Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Yan Shisheng stood outside the room holding the medicine bowl, waiting for the Princess to grant him permission to enter.

But clearly, Mu Wanyao was ill and in no state to answer him.

When Yan Shisheng entered, he found the room quiet. The maids were occupied with their respective duties; some were dusting, others were standing by the window meticulously pruning flower branches... In short, they were all very focused—perhaps a bit too focused.

Circling around the folding screen, he saw the lush, embroidered bed curtains hanging low, adorned with sachets and golden spheres. The entire inner chamber possessed the delicate, rosy beauty of a young woman's quarters. Yet, today, it seemed incense had been lit.

He lifted the curtain and saw Mu Wanyao sleeping with her eyes closed, half her rosy face hidden beneath the quilt, revealing only her milk-white forehead. The light from him lifting the curtain disturbed her; she gripped the quilt, inching her face out from beneath it. Her dark eyes were as clear as water, her nose delicate and charming.

Yan Shisheng sat by the edge of the couch and reached out an arm to help her up. His voice was softer than usual: "Yaoyao, you're awake early today? Did you sleep well last night? It's time to get up and take your medicine."

Mu Wanyao stared at him intently, remaining silent.

Because she had been the same way for the past two days, Yan Shisheng didn't think much of it and continued to coax her to rise with soft words. The Princess crawled slowly out from the mass of warm bedding. Perhaps because she felt stifled, her face flushed slightly as he pulled her into his embrace.

Yan Shisheng looked down and saw her thick, ink-black hair, her lashes curving gently upward, and a dusting of pink on her cheeks; he could no longer discern her expression.

As if by magic, he pulled a piece of candy from his sleeve and popped it into her mouth just as she opened it.

Mu Wanyao’s mouth was suddenly filled: "..."

Her cheeks were puffed out.

She was about to lash out at his overstep, but her refined upbringing prevented her from spitting out what had been put in her mouth. Instead, she chewed the candy with indignant force. It was sweet, yet surprisingly not cloying, with a hint of tartness...

What kind of candy was this?

Yan Shisheng scooped a spoonful of the thick, dark medicine and went to feed it to her.

The young lady in his arms was fully awake; her previous act had merely been a way to probe what he had been doing while she was unconscious. Now that she was awake, Mu Wanyao naturally refused to drink the medicine. She said gloomily: "So, is this how you trick a poor, sick person into drinking medicine?"

The hand holding the medicine spoon trembled slightly.

Leaning against his shoulder and refusing the medicine, Mu Wanyao slowly raised her eyes and gazed at him, a cold sense of indignation and a faux-languid air washing over him simultaneously.

She was quite imposing.

If not for the fact that the candy still in her mouth made her speech sound slurred, Princess Danyang would have been even more imposing.

Yan Shisheng, however, was calm.

He had guessed she was awake long ago; otherwise, the maids would not have been acting so forcedly calm.

But since the Princess wanted to test him, he could only satisfy her and be tested.

Yan Shisheng changed his form of address: "Your Highness."

Mu Wanyao hooked the corner of her lips. As Yan Shisheng stood up to beg for forgiveness, she flicked her hand and knocked the medicine bowl over, sending it crashing to the floor. The bowl shattered, and the dark liquid splashed across the ground, startling the maids outside into rushing in to check, where they tremblingly begged for forgiveness.

As Yan Shisheng stepped back, the coarse hem of his robe was splashed with the medicine.

Yet he merely bowed his head in salute, not even glancing at the stain near his feet, and said joyfully: "Seeing that Your Highness has awakened, this humble student is finally at ease."

Mu Wanyao slapped the bed frame: "You are 'at ease' with a...!"

Due to the impropriety, she suppressed the last word. But she glared at Yan Shisheng with an intimidating air, looking for all the world like she intended to settle the score later.

Yan Shisheng said gently: "Actually, I have long considered that while I have been caring for the Princess's body, I have indirectly overstepped my bounds. When you woke up, you would inevitably hold me accountable. Since I cannot abandon you, and I cannot sit and wait for death, I racked my brains to come up with a way to help you settle the score."

Mu Wanyao sat on the couch, disheveled; her shoulders were half-exposed, her jade neck long and slender, her chest half-concealed beneath her hair, appearing and disappearing from view. She leaned forward, interested: "You have a way to help me resolve my confusion?"

