When he spoke these words, Mu Wan Yao's eyes flickered with shifting light, her hatred growing sharper. The immense sarcasm and malice struck her as laughable, leaving her momentarily unable to comprehend how things had come to this.
Mu Wan Yao: "Are you fishing for sympathy? Me abandoning you? It was you who abandoned me! The moment you chose this path... you planned to break with me from the very beginning! You gave up on me from the start! You're the villain! You're the one who wronged me!"
Yan Shang's face appeared pale in the candlelight.
Whether it was due to her words or the blood loss from his imprisonment remained unclear.
His lips merely trembled slightly, yet he accepted her accusations without protest. As long as it brought her satisfaction, he would concede to whatever judgment she wished to impose.
Seeing him like this, Mu Wan Yao's gaze turned colder still.
She forced him to lift his head and meet her eyes, attacking him with all her thorns: "Are you satisfied with the current situation? With so many people holding grudges against you, even if you leave this prison, throughout Chang'an... you've offended most of the official circles, haven't you? Even if you don't die here, you'll just be executed under some pretext after your release. Without my protection... who would care whether you live or die? Those people would gladly drown you in their spit.
"And yet you treat me like this!"
Mu Wan Yao's voice grew hoarse with desperation: "Yan Shang, I may have lost everything, but you haven't won either!"
Yan Shang kept his eyes lowered. The more his heart ached, the paler his complexion became, yet he remained silent. He allowed her to vent, permitted her to strike him, endured her hateful gaze.
They had agreed to part ways, but if his heart was tearing open, how could Mu Wan Yao be faring any better?
Thus, he offered no defense.
What Mu Wan Yao hated most was his submissive acceptance. It was precisely this gentleness that had deceived her, making her believe he would always remain this way. Yet at a certain moment, he had been so ruthless—"Speak, Yan Shang! Why did you insist on taking this path? Don't you understand that by getting involved, you've become a loser too? You're gambling with your life, but who even cares?"
He hadn't intended to justify himself, but ultimately, he couldn't bear to let her drift further away.
Yan Shang said: "I gamble with my life seeking justice. Perhaps the entire court doesn't care, viewing me as a moth flying into flame. But the common people care. Yizhou, where the disaster struck, cares. The numerous lives lost in Yizhou's calamity care. After the disaster ended... the seventy-two exterminated souls care!
"I know you'll wonder why I acted so impulsively. Even though the Vice Minister of Revenue is already dead, I still had to step forward. Yao Yao, this wasn't impulse at all. I've pondered it thoroughly... I actually struggled for a long time. You blame me for going back on my word, but I never imagined you would proceed with extermination afterward."
Mu Wan Yao: "What extermination?"
Yan Shang studied her for a long moment: "You don't know?"
Mu Wan Yao fell silent briefly. She truly didn't understand what Yan Shang meant by seventy-two lives.
But Mu Wan Yao maintained her icy expression: "Let's set that aside for now. I've always known our positions differed subtly, but I believed we could coexist peacefully. Because you're not someone who would rather break than bend—you're actually quite adaptable and diplomatic. You can befriend people of all temperaments... yet this time you couldn't tolerate it.""Even if... even if you were dissatisfied with these matters, you could have waited until I gained a firm foothold before acting! You could have waited until your own power was substantial enough before doing these things! Endurance is not wrong—temporary forbearance is for eventual reckoning. Yet you chose to strike now! Not only did you walk into a dead end yourself, but you also dragged me down with you."
Yan Shang said softly: "Endure until you hold overwhelming court influence? By then, our conflicts would only grow greater. Over the intervening years, Your Highness and I would drift further apart, our hearts and affections growing distant. Does Your Highness believe that would be better?"
"Endure until the day I dominate the court? How many more people would die because of such matters during that time? Some dying every year, some every year... Your Highness, are human lives mere numbers? Are they achievements? Are human lives so lightly dismissed in Your Highness's eyes that you haven't even glanced at them? If I endure until that time to settle accounts... even if I manage to endure all these years without breaking and maintain today's disposition, consider how corrupt the court would have become by then! Is it right to let problems accumulate without solving them when they arise?"
