Yan Shisheng politely replied, “I haven’t used any fragrance.”
Mu Wanyao shook her head in disbelief.
She sniffed the air and indeed detected an extremely faint, elegant fragrance emanating from Yan Shisheng. Princess Danyang naturally didn’t need to consider others’ opinions. Liking the scent, she walked toward Yan Shisheng and grabbed his sleeve, intending to smell it more closely.
Mu Wanyao stepped forward.
Yan Shisheng stepped back.
Mu Wanyao advanced again.
Yan Shisheng retreated again.
Mu Wanyao grew displeased. “Why are you dodging?!”
Under everyone’s dumbfounded stares, even the usually composed Second Young Master Yan couldn’t help but blush crimson. How could he withstand the princess’s willful behavior?
Ah.
Behind closed doors would be one thing…
But in front of everyone…
No, even behind closed doors wouldn’t be acceptable.
As Mu Wanyao grabbed Yan Shisheng’s sleeve to stop him from dodging, with nowhere left to retreat, he hastily interrupted her advance: “Your Highness, I just remembered what this fragrance is!”
Mu Wanyao lifted her eyelids, giving a slight smirk: “The moment I get close to you, you suddenly remember. Does your quick wit need my stimulation to work?”
Her tone concealed mockery.
Yan Shisheng pretended not to understand the princess’s sarcasm. He discreetly pulled his sleeve from Mu Wanyao’s grasp and, after deep contemplation, answered: “…I truly don’t use fragrance. But my younger sister is a young lady who loves beauty. Perhaps I accidentally caught some scent while helping her perfume her clothes.
“The fragrance is called ‘Jiangzhen Xiang.’ Your Highness can ask my little sister about it.”
Mu Wanyao responded with an “Oh,” neither accepting nor rejecting his explanation.
With the princess’s interruption, everyone stared at Yan Shisheng, likely wondering about the relationship between him and Mu Wanyao. They had already forgotten the minor matter of Yan Shisheng failing another year…
Afterward, Mu Wanyao entered the room and asked a few questions about Chunhua’s health.
During this time, Mu Wanyao’s eyes occasionally swept past Liu Wenji, who stood outside talking with Yan Shisheng. She saw Yan Shisheng congratulating Liu Wenji, whose expression showed complete satisfaction and joy… Mu Wanyao let out a cold sneer.
Chunhua was being helped back to her couch by her maids. Seeing Mu Wanyao constantly glancing at Liu Wenji outside, she felt inexplicably nervous: “Your Highness… do you dislike Young Master Liu?”
Mu Wanyao withdrew her gaze.
She took a sip of tea, her beautiful eyes lifting slightly, a fleeting hint of charm passing through her black pupils. She frowned: “Whether I like him or not doesn’t matter. But he passed the provincial examination, so why hasn’t he returned home instead of staying at the Yan residence? Is it to irritate Yan Shisheng?”
Chunhua’s heart pounded.
Her face flushed crimson, secretly guessing that Liu Wenji was staying at the Yan residence because of her.
Chunhua stammered: “Perhaps Young Master Liu and Second Young Master Yan are extremely close friends.”
Mu Wanyao: “When is Yan Shisheng not close to anyone?”
Chunhua and the princess stared at each other blankly – there was nothing to say to that.
Mu Wanyao quickly ended this topic: “It doesn’t matter. What use is it who passes and who doesn’t? Liu Wenji looks completely satisfied now as if passing one provincial examination means he can soar to great heights… When he gets to Chang’an, he’ll realize there are countless prodigies like him there!”
She gloated: “The provincial examination is just the first step. For those without reputation who want to advance – after they waste away several years in Chang’an, spending all their money without finding a way forward, they’ll understand just how difficult this path is.”
Chunhua sighed.
Chunhua asked: “Your Highness, when will we leave this place?”
Mu Wanyao was startled.
She had somewhat forgotten about this matter.
Originally, after obtaining the white cattle tea tree, they should have gone to the South Sea to find her uncle, but by coincidence, she had returned to the Yan residence and encountered Second Young Master Yan again… Mu Wanyao vaguely said: “When your health improves.”
