Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Yan Shisheng’s scheming was not complicated.

Mu Wanyao had told him that without someone to look after him, he likely wouldn't obtain a quota to enter the capital after the provincial examinations.

Yan Shisheng did not tell Mu Wanyao that he had long known this without needing anyone else to point it out. Having studied for so many years, he was well aware that the poetry and prose valued most in the imperial examinations of this dynasty happened to be his weakest suit. If he were to challenge the examinations with his weakest talent, his chances of standing out were virtually nonexistent.

Thus, the path he took would have to differ from that of the young prodigy, Liu Wenji.

Liu Wenji might be able to enter Chang'an purely on talent, but Yan Shisheng could not do without other means... for instance, becoming the savior of Princess Danyang.

Personally demonstrating to the Princess that White Cattle tea could crush copper coins was premeditated; testing Mu Wanyao to deduce her identity as a princess was premeditated; and sketching the map of the tea trees for her without personally guiding her into the wild to find them was still premeditated... He gambled on the fact that the Princess would want those tea trees and would want to take them away.

Moreover, according to what Yan Shisheng knew, the area where the tea trees grew was home to snake dens and infested with Bewitching Grass. With the Princess’s guards present, Yan Shisheng did not believe her life would be in any real danger. However, under the effects of the Bewitching Grass, getting lost in the wilderness for a few days was entirely to be expected.

And someone would inevitably notice the Princess had gone missing, and someone would inevitably need Yan Shisheng's help to bring her back.

Once he became the Princess’s savior, even if she herself did not bring it up, Yan Shisheng believed that the local officials of Lingnan, eager to curry favor with her, would surely grant him a quota to go to Chang'an.

Since this year's provincial examinations had already passed, and the news of the Princess's arrival in Lingnan was well-concealed and might not spread in time, Yan Shisheng’s calculations assumed that while this year's quota belonged to Liu Wenji, next year's quota would undoubtedly be his.

He had given Liu Wenji the chance to fully showcase his talent this year. He only hoped Liu Wenji could make good use of it.

This was an open scheme. Whether she wanted the White Cattle tea trees, whether she went looking for them, and whether she went to find them in person... those were entirely Mu Wanyao's own choices. It was impossible for Yan Shisheng to force her to seek the tea trees or tie her up to make her get lost.

Even if someone were to perceive this open scheme after the fact, they could hardly place the blame on Yan Shisheng's head.

Unfortunately, though Yan Shisheng had calculated everything perfectly, the one thing he failed to anticipate was that Mu Wanyao would faint.

The Princess collapsing caught him completely off guard, leaving him momentarily at a loss—Lingnan was rife with miasma, notoriously known as the "land of pestilence and miasma."

Princess Danyang had not been harmed by snakes.

Instead, she had fallen to the heavy, fog-laden miasma of the wilderness.

She was the only one who collapsed from the miasmatic poison; the accompanying maids and guards were all perfectly fine.

That could only mean... the Princess's constitution was weaker than that of ordinary people.

This unexpected turn of events left Yan Shisheng feeling rather ashamed and vexed—

Believing it was his failure to foresee this scenario that caused the Princess to fall ill, Yan Shisheng took it upon himself to personally brew her medicine once she was brought back to the nearest place, the Yan family home, to recuperate.

In a desolate place like Lingnan, a powerful medicine man or physician was hard to find at a moment's notice. After the Princess fell ill, the guards had already whipped their horses to hasten to Guangzhou in search of a physician. Fortunately, because it was miasmatic poison, even before the physician arrived, the Yan family—as locals—naturally possessed certain remedies capable of helping outsiders nurse their bodies back to health.

Thus, seeing that the Princess had returned to the Yan family home to recuperate, the guards sent by the Magistrate of Nanhai County hurried back to Nanhai to report the news to him.

Meanwhile, having learned of Mu Wanyao's true identity, the Yan family tremblingly cleared out their rooms once more for the Princess's use. This time, they not only vacated the largest room where the Princess had previously stayed, but also specifically selected a room second only to the Princess's for the unconscious maid, Chunhua.

After all, Chunhua had been afflicted by snake venom.

When it came down to it, Chunhua's condition was far more precarious than the Princess's.

