Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Princess Danyang refused the Emperor’s marriage arrangement.

Not only did she refuse, but kneeling on the ground, she used the coldest words to wound Yan Shang beside her, while revealing something of their relationship to the Emperor to prevent his suspicion—

“When I went to Lingnan at the end of the year before last, I met this Second Young Master Yan. His family in Lingnan were merely farmers, making some money using his father’s scholar title. With such a background, how dare he reach for me? Someone from a place like Lingnan, how shallow must his knowledge be—do I need to say more, Father?

“After coming to Chang’an, this Second Young Master Yan used our past acquaintance to seek help at my residence with his examination papers. Out of pity, I helped him. However, that help meant nothing. He may have some talent, but our backgrounds have always been different, we see things differently, and we have nothing in common. I am, after all, a princess—marrying such a country bumpkin would be no different from marrying a dying old man.

“Father, if you truly love me, if you care about my mother’s memory, you shouldn’t make your daughter suffer such humiliation.”

Yan Shang knelt beside her, listening to her sharp, heart-piercing cold words. He kept his eyes lowered, and no one knew what he was thinking.

This scene pained Princess Luling deeply.

When she heard her brother wanted to match Yan Shang with that girl Danyang, Luling was distressed, unwilling to let such a fine young man be given away so easily; now seeing Danyang refuse the marriage, Luling was still distressed, thinking this niece’s words were too poisonous, too inconsiderate of others’ dignity.

After today, when Princess Danyang’s marriage refusal speech spread, Young Master Yan would surely be pointed at for some time, unable to make a marriage match. Even someone as worldly as Princess Luling felt that if Mu Wanyao didn’t want to marry, she needn’t refuse so harshly.

No one in the great hall spoke, the examination candidates didn’t dare raise their heads, and Wei Shu frowned slightly, feeling Mu Wanyao’s words about Yan Shang were too excessive.

The Emperor had been listening indifferently to Mu Wanyao’s words, but when she mentioned “for my mother’s sake,” his expression briefly faltered, showing momentary distraction.

Mu Wanyao looked up at him.

In that instant, seeing his daughter’s stubborn, unyielding manner, the Emperor’s mind emptied, thinking of that equally stubborn woman from the past who had always opposed him.

When he wanted to eliminate the Li family, the Empress wanted to protect them. He had only wanted to drive the Li family from Chang’an, but the Empress had wanted to kill him…

After the Second Prince’s death, the Emperor and Empress had grown apart until the Empress’s passing.

Mu Wanyao deliberately mentioning the Late Empress… was to distract him, to cut his heart, to stab his chest.

Father and daughter of the imperial family… their relationship had become this cruel.

The Emperor’s eyes showed a tragic light as he gazed at his daughter’s glistening black eyes, and he said softly: “Enough. Since Danyang is unwilling, and Yan Su Chen is unwilling, let’s forget this marriage arrangement. Danyang, why make such a display? I am your father—would I force you to marry? Was it worth kneeling especially?

“You may all rise.”

At this moment, this evening’s banquet showed signs of drawing to a close.

The Emperor said nothing more afterward, enduring their company for barely half an hour before returning to the palace. With the Emperor’s departure, the feast naturally dispersed, and everyone left.

Yan Shang walked together with Wei Shu, while other candidates stood with Yan Shang worriedly, encouraging him, saying it was nothing to take to heart.

Mu Wanyao walked past them with complete indifference, and even when Wei Shu tried to follow, he was stopped by the princess’s maids.

Tonight, Mu Wanyao had no intention of speaking to anyone—

Mu Wanyao deeply regretted it.

She had only wanted to join the excitement, to see Yan Shang have his moment of glory.

Had she known that at the Qujiang banquet, Father would arrange her marriage to Yan Shang, she would never have gone, no matter what.

But it was too late now.

She had used the most vicious words to speak of and wound Yan Shang—no matter how good his temper, he must be hurt. With his pride, when he had always deliberately kept his distance from her before, after her words tonight, he surely would not help her again.

Who would still help a woman who refused marriage to their face and spoke of them so unworthily?

She had lost a very good ally.

Mu Wanyao returned to her residence, sitting before her dressing mirror in her inner chamber, staring at her pale cheeks reflected in the bronze mirror. She touched her face, looking at her own cold eyes, speaking softly to herself: “It doesn’t matter. If others won’t help me, I’ll help myself.

“I won’t admit defeat, I won’t let you defeat me.”

Mu Wanyao called out loudly: “Chunhua!”

Chunhua, who had been waiting outside, immediately responded: “Your Highness?”

Mu Wanyao said with a smile: “I want to drink. Bring me wine.”

