Yan Shisheng still managed to persuade Mu Wan Yao to return to the house.
As the maids attended to the luggage outside, Mu Wan Yao sat watching Yan Shisheng return and bring her a bowl of hot tea.
Yan Shisheng said, "Your Highness must be tired from shouting outside earlier. Have some tea to soothe your throat."
Mu Wan Yao held the teacup, her tone peculiar: "I spoke to you like that, yet you’re not angry?"
Yan Shisheng replied, "So far in this world, nothing has ever made me angry."
Mu Wan Yao leaned forward, intrigued: "Hearing you say that makes me want to provoke you."
Yan Shisheng said, "But Your Highness is leaving soon and won’t have time for provocation."
At these words, their gazes met and both froze for a moment.
Mu Wan Yao averted her eyes, silently drinking her tea. In her lowered gaze, she saw Yan Erlang kneeling beside her, gently tugging at her brocade sleeve embroidered with flowing cloud patterns. Mu Wan Yao stared intently at the tea leaves floating in her cup, her focus unwavering.
Yan Shisheng said, "If Your Highness encounters any difficulties, even if I cannot help directly, perhaps I could offer some advice. Even if Your Highness disregards my suggestions, having someone to talk to might ease your heart’s burdens, don’t you think?
"Moreover, since Your Highness is about to depart, you need not fear that I would spread any secrets. After all, I reside in this remote land of Lingnan—Your Highness can place some trust in me."
Mu Wan Yao looked up and saw him kneeling beside her, his blue robe draping to the floor, his hair tied neatly under a headscarf. His features carried an innate gentleness that soothed the heart, making one pause and feel inclined to trust him.
But Mu Wan Yao was, after all, the Danyang Princess who had been through political marriages. She no longer believed in human emotions, trusting only that people acted for gain.
Nor did she think a rustic scholar, lacking worldly experience, could offer any solution to her predicament.
So, with the aim of venting her inner turmoil, she spoke to him in a desolate tone: "An old acquaintance of mine has some conflict with me. He may soon cause trouble, and I must resolve this matter."
Yan Shisheng asked, "Can the Emperor intervene?"
Mu Wan Yao: "This matter must not reach my Emperor Father. It’s best if I handle it myself. Once my Emperor Father gets involved, the situation will turn against me."
Yan Shisheng said, "What is the other party’s family background? How does he treat his relatives and associates? Does he have any weaknesses? Does Your Highness wish to resolve this permanently or only temporarily?"
Mu Wan Yao: "..."
Yan Shisheng smiled: "What? Did I say something wrong?"
Mu Wan Yao: "...I feel you’re hinting that I should kill this person."
Yan Shisheng smiled: "Your Highness heard correctly."
Clatter.
The teacup in Mu Wan Yao’s hand fell, shattering on the ground and dampening the ground covering. Yet the young man and woman sitting closely in the room paid no attention to the broken cup. They gazed steadily at each other, Mu Wan Yao utterly astounded.
She hardly recognized Yan Shisheng: "Aren’t you just an ordinary scholar? How can you speak of 'killing' without changing expression?"
Yan Shisheng lowered his eyes: "I merely spoke carelessly."
Mu Wan Yao fell silent for a long moment. As if bewitched, she actually began to consider the possibility in Yan Shisheng’s words.
Kill Meng Zaishi?
She had long wanted to kill him... During the Black Barbarians’ internal strife a year ago, she had already attempted it. But that man had not died.Mu Wan Yao shook her head: "Having narrowly escaped death, he will likely be extremely wary of my methods. Moreover, I cannot kill him. The forces at his disposal far exceed mine—that is his territory, and I cannot even get close to him. Yet waiting passively for him to come after me fills me with resentment."
Yan Shisheng said slowly, "If we cannot eliminate the threat permanently, then we should delay the matter... For instance, if there is something he cares about that Your Highness could obtain at minimal cost, you could keep him occupied with it."
Mu Wan Yao nodded slightly and fell into deep thought.
Yan Shisheng smiled faintly, took a handkerchief from his sleeve, and crouched to carefully collect the shattered teacup fragments from the floor, preventing anyone from being injured by the porcelain shards. After tidying up, he glanced at Mu Wan Yao again and saw her still bowed in contemplation.
