The snow-white handkerchief was neatly folded as Liu Wenji held a golden cup and bowed in service outside the tent. Further down the palace corridor, palace maids carrying medicine approached gracefully.
Liu Wenji gave them a meaningful glance, subtly pointing toward the palace and shaking his head. The maids had just brought the Emperor’s medicine from the Imperial Pharmacy. The lead maid tilted her head to listen, hearing intermittent weeping from the hall, and realized it was Princess Danyang.
No one dared to disturb, but the maids anxiously pleaded with Liu Wenji, worried that the medicine would cool and lose its medicinal effect, which would be unfavorable.
After a moment’s thought, Liu Wenji decided to enter and seek the Emperor’s instructions. Using this excuse, he stepped into the palace, where Princess Danyang’s soft, continuous sobs became clearer—
The Emperor lay on a reclining chair, with Mu Wan Yao weeping over his knees.
As Liu Wenji entered, he clearly saw through the gilded bronze mirror that Mu Wan Yao’s face, lifted in sorrow, was free of cosmetics. Gone was her usual bold radiance; instead, she appeared delicate and pitiable, evoking compassion.
Mu Wan Yao cried, "Father, Eldest Brother and I have made many mistakes recently and didn’t dare to see you. It’s like being hesitant when nearing home—I feared you’d be disappointed in me. Father, will you blame me?"
The Emperor was emaciated to the extreme, appearing even more haggard than when Mu Wan Yao last saw him. He extended a frail hand and patted her shoulder, signaling her not to carry on so.
Mu Wan Yao looked up; in the dim lamplight, she saw her father’s gaze lowered upon her. Whether due to the dim light or not, she thought she detected a trace of pity in his eyes.
As Mu Wan Yao hesitated, the Emperor sighed, "You are my youngest daughter, our own family—why would I blame you?"
Mu Wan Yao bit her lip, "But I was led astray and took many wrong paths."
The Emperor smiled faintly, "Isn’t returning from going astray still being a good child?"
Restlessly, Mu Wan Yao asked, "Father, are you especially angry with me? Truly, I haven’t done anything truly wicked. Regarding the seventy-two lives in Yizhou that Yan Er mentioned, I only learned the details in the past couple of days. As soon as I found out, I felt it was excessive.
"I can’t sleep at night, always haunted by nightmares. The Vice Minister of Revenue came from my household, and everyone says whatever he did was under my orders. These past two days, the court has been impeaching me, urging you to send me to Danyang. I know I’ve made many mistakes, but with your health failing, I wish to stay by your side and care for you..."
Danyang was Mu Wan Yao’s fief, but unless a princess was deeply out of favor, who would be banished to their own lands to live out their days?
Half-sincere, half-feigning, she avoided "Your Majesty," instead using the intimate, folk term "Father." She called him "Father" repeatedly, weeping tearfully over his knees. In this emotional state, the Emperor seemed immersed in her tears, his heart softening further.
The Emperor said, "Yao Yao, don’t be afraid. No one can drive you back to Danyang. You needn’t worry about the ministers’ impeachments. After all, you are the ruler, they are the subjects. You are the master, they are the stewards. Can stewards expel the master from their own home? Set your mind at ease."
Mu Wan Yao paused, then said dejectedly, "I thought I had lost the people’s support, and that you would be very angry with me."The Emperor's response was quite thought-provoking: "The people's support is something easily lost, yet just as easily regained. As long as the overall situation remains within control, that is sufficient. Yaoyao, you must remember, we are the rulers, the masters."
Mu Wan Yao was taken aback.
A vague sense of confusion and bewilderment arose within her. It was as if she had been constantly admonished by Yan Shang to treat the common people well, to the point where she was beginning to waver. Yet, the moment she turned around and returned to her father's world, she felt—no one seemed to care all that much.
The Emperor merely wanted to maintain stability.
The only one who truly cared about the people was Yan Shang.
While Mu Wan Yao was lost in thought, she heard the Emperor coughing into a handkerchief. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Liu Wenji and immediately realized it was time for the Emperor to take his medicine. The Emperor was coughing violently, so Mu Wan Yao quickly rose to attend to him, while Liu Wenji hurried over as well.
