Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Yan Shisheng replied with perfect courtesy: "This humble student does not wear perfume."

Mu Wanyao did not believe him.

She twitched her nose and sniffed; she truly detected a faint, elegant scent on him that she found quite refined. Naturally, Princess Danyang saw no reason to mind anyone else's opinion. Since she liked the fragrance, she walked toward Yan Shisheng, grabbed his sleeve, and prepared to take a closer sniff.

Mu Wanyao took a step forward.

Yan Shisheng took a step back.

Mu Wanyao took another step forward.

Yan Shisheng took another step back.

Mu Wanyao was displeased: "Why are you dodging me?!"

Under the dumbfounded gazes of the onlookers, Yan the Second Son—no matter how composed he usually was—couldn't help but flush a deep red. How could he possibly withstand such wanton behavior from the Princess?

Sigh.

Closing the door would be one thing...

But in the middle of a crowd...

No, wait. Closing the door wouldn't solve it either.

Just as Mu Wanyao grabbed his sleeve to force him to stop retreating, Yan Shisheng found himself backed into a corner. He had no choice but to hurriedly interrupt her approach: "Your Highness, this humble student just remembered what this scent is!"

Mu Wanyao lifted an eyelid, offering a faint, mocking smile: "You only remembered as soon as I got close to you. Does your quick wit require my intervention to be sparked?"

Her tone was laced with sarcasm.

Yan Shisheng pretended not to notice the Princess’s derision. He composedly pulled his sleeve from her grasp and, after feigning deep thought, replied: "...This humble student truly does not use perfume. However, my younger sister is a young lady who loves to be pretty; I fear that when I helped her scent her clothes, I accidentally picked up some of the fragrance.

"This scent is called 'Jiangzhen Xiang' (Incense of Descent). Your Highness may ask my younger sister if you wish."

Mu Wanyao gave an "Oh," neither confirming nor denying her interest.

With the Princess’s distraction, everyone present stared blankly at Yan Shisheng, likely trying to guess what exactly the relationship between him and Mu Wanyao was. They had largely forgotten the trivial matter of Yan Shisheng failing his exams for another year...

Later, Mu Wanyao entered the room and asked a few questions about Chunhua's condition.

During this time, Mu Wanyao’s gaze drifted intentionally or otherwise toward Liu Wenji, who was standing outside speaking with Yan Shisheng. She watched Yan Shisheng offer Liu Wenji his congratulations, while Liu Wenji’s expression was filled with the joy of a man who had achieved his heart's desire... Mu Wanyao let out a cold scoff.

Chunhua was being helped by the maids back onto the couch to rest. Seeing Mu Wanyao glancing at Liu Wenji outside, she felt a strange nervousness: "Your Highness... do you dislike Master Liu?"

Mu Wanyao withdrew her gaze.

She took a sip of tea, raised her beautiful eyes slightly, and a flash of charm flickered beneath her dark pupils. Frowning, she said: "It doesn't matter whether I like him or not. It's just that now that the provincial exam results are out, why hasn't he returned home? Why is he still staying at the Yan house? Is it to spite Yan Shisheng?"

Chunhua’s heart gave a heavy thud.

She blushed, secretly guessing that Liu Wenji was lingering at the Yan house because of her.

Chunhua stammered: "Perhaps Master Liu and Second Young Master Yan are on excellent terms."

Mu Wanyao: "Is there anyone Yan Shisheng is not on good terms with?"

Chunhua and the Princess exchanged a silent, stunned look. This... she had no answer to that.

Mu Wanyao quickly ended the topic: "It doesn't matter. Who passes or fails—what use is it? Liu Wenji looks triumphant now, as if passing a provincial exam is enough to fly up to the branches... Once he reaches Chang'an, he will realize that for every prodigy like him, Chang'an has countless more!"

She added with a touch of schadenfreude: "The provincial exam is only the first step. For those without fame or influence, wanting to climb upward... once they’ve spent a few years drifting in Chang'an and run out of money without finding a path forward, they will realize just how difficult this road truly is."

Chunhua sighed with emotion.

Chunhua asked: "Your Highness, when shall we leave this place?"

Mu Wanyao paused, stunned.

She had somewhat forgotten about that.

Originally, she should have gone to Nanhai to visit her uncle as soon as she obtained the White Cattle tea tree, but through a twist of fate, she had returned to the Yan house and crossed paths with Second Young Master Yan again... Mu Wanyao answered vaguely: "Once you have recovered."

