Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The night had been dark for some time. The rain flowed like a stream, and one could vaguely smell the fresh fragrance of flowers outside the courtyard, creating a tranquil and silent atmosphere.

Inside the room, a single lamp burned like a bean. After the maids served tea, they retreated.

Yan Shisheng sat opposite Mu Wanyao, his heart pounding like a drum as he watched the young Princess across from him.

He saw her high bun and cloudy hair, her crimson lips and beautiful eyes. Her beauty was so radiant and magnificent that it made the entire Yan family’s humble cottage seem grand and luxurious. A Princess like her was as different from him as clouds are from mud.

How could such a Princess act so abruptly and kiss him on the cheek?

Yan Shisheng could sense that when he and Mu Wanyao were together, the atmosphere would sometimes become rather strange. Yet, even though he and the Princess didn't usually share an unspoken rapport, they were exceptionally attuned to each other in these moments. Whenever the atmosphere turned peculiar, both would tacitly avert their gazes to shatter the mood.

They had always handled it well before; why had she suddenly kissed him?

What bewildered him even more was that he clearly... could not forget the sweet scent of her face leaning in close. It was soft, warm, and sweet. When her supple lips pressed against his cheek, the entire world had stood still in that instant.

Mu Wanyao was also quietly observing Yan Shisheng. He sat opposite her in his coarse, commoner's clothing, his eyes lowered. Under the firelight, his eyelashes seemed to be coated in a layer of gold powder, fine and delicate.

Mu Wanyao watched until her heart swayed, and she couldn't help but cough.

Yan Shisheng’s lashes trembled gently, and he looked up at her.

Eyes met, and sparks lingered in the gloom. An awkward silence fell between them once again.

Mu Wanyao grew increasingly annoyed and vexed. She asked indignantly: "Why didn't you dodge earlier?"

Yan Shisheng replied: "...Probably because I was facing away from Your Highness, and I don't have eyes in the back of my head."

Mu Wanyao’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she fanned herself with her fan: "Oh."

The two fell into silence once more.

After a long while, Yan Shisheng likely felt he had to say something, so he opened his mouth dryly: "...Why did Your Highness suddenly kiss me?"

Mu Wanyao composed herself and flashed a smile at him: "Because I saw how you fretted over the commoners and worried about the state of the nation, and I was moved by your breadth of mind. That surge of emotion swept over me, and no words could express my admiration for you. Unable to restrain myself, I kissed you."

Yan Shisheng fell silent.

After a long pause, he revealed a somewhat strained smile: "I see. It seems Your Highness is a person who cares for the whole world."

Mu Wanyao shot him a glance.

She said: "I am not. Do not misunderstand."

Yan Shisheng: "..."

Mu Wanyao continued: "It is precisely because I am not a person like you that I admire you—I admire you for having something that an ordinary person like me lacks. If I were a person like you, my reaction then would probably not have been to kiss you, but to swear an oath as brother and sister... or siblings."

Yan Shisheng looked at her without speaking: Siblings?

She was only half a year older than him. Was that worth her remembering all this time?

His features were handsome, his bright eyes warm and gentle, and he still possessed the air of a youth. Looking at Mu Wanyao in this soft, lingering manner made her cheeks bloom with heat and her heart race like a trapped deer; she couldn't withstand the pressure.

Mu Wanyao turned her face away, using her feathered fan to block everything below her eyes. She stole a mischievous glance at him, yawned, and rose: "It is getting late; I am going to sleep. You should also go to bed early."

Just as she was about to walk past him to the inner chamber, Yan Shisheng suddenly stood up, took a few steps, and blocked her path. He didn't speak, but bowed deeply to her.

Mu Wanyao was instantly flustered and exasperated: "What else do you want? I already told you I was just too excited. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for suddenly saying such passionate things!"

Yan Shisheng looked at her: "So Your Highness intends to offer me no explanation at all?"

Mu Wanyao lifted her chin: "Do you expect me to compensate you for your losses? How about I gift you a thousand pieces of gold?"

Yan Shisheng replied: "That is hardly necessary."

Mu Wanyao asked, shamed and angry: "Then what do you want?"

Yan Shisheng lowered his eyes and said: "If Your Highness would teach me what books I should read, what skills I should learn, which powerful clans in Chang'an must not be offended, and which prestigious families I should visit... that would be enough."

Mu Wanyao was stunned, her forced composure slipping.

She gave a slight smile, tapped his shoulder with her feathered fan, and said with a chuckle: "Is that all? Very well."

Yan Shisheng looked at the feathered fan resting on his shoulder.

