When lovers are together, they can’t help but be affectionate and reluctant to part. Even though Yan Shang knew what he needed to do, and Mu Wanyao had accompanied him all the way here, when he turned to bid her farewell, he still couldn’t bring himself to say “You should head back.”
Under the bright lantern light, Mu Wanyao looked up and saw Yan Shang’s expression, immediately understanding his hesitation.
She found it both amusing and touching, thinking to herself: “Do men have such tender feelings of reluctance and attachment towards women?” Then she thought, perhaps only someone as gentle as Yan Shang would be this way.
Hearing the sound of a gong, Mu Wanyao tilted her head to look toward its source. She saw that there were street vendors doing business in a place like North District, having set up a tent, hung lanterns, and erected bamboo poles.
These quick-thinking vendors had swiftly constructed a simple frame using bamboo poles, hanging wooden placards marked with characters like “First,” “Second,” and “Third.” Corresponding to these were various interesting trinkets laid out on the ground below, matching the placards above.
“Dong—” The gong rang out again in the vendor’s hand as he called out loudly, the sound crystal clear.
“Who is making all that noise?” Several windows of the upper floor suddenly pushed open, and some delicate ladies who were in the middle of doing their makeup looked down disapprovingly. “It’s so noisy!”
The vendor, intent on doing business here, maintained a smile: “Ladies and gentlemen, please look! We have arrows here. Ladies, if your beloved gentleman can shoot and hit the item you want, it’s yours for free. Twenty coins per try! None of the items down here are worth less than twenty coins.
“You all have discerning eyes and great skill. Come take a look—am I trying to deceive you?”
Sure enough, the vendor’s gong-beating and shouting attracted many young men who had come to the North District for entertainment. They gathered with their favorite courtesans, each showing off their archery skills before the beautiful ladies. The small stall quickly became crowded with people.
The people of Chang’an admired those skilled in both civil and martial arts, and here, in front of the ladies, everyone naturally wanted to show off.
Laughter and cheers constantly erupted from the crowd.
Mu Wanyao watched them having fun. Though she wasn’t particularly interested in games herself, among the items laid out on the ground were more than ten exquisitely painted clay figurines that were so lifelike and adorable that they immediately caught her attention. Mu Wanyao became eager to try, lowering her head in thought about whether she could pose as a man and shoot for herself.
The troublesome part was that while Chang’an’s customs were quite open and many women wore men’s clothing—she was wearing a man’s short-sleeved robe—no one in Chang’an would mistake her for a man.
In such an open-minded society with sophisticated citizens, how could she make people believe she was a man?
Yan Shang had only been standing with Mu Wanyao for a moment when his keen ability to read people’s expressions came into play. He smiled and said, “Your High… if you like any of the trinkets, I could shoot and win them for you.”
Mu Wanyao looked up at him.
She sized him up from head to toe.
Yan Shang stood tall like a pine or cypress, with a jade-like countenance, his temperament elegant and refined, carrying himself with natural grace.
As he had grown older and spent more time in Chang’an, his bearing had only improved. It had become so refined that one could hardly associate someone of his demeanor with martial pursuits and swordplay.
So after staring at him for a long while, Mu Wanyao said, “Forget it. Counting on you is less likely than convincing everyone I’m a man.”
Yan Shang: “…”
He pressed his lips together. Even for someone like him, being constantly doubted by his lover couldn’t be completely ignored.
Yan Shang said, “My archery is quite good.”
He hesitated for a moment.
Yan Shang typically disliked boasting about himself, but with Mu Wanyao showing such distrust, he finally overcame his embarrassment and went against his usual principles to make a proud declaration: “General Qin even praised my skills as being battlefield-worthy.”
Mu Wanyao looked at him.
She couldn’t recall which General Qin this was, but the fact that Yan Shang was boasting… After his boast, his face reddened slightly, showing signs of regret at his pride.
This was truly a rare sight!