Yan Shisheng immediately shifted his gaze, refusing to look an inch more. He said: "A punishment is merely a choice between long-term and short-term pain. For short-term pain, Your Highness could kill me with one sword stroke, and that would be the end of it; for long-term pain, Your Highness could torment me for a few days, which would likely allow you to vent your anger."

Mu Wanyao’s eyes were unfathomable.

She said: "Do you think I will choose long-term pain?"

Mu Wanyao laughed: "I choose short-term pain."

Yan Shisheng paused.

In his peripheral vision, he saw her get off the couch. Her bare feet, white as snow-jade, touched the floor mat before her skirt fell to cover them. She walked toward him, step by step. A trail of fragrance followed her as she stopped in front of him.

A ding sounded—the distinct ring of a sword being drawn.

Yan Shisheng recalled that a sword hung by the corner of the bed curtain. Drawing it was easy for Mu Wanyao.

He looked up suddenly. Sure enough, Mu Wanyao had already drawn the sword, and beneath his gaze, she laid the blade across his shoulder.

Mu Wanyao said slowly: "This sword was a gift from the Crown Prince. He told me that with this blade, no matter who I kill, he will take full responsibility. I tested it before; it can slice through a falling hair and cut through metal like mud. It is far superior to the sword Guard Fang uses. I hang it by my bed to defend against outlaws who might show me disrespect."

Yan Shisheng met her gaze.

This was the nature of the game between a man and a woman.

Yan Shisheng said: "The Crown Prince gifting you this sword is a sign of his affection, but also a warning. I suggest you use it carefully. For minor matters, there is no need to make such a mountain out of a molehill."

Mu Wanyao: "Calling me 'Yaoyao'—is that a minor matter?"

Yan Shisheng sighed: "It was Your Highness who forced me to call you that. You refused to drink your medicine unless I did; I could not stand by and watch you die, so I truly had no choice."

Yan Shisheng was nervous about the blade on his shoulder, but Mu Wanyao remained relaxed: "By saying that, it seems you are certain I will not kill you. What makes you think I won't?"

Yan Shisheng looked at her.

He said slowly: "I am indeed gambling.

"I am gambling that... Your Highness feels some pity for me."

Mu Wanyao: "..."

Yan Shisheng knew when to stop.

He reached out, took her wrist, drew the sword from her hand, and tossed it far away. He bowed: "I beg Your Highness to spare my life. Killing me is easy, but the aftermath would be troublesome. Wouldn't it be better to let me off and allow me to serve you through 'long-term pain'?"

His tone was gentle, his eyes smiling, half-joking and half-sincere in his plea.

This attitude made it hard for Mu Wanyao to stay angry.

After all... it was just a minor matter.

Mu Wanyao straightened her face: "My appearance while I was ill..."

Yan Shisheng: "I will not speak a single word of it."

Mu Wanyao: "And calling me 'Yaoyao'..."

Yan Shisheng: "I will never dare to do it again!"

Mu Wanyao's expression chilled, as if she were somewhat angry, though she didn't know why. Finally, she muttered sullenly: "Very well, we shall consider it settled. Do not let it happen again."

Yan Shisheng breathed a sigh of relief.

The maids watching cautiously from outside also breathed a sigh of relief.

With the matter resolved, Mu Wanyao’s expression improved significantly. She lifted her chin toward Yan Shisheng: "I intend to go see Chunhua."

Yan Shisheng, ever perceptive, immediately said: "Then I shall accompany you, Your Highness. Lady Chunhua has awakened; she should be out of danger."

Mu Wanyao nodded.

She said: "I need to change my clothes."

Yan Shisheng turned to leave.

Mu Wanyao shouted: "Where do you think you're going?!"

Yan Shisheng’s back stiffened; he hesitated and turned around: "...Surely you don't expect this humble student to serve you?"

Mu Wanyao was incensed. She opened her mouth to speak, but bit her lip, unable to voice her thoughts for a long time. Yan Shisheng looked at her with focused curiosity, waiting quietly. After a long while, Mu Wanyao’s eyes drifted upward.

She said: "The candy you gave me..."