"Perhaps Your Highness would still advise me to plan thoroughly before acting. Your Highness, in such matters, there is never truly a day of 'complete preparation.' Since ancient times, Shang Yang's reforms ended with him being torn apart by chariots! Do I not know this? No matter how much planning is done, it ultimately comes down to that final step. Originally, if the Vice Minister of Revenue hadn't died, I wouldn't have needed to step forward... but he died. If I don't stand up now, when you become more vigilant about this, it will be even harder for me to break the situation later. Perhaps this truly is the only opportunity to catch everyone off guard—the best timing."
"Perhaps Your Highness thinks I should wait until my own faction grows stronger. But when it comes to court influence... it's not that easy. After years of attrition, I fear my own blood would have turned cold."
"Or perhaps Your Highness thinks this will get me killed, that such matters should be left to others, and I should focus on more meaningful pursuits. Your Highness, in this world, there's no concept of letting others sacrifice while one reaps the benefits. In Your Highness's eyes, only people like you deserve respect for their lives. But in my eyes... everyone is equal. My background prevents me from being indifferent to human lives."
"The only one I've wronged is Your Highness. And... my family."
Mu Wan Yao listened quietly to his words.
After he finished, she said coldly: "Different classes, different standpoints. So you do understand. But do you know that what you're doing cannot fundamentally cure the court's ills? Even if you bring down the Ministry of Revenue, it only serves as a warning to the officialdom. Given time, it will happen again. Unless you eradicate it from the root... but such things can never be completely eliminated."
"The common people you want to protect die because of the collusion between officials and merchants you see, because higher officials shield their subordinates. And the reason such protection networks form is because people like me need to maintain our own interests. When disasters occur, merchants want to profit from them, officials prefer to avoid trouble, and the overall situation remains unchanged. Didn't the Vice Minister of Revenue manage affairs below him? He did. He sent you for disaster relief. What does it matter if some profit was made in between?"
"You've also served in the Ministry of Revenue. You know how many people reach out to the ministry for funds. Doesn't the frontier military require funds? Doesn't the Ministry of Works need money for repairs? Even the Ministry of Personnel's official selections... don't they require money?""I know, you're about to say minor corruption is tolerable, but we've already gone too far. Yan Shang, who defines what constitutes going too far? You? Can you guarantee that water too clean breeds no fish with this commotion you've stirred? You've merely pulled down the Ministry of Revenue and installed new officials, causing losses to both me and the Crown Prince... Is the significance really that great?"
Yan Shang: "The significance is great.
"Because when matters escalate to this extent, His Majesty will intervene, and the Crown Prince's excessive actions will be halted. Officials across the realm witnessing the Ministry of Revenue's losses will dare not act so brazenly for at least five or six years. Meanwhile, the court can select more censors and implement additional measures. The time gained through this is crucial."
Mu Wan Yao: "Merely five or six years."
Yan Shang: "Five or six years is sufficient."
Mu Wan Yao sneered: "Your life is only worth five or six years."
Yan Shang said calmly: "If my life can purchase five or six years of peace, I am content."
Mu Wan Yao: "It seems you've lived enough and no longer wish to live."
Yan Shang: "It's merely a matter of personal choice."
Mu Wan Yao fell silent.
After all the back and forth, their positions remained different, their thoughts divergent. He defended his stance, she defended hers. Neither could persuade the other, neither could make the other yield. This exhausted Mu Wan Yao, saddened her, made her feel...
Mu Wan Yao murmured: "You make me feel that in this world, no one truly loves anyone."
It must be because there is no love that he chose this path.
Having said this, she felt there was nothing left to say to Yan Shang and rose to leave. Unexpectedly, while he had been so calm while explaining his perspective, her words made his eyes instantly redden. As she stood to depart, he abruptly looked up at her and grabbed her wrist.
His eyes were slightly red, the light in them swaying like tides.