Chunhua hesitated: “Now? It’s so late, Your Highness should sleep…”

Mu Wanyao: “What? Are you also going to defy me? Have my words become so ineffective?”

Chunhua reluctantly said: “Then this servant will order someone to warm wine for Your Highness…”

She heard the princess’s wild voice as she struck the wooden table inside: “I don’t want warm wine, I want cold wine! Just bring it directly!”

The maids outside dared not reply anymore, they could only worriedly go fetch wine for the princess.

Mu Wanyao’s gaze drifted upward as she began listing wines emptily: “Bring all the good wines from the residence! I want to drink the capital’s Xijing Qiang, Xiamaling’s Official Clear, and Granny Clear. I want to drink Shu’s Jiannanchun spirits, and Wucheng’s Ruoxia wine…”

The maids listened with alarm, thinking that mixing so many types of wine would surely lead to deadly intoxication.

However… so be it.

The princess’s residence naturally didn’t lack wine, and soon jars of wine were brought into the princess’s chambers, arranged neatly in rows on a long table.

Mu Wanyao dismissed all the servants and sat on the ground, opening wine jars and drinking alone…

She drank much wine, drinking until her consciousness grew hazy, drinking until she didn’t feel so terrible anymore. Only then did Mu Wanyao’s long eyebrows relax, and a smile appeared.

Before her marriage alliance, Mu Wanyao could only drink somewhat sweet wines, but after the alliance, perhaps because the Wuman people were too barbaric, Mu Wanyao drank with them, and later when she was with Meng Zaishi, he always liked to make her drink.

After being made drunk, those high mountains, stone ridges, and blue waters swaying before her eyes became less difficult to accept. She gradually came to like the feeling of drinking strong spirits.

…Her alcohol tolerance had been forcibly trained this way.

After returning to Chang’an, Mu Wanyao restrained some of the bad habits she had developed in Wuman, putting on the airs a princess should have. However, she knew well that some habits would accompany her for life. The marks of growing up, no matter how she concealed them, could never be completely hidden.

As Mu Wanyao sat alone drinking, enjoying herself, there were two knocks at the door.

Guard Fang’s voice came from outside: “Your Highness, Second Young Master Yan has come to the residence requesting to see you.”

Mu Wanyao, holding her face that had grown hot from drinking, turned her head, momentarily thinking she had confused the time, that she had misheard.

Hadn’t she just returned from the banquet not long ago? Hadn’t she just refused the marriage? How could Yan Shang possibly come to visit?

Hmm, surely there must be some mistake.

So Mu Wanyao ignored it and continued drinking.

Fang Tong waited outside for a while, already used to the princess’s habit of sometimes ignoring people, and repeated: “Your Highness, Second Young Master Yan requests to see you.”

This time Mu Wanyao was certain she had heard correctly.

Holding a crystal glass in her delicate white hand, she lifted her face as the moonlight shone down, falling on her face with disheveled hair. Mu Wanyao rubbed her face, truly and completely startled.

Then Mu Wanyao paused and said: “No.”

Fang Tong left.

A moment later, Fang Tong returned, standing outside the princess’s chamber door: “Your Highness, the Second Young Master asked this servant to beg you to see him once.”

Mu Wanyao grew angry.

She said: “No! When I say no, it means no! What is there to see!”

Fang Tong said: “Second Young Master Yan said he will wait outside for Your Highness for half an hour. He said he has words to say to Your Highness, hoping Your Highness…”

Mu Wanyao impatiently interrupted: “Whose servant are you, his or mine? Why do you keep delivering messages for him? When I say no, don’t you understand? There’s nothing to say between us, I said everything that needed saying at the banquet. He needn’t come to humiliate me, nor to bid farewell.

“I permit him to no longer need to please me, no longer need to see me!”

With the princess’s words reaching this point, if he continued, Fang Tong would likely be beaten with the rod. So Fang Tong dared not say more and went out to deliver the response.

Mu Wanyao continued drinking her wine.

After half an hour, Fang Tong returned.

Fang Tong lingered outside the princess’s door for a long while, thinking of Second Young Master Yan’s words that the princess wouldn’t beat him. Trusting in Yan Shang’s usual proper conduct, Fang Tong gathered his courage and once again tremblingly knocked: “Your Highness…”

Mu Wanyao smiled.

From inside, she said softly: “Guard Fang, will you not be happy unless I kill you tonight?”

Fang Tong was nearly frightened to death.

He could only convince himself to trust Yan Shang and quickly said: “This servant only came to tell Your Highness that Second Young Master Yan has left.”

Silence within the chamber.