Yan Shisheng understood.

He whispered: "Would you like some more?"

Mu Wanyao: "...No."

Yan Shisheng said nothing; he merely walked back, placed the pouch containing the candy on the small table beside the bed where she could reach it, bowed once more, and this time, truly took his leave.

After he left, Mu Wanyao touched the pouch and took out a bean of candy from it—a pouch that looked like it had been used for many years and was not at all pretty.

It was still sweet, and still tart.

Mu Wanyao sat alone in the room eating candy for a while.

Her gaze drifted out the window, where she could faintly hear her maids caring for the Second Yan son, asking if he had been frightened by the Princess, while Yan Shisheng answered them gently.

Mu Wanyao bit down on the candy and scoffed, cursing his hypocrisy in her heart.

A man like him—considerate in every way—was far too easy to grow fond of—

As the sun rose, Chunhua sat in front of the house to sun herself.

Liu Wenji approached her hesitantly. Seeing her sitting in the sun with a pale face, his footsteps grew flustered. After fidgeting for a long time, he stepped forward, his face flushed, and placed a small, grass-woven doll on the step.

Liu Wenji said softly: "I heard you woke up... I brought this for you to play with."

Chunhua was surprised and looked up at the refined young scholar. Her fingertips trembled as she accepted the doll. She lowered her head, face turning red, and said nothing.

Liu Wenji stammered: "I know you are a maid to the Princess, and someone of my status cannot hope to climb that high right now. But please wait a while, until I pass the Imperial Examination..."

A woman's lazy voice drifted over: "Wait for what?"

Chunhua stood up in a panic: "Your Highness!"

Liu Wenji looked over, bewildered—

A young woman entered from the corridor, fanning herself. Her hair was styled in a high bun, pinned with swaying ornaments. Her skirt trailed on the ground, and her silk stole fluttered.

Behind her walked a man in a scholar’s robe with narrow sleeves, his hair tied with a simple cloth band, his eyes clear and refined. It was Yan Shisheng.

Yan Shisheng glanced at Liu Wenji, signaling him to offer his respects quickly so as not to offend Princess Danyang.

Liu Wenji, however, was lost in thought: Why is the Second Yan son accompanying the Princess?

How is the Second Yan son so familiar with the Princess?

If the Second Yan son is this familiar with the Princess, then what about him and Chunhua...

Before he could finish his contemplation, hurried footsteps approached. Mu Wanyao looked over to see guards blocking a group of people attempting to force their way in. The intruders were Yan Shisheng’s eldest and third brothers.

Mu Wanyao was surprised.

Yan Shisheng, however, felt a stir in his heart.

When the elder and third Yan brothers arrived, they offered a rushed salute to the Princess, then spoke with complicated expressions: "The provincial examination results are out... this year's quota belongs to Master Liu, Liu Wenji."

Yan Shisheng remained silent.

The eldest brother did not know what to say, and could only try to suppress his sympathy: "...Second Brother, don't worry, there is always next year."

Yan Shisheng came back to his senses and laughed: "I should congratulate Brother Liu. Eldest Brother, Third Brother, I am not sad."

Because this was exactly as he had expected.

Yet a cloud of sorrow loomed over the gathering; except for Liu Wenji and the Princess, no one here seemed happy, purely because they were all fond of the Second Yan son—

"Second Yan, it’s alright, you will definitely be able to go to Chang'an."

"Second Brother, don't be sad."

"Second Brother, why not beg someone for help?"

The last sentence was Chunhua hinting for Yan Shisheng to seek the Princess's assistance. Yan Shisheng busily responded to everyone’s concerns, appearing quite occupied.

Mu Wanyao leaned against a pillar, fanning herself as she watched them.

She truly did not understand what they were sad about.

She asked curiously: "Wasn't his failure expected? What are you all fretting over?"

The crowd was too angry to speak out.

Mu Wanyao did not care at all. She looked at Yan Shisheng: "What scent are you wearing?"

Yan Shisheng: "Huh?"

Mu Wanyao stared at him: "I want it."

Of everyone present, Mu Wanyao was likely the only one not saddened by the Second Yan son's failure in the provincial examination. Yan Shisheng looked at her helplessly with a faint smile.