Her eyes usually sparkled with lively charm, but when she fell silent and withdrew, her expression turned somewhat aloof.
Yan Shisheng refrained from disturbing her further. As he pushed the door to leave, he suddenly turned back: "Your Highness."
Mu Wan Yao lifted her cold gaze: "Hmm?"
Yan Shisheng stood at the doorway, his face shadowed, revealing only a faint outline of his elegant profile. He asked, "Does the old acquaintance Your Highness mentioned have any connection to the Black Barbarians?"
Mu Wan Yao: "......?!"—
The next day, a drizzling rain fell from the sky. All members of the Yan family, along with Liu Wenji, stepped out under umbrellas to see them off. Witnessing the princess's grand procession of carriages and horses, each person harbored different thoughts.
Chunhua wore a face-covering veil against the rain and bid farewell to the Yan family alongside the other maidservants, presenting the gifts bestowed by the princess to the Yan household. When she reached Liu Wenji, she cast a swift glance at him through the veil's gauze.
Liu Wenji murmured dreamily, "My lady, once I reach Chang'an next March, I will come find you."
While handing writing brushes and ink to Liu Wenji, Chunhua slipped a crumpled paper ball into his hand. As Liu Wenji stared in surprise, Chunhua had already turned away with the other maidservants, leaving only a hushed whisper as they brushed past: "Wait until I have departed, Young Master Liu, before you look."
Liu Wenji's eyes shone with exhilaration as he tightly clenched his hand.
Amid the bustling maidservants and guards, Mu Wan Yao remained unseen from beginning to end.
Seated inside her carriage, Mu Wan Yao opened a black wooden box. This box had been delivered to her at her door by Yan Shisheng before dawn that day.
Inside the box lay a memorial, resting quietly.
Mu Wan Yao unrolled the memorial with initial indifference, but as she read further, her gaze grew increasingly intent.
The memorial detailed strategies for dealing with the Black Barbarians' influence.
Yan Shisheng surmised that whoever Mu Wan Yao had offended must be high-ranking among the barbarian tribes. Given that the Black Barbarians still adhered to a slave system, he boldly speculated that someone among them had ascended to kingship—that Mu Wan Yao's adversary was the Uman King. Since she had offended the Uman King, what would pain him most would be damage to his lands and harm to his people.
From what Yan Shisheng knew, the maternal family of Danyang Princess, the Li clan, had once commanded the border armies. Although they no longer held that authority, having managed the border troops for so many years, the Li clan likely still retained some high-ranking officers loyal to them. Thus, they could deploy small border units to harass—not engaging in full-scale war with the Black Barbarians, but rather capturing some of their civilians, burning a few camps, or sowing discord between the Black Barbarians and the other four tribes of the Southern Barbarians...
Yan Shisheng had written a full ten feasible strategies.
Mu Wan Yao: "......"
Holding this memorial, she felt a sudden surge of emotion, as if each word were worth a fortune in gold. Had he stayed up all night, devising these plans for her?Mu Wan Yao sat quietly holding the memorial when Chunhua gently tapped on the carriage window from outside, softly saying, "Your Highness, Yan Erlang is here to pay his respects."
Mu Wan Yao snapped out of her thoughts, staring at the words on the memorial in her hands. She pressed her lips together, suppressing her inner irritation, and asked, "What are you doing here?Yan Shisheng's voice came from outside the carriage: "I merely wished to inform Your Highness that I've had Lady Chunhua take the remaining Lingxi Boluo liquor from my home, the newly prepared Xiangzhenxiang that my younger sister and I made, along with the candies Your Highness favors." The other items are fine, but I specially came to inform you about the sugar beans, fearing they might melt."
Mu Wan Yao remained silent.
A puzzled voice came from Yan Shisheng: "Your Highness?"
Mu Wan Yao's voice drifted out, ethereal: "You've brought your family's entire jar of Lingnan famous liquor, Lingxi Boluo?"
Yan Shisheng: "Yes."
Mu Wan Yao: "Would you share a farewell drink with me?"
Standing outside the carriage, Yan Shisheng was taken aback, surprised that the princess seemed to have forgotten he had once told her he didn't drink. He repeated, "I don't drink."