Liu Wenji helped the Emperor lie back on the couch, and Mu Wan Yao stared at the handkerchief she was holding—the one the Emperor had used to suppress his cough. She saw the bloodstains on it, dripping and scattered.
Although she had always known her father's health was poor, each time she witnessed it, she felt as if his life was slowly fading away...
Even though she disliked him intensely, Mu Wan Yao couldn't help but feel a profound sorrow.
Surprisingly, the Emperor turned and, seeing his daughter staring blankly at the handkerchief, comforted her: "It's just an old ailment, pay it no mind."
Mu Wan Yao looked back at him, her eyes misty with tears, and said, "Father, you must take care of your health."
...At least for now, the Emperor's health could not afford even the slightest mishap.
Otherwise, the Crown Prince would ascend to the throne as a matter of course.
She might not fare too well—
Mu Wan Yao's cooperation with the Crown Prince had always been based on mutual benefit, each taking what they needed. She had thought that after working together for so long, the Crown Prince would trust her a bit more. Yet, at the slightest sign of trouble, he still suspected her.
The Crown Prince had never considered her one of his own.
In ordinary times, they maintained a facade of peace, but when a real crisis occurred, the rift between them would cause significant problems.
Just like this time.
Mu Wan Yao had gone to the palace and wept before the Emperor. In truth, she hadn't said anything of great importance, nor did she know how much her father, in his current state of health, still understood about court affairs. But at the very least, Mu Wan Yao obtained the Emperor's assurance: even if the Ministry of Revenue had fallen, he had no intention of holding her accountable.
With this assurance, Mu Wan Yao felt much more at ease and less panicked. She began to ponder more ways to save herself—
In her eyes, her situation was overwhelmingly bleak, with eight out of ten of her capable ministers having been compromised. She hated Yan Shang to the core, but what was more important was extricating herself from the mess.
After visiting the Eastern Palace twice more and still being refused an audience by the Crown Prince, Mu Wan Yao stopped paying him any mind and began to strategize on her own. She studied the court officials who were now speaking in support of Yan Shang and found that they were mostly ministers with shallow roots, while few came from powerful, established families.
Mu Wan Yao couldn't help but ponder: if these ministers had no strong foundations, yet still supported Yan Shang, were there truly so many righteous figures in the court, or had someone instructed them to do so?
If someone had instructed them... was it her father?
And was her father trying... to promote officials from humble backgrounds?
Mu Wan Yao was stunned. If her father wanted to use this opportunity to give ministers of humble origins more voice in the court, then Yan Shang's actions would align with her father's goals. Could it be that this time, her father would protect Yan Shang?Mu Wan Yao sat in her chamber analyzing the current situation when her peripheral vision caught the maids standing beneath the corridor outside the beaded curtain, whispering among themselves. Restless and irritated, she found their hushed voices particularly grating and snapped, "What are you all gossiping about?!"
The whispering maids outside flinched, stammering and too afraid to respond. It was Xiarong who entered and addressed the princess: "We were discussing matters next door, Your Highness."
Mu Wan Yao fell silent for a moment.
She sneered, "What, planning to defect from my Princess Residence and visit Yan Erlang in prison together? How has he bewitched you all? Are you even considering becoming his seventeenth or eighteenth concubine?"
Xiarong dared not involve herself in the princess's relationship with Yan Erlang and replied with an appeasing smile, "We weren't speaking of that, Your Highness. We were saying that officials from the Dali Temple have come to search the neighboring residence."
Mu Wan Yao froze.
She murmured, "The Dali Temple is conducting a raid?"
She thought: What does it matter to me? Given Yan Shang's current circumstances, having his residence raided is only to be expected.
Observing Mu Wan Yao's expression, Xiarong added, "But the neighboring residence was gifted to Yan Erlang by Your Highness. Isn't the Dali Temple's raid somewhat disrespectful to you?"
Mu Wan Yao lowered her eyes and picked up a book, responding indifferently, "They are enforcing the law impartially. I must avoid any appearance of impropriety."
Xiarong could say no more and withdrew.
However, Mu Wan Yao had only been reading for a short while when Xiarong returned, requesting an audience outside the beaded curtain. Annoyed by the interruption, Mu Wan Yao glared at her, only to see Xiarong's flustered and bewildered expression: "Your Highness, officials from the Dali Temple have come to our Princess Residence."