Chunhua pursed her lips; in truth, she was already well enough to travel.

It was just that... Chunhua looked at Liu Wenji outside the window, her heart heavy with her own secrets, so she played the ostrich and did not offer anything further.

Mu Wanyao sat with Chunhua for a while before leaving. After the Princess’s party had departed, Chunhua sat in the room and heard Liu Wenji speaking outside: "Young Lady? Young Lady, are you listening to me?"

Chunhua got off the bed and walked to the door, hearing Liu Wenji whisper: "I have written to my family saying I will stay here for a few days to teach Second Young Master Yan. I see your injuries haven't healed; is there anything you need me to take care of?"

Through the door, Liu Wenji waited a long time before hearing the weak, soft voice of the girl inside: "Yes, there is."

His heart filled with joy! He knew this was her subtle way of agreeing to let him stay—

In the afternoon, as Mu Wanyao awoke from her nap, Yan Shisheng’s younger sister, Yan Xiaozhou, came to visit, saying she had brought "Jiangzhen Xiang" as an offering for the Princess.

Mu Wanyao, just awakened, rubbed her temples while her maid, Xia Rong, helped her wash and dress.

Xia Rong studied the Princess’s face in the mirror and saw a faint smile on Mu Wanyao’s lips; she was clearly in a good mood.

Since Chunhua had fallen ill, Xia Rong had taken over as the Princess’s personal maid. Eager to please, she said while combing the Princess’s hair: "Young Lady Yan must have been sent by the Second Young Master. He is truly so considerate; a casual remark from Your Highness, and he took it to heart."

Mu Wanyao listened and cast her a glance.

Mu Wanyao said: "What do you mean by 'I made a casual remark and he took it to heart'? I saw him surrounded by the crowd and took pity on him, helping him out of a tight spot. Since I helped him out of a tight spot, is it not only natural for him to return the favor?"

Xia Rong was stunned.

The other maids serving behind them were equally stunned.

Xia Rong spoke for them all in their shock: "Your Highness’s words... were actually helping Second Young Master Yan out of a tight spot? This servant... I truly didn't see that."

Mu Wanyao remained in high spirits and did not scold them: "Stupid creatures like you naturally cannot understand my intentions. As long as Yan Shisheng can understand, that is enough. And indeed, he understood. My rare moment of kindness was not in vain."

Yan Xiaozhou had always been a little afraid of Mu Wanyao. Now that she knew Mu Wanyao was a princess, she felt even more uneasy standing before her after entering the room. The young girl was pretty, but she kept her head lowered and blushed, a sight that Mu Wanyao found curious.

Yan Xiaozhou handed the box she was holding to the Princess’s maid and said in a muffled voice: "Inside this box is the incense cake that my second brother and I made together. I used most of it, but there is still some left. If Your Highness does not mind, please take it and use it. If Your Highness likes it, I can make some more."

Mu Wanyao signaled her maids to take the incense. When she saw Yan Xiaozhou curtsy and prepare to retreat, she glanced over and noticed the young girl’s eyes were a bit red.

Mu Wanyao: "What are you crying for? Is giving me a bit of incense such a grievance to you?"

Yan Xiaozhou was startled by the Princess’s sharp eyes and cold words.

She looked up, and indeed, her eyelids were red. But she waved her hands frantically: "No, no, no, I am not crying because I gave Your Highness incense! It is my blessing that Your Highness likes this scent; how could I feel aggrieved?"

Mu Wanyao gazed at her.

Yan Xiaozhou’s eyes remained red, her lips pressed tight.

Mu Wanyao rested her chin on her hand, looking entirely at ease, and said lazily: "Say what you want to say; do not learn from your brother and speak in riddles."

Yan Xiaozhou blushed again, this time out of embarrassment.

She whispered: "...My second brother has studied for so many years; can Your Highness really not help him?"

Mu Wanyao: "I can."

Yan Xiaozhou had only meant to test the waters, but Mu Wanyao’s answer was so blunt that she immediately looked up in joyous surprise.

However, Mu Wanyao raised her eyes and smiled: "But I want him to come and beg me." —

Yan Shisheng sat at his desk, organizing his books and contemplating his plans for the next year.

He expected that, having become the Princess’s savior, once she departed, the nomination for next year’s provincial exam would be firmly within his grasp; he wouldn't even need to expend much effort.

