plain clothes, he appeared especially elegant and handsome, like clear moonlight. But seeing his gaunt features, with cheekbones protruding from loss of weight, Mu Wanyao felt his pallid, haggard appearance indicated poor health, and urged him to rest.

Yan Shang shook his head.

To prevent Mu Wanyao from constantly worrying about him, he began speaking softly with her about the Late Emperor.

Yan Shang spoke with tender affection: “From now on, all your blood relatives are truly gone. You must feel very pained?”

Mu Wanyao appeared lost in thought.

She stared at the spirit money flying like snowflakes above the brazier for a while, then said in confusion: “I don’t know. I don’t feel very pained. Although my father, mother, and brother are all gone, I don’t feel particularly suffering.

“To tell the truth, perhaps it’s because the time they loved me was too short, and the time they spent afterward being perfunctory dragged on too long. Before, when Second Brother and Empress Mother passed away… I might have still felt grief. But today when Father Emperor is also gone, I feel numb instead.

“I’ve waited for this day for a very long time. Now that it’s truly arrived, I feel relieved… an era has finally completely ended.

“The past that made me love and hurt has finally been completely buried under yellow earth. Second Brother Yan, you ask if I feel pained? No, I don’t feel pained. I only feel… liberated.”

She tilted her face up, gazing into space as if looking at her ancestors in the Imperial Tomb. She analyzed her heart to him without concealment. She glimpsed her soul and realized she truly had been… even faintly looking forward to this day’s arrival all along.

Seeing her like this pained Yan Shang deeply.

His experiences differed from hers, his feelings about parental affection completely different from hers. When a child’s experience of parental love becomes perfunctory obligation, whose fault is it really?

Yan Shang lightly embraced her shoulders, saying softly: “Would you… like to tell me about it?”

Mu Wanyao: “Tell you what?”

Yan Shang’s voice was especially quiet and gentle in the empty spirit hall: “Anything. Like about your Empress Mother, or your Second Brother. What… what kind of person was your Second Brother? Did your Empress Mother truly love only him and not care about you?”

He pressed his lips together, somewhat confused: “When you first became close to me, was it because… I somewhat resembled your Second Brother?”

Mu Wanyao immediately turned to look at him, wondering how he could have such a thought.

Yan Shang’s eyelashes lowered, casting small shadows on his face, like butterfly wings resting on her heart. He said quietly: “You’ve always called me ‘Second Brother Yan.'”

Mu Wanyao found this strange: “What’s wrong with calling you ‘Second Brother Yan’? You are indeed second in birth order, so many people call you ‘Second Brother.'”

Yan Shang turned his face slightly, his lips pausing: “You never meant to use me as a substitute for your Second Brother?”

Mu Wanyao: “…”

Her heart had been full of melancholy, but Yan Shang’s worry made her laugh despite herself. Her heart, exhausted and tense for months, actually relaxed at this moment.

She smiled at his profile, her heart softening, thinking that Second Brother Yan was truly still himself, never having changed.

No matter how refined his exterior, no matter how capable he appeared before others, in private he always had his twisted, tangled thoughts that he couldn’t work through.

And before Yan Shang spoke of it, who knew how long he had been troubled by this doubt of his.

He was truly adorable.

Yan Shang turned to look at her, seeing her black pupils, her eyes curved in mirth, and her fair face suffused with a pearl-like gentle light. As their eyes met, Mu Wanyao laughed aloud.

Startled by her laughter, Yan Shang immediately reached to cover her mouth. He was always easily nervous, his cheeks burning hot from her slight impudence, as he whispered: “What are you laughing at? Stop laughing!

“Do you want people saying the Princess of Danyang’s consort made the princess laugh before the Late Emperor’s spirit? How can I live this down, how can I face anyone?”

He pushed at her shoulder, but Mu Wanyao simply wrapped her arms around his neck. Yan Shang stiffened, originally not wanting such intimacy before the spirit hall, but as he covered her mouth to prevent her laughter from growing louder, he had no choice but to let her embrace him this way.

Mu Wanyao’s eyelashes brushed his neck, tickling him.