Mu Wan Yao was taken aback.
Then she erupted in fury: "What is the meaning of this?! I refrained from interfering with the raid next door, allowing them to proceed, and now they dare to target my Princess Residence? Do they think I'm easy to bully?"—
Enraged, Mu Wan Yao strode out to confront the Dali Temple officials.
The officials were blocked at the alley entrance outside the Princess Residence, where Fang Tong and the other guards had barricaded them, preventing their entry.
The lead official was negotiating with Fang Tong, insisting they were acting in accordance with the law, when an angry female voice approached from a distance: "What grave crime have I committed that the Dali Temple dares to search my Princess Residence? Am I a criminal? This is outright defiance!"
The Dali Temple official looked up to see Danyang Princess descending the steps in red skirts and silk shawls, her maids trailing behind her. Mu Wan Yao's gaze swept over them, her eyes holding a trace of amusement but dominated by icy wrath.
Seeing the princess's misunderstanding, the official hurriedly explained: "Your Highness misunderstands. I would never dare to search your residence. We came to investigate Yan Residence and found some items that are difficult to explain. Since Yan Erlang has behaved improperly, we must investigate, but we only wish to ask Your Highness a few questions."
Mu Wan Yao thought: So this fire was sparked by Yan Shang.
But Yan Shang is nearly crushed by their persecution—what could he possibly do?
Remembering Yan Shang as she had seen him in prison that day, Mu Wan Yao felt unsettled and replied dismissively, "What do you wish to ask?"
The Dali Temple official said, "In the chamber of Chun Niang from the brothel, we found a portrait of Your Highness. We naturally understand that someone of your status would never associate with a woman of her profession. This must have been deliberately planted by Yan Erlang. Thus, we were ordered to search his residence."Mu Wan Yao stared at them for a long moment before saying, "You found my portrait in a courtesan's possession, concluded that Yan Shang and I have an illicit relationship, suspected I instructed Yan Shang to investigate the Ministry of Revenue, and believed I harbor ulterior motives. So you came to search Yan Shang's residence, hoping to find evidence of improper exchanges with Her Highness the Princess to prove his involvement with me."
The Dali Temple officials immediately appeared embarrassed.
Mu Wan Yao asked coldly, "Did you find any proof of his involvement with me?"
The Dali Temple official replied politely, "Your Highness is pure as ice and jade. Naturally, no such items were found in Yan Erlang's residence."
Mu Wan Yao remained silent.
She had never given Yan Shang any personal belongings, and he had never accepted any. No matter how much the ministers speculated about their unusual relationship, they lacked physical evidence. Throughout her association with Yan Shang, the only thing she had ever given him was an poorly embroidered pouch last month.
Such an ugly pouch probably went unnoticed by anyone.
Even if they saw it, they would never imagine it was a gift from a princess to a court official.
At this thought, Mu Wan Yao couldn't help but feel somewhat sorrowful.
The Dali Temple official continued, "However, we did find some items in Yan Erlang's residence that exceed regulatory standards."
Mu Wan Yao abruptly looked up.
The official smiled, "Given his rank, he could never afford such things. We've heard Your Highness once shared a lord-retainer relationship with him, so we wondered if these might have come from you."
Upon hearing this, Mu Wan Yao's first instinct was that they were bluffing. But as she opened her mouth to angrily refute their nonsense, she suddenly froze, her pupils contracting—
Yan Shang was too self-disciplined to ever use items beyond his official station. In the past, whenever Mu Wan Yao gave him gifts, he would always find ways to return them. Except for one time when he didn't—or rather, never had the chance to return them.
That was when she had forced Yan Shang to indulge in mischief in the carriage. He had yielded to her whims in a moment of weakness, only for them to be interrupted by Yang Si coming to find Mu Wan Yao.
Humiliated and furious, Yan Shang had stormed off. To apologize, Mu Wan Yao had sent numerous precious items to his neighboring residence.
But soon after, they argued over the issue of heirs. Mu Wan Yao left Chang'an for Jinling while Yan Shang went to Yizhou. When they returned, they fell out again over matters in Yizhou.
Those precious gifts she had sent as apology remained unreturned.
