Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Southern Barbarians are located to the southwest of the Great Wei. This neighbor of ours still practices a tribal slave system; they are barbaric and bellicose, and for a hundred years, they have been a persistent headache for the Great Wei.

The Southern Barbarians consist of five tribes, each with nobles who proclaim themselves kings. The Wu Barbarians are one of these five tribes.

For many years, the five tribes were locked in internal conflict, and the King of the Southern Barbarians held no real authority. Amidst this chaos, the Wu tribe unified their own internal voice and pledged allegiance to the Great Wei, requesting to marry a Great Wei princess in order to form an alliance.

In order to drive a wedge between the five tribes and prevent the unification of the Southern Barbarians, the Great Wei naturally agreed to the Wu Barbarians' marriage proposal. The Great Wei even hoped to bolster the Wu tribe, allowing the Wu King to become the ruler of all five tribes and unify the Southern Barbarians.

To demonstrate their resolve, the Great Wei married off the Empress’s own daughter—the then fifteen-year-old Princess Danyang—to the Wu King, who was already in his early thirties.

When Princess Danyang married the Wu King, the King’s original head consort was demoted to the status of a concubine.

Because this marriage alliance involved the Emperor’s own daughter and the Empress’s youngest child, rather than an ordinary princess of the imperial clan, the significance of this act was extraordinary throughout the entire Great Wei. When Princess Danyang married into the Wu Barbarians, it was a grand affair, and all the subjects of the Great Wei offered their blessings while pitying the young princess.

However, only two years later, the Wu King was struck by an arrow during a battle with another tribe. As his life neared its end, he passed the throne to his successor.

The successor prepared to marry his father's widow, Princess Danyang, to continue the friendly agreement between the Wu Barbarians and the Great Wei.

But before the successor could take Princess Danyang as his wife, internal warfare erupted.

The new Wu King died miserably in the civil war. Princess Danyang, with her servants, fought her way out of the blood-soaked chaos and returned to the Great Wei.

As of now, the Wu Barbarians remain in turmoil, and the Great Wei’s border troops are unable to determine the current status of these five Southern Barbarian tribes—

Because this matter is of great consequence, many in the Great Wei have been following it closely.

Right now, in an ordinary gentry household in Shanshui Town, Lingnan, during a persistent night rain, the second son of the Yan family, Yan Shisheng, exposed Mu Wanyao’s true identity, causing the guards who came looking for the princess that night to become extremely vigilant.

The guards drew their swords and said sternly: "To my knowledge, the Princess has never disclosed her whereabouts since arriving in Lingnan. How did you know she was a princess?"

Yan Shisheng remained standing in the corridor. Having been woken up in the middle of the night, he was clearly exhausted, and his voice was somewhat hoarse: "Although she never explicitly stated her status, she left behind many clues. She calls herself 'Mu,' and she knows how to play the 'Youxianghe' cards found only in the Chang'an imperial court. Coupled with the fact that her servants treat her with immense respect, this humble student dared to guess that she is a royal relative of the Mu clan.

"The Wu Barbarians falling into civil war is no small matter, and Princess Danyang’s return to Chang'an is not a small matter either. People all over the world have heard of it, more or less.

"And the biggest event to occur in Lingnan in the past year is that the official Li, of the Li family of the Prime Branch, was demoted to the South Sea and became the Magistrate of Nanhai County.

"Putting these facts together, I could not help but guess: Princess Danyang came to Lingnan to visit her uncle, the current Magistrate of Nanhai, right?"

The guards blocking the Yan family’s entrance looked at one another, their eyes filled with shock and doubt, for Yan Shisheng’s guess was not off by a single detail.

Before they could think further, Yan Shisheng took the initiative to resolve their confusion: "However, since such a high-status figure as the Princess did not wish to reveal her identity, even though I had guessed it, I have never told anyone. If you do not believe me, you are welcome to ask around."

Hearing him say this, the expressions of the guards standing outside the fence softened significantly.

The leader of the guards even retracted the disdainful, grim sneer he had previously aimed at this scholar after his expression shifted several times. This scholar was meticulous and had spent many days with the princess... it was hard to say he wasn't a formidable person.

Thinking this way, when he bowed in salute, he kept the blade of his sword facing himself to show the scholar he harbored no malice.

The leader asked with some respect: "Since you have guessed our identities, could you tell us where the Princess is currently?"

In the dark night, Yan Shisheng’s face was obscured by the curtain of rain, and his long brows lifted slightly—a movement almost imperceptible.

Yet his words remained warm and concerned: "The Princess left my home three days ago. Why? Has she not gone to Nanhai? Are you unable to find her?"

The group smiled bitterly.

With that, those blocking the entrance no longer treated the guards as thieves but invited them inside to talk. Because the guards were wary of this second son’s keen observation skills, they did not dare to look down on the Yan family. The two sides met amicably to discuss the search for the princess.

Yan’s father, who had been hiding in his own room the entire time, let out a long sigh. Middle-aged and still scholarly and handsome, he peered through the door crack with a complex gaze at his second son, who was leading the guards into their home—

With a son as capable as this, the small region of Lingnan would likely be unable to contain him for long.

Liu Wenji, who was hiding in another room, also emerged to help Yan Shisheng and the other children host the guards.

Tossed about all night, Liu Wenji’s heart was also fluctuating between shock and disappointment. He never imagined that the arrogant young woman who had previously stayed at the Yan house, ignoring them entirely, was the famous Princess Danyang.

And so, that beautiful maid was naturally the Princess’s lady-in-waiting... their origins were truly so grand—

Yan Shisheng hosted the guards, and once the two sides compared clues, they immediately decided to search for the Princess together.