Mu Wanyao instantly became excited and pulled at him: “Come on, let’s go shoot arrows!”
Whether Yan Shang was truly skilled or not, just for those words alone, she couldn’t pass this up—
Meng Zai Shi, wearing a mask, stood with his arms crossed under a lantern in front of the first floor, watching the couple.
He watched as the young man was forcefully led away by the young princess, showing reluctant acceptance.
The young man’s bearing was dignified, his features clear and distinguished, and most remarkably, his entire demeanor was exceptional. Like carved jade, he embodied exactly what Wei valued in a gentleman.
Meng Zai Shi clicked his tongue, thinking that Mu Wanyao was indeed still a Wei princess.
No matter how long she had stayed in Wu Man, her aesthetic preferences still aligned with Wei’s celebrated ideals.
Meng Zai Shi silently watched them for a while before following.
Though Meng Zai Shi’s group had said they would slowly study Wei’s customs, time was short. To make it to the year-end ceremony, they had been traveling at full speed.
Among the group, Meng Zai Shi’s martial skills were the highest. Tonight, while the other Wu Man people were still traveling through the night, the fake king was being closely watched by Luo Xiu, the envoy sent by the Southern Man king, while the true king of Wu Man, Meng Zai Shi, had entered Chang’an under the pretext of “scouting the situation.”
He had come to Chang’an’s most prosperous and lively North District.
When the main Wu Man contingent entered Chang’an in two days, Meng Zai Shi would rejoin them.
Chang’an had a curfew, and after entering the city, only places like the North District were freely accessible at night. He hadn’t expected that in the North District, he would have this reunion after their long separation, encountering Princess Danyang.
Even more unexpected was how restless Mu Wanyao had become. Just two years back in Chang’an, she already had a handsome young man by her side.
She had deceived and used him in the past—how much genuine feeling did she have for the young man at her side today?
Meng Zai Shi smiled to himself and followed behind them, watching as they squeezed into the crowd to try archery. Meng Zai Shi raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued—
Very well.
Having just arrived in Chang’an, he hadn’t brought any reunion gift for the little princess.
Winning something through archery now could serve as a meeting gift.
Meng Zai Shi also joined the crowd—
As Meng Zai Shi silently squeezed in, Yan Shang had already nocked an arrow, while Mu Wanyao stood beside him nervously clutching his sleeve.
Yan Shang said softly, “Your Highness, please don’t grab my sleeve. It restricts my movement.”
Mu Wanyao cursed at him: “See? I told you you weren’t capable! You’re too fussy.”
Even as she said this, she still released his sleeve, and to avoid disturbing him, she even moved two steps to the side.
A tall man stopped beside her.
The vendor enthusiastically asked: “Would the gentleman also like to try? Twenty coins per shot.”
Mu Wanyao casually glanced sideways, her gaze lingering only briefly on his mask before disregarding him, more concerned with Yan Shang’s situation.
Meng Zai Shi nodded, remaining silent to avoid revealing his true identity through his accent, and simply tossed his money pouch to the vendor. The vendor immediately smiled broadly and went to fetch a bow and arrow.
Meng Zai Shi toyed with the bow in his hands, wearing a half-smile. This was no real bow… it had been tampered with, making it easy to miss.
He glanced at the vendor, his gaze like a cold blade, cutting through flesh and bone, drawing blood.
This imposing and cold-blooded aura made the vendor freeze. Reading the situation, the vendor whispered, “Sir, would you like me to get you a different bow?”
Meng Zai Shi sneered.
At such a close distance, he could throw the arrow by hand and hit the target—why bother changing bows?
Pushing the vendor aside, Meng Zai Shi noticed from the corner of his eye that Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao were whispering something, but he paid no attention. He casually nocked the arrow, barely aiming before releasing it. At the same moment, the person next to him also loosed their arrow.
A lady’s beautiful, joyous voice rang out: “He hit it! He hit it!”