Now, these Dali Temple officials were likely planning to use those very items to implicate her with Yan Shang.
Mu Wan Yao asked, "What did Yan Shang say?"
The Dali Temple official smiled, "With all the evidence present, what could he say? Without concrete proof, we wouldn't dare question Your Highness."
Mu Wan Yao: "Are you suggesting Yan Shang claimed I gave these to him?The Dali Temple official replied, "The evidence speaks for itself.""
Mu Wan Yao sneered mockingly.
She said, "Yan Shang never said that, did he? Did he admit to having a special relationship with me? Did he explicitly state that his actions were connected to me? Under your severe interrogation, did you manage to make him talk?"
The Dali Temple official evaded the question, "Your Highness is well aware of our interrogation methods."
Mu Wan Yao said icily, "Still afraid to answer my question directly."She lifted her chin slightly, gazing coldly at the officials in the alley. She said, "When you obtain solid evidence from Yan Shang's mouth—when he speaks and signs a confession—only then come back to question me."
The Dali Temple official: "So Your Highness refuses to admit it?"
Mu Wan Yao said, "I'm waiting for Yan Shang's testimony. Fang Tong, see our guests out!"
She turned and entered the Princess Residence. As she turned her back, her face turned pale and rigid, and her palm holding Xiarong's hand grew cold with sweat. Xiarong glanced up at the princess and saw her expression somewhat blank.
Xiarong whispered worriedly: "If Yan Erlang were to speak of the princess..."
Mu Wan Yao murmured softly: "He won't say anything.
"He's not that kind of person.
"The Dali Temple must be unable to pry open Yan Shang's mouth, unable to prove that Yan Shang and I are accomplices. The Crown Prince is pressuring the Dali Temple, so they came to bluff me. But Yan Shang would never admit it... He's not that kind of person."
Her eyes seemed to glisten with tears, as if veiled in misty starlight.
Even in such dire circumstances, she firmly believed he wasn't that kind of person—
She said: "Let Yan Shang say it himself."
Meanwhile, the Dali Temple officials who had been politely escorted out interrogated Yan Shang, but he remained completely silent.
Chun Niang, subjected to torture, finally broke down and wept, saying that Yan Erlang claimed the woman in the painting was his wife. But everyone knew it was Danyang Princess. The Crown Prince had finally found a breakthrough—he wanted to prove this was a conspiracy between Yan Shang and Mu Wan Yao, to shift all the blame onto Mu Wan Yao...
Even though Chun Niang had identified them, Yan Shang remained silent.
The Dali Temple and Ministry of Justice officials, having no other options, went to the Princess Residence.
Yet Mu Wan Yao reacted like this—
Upon learning this, the Crown Prince sneered: "Yao Yao is stubborn to the core, I know that well. But I never expected Yan Erlang wouldn't admit to his affair with Yao Yao? Do they think we're all blind?
"Someone must take the fall for this matter."—
The difficulty was Yan Shang's silence.
Because as long as he spoke, whether denying or admitting, the Dali Temple could find ways to pin crimes on him.
If he claimed he had no affair with Mu Wan Yao, that he only collected the princess's portraits out of admiration, then the items found in his residence that didn't match his rank and position would be enough to prove his impurity. If he himself wasn't clean, how could he accuse the Ministry of Revenue of corruption?
If he admitted to having an affair with Mu Wan Yao, then everything would become even more intriguing. This would mean the princess and crown prince had developed discord, and the princess had deliberately used this matter to harm the crown prince. Most of the Ministry of Revenue matters had been secretly handled by the princess behind the crown prince's back—the crown prince knew nothing, it was all the princess's fault.
As long as Yan Shang spoke... they could convict him!
This was the plan the Crown Prince devised after realizing he couldn't evade responsibility for the Ministry of Revenue affairs.
It showed the Crown Prince had run out of options and could only sacrifice someone as a scapegoat...
The best scapegoat was Mu Wan Yao, who had been close to the Crown Prince—
Mu Wan Yao sat in the dark room, lost in thought.
After the Dali Temple officials left, she pondered and contemplated.
The portrait Yan Shang left with Chun Niang, Yan Shang's refusal to speak... In prison, he said he had left her a way out, but didn't know if she would take it.