After she finished laughing, she finally pulled his hand from her mouth, reached up to cup his face, and said with deep feeling: “You’re truly overthinking. You and my Second Brother are nothing alike. Although you’re both excellent, your temperaments are completely different – how could anyone conflate you two?

“Second Brother Yan, rest assured, I’ve only ever met one man with your temperament. I find you adorable, but would never find my Second Brother adorable. Are you reassured now?”

Yan Shang’s face burned: “I was already reassured. I was just asking casually, without much other meaning.”

Mu Wanyao teased him with a bright smile: “Tell me! Whatever doubts you have, just tell me – how can I know what bothers you if you don’t say? Have you been troubled by this for a long time?”

Yan Shang said: “Not at all.”

He defended himself: “I’m not that kind of person.”

Mu Wanyao stared at his face for a long while, her gaze growing distant, his topic leading her to think of more.

She spoke wistfully: “My Father Emperor and Mother Empress both loved my Second Brother, I always felt they only loved him. After my Second Brother was gone, they forgot about me.”

Yan Shang said softly: “They must have loved you at some point.”

Mu Wanyao: “But later it was gone, right?”

Yan Shang: “It was still there. It’s just that your imperial family is different from common families. Yao Yao, you must believe that your Father Emperor, Mother Empress, and Second Brother all loved you.”

He emphasized this point, not wanting her to completely overturn the past.

Mu Wanyao tilted her head to look at him, suddenly arching her brows, a touch of charm rising in her eyes. She smiled: “Are you worried I’ll go astray and become extreme? Don’t worry, with Second Brother Yan by my side, I’m willing to be a good person.”

She lifted her face, half-joking yet half-serious: “But if you’re gone, I make no guarantees.”

Yan Shang said softly: “Nonsense. I don’t believe you could be evil.”

Mu Wanyao burst out laughing. She didn’t clarify whether she was serious or not – after all, Yan Shang was her husband, someone she could reach out and touch every day.

As long as he was here, all these troubles in the world meant nothing.

—

After the Late Emperor was entombed, the new Emperor’s new governance finally began.

As a prince, the Prince of Jin had been an unremarkable one. But he had managed the Ministry of Works then without major errors. Upon first becoming Emperor, the Prince of Jin had grand ambitions, feeling that being Emperor wasn’t particularly difficult.

He just needed to issue orders and have his ministers carry them out.

He wanted to be a formidable Emperor, wanted to change the previous relationship of mutual difficulty and distrust between Emperor and ministers. He wanted to be tolerant, merciful, wanted to be an Emperor who satisfied everyone.

So after ascending the throne, the new Emperor would issue twelve edicts to the Department of State Affairs each day, urging them to act.

The Department of State Affairs was overwhelmed with frustration, making excuses to the Emperor. After a month of his edicts not being quickly implemented and constantly being rejected by the Department of State Affairs and the Chancellery, the new Emperor finally discovered that being Emperor wasn’t so easy.

The ministers wouldn’t listen, he couldn’t command these officials – should he have Liu Wenji kill all these ministers?

No, he couldn’t completely trust Liu Wenji either.

The new Emperor discovered everyone was watching him, his every word and action subject to countless interpretations. A mere glance from him in court, though perhaps meaningless to him, would be interpreted by the ministers as having some significance.

Even in the palace… the new Emperor couldn’t treat the palace as his home.

The former Prince of Jin’s residence had been just one compound, easily managed by the Prince’s consort. Now his home had become so vast, with spies everywhere… When the Prince returned to his old home that he had yearned for many years, he discovered it was different from what he had imagined.

He had never learned the way of emperors, so the ministers and imperial tutors took turns lecturing him; his words in the palace only became effective through Liu Wenji; and the ministers were eager to fill his harem with women – for the sake of balance, the new Emperor accepted them all.

The new Emperor felt as pathetic as the Cowherd from legend.

To think he had to rely on sleeping with women to make the court ministers listen.

…He had never before felt his Father Emperor relied on women to achieve any purpose, nor had he seen the former Crown Prince obsessed with taking concubines. However, upon first becoming Emperor, though the new Emperor had grand ambitions, he was ultimately inexperienced and at a loss, making mistakes everywhere.