The voice was clear and crisp, like an oriole, carrying an upward lilt of excitement and irrepressible joy.
When it reached Meng Zai Shi’s ears, his mind instantly went blank, thinking she was rejoicing over his hit. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he turned to look beside him, but his gaze froze.
No young princess was clinging to him, smiling and praising his skill.
Mu Wanyao was holding Yan Shang’s arm, pulling at it while happily stamping her feet and jumping. Though dressed in men’s clothing, she couldn’t hide her feminine charm. When Mu Wanyao laughed clearly while pulling Yan Shang, her eyes curved in crescents, without a trace of melancholy.
She was carefree and without worry, like a young girl, happily whispering and acting coy with her young man.
Meng Zai Shi watched in a daze, feeling empty inside.
He realized he had never seen her so pure. She had been anything but pure with him, full of schemes and machinations… So was the Mu Wanyao he knew not the real Mu Wanyao?
He had taught her not to rely on men, and she had learned well in Wu Man.
But why was it that once back in Wei, she was like a little girl again, tilting her head up with a bright smile and looking at a man with such joyful eyes?
Lost in thought, Meng Zai Shi barely noticed the vendor regretfully pointing at the clay figurine, ready to give it to him. Meng Zai Shi raised his gaze toward the opposite side, gesturing for the vendor to send the figurine to Mu Wanyao.
The vendor looked back, somewhat troubled. The lady already had a gentleman by her side, and her gentleman had also hit his target… Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to suddenly send another gift?
But when the vendor tried to argue with Meng Zai Shi, he was met with a cold stare. The vendor’s heart chilled, and he reluctantly went over—
Mu Wanyao happily held the clay figurine that Yan Shang had won, praising endlessly: “So you really can hit the target?”
Yan Shang sighed: “I told you earlier, but you wouldn’t believe me.”
Mu Wanyao laughed: “Well, I believe you now. Quick, quick, help me win a few more! I love their clay figurines.”
Yan Shang said softly: “The vendor is just trying to make a modest living, using twenty coins to build goodwill. The true value of these clay figurines, how can it be compared to twenty coins? Having won once and already affected their earnings, why not stop here? Let’s not hinder their business.”
Mu Wanyao: “…”
She raised her head expressionlessly, giving him a cold look, and said: “You know how to spoil the fun.”
Yan Shang said: “If you like them, I can simply buy them for you. No need for more archery.”
Mu Wanyao gave him a look of disdain.
Then her eyes brightened as she pleaded: “How about just one more shot? Look, no one else around us could hit the target, only we did. People are saying this stall is a scam, wouldn’t you hit again indirectly to prove it’s not? Just help them out one more time.”
She pouted, pointing longingly at a clay figurine with an endearing smile on the ground: “That’s my favorite! I didn’t tell you to shoot for it earlier because I didn’t know you’d be so pedantic. Please, just one more shot? Just one. One shot won’t hurt their business that much, right?”
Yan Shang didn’t want to see her unhappy, so he hesitantly walked back to the vendor. Mu Wanyao immediately lit up with joy, happily following behind him while hugging the figurine he had already won for her.
Unexpectedly, when they approached, they saw the vendor holding the clay figurine Mu Wanyao had been eyeing. She suddenly became anxious, but before she could ask, the vendor walked over to give her the figurine. Mu Wanyao dodged backward warily, while Yan Shang stepped in front of her, looking questioningly at the vendor.
The vendor smiled bitterly: “That customer over there hit the target and wants to give it to the lady…”
Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao looked over to see a tall man wearing a mask. Upon seeing him, Mu Wanyao’s gaze contracted slightly, instinctively feeling that he was dangerous and wanting to stay away.
Mu Wanyao immediately turned her head away and said coldly: “I don’t want it! I’m not interested!
Second Brother Yan, let’s go! I don’t want anything from some annoying man!”