Yan Shang's voice trembled slightly: "Don't think that way. Of all things... what I fear most is you thinking like this.
"It was my choice to walk this path. I don't deserve your affection, I never should have approached you that day. I deeply regret having you suffer because of me... but please don't think that way. It's only me who is unworthy, not everyone in this world. Don't believe you can never receive pure love because of me. Don't close yourself off and distrust everyone because of me.
"I worked so hard to help you... to help you emerge somewhat. I don't want you to retreat back inside.
"Actually... I've left a path for you, but I fear you might not be willing to take it.
"Have you considered what consequences await you if you continue stubbornly down this path with the Crown Prince? At best, you might become a powerful princess, but you've witnessed his past, your power overlaps with his—if you threaten him, won't he strike against you? What kind of cooperation is it when it's all about profit without genuine care?
"Your Highness, you went for the Peace Marriage due to the balance between the noble families and His Majesty. Now that you've returned, you've chosen to cooperate with the noble families. Facing such threats, seeking such power isn't wrong. But you could actually step out of this... People should move toward better places, not remain stuck in the mud.
"Your Highness... don't lose heart because of this, don't cut off love and emotion because of me. I'm not worth Your Highness doing this..."Mu Wan Yao’s wrist was gripped by him as she listened to his rare, incoherent ramblings—his words were chaotic, unlike his usual self. Pale and gaunt, his long hair disheveled, he looked up at her like hazy moonlight. She stared down blankly until the sound of footsteps from outside broke her trance. Turning her head, she saw the prison door, which had been slightly ajar, swing open as officials from the Ministry of Justice appeared.
At the sight of them, Yan Shang’s icy fingers, which had been clutching her wrist, retracted as if scalded.
Puzzled, Mu Wan Yao heard the officials bow and fawn with ingratiating smiles: “Your Highness, we must interrogate the prisoner to extract some information.”
Mu Wan Yao was taken aback. “Interrogate the prisoner? At this hour?”
She glanced at the moonlight streaming through the small window on the wall. “The Ministry of Justice conducts interrogations in the dead of night?”
The officials smiled apologetically. “Precisely at such times, when the prisoner’s mind is less clear than during the day, it’s easier to make them speak the truth.”
They hesitated, saying no more. Seeing that Danyang Princess and Yan Erlang seemed to share an unusual relationship, they feared further details might upset her. After all, as a noble lady, she shouldn’t be exposed to such sordid affairs. There was no need for the princess to know that Yan Erlang had been tortured repeatedly at night.
Mu Wan Yao’s gaze grew unsettled.
She immediately grasped what the officials meant.
Her face paled abruptly, and her first instinct was to look at Yan Shang kneeling at her feet. Once again, she noticed the bloodstains on his white inner robe, but this time, she thought of the hidden wounds beneath his clothes. She remained silent, standing there dazed, and the officials took her silence as consent. They seized Yan Shang’s arms and hauled him up.
Only then did Mu Wan Yao realize how weak Yan Shang was—he couldn’t even stand on his own.
She opened her mouth to order them to stop, to not harm him like this, but the words seemed to burn her tongue, and not a sound escaped.
Yan Shang was the enemy! The enemy!
Supported by the officials, Yan Shang tried to conceal his injuries and walk on his own. But when he saw Mu Wan Yao’s bewildered, helpless gaze fixed on him, he paused, then offered a faint smile and whispered, “Your Highness, could you leave this place?”
Mu Wan Yao was confused.
He lowered his eyes and insisted softly but firmly, “At the very least… we were once acquainted. Please grant me some dignity, Your Highness.”
Mu Wan Yao was perplexed: Did her presence strip him of his dignity?
She said nothing more and turned to leave. Yet she didn’t truly depart; she merely walked toward the prison exit, her steps growing slower and slower. In the empty prison, interrogations in the dead of night were a privilege reserved only for Yan Shang.
Mu Wan Yao heard the crack of a whip, the officials’ harsh questioning, and occasionally, the sound of water being splashed.