Chunhua pressed her lips together; in truth, her health was already good enough for travel.
However… Chunhua glanced at Liu Wenji outside the window. With matters weighing on her heart, she too played the ostrich and didn’t actively say anything.
Mu Wanyao sat with Chunhua for a while before leaving. After the princess and her entourage departed, Chunhua sat in the room and heard Liu Wenji speaking outside: “My lady? My lady, are you listening to me?”
Chunhua got off the bed and walked to the door. She heard Liu Wenji speaking softly outside: “I’ve written to my family, saying I’ll stay here to teach Second Young Master Yan for a few days. Seeing that my lady’s injuries haven’t fully healed, is there anything you need my assistance with?”
Separated by a door, Liu Wenji waited for a long time before hearing the lady’s faint voice from inside: “There is.”
His heart immediately filled with joy! Knowing she had implicitly agreed to his staying—
In the afternoon, when Mu Wanyao woke from her nap, Yan Shisheng’s sister Yan Xiaozhou came to visit, saying she wanted to present “Jiangzhen Xiang” to the princess.
The newly awakened Mu Wanyao rubbed her forehead while being assisted with washing and dressing by her maid Xiarong.
Xiarong observed the princess’s face in the mirror, noting that Mu Wanyao’s lips held a trace of a smile, clearly indicating her good mood.
After Chunhua fell ill, Xiarong took over as the princess’s maid. Wanting to please Her Highness, she spoke while combing the princess’s hair: “Young Lady Yan must have been sent by Second Young Master. The Second Young Master is truly so considerate, taking Your Highness’s casual words to heart.”
Mu Wanyao heard her words and glanced at her.
Mu Wanyao said: “What do you mean by ‘I casually mentioned something and he took it to heart’? I saw him surrounded by people and pitied him, so I helped him out of the situation. When I help him, isn’t it natural for him to return the favor?”
Xiarong was stunned.
The other serving maids behind were equally shocked.
Xiarong spoke for everyone, expressing their astonishment: “Your Highness’s words were meant to help Second Young Master Yan out of that situation? This servant… this servant… didn’t realize.”
Mu Wanyao’s mood remained good, and she didn’t rebuke the maids: “Naturally, foolish people like you wouldn’t understand my kindness. It’s enough that Yan Shisheng understood. He indeed comprehended my meaning. It wasn’t in vain that This Princess rarely showed such benevolence.”
Yan Xiaozhou had always been somewhat afraid of Mu Wanyao. Now knowing that Mu Wanyao was a princess, she stood before her even more nervously after entering the room. The young lady’s face was pretty, but she kept her head down and blushed, making Mu Wanyao look at her with curiosity.
Yan Xiaozhou handed her box to the princess’s maid, mumbling: “This box contains incense cakes that my second brother and I made together. I’ve used most of them, but some remain. If Your Highness doesn’t mind, please try them. If Your Highness likes them, I can make more.”
Mu Wanyao had her maids accept the incense, and seeing Yan Xiaozhou curtsey and prepare to leave, she noticed the young lady’s reddened eyes.
Mu Wanyao: “Why are you crying? Is giving me some incense that distressing?”
Yan Xiaozhou was startled by the princess’s sharp eyes and cold words.
She looked up, her eyes indeed rimmed red. But she waved her hands repeatedly: “No, no, no, I’m not crying because of giving Your Highness some incense! Your Highness liking this fragrance is my good fortune, how could I feel distressed?”
Mu Wanyao watched her.
Yan Xiaozhou’s eyes remained red as she pressed her lips together.
Mu Wanyao leisurely rested her chin on her hand, saying lazily: “If you want to say something, just say it. Don’t be like your second brother, always beating around the bush.”
Yan Xiaozhou’s face reddened again, this time from embarrassment.
She said softly: “…My second brother has studied for so many years, can’t Your Highness help him?”
Mu Wanyao: “I can.”
Yan Xiaozhou had only been testing the waters, and Mu Wanyao’s directness immediately made her look up in joy.
But Mu Wanyao raised her eyes and smiled: “However, I want him to come to beg me.”—
Yan Shisheng sat at his desk, organizing books and contemplating his plans for the next year.