He could go to Chang'an with ease.

But Chang'an was the political center of the entire Great Wei, where all the scholars and geniuses of the world gathered. With so many people having wasted years there without achieving results in the imperial exams... what right did he, a man poor at poetry and prose, have to stand out?

He would have to put in some extra work in certain areas.

Yan Shisheng thought as he wrote, listing the books he needed to study next year, defining the knowledge he needed to master, and calculating how to use the time before Mu Wanyao left to extract information from her about the famous scholars and noble houses of Chang'an... He was meticulous; as he wrote, he burned the notes one by one, leaving not a single trace behind.

When Yan Xiaozhou knocked and entered the room, she was choked by the smoke and embers filling the air.

Yan Xiaozhou: "Second Brother... cough cough, are you burning things again?"

Yan Shisheng rose to welcome his sister, opened the window to let the air in, and handed her tea with a gentle smile: "It’s a bit cold, so I burned a few things for warmth."

Yan Xiaozhou was pressed down onto a seat by her brother: "..."

She didn't dwell on it and went straight to her point: "...In any case, it’s not that the Princess won't help you, she’s just waiting for you to beg! Second Brother, go quickly!"

She looked up at her brother, urging him happily: "Second Brother, your previous plan was right. I can tell Princess Danyang likes you quite a bit."

Yan Shisheng was silent.

After a long moment, looking quite righteous and honorable, he flicked his sleeve and said: "A man stands tall in this world, and there are things he does and things he does not do. How could I walk such a crooked path? Little Sister, is this how I have taught you?

"No more talk! As for me, I’d rather not resort to serving someone with my looks." —

As the moon and stars filled the sky, at the border region, the frontier army guarding the boundaries of the Great Wei welcomed a troop of cavalry.

The cavalry galloped in from the direction of the Southern Barbarians. Amidst billowing dust and smoke, they arrived at the foot of the border town, claiming to be the King of the Wu Barbarians come to request an audience.

Troops moved out of the city, and the frontier general, hearing the news in his tent, felt as if he were facing a formidable enemy: "The King of the Wu Barbarians? Weren't the Wu Barbarians locked in civil war a year ago, unable to even fend for themselves?"

The Great Wei frontier army marched out of the camp in force. Under the starry night, both sides stood their ground, separated by a long river.

The opposing cavalry stood upon the mountain ridge and shouted loudly: "...I, the newly appointed King of the Wu Barbarians, have pacified the civil war and come specifically to pledge allegiance to the Great Wei! I request the General to send a letter to Chang'an to inform the Monarch Father!"

Due to the marriage alliance and the pledge of allegiance, the King of the Wu Barbarians referred to the Great Wei Emperor directly as "Monarch Father."

The frontier general’s expression was solemn. The Wu Barbarians had unified their internal forces once more... he did not know if this was good news.

He did not offend them, however, and had his subordinates ride across to accept the letter, stating he would have it rushed to Chang'an to inform the world of the Wu King's return.

The general knew this was no minor affair, and after speaking a few words, he prepared to ride away. From the side of the Wu Barbarians, however, came a male voice—somewhat stiff, but articulate and refined in the official language of the Great Wei: "General, wait a moment."

The general turned back to see that on the mountain ridge where they were standing off, amidst the lush forest and the dark, imposing mass of Wu cavalry, a black horse emerged with a flourish. On its back sat a tall and imposing man, wearing a hood that obscured his face.

Under the moonlight, the man pushed his hood back slightly, revealing a chin.

Handsome, cold, and arrogant.

The man smiled faintly: "I am the newly appointed King of the Wu Barbarians."

The Great Wei general tensed, watching this Wu King who had come to the frontier in person with great vigilance. The Great Wei army behind him also gripped their weapons, prepared for an uprising.

The hooded man on horseback, however, did not change his expression.

He said: "I have no malice. I merely wish to ask... does anyone here know the whereabouts of Princess Danyang? I will not hide it from you all—Her Highness and I... share a deep connection. General, please transmit a message for me: ask her if she still remembers the promise she made to me."

The general was wary: "What promise?"

The man threw his head back and laughed loudly.

His laughter shook the dense forest and sent birds soaring into the sky; how grand his heroic spirit was!

Then, listening as he said languidly: "Between a man and a woman, what kind of promise do you think it is?”