Facing the direction of the prison exit, her back stiffened and straightened, growing rigid.
Holding her breath, she dared not listen further and quickened her pace, fleeing the scene as if escaping.
Yan Shang was right.
She couldn’t bear to listen, much less watch.
Because… if she caught even a glimpse, she would never allow them to treat Yan Shang that way.
She would lose her head, she would weep, she would protect him… but he was so detestable!
She neither understood nor wished to understand… she only wanted to claim what was rightfully hers.
If he died… even if he died, she wouldn’t shed a single tear for this betrayer—Xiarong met the princess outside the prison.
She expected to see a princess with red-rimmed eyes, or one who had already wept.
Yet Mu Wan Yao was so cold, utterly expressionless.
Xiarong: "Yan Erlang..."
Mu Wan Yao icily: "Nearly dead. What, planning to join him in the grave?"
Xiarong dared not ask further—
The case Yan Shang had stirred up continued to escalate, resulting in the entire Ministry of Revenue being dismissed and investigated.
The Ministry of Justice had become exceptionally busy lately—this was a golden opportunity to bring down the Crown Prince. However, Prince Qin wasn’t as pleased as he had imagined.
Prince Qin was somewhat intimidated by Yan Shang’s ruthlessness in dragging everyone down with him. He feared that one day he might suffer the same blow the Crown Prince was facing now.
Had Yan Shang not returned to the city that day, and had they only interrogated the Vice Minister of Revenue, the situation might not have escalated to this irreversible point... But there were no what-ifs. Now that the entire court was focused on the matter, Prince Qin dared not settle personal scores openly—he had to investigate strictly by the book.
A single Ministry of Revenue had implicated all six ministries. The Ministry of Justice was under immense pressure, and Prince Qin couldn’t help but resent Yan Shang for complicating matters. He secretly ordered the interrogators to make Yan Shang suffer more during the torture as personal retaliation.
However, Prince Qin would not let Yan Shang die during the interrogation.
While the Court of Judicial Review left Yan Shang half-dead after each session, the Ministry of Justice had to ensure he stayed alive. At the very least, Yan Shang should not die at this moment... Once the Crown Prince fell, Prince Qin wouldn’t care how Yan Shang met his end afterward—
As the investigation unfolded, no matter how many people resisted or concealed evidence, more and more proof was laid before the emperor.
The entire court was in an uproar.
The kickbacks the Ministry of Revenue had taken over the years under the Crown Prince’s management turned out to be far greater than anyone had imagined. The ministry’s annual embezzlement and the unknown sums funneled into the homes of its officials implicated numerous noble families. Many had exploited the Ministry of Revenue to line their pockets.
The Ministry of War discovered that its annual funds had been slashed, while the Ministry of Works had been largely spared, sparking immediate discontent.
The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites were also arguing over who had spent the taxes reallocated by the Ministry of Revenue in a certain year.
During the triple tribunal, Yan Shang systematically recounted the Ministry of Revenue’s old accounts. While serving in the Bureau of Granaries, he had reviewed ledgers that didn’t match the actual records. This led to more interrogations, summonses... and in the chaos, most officials were dragged into the fray.
The Crown Prince and Mu Wan Yao consistently denied the allegations, and when denial was impossible, they produced scapegoats.
An official sent by the Crown Prince confronted Yan Shang in court, only to be dismissed and exiled afterward.
Officials from Mu Wan Yao’s faction tried to use connections to sway the Ministry of Justice, but with the Secretariat, the Censorate, and the Chancellery overseeing the case, the Ministry of Justice no longer dared to show leniency.
The situation grew increasingly unfavorable for the Crown Prince’s side. Gradually, the court’s sentiment began to shift. Tentatively, the Hanlin Academy started submitting memorials pleading for Yan Shang’s unjust treatment. While the Hanlin Academy’s memorials were initially dismissed as laughable, more ministries followed suit... making it exceedingly difficult for the Crown Prince and Mu Wan Yao to respond.
The decline was inevitable.