He anticipated that, having become Her Highness’s lifesaver, after the princess left, next year’s provincial examination position would be his for the taking, requiring no extra effort.
He could easily go to Chang’an.
But Chang’an was the political center of the entire Great Wei, where scholars and talented individuals from across the land gathered. So many people had wasted many years there without achieving results in the imperial examinations… How could he, someone not particularly skilled in poetry and prose, stand out?
He needed to focus his efforts on certain areas.
Yan Shisheng thought and wrote simultaneously, listing the books he needed to read next year, determining the skills he needed to master, and planning how to use the time before Mu Wanyao left to extract information about Chang’an’s noble families and famous scholars from her… He was so meticulous that he burned each note after writing it, leaving no trace.
When Yan Xiaozhou knocked and entered the room, she was immediately choked by the smoke and flames, coughing continuously.
Yan Xiaozhou: “Second Brother… *cough cough*, are you burning things again?”
Yan Shisheng rose to welcome his sister, opened the windows for ventilation, then offered her tea, smiling gently: “The weather is somewhat cold, I’m burning things to keep warm.”
Yan Xiaozhou was pressed to sit by her brother: “…”
She didn’t mention anything else, going straight to her point: “…In short, the princess isn’t unwilling to help you, she’s just waiting for you to beg! Second Brother, go quickly!”
She looked up at her second brother, urging happily: “Second Brother, your previous plan was correct. I see that Princess Your Highness still quite likes you.”
Yan Shisheng remained silent.
After a while, he spoke rather righteously, waving his sleeve: “A man of dignity standing in this world has things he should and shouldn’t do. How could I take such improper paths? Little sister, is this how I usually teach you?
“Say no more! To serve someone with my looks, forget it.”—
Stars and moon hung in the sky as the border troops guarding Great Wei’s boundary welcomed a group of cavalry.
The cavalry charged from the direction of the Southern Barbarians, raising clouds of dust as they approached the border prefecture’s city, claiming to be the Wuman King coming to visit.
As troops rode out from the city, the border army commander heard the news in his tent and was deeply alarmed: “The Wuman King? Wasn’t Wuman in internal turmoil and too preoccupied to deal with external affairs a year ago?”
The Great Wei border army led a large contingent of troops out of camp, and under the starry night, both sides brought their forces to face each other across a long river.
The opposing cavalry stood on the mountainside, calling out loudly: “…Our new Wuman King has quelled the internal strife and comes specially to pledge allegiance to Great Wei! Please, General, send this letter to Chang’an to inform our Imperial Father!”
Due to the marriage alliance and submission, the Wuman King directly referred to the Great Wei Emperor as the “Imperial Father.”
The border army general maintained a serious expression – the Wuman’s internal reunification… it was hard to tell if this was good news.
Yet he couldn’t offend them either, so he had his subordinates ride over to collect the letter, saying he would send it to Chang’an by express horse to inform the world of the Wuman King’s return.
The general knew this wasn’t a small matter and after exchanging a few words, was about to ride away when a male voice speaking somewhat stiff but relatively proper Wei official language came from among the Wuman people: “General, please wait.”
The general turned back to see that on the mountainside opposing them, amid the lush forest and the dark mass of Wuman cavalry, a black horse stepped forward impressively. On the horse sat a tall, magnificent man wearing a hood that covered his face completely.
In the moonlight, the man’s hood tilted back slightly, revealing a bit of his chin.
Handsome, cold, and proud.
The man smiled faintly: “I am the new Wuman King.”
The Great Wei general tensed completely, warily watching this Wuman King who had personally come to the border region. The Wei troops under his command also held their weapons, guarding against any potential trouble.
Yet the hooded man on horseback remained unmoved.
He said: “I have no ill intentions. I just want to ask you all… do you know Princess Danyang’s whereabouts? To be frank, I and I… have a deep connection. General, please help convey my message and ask her if she still remembers her promise to me?”
The general asked warily: “What promise?”
The man laughed loudly.
His laughter shook the dense forest, causing birds to take flight, as he threw back his head in magnificent laughter, what extraordinary presence!
Then he spoke lazily: “Between a man and a woman, what kind of promise do you think?”