As everyone donned their straw rain capes to head out, Yan Xiaozhou, the youngest daughter of the Yan family, pulled her second brother into a corner while the others were not looking.

Looking up at her second brother’s refined yet exhausted eyes, Yan Xiaozhou said with a stern face: "Second Brother, what exactly are you doing?"

Yan Shisheng raised his eyebrows slightly and asked gently: "What is my little sister asking about?"

Yan Xiaozhou stomped her foot.

Among the Yan children, the eldest brother was simple-minded and only cared for swordplay, while the third brother followed the second brother in studying, though the effects were invisible; all one could tell was that the third brother had a loud voice... among these children, if anyone had a shred of wit, it was only the young Yan Xiaozhou.

Avoiding the guards, Yan Xiaozhou whispered anxiously: "Second Brother, if others don't know you, do we not know our own flesh and blood? You guessed the Princess’s identity long ago, yet you told no one. Are you secretly plotting something? How could you dare to scheme against a princess?"

She was terrified: "What are you calculating? Will this bring a great catastrophe upon our family?"

Yan Shisheng’s gaze flickered slightly as he looked at her.

Seeing that he remained silent, Yan Xiaozhou knew this was his way of tacitly admitting it. Her heart grew even more panicked—

Her second brother appeared completely harmless and benevolent; he never got angry and never threw tantrums.

But that did not mean her second brother was a particularly righteous person.

If a person could leave such a good impression on everyone who knew him... such a person was, in and of themselves, terrifying.

Yan Xiaozhou forced herself to remain calm: "Second Brother, tell me, should we take this opportunity to hide and take refuge..."

Yan Shisheng let out a chuckle.

He reached out and ruffled his sister’s hair: "Little Sister, why would I let the whole family flee to take refuge because of me?"

Yan Xiaozhou: "Then what about you and the Princess..."

Yan Shisheng sighed: "I admit, I did scheme a little."

Yan Xiaozhou’s face turned pale instantly.

Yan Shisheng added: "But I played a transparent game, not a dark one. I have no intention of harming the Princess; you really don't need to worry. I am only... testing a few things and seeking a future for myself."

His words finally put Yan Xiaozhou at ease.

She mocked herself, wondering what she was afraid of. Her second brother was a good person, right?

Wait... her second brother was a good person... right? —

The rain stopped.

Princess Danyang’s party had been wandering in the woods for another day, utterly exhausted. It was dark again, and thick fog permeated the high forest.

The guards leaned against tree stumps, resting.

Mu Wanyao held her dagger, sitting by the campfire. After two days of running, they still hadn't emerged from this mountain forest. Even with her iron-willed temperament, she couldn't help but feel frustrated.

As time dragged on, her body began to show signs of discomfort; she alternated between chills and fever, and her head felt somewhat dizzy.

Fang Tong approached the Princess. He lowered his eyes, looking at her cold, pale face illuminated by the firelight, and whispered: "Chunhua is still burning with a high fever and has not yet awakened."

Mu Wanyao gave a distracted "Hmm."

Another guard came over and told the Princess with an uneasy voice: "Your Highness, it seems we have encountered a 'ghost wall.' We keep walking in circles in this forest, yet we cannot get out."

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and many guards nearby heard the words "ghost wall," causing them all to panic for a moment.

Mu Wanyao glared coldly at the guard who had said "ghost wall" and said: "It is merely the bad weather these past few days that caused the fog in the forest. You bunch of useless people simply cannot distinguish the direction. Do not make excuses for your own incompetence."

The crowd immediately lowered their heads to reflect, and although they had been scolded by the Princess, having her as their backbone made them feel less panicked.

Seeing that they had been steadied, Mu Wanyao stood up. As she rose, her body swayed slightly, and Fang Tong quickly supported her.

Mu Wanyao gave Fang Tong a look, and the two walked to the side.

Fang Tong lowered his voice, filled with worry: "As Your Highness said, the fog in the forest is truly too thick. If we cannot get out, and no one cures the 'snake venom' Chunhua has been afflicted with, I fear she will lose her life here."

Mu Wanyao pondered for a moment.

She spoke: "Chunhua cannot wait any longer. We must continue our journey."

Fang Tong: "It is just a maid. Everyone is already exhausted..."

Mu Wanyao said calmly: "She is not just a maid."

Her cold, beautiful eyes stared at Fang Tong, and she said slowly: "I could lead you all out of the Wu Barbarian lands; naturally, I can lead you out of this 'ghost wall' as well."

She turned back to gaze at the thick fog shrouding the world.

The young woman’s clear voice echoed in everyone’s ears: "From the night I left the Wu Barbarians, I swore that I would never again let those around me be sacrificed, never again be injured!"

She stared at all the guards, word for word: "I will not abandon any of you! Now, follow me!"

The crowd stared blankly at the Princess, then, without a word, one by one they stood up and picked up their weapons. They walked silently through the mountain forest, and amidst the rustling of leaves, they followed the Princess with newfound determination.

They walked on for another unknown amount of time. The fog followed them, and it seemed as though they were still walking in circles, but no one spoke again to disturb the others' morale.

Mu Wanyao was in the lead when she suddenly heard a sound that jolted her dizzy brain. She took a few quick steps, parted the waist-high grass in front, and saw someone carrying a stable lantern, walking toward them. She watched in silence as the young student carrying the lantern suddenly looked up.

Their gazes met.

...It was Yan Shisheng!

Standing amidst the weeds, he offered her a smile, warm and gentle: "Is all well with Lady Mu?”