After her discussion with Yan Shang, Mu Wan Yao had already accepted this reality. Though angry, she remained relatively calm. In contrast, the Crown Prince was furious, repeatedly smashing his desk in the Eastern Palace and vowing not to let Yan Shang off.
The Eastern Palace was engulfed in tension daily. Mu Wan Yao had intended to discuss with the Crown Prince which ministers were impeaching them, but she had grown weary of hearing his empty threats.In this incident, the Crown Prince maintained an inscrutable expression toward his advisors and ministers, only to vent his anger on Mu Wan Yao upon returning, using her as an outlet.
She remained expressionless, which provoked the Crown Prince to blame her again, saying it was her indulgence that had allowed Yan Shang to reach this point. Mu Wan Yao grew impatient with the Crown Prince’s constant suspicious glances and immediately turned to leave, further infuriating him with her temper.
Troubled by these matters, Mu Wan Yao was persuaded by Xiarong and Fang Tong to take a stroll among the common people to clear her mind.
Initially reluctant, but unwilling to return and argue with the Crown Prince, she allowed herself to be led out.
In the late afternoon, Mu Wan Yao arrived at the East Market by carriage. However, as soon as she entered with her maids, she noticed it was much quieter than usual, with fewer commoners around. Puzzled, she instructed Fang Tong to investigate. After a while, Fang Tong reported that the crowd had gathered in one spot, and Mu Wan Yao curiously went to see.
Just as Fang Tong had said, the commoners were clustered around one place.
A tent was set up there, with young maids gracefully serving tea and water. A young woman sat at a desk, surrounded by the chattering crowd. She was writing, and each person who stepped out of the crowd received a cup of hot tea from a maid.
Merely by offering free hot tea, she had drawn these commoners together.
Mu Wan Yao recognized the woman writing amid the crowd as Liu Ruozhu.
She murmured, "What is Sister Ruozhu doing here? Could these commoners possibly have precious books for her collection?"
"It’s all for Yan Erlang," a cool male voice came from beside her.
Mu Wan Yao turned to see an elegant man standing next to her.
She studied him for a moment: "...Lin Yan?"
The man’s face darkened: "Your servant is Lin Dao, styled Yan Zhi."
Mu Wan Yao shrugged indifferently: "Oh."
She asked, "Did you bring Sister Ruozhu here to play?"
Lin Dao replied calmly, "It was her own idea. With Yan Shang’s current situation, few court officials are speaking up for him. The Imperial College students should have stood by him... but as Your Highness knows, most of them come from noble families, and this time, they’ve likely received instructions from their elders not to step forward."
"So, we must let the court hear the true voices of the common people. Ruozhu is collecting these... She will take them to show Yan Erlang, and I will present them before the emperor. The more such voices there are, the more the court officials will be influenced."
Mu Wan Yao’s tone was even colder than his: "I know. The first memorial from the Hanlin Academy speaking up for Yan Shang was submitted by you. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on your side—the Crown Prince intercepted it first. He has taken note of you."
Lin Dao: "It doesn’t matter. I’ve long been in the Hanlin Academy; the worst that can happen is already here."
Mu Wan Yao: "You come from a noble family, and so does Liu Ruozhu. I didn’t expect you both to stand with Yan Shang."
Lin Dao: "It’s not about standing with Yan Erlang. Ruozhu stands for justice, and I stand... for her."
Mu Wan Yao slowly lifted her eyes to look at him. In his aloof expression, she detected a tenderness as he gazed at the young woman writing under the tent. Lin Dao watched that direction intently, his feelings laid bare for all to see.Mu Wan Yao couldn't help but say: "She's so reckless and naive, writing these things about the common people. I'm afraid Lord Liu won't even present them before the emperor. Why are you helping her? Don't you know this is completely useless? The power of discourse doesn't lie here, but in the hands of the court ministers."
Lin Dao smiled faintly.