The noble families were particularly vexing and detestable.

Upon discovering the new Emperor was easily fooled, they all began perfunctorily deceiving him.

After two months as Emperor, the new Emperor felt quite helpless.

But he hadn’t given up.

Unable to command those high-ranking ministers, tired of having every word rejected and adjusted by the ministers, the new Emperor wanted to cultivate his officials—

Searching through the group of ministers left by the Late Emperor, he discovered the current Director of the Ministry of Personnel, Yan Shang.

Who was also the Princess of Danyang’s consort?

The new Emperor had a sudden realization.

He noticed that since his ascension, while every ministry had given him trouble, the most important one – the Ministry of Personnel – had caused the fewest problems and challenged him the least.

While the elder ministers and power holders didn’t take the new Emperor seriously and enjoyed watching him make mistakes, Yan Erlang had never been perfunctory with the Emperor.

Every imperial edict that reached the Ministry of Personnel was earnestly studied and implemented. Upon investigation, the new Emperor discovered that neither the Minister nor Vice Minister of Personnel was necessarily loyal – it was only because Yan Erlang was so capable that the ministry hadn’t caused problems.

Yan Erlang held multiple positions, and since his ascension, hadn’t made any mistakes or caused him trouble – how remarkable.

This was how a loyal minister should be!

Moreover, Yan Suchen’s reputation was so great! At such a young age, no one in the entire Chang’an officialdom dared underestimate him – what impressive authority.

The new Emperor wanted to use Yan Erlang as his starting point to control the entire court.

—

During the evening rain, Yan Shang remained at the Ministry of Personnel.

Under the gray sky, he bent over his desk, writing while coughing.

His pale blue round collar was damp with rainwater, as he had first left the ministry building and was almost out of the imperial city when his servant Yunshu reminded him of his promise to Mu Wanyao that he hadn’t fulfilled, so he returned to the ministry.

He had promised Mu Wanyao to take leave.

With the recent rain, his knees ached and he couldn’t sleep well at night, and his back pain had become severe. He hadn’t mentioned it, but by the time Mu Wanyao discovered it, he had been running a low fever for several days. The couple had argued about this, and Yan Shang had promised her to take a few days’ leave.

Yet after a busy day, Yan Shang had forgotten to request leave.

So he had to return to write the memorial, planning to visit the Vice Minister’s residence that night to explain his health condition.

While Yan Shang was writing, the new Emperor came on an unofficial inspection of the Six Ministries. At this hour, all ministries were empty. When the Emperor reached the Ministry of Personnel, he prevented anyone from disturbing him and stood behind the illuminated doorway curtain, watching Yan Shang still working inside. He felt deeply moved.

If all ministers were as loyal as Yan Suchen, what difficulty could there be in governing the country?

Hearing the Emperor’s light cough, Yan Shang turned and recognized him, then rose to bow.

The Emperor said kindly: “So late, yet Suchen is still working?”

Yan Shang smiled and said: “I’m requesting a few days’ leave.”

This wasn’t what the Emperor had expected.

The Emperor was startled, then displeased: “What, have you also learned from those elder ministers to be presumptuous, wanting to make things difficult for me? You all find it amusing to watch me make a fool of myself, don’t you?”

Yan Shang remained mild: “How could Your Majesty say such things? How could there be reason for ministers to make things difficult for the Son of Heaven?”

The Emperor had very limited interaction with Yan Shang; his impression was of a capable minister with a strong temperament. Without a strong temperament, how could one dare kill the Zheng clan leader, bring down the Ministry of Revenue, anger the former Crown Prince, and fall out with the Princess of Danyang?

And his capability was even easier to understand. Without ability, how could he have reconciled with the Princess of Danyang?

With Mu Wanyao’s temperament…

In this evening’s conversation with Yan Shang, the Emperor realized he had misunderstood Yan Shang’s temperament. Yan Erlang appeared very gentle and easy to talk to… The Chang’an officialdom’s claims about his fearsome nature were probably just officials spreading rumors.