The Dali Temple and Ministry of Justice officials questioned him about the portrait. He didn't know what choice she would make, so he refused to speak no matter what. That was just the kind of person he was... The Dali Temple actually tried to use Yan Shang to bluff Mu Wan Yao, but how could Mu Wan Yao believe Yan Shang would implicate her?There is only one Yan Shang in this world. A man like him would rather die under torture than speak a single word against her.
Such a hateful gentleman.
Mu Wan Yao closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling, her fingers resting on the desk quivering slightly. She suppressed the turmoil in her heart when she thought of Yan Shang, forcing herself to calm down and consider how to save herself.
The Crown Prince had already made his move against her, already preparing to abandon her. She had to act before the Crown Prince, doing the same as he would. She had to race against the Crown Prince for time!
When Mu Wan Yao walked out of the room, Xiarong and the other maids were taken aback, for the princess had disheveled hair and was in disarray as she ordered them, "Prepare the carriage to enter the palace."
Xiarong: "Your Highness's appearance..."
Mu Wan Yao: "I want to appear like this before the Emperor and weep."—
She had to make herself appear pitiful.
She had to claim she was innocent.
She had to say she was framed and coerced.
She had to display the vulnerability of a woman, to let the Emperor know she was merely an ignorant princess... to make the Emperor love her, believe her, and be willing to help her!
Support the humble scholars!
She wanted the Emperor to personally use this answer to save her!—
The scheming Mu Wan Yao once again entered the palace to see the Emperor.
This time, she was disheveled, weeping as she walked. It seemed she had even stumbled along the way, her originally splendid robes now stained with mud. Her face was smudged with dust, the hairpin in her cloud-like hair had come loose, swaying loosely. She wept all the way to find the Emperor, her dark hair half undone.
The Emperor had just finished his medicine when his youngest daughter knelt by his knees and began to cry about the humiliation she had suffered at the Princess Residence from the officials of the Dali Temple that day—
"Father, please save Yan Shang? I didn't dare admit it at the Dali Temple, but you know, Yan Shang and I have no improper relations. If the Dali Temple investigates further, they will surely claim that the Ministry of Revenue's affairs were guided by me. They want to kill Yan Shang and bully your daughter!
"What have I done wrong? I just like Yan Shang and cannot bear to see him die. I secretly visited him in prison, and to prove his innocence, they beat him so brutally. I couldn't stand it... I was too heartbroken."
It was all a lie.
She merely wanted the Emperor to think she was a foolish princess obsessed with love, hence the deliberate tears. If the Emperor thought her foolish, thought she was merely infatuated with a gentleman, he would pity her and help her.
But as she wept, thinking of Yan Shang, tears truly welled up in her eyes, and she began to cry so hard she could barely catch her breath. The real and the fake intertwined—her heart ached, and such pretense made her act seamless.
Sure enough, as she wept, the Emperor had her sit up and handed her a handkerchief. The Emperor said, "The courtesan from the brothel has a portrait of you?"
Mu Wan Yao sobbed, lifting her snow-white face in feigned confusion, tears streaming down: "Eldest Brother is using this to harm me. He wants me to take the blame for him. They are trying to tarnish Yan Shang's reputation and mine as well. Eldest Brother wants to abandon me, but I haven't done anything.
"I just want to save Yan Shang. I don't know how to save him..."
She did not want to save Yan Shang.
She wanted to protect herself.
She wanted to sever ties with the Crown Prince.
She wanted to cleanse herself of this matter, even if it meant sacrificing her own power, rather than becoming a scapegoat.Mu Wan Yao: "I also wish to assist the Emperor in purging the court. I don't want to be used by them and then discarded. Your Majesty, is there any way I can save Yan Shang? Your Majesty, what can I do to help you?"
The daughter wept bitterly, softening the Emperor's heart. For many years, no young woman had behaved this way before him. Mu Wan Yao's tears fell like rain, reminding him of the distant A'Nuan.
The Emperor's consciousness wavered, half in reality, half in illusion as he gazed at Mu Wan Yao. He couldn't distinguish whether the girl before him was his daughter or his long-deceased wife. Yet watching her sob uncontrollably, his heart contracted in waves of sympathy.