He said: "I actually don't see much use in it either. If His Majesty intends to protect the Crown Prince, Yan Erlang will die in prison; if His Majesty wants to protect Yan Erlang, after being abandoned by the Crown Prince and Your Highness, he might still be killed by those ministers upon release. What purpose does Ruozhu's efforts serve, aside from briefly lifting Yan Erlang's spirits?"
Lin Dao paused for a moment, then said softly: "But I... truly envy such fools like her. It's merely about doing what little one can to protect someone."
He continued: "Your Highness favors Yan Erlang—isn't it precisely this aspect of his character that you admire?"
Mu Wan Yao replied coldly: "Who said I like him? He is a mortal soon to return to the earth, while I am a lofty princess. How could I possibly like him?"
Lin Dao smiled faintly without responding.
Meanwhile, Liu Ruozhu turned her head, likely searching for Lin Dao nearby, but unexpectedly caught sight of the princess conversing with him. Startled, Liu Ruozhu's eyes suddenly brightened, as if she had misunderstood something, and a look of delight washed over her expression.
After saying something to her maids, Liu Ruozhu approached them. She gazed joyfully at Mu Wan Yao: "Your Highness, you've come as well? I knew you cared for the people as your own children. You were merely entangled due to certain circumstances—you are on our side... Your Highness, would you like to write a few words too?"
Mu Wan Yao replied: "I came here to stroll through the market. Running into you was purely accidental."
Liu Ruozhu didn't believe her, convinced that the princess was merely being stubborn. She felt certain that Mu Wan Yao also had much to say to Yan Shang and asked if the princess would be willing to join her in visiting Yan Shang in prison, bringing along these fragments of the people's words to encourage him.
Mu Wan Yao thought her truly foolish—their positions were opposed; how could she possibly visit Yan Shang?
Besides, she and Yan Shang had already parted ways.
Yet, somehow muddled, Mu Wan Yao found herself unable to resist such a softly spoken person. She was pulled along by Liu Ruozhu. Mu Wan Yao refused to help the commoners write, as doing so would contradict her stance. But Liu Ruozhu pressed a brush into Mu Wan Yao's hand before turning back to assist the people, leaving the princess holding the brush in a daze for a while.
In the end, Mu Wan Yao did not help Liu Ruozhu.
Half an hour later, Lin Dao found a single sentence left by Mu Wan Yao among the writings of Liu Ruozhu and her maids:
"Admiring heroes—such love is difficult."
A trip to the Eastern Market did little to improve Mu Wan Yao's situation.
The next day, she was once again impeached by court officials, accused of excessive interference in state affairs, with requests for the Emperor to better control his daughter.
This was undoubtedly another tactic from Prince Qin's faction.
In the past, Mu Wan Yao paid no mind to such memorials. But on this day, when she went to the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace to participate in their administrative affairs, the Eastern Palace politely informed her that since the princess had recently been impeached, it would be best to maintain a low profile for now.
Mu Wan Yao's heart sank.
After returning, she sent a message to an official she had planted in the Eastern Palace, demanding an explanation for the Crown Prince's intentions.
The official secretly informed the princess—
"Rumors say a portrait of the princess was discovered at Chun Niang's establishment in the pleasure quarters. The Crown Prince suspects that the princess and Yan Erlang have long been colluding to impeach the Ministry of Revenue."
Mu Wan Yao instantly found it laughable: "The Vice Minister of Revenue is already dead! What benefit would impeaching the Ministry of Revenue bring me?"
The official smiled bitterly: "This old subject will try to persuade the Crown Prince on Your Highness's behalf... The Crown Prince is facing great difficulties lately."
Yet who wasn't facing difficulties?—In the dimly lit chamber, Mu Wan Yao closed her eyes, quietly lost in thought.
It seemed the Crown Prince was going mad.
Should she still tie her boat here?
Mu Wan Yao hesitated for a long time, thinking of the escape route Yan Shang had mentioned for her... She had a vague premonition, but wasn't entirely certain yet.
That night, Mu Wan Yao rode her carriage into the palace to pay respects to the Emperor. She had to save herself... she couldn't rely on that Crown Prince who had turned against her!
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