The vendor, caught in the middle with one person wanting to give and another refusing to accept, was nearly in tears from the awkward situation. Fortunately, there was still Yan Shang.
Yan Shang took the clay figurine from the vendor, smiled at the masked man, and said gently: “Thank you, sir, for such a gift to my little sister. However, we are not greedy people. Little vendor, here are twenty coins, please return them to that gentleman.”
Yan Shang took out the money, the vendor accepted it, and Meng Zai Shi watched in a daze as the twenty coins returned to his hand.
Meng Zai Shi: “…”
Light and shadow intertwined like water and fire. Yan Shang stood in the lamplight, holding the clay figurine, gave Meng Zai Shi a slight bow, then turned to lead a satisfied Mu Wanyao back into the crowd of people and lanterns behind them.
When Meng Zai Shi looked down again, he stared at the copper coins in his palm with complex emotions. He found himself intrigued:
The man the little princess favored this time was eloquent, knew proper etiquette, and seemed quite extraordinary—
The silent confrontation between the three that night went unnoticed by others. After parting with Mu Wanyao, Yan Shang went to the North District’s North Quarter, putting Mu Wanyao’s mind at ease.
The North District had three quarters where most courtesans were located in the eastern part: the Middle Quarter, South Quarter, and North Quarter. Among them, the North Quarter was where the lower-ranking courtesans resided. Many imperial courtesans and daughters of condemned officials were demoted to the North Quarter.
If Yan Shang had gone to the South or Middle Quarter, Mu Wanyao would have suspected he might be visiting courtesans. But since he went to the North Quarter… the possibility of him visiting courtesans was minimal; he must truly have business to attend to, someone to meet.
Did Yan Shang think she had followed him to the North District because she was reluctant to part with him? She was more concerned about monitoring him. She fundamentally distrusted men, even Yan Shang.
After confirming Yan Shang was fine, Mu Wanyao didn’t care what business he had. She left with her two clay figurines, taking a carriage back to her mansion. Sitting in the carriage, she examined the two figurines from every angle, unable to put them down.
Next, Mu Wanyao still had to busy herself with the grand ceremony matters. With only a few days left, she naturally had to focus all her energy on this.
Regarding Mu Wanyao organizing the grand ceremony’s palace banquet, there were naturally those who disapproved, discussing it in private.
When Prince Jin visited his mother, Noble Consort Xian, in the palace, he heard her complaining about Mu Wanyao overstepping her bounds.
After complaining about Mu Wanyao, seeing Prince Jin unmoved, Noble Consort Xian angrily continued: “Look at how the Crown Prince and Prince Qin are both busy working on the grand ceremony, why aren’t you fighting for any involvement? With Noble Consort under house arrest, I wanted to try to get involved with the grand ceremony’s palace banquet to help you gain favor with His Majesty… but why do you seem so indifferent?”
Prince Jin said: “It truly doesn’t matter.”
He lowered his eyes and said: “I’ve been copying the Classic of Filial Piety lately and have gained deep insights. Father Emperor is exhausted, and my elder brother and third brother are already keeping him very busy. I naturally should let Father Emperor worry less about me. Mother, if you’re feeling restless, why not join me in copying books?”
Noble Consort Xian: “…So now you’re trying to convince me to be idle with you?”
Prince Jin said: “There’s nothing wrong with cultivating oneself and maintaining tranquility.”
After a while, seeing Noble Consort Xian glaring at him, since she was his mother after all, Prince Jin couldn’t help but reveal a bit more. He leaned close to his mother’s ear and said softly: “Mother, don’t be anxious. Father Emperor favors virtuous rulers and those who have good reputations among the common people… isn’t my position in the Ministry of Works all for the support of the common people?
“Otherwise, the Ministry of Works is the least prestigious of the Six Ministries. Even if I were incompetent, there would be no need to cling to such a position.