So the Emperor confided in Yan Shang about his troubles as Emperor.

Yan Shang comforted him.

Yan Shang’s conversational skill made this the most comfortable discussion the new Emperor had had since becoming Emperor. He had only meant to complain casually, but couldn’t resist Yan Shang’s trustworthy demeanor and found himself saying more and more.

Speaking of his aspirations, how the ministers bullied him, his ideals.

Yan Shang listened attentively, appearing thoughtful.

When Liu Wenji arrived at the Ministry of Personnel and heard from the palace servants about how the new Emperor was confiding in Yan Erlang inside, Liu Wenji’s eyelid twitched and his expression darkened.

Liu Wenji eavesdropped outside for a few words, hearing the Emperor’s tone with Yan Erlang had already become much more intimate, making him even more uncomfortable…

Among all the civil and military officials, perhaps only Liu Wenji understood Yan Shang best.

If Yan Shang wanted someone to like him, no one could dislike him.

Liu Wenji feared the Emperor would be won over by Yan Shang… With Yan Shang’s style of quietly winning people’s hearts, even someone as scheming as the Late Emperor had come to rely on him – wouldn’t the new Emperor be even easier?

Liu Wenji began to consider his options.

—

In the end, Yan Shang’s leave request was unsuccessful.

When he said he wasn’t feeling well, the Emperor instead urged him that capable people should work more, constantly talking about promoting him and giving him more important tasks. The Emperor also sought his advice on how to balance relationships between various powers, promising him that he would be a good emperor…

At the Princess of Danyang’s residence, Yan Shang had his trouser legs rolled up to his knees while soaking his feet. Mu Wanyao had been happily awaiting the results of his finally requesting leave, only to hear news of how pleasantly Yan Shang and the new Emperor had conversed.

Mu Wanyao’s face fell.

She said mockingly: “What, he says a few nice words and you’re ready to give your life for him? Promotion? What promotion? We should have been promoted for successfully protecting the throne! Yet he didn’t mention a word about it. Well, never mind that he didn’t mention it, we don’t care anyway. Now he speaks a few words about his aspirations and you’re moved… If he says a few more words, will you abandon your family for him?”

Yan Shang said helplessly: “It’s not like that. It’s just that His Majesty said he wants to be a wise ruler and asked for my help. Seeing he has such aspirations, I just wanted to try.”

Mu Wanyao said: “When he tells you to work it’s important, but when I ask you to appreciate flowers and watch plays it’s not important.”

Yan Shang was speechless.

Mu Wanyao’s face immediately flushed with anger: “You do think appreciating flowers and watching plays isn’t important!”

Yan Shang managed to say: “I’ve never been good at appreciating flowers, and I don’t understand plays. Even when you take me, I can’t appreciate them.”

Mu Wanyao said politely: “It’s me, this pleasure-seeking person, who’s hindering Yan Erlang’s important matters.”

Yan Shang’s face stiffened, and he said softly: “That’s not what I meant.”

Mu Wanyao raged: “Then do you mean that what I say isn’t important to you anymore? That you can just brush it off?”

Yan Shang was bewildered: “I… I didn’t mean that either.”

Mu Wanyao: “Then I’ve asked you to take leave several times, and you still haven’t managed it. Do you think I’m hindering your good career prospects, are you perhaps blaming me in your heart for not being understanding?”

Yan Shang grew somewhat anxious. He always spoke slowly, but she fired words like firecrackers, making it impossible for him to keep up.

After a while, Yan Shang finally said: “I didn’t say I wouldn’t take leave… I’ll go request it tomorrow, alright?”

Seeing his helpless expression just irritated Mu Wanyao: “Heh.”

She stopped paying attention to him and instead directed the maids to move bedding and clothes.

She turned back, seeing Yan Shang gazing at her, his eyes dark and clear. She raised an eyebrow, smiling: “Yan Erlang can focus on his work, this princess won’t disturb you anymore.”

Yan Shang: “Where are you going?”

Mu Wanyao said arrogantly: “My princess’s residence is so large, can’t I find another room to sleep in?”