Don't cry, don't cry... It's nothing serious.
The Emperor uttered the answer Mu Wan Yao had long been waiting for: "...support the humble scholars."—
The court situation underwent another drastic shift after Mu Wan Yao’s defection.
Mu Wan Yao, leading her sparse but steadfast ministers, openly opposed the Crown Prince. She began standing on the side of justice, elevating ministers without strong backing and setting them against the Crown Prince.
Prince Qin further muddied the waters.
The Ministry of Revenue’s collapse was irreversible, but the Crown Prince’s greatest blow was Mu Wan Yao’s sudden betrayal. She had taken away a group of ministers, turned them against him, held evidence of his past misdeeds, used it to threaten him, and abruptly positioned herself as a champion of the people, demanding justice for them.
In the depths of winter, after one morning court session, the Crown Prince emerged from the hall with a frosty expression and unexpectedly saw Mu Wan Yao seated in her palanquin, leisurely preparing to pay respects to the Emperor.
Mu Wan Yao gave him a faint, icy smile. The Crown Prince remained expressionless.
As he brushed past her, Mu Wan Yao halted her palanquin and said, "Eldest Brother, if you refuse to admit defeat, the Ministry of Revenue will slip entirely from your grasp. It would be better to confess your mistakes early, clear Yan Shang’s name, and admit the ministry’s past errors."
The Crown Prince replied calmly, "Did the Emperor teach you this?"
Mu Wan Yao smiled, the gold dust at the corners of her eyes shimmering lightly. "I am thinking of you, Eldest Brother. If you persist in your delusions and lose the Ministry of Revenue, with the harsh winter upon us and border troops in dire need of pay—who but you would care so deeply about their welfare? If the ministry falls from your control, Yang Sanlang’s situation at the frontier will become precarious this year."
The Crown Prince stared at her and suddenly laughed. "Are you using Yang San to threaten me?"
Mu Wan Yao: "Just a reminder."
The Crown Prince: "You are truly remarkable. Yang San once pleaded your case before me repeatedly, and now you use him as a tool, a pawn, to force my surrender. Mu Wan Yao, you are unrecognizable today, unworthy of his past protection."
Mu Wan Yao fell silent for a long moment.
She smiled. "I don’t care."—
As long as she held power.
As long as she could rise again.
Nothing else mattered—
At least she would not be scapegoated and cast aside.
At least she had reclaimed her place in the court.
At least she understood the Emperor’s intentions.
At least... Yan Shang would live—
By the end of the twelfth month, the court situation had shifted for the better. Support for Yan Shang grew, and when the Crown Prince entered the palace to remove his crown and confess his faults to the Emperor, the year-end case was nearly resolved.
The Emperor confined the Crown Prince to the Eastern Palace, ordering him to relearn the ways of rulership.
Afterward, the Emperor summoned Yan Shang.
Two months of imprisonment ended on this day.
In his drowsiness, the Emperor was reminded by Liu Wenji that Yan Erlang had arrived. Rousing himself, the Emperor summoned Yan Shang into the inner chamber. Yan Shang bowed in greeting, and the Emperor looked up at him.
He seemed much thinner, yet still fair and refined, gentle and composed.
Such was the toll of imprisonment.
The Emperor said calmly, "In this case, the Crown Prince has admitted his faults and temporarily relinquished the Ministry of Revenue. Your name has been cleared. Soon, Yan Erlang’s reputation as a 'renowned minister' and 'unyielding integrity' will spread throughout the court."
Yan Shang bowed, his sleeves hanging low.The Emperor asked, "If such a thing were to happen again, would you dare?"
Yan Shang replied softly, "It was merely my duty."
The Emperor stared at him for a long moment before suddenly breaking into a mocking smile.
He said, "It's a pity you can no longer remain in Chang'an. If you stay any longer, your life will be in danger, and Yao Yao will come crying to me again."
Yan Shang remained silent, or perhaps he was simply numb.
The Emperor said, "Go to Nanyang and serve as a county magistrate."
Yan Shang looked up and gazed at the Emperor.
Nanyang itself was nothing special. What made it significant was that it was the base of Prince Qin's maternal family's influence.
The Emperor intended to use Yan Shang as a tool... until he was no longer of any use.
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