“The Book of Documents says, ‘(Emperor Yao was) reverent, intelligent, accomplished, thoughtful, and sincerely courteous. He was genuinely respectful and capable of all complaisance. His bright influence was felt through the four quarters and reached heaven above and earth beneath. He made bright his great virtue and brought into concord all the nine branches of his kindred. When the nine branches of the kindred were harmonious, he distinguished and secured the relations of all the hundred families. When the hundred families became harmonious, all the states were brought into peace.’
“Since childhood, my tutor has always taught me this passage, and sometimes when Father Emperor asks about my studies, he would focus on this passage for a long time. I guess Father Emperor has always valued this passage greatly. Although he isn’t like that, Father Emperor reveres Emperor Yao.
“Father Emperor, throughout his life, has seen too many people full of schemes and ambition. Being forceful and domineering himself, he would naturally prefer those who are honest, obedient, simple, and upright. Haven’t I been working toward this all these years?”
Noble Consort Xian was momentarily convinced by Prince Jin but remained half-skeptical.
What kind of heir the Emperor wanted was just Prince Jin’s guess. How reliable could such a guess be? According to Prince Jin’s reasoning, His Majesty didn’t care about bloodline theory or ambition theory. His Majesty didn’t need someone clever and wise, nor someone who could conquer in all directions. Among the current three princes, His Majesty should least prefer the Crown Prince… but there was no sign of the Emperor restricting the Crown Prince.
Prince Jin smiled bitterly: “It’s just my conjecture. But once you have a theory, you must see it through to the end. Giving up halfway is taboo.”
After staying silent for a while, Noble Consort Xian said: “So you’re determined to walk this path of being respectful and compliant, and after pretending for so long, you’ve truly become such a person, unable to return to your former self. Such a manufactured sage, apart from being a sage, has cut off all other paths and can no longer do anything else… is this good?”
Prince Jin said quietly: “I can’t afford to worry about so much anymore. My two brothers each have their strengths; if I want to surpass them, this is my only option.”
Noble Consort Xian whispered: “Do you think that by just staying still, that position will fall into your lap?”
Prince Jin remained silent, thinking that perhaps it really would.
Prince Jin smiled and changed the subject: “In a few days, I’ll have Chunhua come to pay respects to Mother. The imperial physicians all say her child is a boy, which should be good news.”
Speaking of Prince Jin’s offspring, Noble Consort Xian also became happy. But she also had some worries: “It’s good that Chunhua is pregnant, but why hasn’t your wife shown any signs yet? Could she be unable to bear children? We should have someone examine her.”
Prince Jin said: “The Princess Consort is already trying her best. She’s brought Buddhist statues to our mansion, and the place is constantly filled with incense from her prayers. She’s already having such a difficult time, Mother should not pressure her about having children.”
Hearing her son speak up for his wife, Noble Consort Xian became somewhat displeased. It was natural for mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law to be at odds, even in the royal family.
Noble Consort Xian said: “What kind of talk is this? Am I not concerned about her offspring, about her position? I worry myself sick over you all, and now you find me annoying?”
Her son being without an heir had caused her anxiety for so many years. Now that there was finally hope, she naturally wanted to ask for more.
It would be best if Prince Jin’s wife had a child. If the Princess Consort had a child, whether the first was a boy or girl, it would be better than the current situation… at least it would prove she could bear children.
Now that Prince Jin’s household was slowly beginning to branch out, with other women able to bear children, if the Princess Consort remained childless, her position would become precarious—
When the Wu Man envoys arrived in Chang’an, they first reported to the Court of State Ceremonials.
The Court of State Ceremonials only panicked internally for a moment before orderly coming to receive the Wu Man envoys. This unhurried manner, befitting a great nation, along with the splendor of Chang’an they had witnessed along the way, made the Wu Man contingent somewhat timid.