After a while, Fang Tong heard Mu Wanyao’s cool, low voice: “Oh.”

Fang Tong said quietly: “Second Young Master Yan left words for the princess, he said—”—

Half a moment ago, when Yan Shang left the princess’s residence, he had left words with Fang Tong to convey to the princess.

His voice was clear and gentle, like frost under moonlight: “These words I should have said to Her Highness personally, but since Her Highness is unwilling to see me, Guard Fang conveying them is also acceptable. Please tell Her Highness that I dare not be angry with her, nor do I blame her for being so unsparing. I know Her Highness has her difficulties—speaking such words would only have made her more heartbroken.

“Please tell Her Highness not to be heartbroken. Our friendship will not change because of those few words. I don’t blame Her Highness in my heart, and I ask Her Highness not to blame herself.”—

“Crash—”

The crystal glass in Mu Wanyao’s hand slipped and shattered.

She heard Fang Tong trying his best to imitate Yan Shang’s way of speaking, but how could anyone imitate Yan Shang’s unhurried, peaceful, and gentle manner of speech?

As Fang Tong struggled, the door before him was pulled open, and Mu Wanyao stood before him with loose hair.

Mu Wanyao’s cheeks were flushed with wine, but her eyes blazed with unprecedented light. In her spring robes and bare feet, she was both delicate and forceful.

She stepped out barefoot, suddenly gripping Fang Tong’s wrist.

Her voice was urgent: “Go—go bring him back to me!

“Didn’t he have words to say to me? I want him to stand before me in person and tell me himself!”—

Yang Si and the Crown Prince left the Apricot Garden.

Originally Yang Si should have returned to his residence, but the Crown Prince said: “Stay at the Eastern Palace tonight.”

Yang Si’s thoughts were wandering, and he agreed carelessly.

He was still thinking about what had happened at the banquet.

Returning to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess was just coming to meet the Crown Prince, wanting to discuss some trivial matters, when the Crown Prince said: “Yang Third has come.”

The Crown Princess paused, then understood: “I won’t let anyone disturb Your Highness and Young Master Yang.”

Yang Si remained distracted throughout. After washing up, he entered the chamber arranged for him and had barely sat against the wall when the Crown Prince entered. Yang Si glanced at him, seeing the Crown Prince sitting on the other side of the wall, staring at him.

The Crown Prince ordered: “Lock it.”

As Yang Si was bewildered, he heard the palace servants outside acknowledge, then iron locks secured the door from outside before the servants withdrew.

Yang Si: “…”

He stared at the proper and imposing young man opposite him, laughing in anger: “Is Your Highness guarding against thieves? Locking me in is one thing, but why lock yourself in too? What, does Your Highness fear what I might do?”

The Crown Prince looked at him and said: “I locked myself in because I intend to watch you personally. Yang Third, I will watch you tonight until you calm down. No matter what, you cannot go out, cannot go find Yaoyao, and especially cannot act on impulse and say you want to marry her at this time.”

Yang Si’s expression suddenly turned cold.

The look in his eyes became sharp, and for an instant, fierce like a wild beast.

Silence lingered between them.

They stared at each other.

After a long while, Yang Si smiled lazily: “This is truly interesting. Weren’t you always urging me to marry Yaoyao? Now that I agree, you disapprove?”

The Crown Prince said: “Of course, I’ve always supported you and Yaoyao. But you saw Father’s attitude tonight—at least for the short term, it’s better if Yaoyao’s marriage isn’t settled. Yang Third, you’re not alone; you have the entire Yang family behind you. Even if you won’t listen to me, would you have the entire Yang family face Father’s iron fist?”

Yang Si jumped up angrily.

Standing tall, he pointed outside, shouting: “So we just ignore it? Let the Emperor bully Yaoyao?”

The Crown Prince’s voice was calm: “Can’t you see Father doesn’t want Yaoyao to marry? As long as she doesn’t marry, for now, she won’t come to harm. If you don’t want the Yang family to become the second Li family, proceed slowly, don’t be rash.”

Yang Si stepped back, leaning against the wall.

The young man’s face was cold as he gave a low laugh: “Calm down, you say?”

The Crown Prince looked at him for a long while, then said slowly: “Yaoyao is my sister. Even if I use her, I won’t be as heartless as my father. You must acknowledge this much? At least I don’t want her married back to Wuman, at least I don’t want to drive her from Chang’an. I’m still working to arrange your marriage with her… If you two marry, you can protect her. But this needs time—it’s not yet time for me to openly oppose Father.”

Yang Si gave a cold laugh, saying nothing.