Mu Wan Yao's voice was drawn out, tinged with regret: "Oh."
Seeing that despite all the gifts he had sent, she showed no intention of stepping out to meet him one last time, Yan Shisheng felt rather dejected.
Since the princess wouldn't grant him a final meeting, Yan Shisheng could only nod helplessly to Chunhua and turn to leave. Then Mu Wan Yao's voice came from within the carriage: "Come closer."
Yan Shisheng glanced at Chunhua and moved a step nearer to the carriage.
Mu Wan Yao's voice carried a seductive note through the drizzle: "Closer still."
Yan Shisheng was now right against the carriage and had to close his umbrella.
Mu Wan Yao commanded again: "Come up into the carriage."
Hesitating briefly, Yan Shisheng lifted his robe and stepped onto the carriage stool. As he bent to enter, the tightly shut carriage door was suddenly pushed open from inside with a "bang." Before he could react in his momentary surprise, Mu Wan Yao grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the carriage.
Below, the maids and guards exchanged glances as the carriage door closed again.
Pulled inside, Yan Shisheng stumbled and fell onto the cushioned mat. A strand of hair fell across his cheek as he looked up at her, about to speak. But Mu Wan Yao leaned in, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her lips to his.
Yan Shisheng's eyes widened, and the back of his head knocked against the carriage wall. He tried to pull away, but Mu Wan Yao pressed forward, giving him no chance to refuse. As he opened his mouth to protest, she curved her brows, seized the opportunity, brushed her nose against his, and engaged him in a teasing, lingering kiss.
Yan Shisheng felt half his body go numb.
When he resisted and tried to push her away, she murmured against his lips, "Do you want everyone outside to know what we're doing?"
Yan Shisheng stiffened completely.
Leaning against the carriage wall, his head tilted back slightly, he saw her dark, thick eyelashes and felt her warmth. The faint fragrance enveloped them, the heat and softness between their lips—his elbow suddenly knocked against the carriage wall.
The fine drizzle drifted in through the latticed window, both cool and warm; the intricate cushions on the floor seemed to swirl and spread beneath them.
The numbness and pain from his elbow, the mist clouding his vision, the shiver rising in his heart—all were like impulses locked under ice, suppressed yet breaking through iron chains...
Yan Shisheng dared not move, wanting to push her away but not daring to. With maids and guards all around outside, he couldn't even make a sound. Holding his breath, his face quickly flushed red, the warmth of their shared breath mingling, as if his heart had been sharply stung by a mosquito.Sweat trickled down his forehead, the flush at the corners of his eyes gradually spreading. The immobilizing restraint and the secret pleasure arrived simultaneously, a clash of ice and fire that left him both ashamed and intoxicated.
As droplets of sweat fell, unable to resist, his eyes grew dazed. Yan Shisheng lifted his hand, loosely encircling her back, wanting to respond to her...
"Thud—"
Yan Shisheng was shoved off the carriage, saved only by Guard Fang catching him below.
Inside the carriage, Mu Wan Yao’s voice rasped, "Let’s go."—
Raindrops linked the city.
Standing in the rain, Yan Shisheng paid no mind to his drenched body. It was Yan Xiaozhou who stood on tiptoe, holding an umbrella to shield her second brother. Dispirited, he gazed intently at the rain, at the distant carriage procession fading away.
Vaguely, he saw the beginning: her seated on a low stool by the carriage, crimson skirt trailing on the ground, face turned aside as she hid behind a feather fan, smiling at him;
Vaguely, he saw moments ago: her pressing him down inside the carriage, toying with him so boldly.
The princess’s carriage procession receded into the distance. Chunhua, wearing a face-covering veil, rode on horseback and glanced back at the farewell party behind. As their figures vanished into the rain curtain, Liu Wenji quietly unfolded the note Chunhua had slipped him.
Written in elegant, petite regular script were the words—
"Though parted, do not forget; strive to cherish Chunhua."
Though parted, do not forget; strive to cherish Chunhua!
Author’s Note: The original line was "Strive to cherish the bloom of youth, do not forget the joyful times." Since it didn’t fit the plot, I adapted it to "Though parted, do not forget; strive to cherish Chunhua." Remember this poetic line—it runs through this story from beginning to end!
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