In the gloomy afternoon sun, Yan Shisheng squatted beneath the corridor fanning the flames, coughing as he was choked by the smoke, all while brewing medicine for the Princess. Through the curtains, the serving maids inside saw the hardworking second Yan son and silently marveled at what a truly good man he was.

Yet the maids were also deeply worried, for the Princess remained in a stupor, showing no signs of waking.

Amid their fretting, they saw Yan Shisheng enter from outside carrying the medicine. Coughing, he said, "Please bring this medicine to Her Highness to drink. We usually drink this remedy to combat miasmatic poison. If the effects are good, Her Highness might wake even before the physician is brought here."

Taking the medicine from his hands, the maids thanked him repeatedly: "Young Master, you have been busy from the moment you returned last night until now, without closing your eyes for the entire night. Please, go and rest quickly."

Yan Shisheng replied gently, "Once Her Highness has taken the medicine and my mind is at ease, I will leave."

The maids nodded and carried the medicine inside to feed it to Mu Wanyao. Yan Shisheng hesitated for a moment but did not excuse himself; instead, he followed them into the inner chamber, clearly wishing to check on her condition. The maids merely turned back to give him a strange look, but remembering he was a local, they did not stop him.

After all, he was such a gentle and kind young master; who would have the heart to harshly order him to get out of the Princess's room?

The maids sat by the Princess's bedside and attempted to feed her the medicine. Peering through the bed curtains, Yan Shisheng watched as they spoke in hushed tones; one maid tried after another, yet not a single one managed to get her to swallow the medicine. Watching from behind, Yan Shisheng's eyes flickered, but since he was an unrelated male, standing there was already pushing boundaries, so it was not appropriate for him to speak up.

Finally, the maids lifted the curtain and stepped out holding the medicine bowl, saying dejectedly, "Young Master, it's no use. The Princess refuses to take the medicine."

Yan Shisheng asked, "Could this humble student take a look?"

One of the maids hesitated, but figuring Yan Shisheng wouldn't have a solution either, she handed the medicine bowl to him. Meanwhile, the other maids conferred briefly and walked out of the chamber, saying, "This won't do, we must urge the messengers to make the physician hurry."

Yan Shisheng thought to himself: The problem with your Princess is that she refuses to take her medicine. What use is there in bringing a physician?

Lifting his robes, Yan Shisheng parted the curtain and looked down at the young woman lying inside the canopy bed.

Her eyes were closed, and her long hair, thick as dark ink, cascaded across the pillow. Because of the fever, her face flushed a delicate crimson as if brushed with rouge, incomparably lovely and radiant. As she slept within the curtains, perhaps sensing a sudden gaze upon her, she opened her eyes and looked over.

Her thick eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her ink-black eyes fixed upon Yan Shisheng with a dazed look.

She appeared so remarkably docile and fragile.

Yan Shisheng's chest warmed, and he steadied his mind, forcing himself not to overthink. He whispered, "Your Highness, are you awake?"

Mu Wanyao merely looked at him, remaining silent.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye at the maid standing outside, he tentatively scooped a spoonful of medicine to feed her. True to the maids' words, she tightly pursed her lips, absolutely refusing to open her mouth. After trying a few times, he broke into a knowing smile. Without saying a word, he took advantage of the maid's lapse in attention to swiftly pull a piece of candy from his sleeve and press it against her lips.

Mu Wanyao's eyes widened slightly, round and luminous like a cat's.

To his surprise, she actually opened her mouth and took the candy.

Understanding dawned upon Yan Shisheng. Sitting by the edge of the couch, he watched her eat the candy and bargained in a low voice, "...Your Highness, I gave you this candy behind your maids' backs, so you cannot betray me. Now that you've eaten my candy, you must drink the medicine. Otherwise, there won't be any candy next time, alright?"

Mu Wanyao kept her gaze lowered, her cheeks puffed out as she chewed on the candy, completely ignoring his words.

Yan Shisheng couldn't tell whether she intended to listen or not. When he tentatively tried to feed her the medicine again, she actually turned her head away, still refusing to drink.

Yan Shisheng coaxed, "Your Highness?"

Yan Shisheng was utterly defeated.