Seeing him like this, the Crown Prince sighed and said: “She’s my sister, but you’re the close friend who grew up with me. I’d rather she suffer a little than see you jump into the fire pit, understand?”

Yang Si said: “You just love scheming too much.”

The Crown Prince was silent for a while.

Then said: “Better than watching you go to your death.”

He said quietly: “Sleep. Tonight I’ll watch over you. Just like… that year when I watched you, not letting you take her away from here.”

Yang Si suddenly grew still.

His head leaned back, hitting the wall.

He thought of that year when he heard they were sending Mu Wanyao for the marriage alliance, how angry and indignant he was, wanting to take Mu Wanyao away.

But he couldn’t take her away.

The Crown Prince personally guarded him, while the Yang family sent people daily to persuade him. By the time he was released, it was already too late.

Yang Si gave a self-mocking smile, saying softly: “If you hadn’t watched me that year, she wouldn’t have had to marry for the alliance at all.”

The Crown Prince nodded: “True. And then your Yang family would have been destroyed because of you alone. You would have fled far with Mu Wanyao, hiding here and there. You’re a man so it wouldn’t matter, but have you thought whether my delicate sister could get used to such a life?

“She wouldn’t have gone with you then. And you can’t marry her now. Same principle.”

Yang Si lowered his eyes, and after a while, he sat down. Withdrawing his fierce aura, he said softly: “I just can’t bear it… you’re all too heartless.”

The Crown Prince said: “Then wait for my planning. When the time is right, you can marry her and protect her personally.”

Yang Si said: “I can’t protect her.”

Before the Crown Prince could anger, he turned his head, looking at the moonlight through the window, speaking slowly: “I’ve watched this sister grow up since we were small. Though I can’t bear it, what can I do as the Yang family’s Third Young Master? If I don’t dare to abandon my family, I can’t accomplish anything.

“I don’t want to marry her at all. I only hope there’s one person in this world who truly cares for her, and before then, I’ll try… can only try to be good to her.”

The Crown Prince said: “You must marry her.”

Yang Si impatiently turned over, lying down and covering his head with the blanket: “Sleep!”

The Crown Prince sighed and stopped pressing the issue—

Yan Shang was brought back by Guard Fang and led into the princess’s residence and outside her chamber door.

Fang Tong and others withdrew, indicating the princess waited inside.

Reaching the door, Yan Shang was made slightly dizzy by the wine fumes wafting from within.

He was startled, thought for a moment, then knocked on the door.

Mu Wanyao’s delicate yet cold voice rang out: “Can’t you push the door open yourself?”

Yan Shang was silent, then pushed open the door.

As he hesitated whether closing the door would damage the princess’s reputation, Mu Wanyao’s impatient voice continued: “If you don’t close the door, are you trying to freeze me?”

So Yan Shang closed the door and turned around.

Layer upon layer of curtains.

No sign of the princess.

Yan Shang asked uncertainly: “Your Highness?”

Mu Wanyao said: “Are you going to be so proper as to not take a single step forward?”

Yan Shang sighed softly, hearing her growing more impatient with each sentence, probably near her limit of patience. Standing there, surrounded by the room’s wine fumes, his glance swept over many empty wine jars. Who knew how much that drinker had consumed?

Yan Shang somewhat regretted coming.

He didn’t think he could reason with a drunk person.

But since he had come, he would deal with it as it came.

Yan Shang lifted the layers of curtains one by one, walking inside, searching for the princess. Suddenly, someone crashed into him from within, embracing him.

The lady’s slender arms tightly hugged his waist.

Her whole body buried itself in his embrace, her face pressed against his chest.

Yan Shang stiffened, his arms spread wide, not knowing what to do. He stammered: “Your Highness…”

Mu Wanyao, buried in his embrace, tightly hugging his waist, said softly: “Don’t be so proper, don’t be so quick to push me away. Let me hug you, just for a moment.”

Her voice was like breaking glass, empty, making one think of autumn leaves and winter snow.

She was suffering too much.

Yan Shang paused for a long while, then his arms fell to her back, embracing her.

He lowered his head, holding her. He encircled her, holding her in his arms, saying softly and gently: “Don’t be so sad, Your Highness.”

He smiled slightly, saying tenderly: “It was precisely because I thought Your Highness would be very hurt, feeling I couldn’t rest easy, that I thought no matter what, I should see Your Highness tonight. Should personally ask Your Highness one thing.”

Mu Wanyao raised her face, her gaze misty, murmuring: “Ask me what?”

Yan Shang looked at her: “I beg Your Highness not to grow distant from me.”

—He was so good with words, so considerate of her dignity.

When he should have been angry and ignored her, he instead begged her not to grow distant from him.