Facing the officials sent by the Great Wei court, Meng Zai Shi had the fake king and Luo Xiu, the Southern Man king’s envoy who was supervising them, go to the residence arranged by the Court of State Ceremonials to rest. Meng Zai Shi then led several people to follow the Wei officials to the Court of State Ceremonials to provide their information, facilitating Wei’s arrangements.
For this visit to the Court of State Ceremonials to meet Wei officials, out of respect, Meng Zai Shi had removed his mask.
A long scar across half his face made his handsome features appear fierce and terrifying; the receiving official only glanced once before lowering his head and not looking again.
Arriving at the Court of State Ceremonials, the guide official sighed in relief and called out, as Meng Zai Shi understood with his limited Wei official language: “Yan Suchen! The Wu Man envoys have arrived, come quickly to receive them.”
It should have been Yan Shang receiving them personally, but he was held up by something, so another official who didn’t know the Wu Man language had been cramming a few phrases while reluctantly escorting the Wu Man guests. Now at the Court of State Ceremonials, this official sighed in relief and quickly called for Yan Shang to come out.
Meng Zai Shi heard a young man’s clear, gentle voice: “Thank you, elder brother. Please go in and have some tea.”
Meng Zai Shi looked up to see a young man in white robes with a round collar and wearing an official headpiece walking out from the hall to welcome them.
Clear and elegant, like jade catching the light.
As he descended the steps, he raised his eyes and gave them a slight smile, bowing with his hands clasped. He spoke to them in perfect Wu Man language: “Gentlemen, please follow me.”
His bearing and demeanor made the group of barbarians behind Meng Zai Shi feel somewhat uncomfortable, feeling as though they had been reduced to savages by comparison.
This young man made Meng Zai Shi freeze, for this refined and elegant youth was the same young man he had seen with Mu Wanyao that night in the North District.
Meng Zai Shi narrowed his eyes: …so he was an official—
Meng Zai Shi and his group followed Yan Shang, listening as he explained local customs to them in their language and things they needed to pay attention to.
Finally, Yan Shang said: “I need the congratulatory message from Wu Man for His Majesty’s birthday, so I can translate it for the palace.”
The people behind Meng Zai Shi all looked at him blankly, feeling nervous, wondering what message was needed. They hadn’t heard about this.
Unexpectedly, their king was already prepared and produced a message. They saw the young official glance at it, say “good,” and was about to take it away to translate, allowing them to move freely without having to stay at the Court of State Ceremonials.
Meng Zai Shi suddenly said in broken Wei official language: “May I watch how you translate?”
Yan Shang was startled for a moment, hearing the other party speak the Wei language. He raised his eyebrows and gently agreed.
Yan Shang returned to his office, briefly invited the other to be seated, then sat behind his desk and began copying the message, translating it into Wei language.
Meng Zai Shi crossed his arms and surveyed the room, but his gaze ultimately settled on Yan Shang. He stared at him for a while before suddenly saying: “I heard your officials earlier call you ‘Yan something.’ Is your surname Yan?”
Yan Shang looked up with a smile: “Yes. Does the gentleman have some insight about this?”
Meng Zai Shi asked curiously: “Are you perhaps also quite familiar with Princess Danyang?”
Yan Shang paused briefly, and continued writing with his head lowered, still maintaining his pleasant demeanor: “We have had some fortunate encounters.”
This made Meng Zai Shi even more curious: “Your surnames sound the same, so do you know someone called ‘Yan Shisheng’?”
Yan Shang: “…”
As he wrote with his sleeve rolled up, he slowly raised his eyes to look at Meng Zai Shi.
Yan Shisheng was his original name.
He was certain that apart from the old acquaintances in Lingnan, his first teacher in Chang’an, and those close to Mu Wanyao, no one in this world knew his original name was Yan Shisheng.
So, for this Wu Man person to ask this question was quite interesting.
Yan Shang said slowly: “I might have heard of him, but I’m not entirely certain. Why does the gentleman ask about this person?”