Yan Shang was startled: “You… want to sleep separately?”

Mu Wanyao: “I’ve thought it through, you can’t be counted on. You can’t sleep at night, and the more I look at you the angrier I get. I’m afraid one night I’ll wake up, see you lying there with eyes open, and can’t resist giving you a knife… it’s safer to separate.

“You go focus on your official duties, be your loyal minister. I’ll go appreciate flowers and enjoy myself, be my vulgar princess. We’ve been together so long, grown tired of each other, it’s normal for you to be sick of me. Separation is good. I’ll go look at some handsome men in the world, and refresh my eyes. You can also take the chance to find some women, broaden your horizons… Never mind, Yan Erlang is so busy, that you don’t have time to find women. If you have needs, just come to me.”

She turned back to give him a gentle smile: “Whatever makes you happy.”

Yan Shang was dumbfounded.

Seeing her walk out, he finally realized she wasn’t joking – she was going to sleep separately.

Yan Shang didn’t care about the water dripping from his trouser legs, hurriedly put on his outer robe, and got up to chase after her. Bewildered, he left the room, constantly asking people where the princess had gone.

The princess’s residence was truly too large. Yan Shang was disheveled but had to maintain his appearance, so he was a few steps too slow coming out. He couldn’t find Mu Wanyao, but as soon as he came out, he ran into Yan Xiaozhou who was looking for him.

Yan Xiaozhou: “Second Brother, I have something to tell you!”

Yan Shang’s eyes scanned the pitch-black night, lowering his head to say hurriedly to his sister: “Tell me tomorrow…”

Yan Xiaozhou said: “But tomorrow will be too late! Second Brother, I’ve arranged to leave Chang’an tomorrow, I’ve already found carriages and horses. If I don’t tell you now, you won’t even know I’ve left!”

Yan Shang was suddenly stunned.

He stared at her blankly: “Where are you going? Back to Lingnan to find Father? What’s wrong, have I, have I neglected you, are you not comfortable living in Chang’an?”

Seeing him trying to blame himself, knowing Second Brother would start examining himself again and feeling bad, Yan Xiaozhou quickly interrupted: “No, no, no, I want to go to Jiannan… to find Young Master Yang.”

Yan Shang was shocked.

He collected himself and slowly asked: “Does your sister-in-law… does Yao Yao know?”

Yan Xiaozhou smiled slightly: “I told sister-in-law. After hearing my thoughts, she didn’t object.”

Yan Shang was stunned, realizing Mu Wanyao had done this deliberately. He had no choice but to take his sister back to his room to understand what she was thinking.

As for the princess… This was the first time since marriage that he and Mu Wanyao had such a serious fight. He had no experience and could only take it one step at a time. He didn’t yet know that when Mu Wanyao talked about looking at handsome men, she wasn’t just teasing him.

In some ways, Mu Wanyao was better at enjoying life than him.

—

As for the new Emperor, after his good conversation with Yan Shang, he was happy and carefully savored it after returning to the palace.

Seeing the new Emperor constantly thinking about Yan Erlang, Liu Wenji laughed coldly inside and deliberately mentioned something: “Your Majesty, it seems we should promote Yan Erlang.”

The Emperor understood: “Of course. If I want him to work for me, naturally I should…”

Liu Wenji said in surprise: “It seems the Late Emperor had a decree naming Yan Suchen as Prime Minister. I’m not very clear, that the imperial edict is kept in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.”

The Emperor froze.

Then his face darkened, saying: “You mean the Late Emperor had already arranged everything for Yan Erlang, so his behavior before me was just an act? He knows he’s going to be Prime Minister, so he doesn’t care about my offer of promotion.

“He’s just like those elder ministers, making a fool of me?”

Liu Wenji smiled: “That I don’t know. It’s just that Yan Erlang is so talented, whether it was the Late Emperor or Your Majesty, everyone values and likes him.

“I just feel… for someone to make everyone like him, that kind of scheming, I truly envy it.”

The Emperor appeared thoughtful, his enthusiasm for Yan Erlang cooling.