With so many maids keeping watch, he couldn't exactly pinch her cheeks to force the medicine down, could he?

After staring at her for a moment, he rose, intending to head out and think of another way. Yet the moment he stood up, Mu Wanyao tugged at his sleeve. Startled, he turned back to look at her.

Lying beneath the heavy quilts, Mu Wanyao's voice sounded somewhat hoarse and weak: "Don't go."

Her eyelids drooped, her eyes half-closed, looking thoroughly serene yet fragile: "Don't leave me behind."

Yan Shisheng stared at her blankly; he had never seen her look like this before.

He whispered, "If you won't take your medicine, what purpose does my staying serve?"

Mu Wanyao retorted, "You aren't even calling me, so why should I drink it?"

Yan Shisheng found it bizarre: "Where have I failed to call you? Haven't I been addressing you as 'Your Highness' all this time?"

Mu Wanyao did not look at him. Her eyes, clear as spring water, merely stared at the hand clutching Yan Shisheng's sleeve. Her hollow gaze was both quiet and frail.

Yet she still held a hint of a young girl's petulance: "You didn't call me. I am not named 'Your Highness'."

Yan Shisheng's heart stirred, and he softly murmured, "Mu Wanyao?"

She closed her eyes, merely clutching his sleeve, falling silent.

But how intelligent was Yan Shisheng?

He sat back down and began to test her: "If I call you Princess Mu Wanyao, will you drink the medicine?"

Mu Wanyao opened her eyes: "My name is Mu Wanyao, not Princess Mu Wanyao."

Yan Shisheng hesitated: "Mu Wanyao?"

Mu Wanyao said softly, "But since I am a princess, how can you call me by my given name?"

Yan Shisheng: "..."

He couldn't help but chuckle.

He let out a sigh, realizing that her current state was entirely unlike her usual self. Ordinarily, she was proud and overbearing, but right now she was so vulnerable. And yet, she was remarkably endearing.

He gave a low laugh, softly calling, "Yaoyao."

Mu Wanyao's eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. After a brief pause, she nodded with a soft hum and offered him a faint smile. It was tender, like a snow begonia swaying in the wind, breathtakingly beautiful.

Yan Shisheng gazed at her for a long time, then suddenly remarked, "...My only hope now is that since I've called you this, you won't settle scores with me or beat me to death once you wake up."

Mu Wanyao looked at him with confusion.

She watched as he reached out and pinched her cheek, as if venting a bit of frustration.

As Yan Shisheng leaned down, the cool fabric of his clothes brushed against her face, obscuring her eyes. Amidst the darkness, she heard him lift her up, his voice gentle: "Alright, Yaoyao, stop throwing tantrums. Sit up and drink your medicine."

By the time the maids finished their discussion and looked back, they saw within the bed curtains that the young scholar was cradling their Princess, successfully feeding her the medicine.

The maids: "..."

Yaoyao.

He used coaxing and trickery like this.

He called her that for two full days, feeding Mu Wanyao her medicine multiple times. And Mu Wanyao truly acted quite foolishly; she would open her mouth whenever he offered candy, smile whenever he called her "Yaoyao," and barely refuted anything he said. She even clutched his sleeve, completely reluctant to let him leave, forcing the maids to constantly try and persuade her.

Yet the Princess would only weep streams of tears when coaxed, evoking immense pity from anyone who saw her.

It was also rather amusing.

As she took her medicine, Mu Wanyao's body gradually began to recover, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

One evening, Mu Wanyao awoke from her stupor. Massaging her temples, she suddenly remembered how that second Yan son had been calling her "Yaoyao" over the past few days.

Mu Wanyao froze, an overwhelming sense of shame instantly washing over her heart—

Had she completely lost her mind while ill?!

No one had called her that since she turned fifteen.

Mu Wanyao fell into deep thought, pondering whether she ought to kill Yan Shisheng to bury this shameful secret forever.

At dawn, the maids began to rise and wash. Mu Wanyao remained sitting on the couch in contemplation, until she heard Yan Shisheng's refined, elegant voice drifting in from outside: "Yaoyao, it's time for your medicine."

Mu Wanyao sat within the curtains, her face completely icy: "...”