Mu Wanyao gave a huff, retracted her fan, and turned away to walk off, her back swaying with graceful charm.

Yan Shisheng stared as the bed curtains fell one after another behind her, until she stepped behind the deep, rich red drapes and the maids entered to serve her. Yan Shisheng caught himself, averted his gaze, and bowed once more before taking his leave—

Thus, the atmosphere became harmoniously deceptive.

Liu Wenji’s family had been urging him to return home, but Liu Wenji knew the Princess's party likely wouldn't stay at the Yan house for long. He stubbornly withstood the pressure from his family, refusing to leave and instead coming and going from the Yan house, diligently courting the maid Chunhua.

Chunhua was gentle and bashful, and didn't dare to tell the Princess. Liu Wenji kept saying that once he passed the imperial examinations, he would come to beg the Princess to release Chunhua. Since he said it so often, Chunhua gradually began to look forward to the sight of him as a successful scholar... Everyone said Liu Wenji was talented, a prodigy of Lingnan; passing the exams should be easy for him, right?

Compared to Liu Wenji’s romantic leisure, Yan Shisheng had it quite tough.

Mu Wanyao claimed she was teaching him, but she was a Princess—how could her "teaching" be like anyone else's?

Mu Wanyao effortlessly rattled off a list of book titles Yan Shisheng had never heard of, disparaged him thoroughly as a country bumpkin, and then revised the list to books he could actually access. Yan Shisheng had to ask his third brother to go and borrow books from Liu Wenji’s father, while he sat in the Princess’s quarters, practicing calligraphy under the watchful eyes of her maids.

Through the curtains, Mu Wanyao sneered: "Your handwriting needs to be practiced and corrected starting now. It is a pity your father was once a successful scholar; he didn't even teach you how to write properly."

Yan Shisheng smiled bitterly: "Is my writing really that bad?"

Mu Wanyao: "Your writing isn't bad, of course. But in Chang'an, there are countless masters of calligraphy taught by centuries-old prestigious families. The handwriting they produce is absolutely not something a rustic scholar like you could write. I will give you a copybook; just practice copying it slowly. I doubt you'll achieve anything, but I'll treat it as though I'm throwing the copybook away."

Yan Shisheng automatically filtered out her mockery and carefully noted her suggestions.

Mu Wanyao took another sip of the dark plum juice Yan Shisheng had prepared for her, its sweet and sour taste bringing a smile to her eyes: "Also, you must start building up your martial arts now. In the Great Wei, we value those who are skilled in both pen and sword. All the ministers I have met—which of them isn't ready to draw their sword at a moment’s notice? You can't even ride a horse properly; that will not do."

Yan Shisheng pondered: "My eldest brother is skilled in martial arts; I will listen to him more. Does Your Highness have anything else to teach me?"

Mu Wanyao thought for a moment, staring at him: "The thing you should change the most is your overall bearing."

Yan Shisheng was stunned: "Huh?"

Mu Wanyao said with a grin: "In Chang'an, people revere those who are heroic, arrogant, and unrestrained. With your extreme reserve, others in Chang'an won't like you."

Yan Shisheng was dumbfounded.

He whispered: "Are you not tricking me?"

Mu Wanyao straightened her face: "I am not; I speak the truth. Believe it or not, it’s up to you. In any case, nobody will like someone like you."

Yan Shisheng asked for advice: "What is considered 'heroic, arrogant, and unrestrained'?"

Mu Wanyao: "It means roaring back at anyone without changing your expression."

Yan Shisheng replied: "But if I dared to roar at Your Highness once, the sword hanging by your bed would likely come down and cut me, wouldn't it?"

From within the curtains came the sound of a young girl’s irrepressible laughter, clear and bright as a spring.

Yan Shisheng couldn't help but look over, seeing shadows flickering inside the curtains; she seemed to be laughing so hard she had collapsed onto the bed, shaking like a flower in the wind. His heart stirred slightly, and he couldn't help but smile faintly along with her.

Mu Wanyao suddenly stopped laughing and straightened her face: "I am tired; I am going to take an afternoon nap. Read your book by yourself, do not make a sound, and do not disturb me."

Yan Shisheng: "Perhaps this humble student should go out..."

Mu Wanyao did not respond.

Yan Shisheng did not leave and continued to sit by the window reading—

The fine rain drizzled on.

When Mu Wanyao woke up, she saw he was still sitting outside the curtains. The maids had left at some point and were sitting on the steps outside chatting. As for the young scholar reading by the window inside, he sat as still as a piece of bamboo, not resting for even a moment.

Mu Wanyao got out of bed, her hair disheveled, and walked out from behind the curtain, standing behind him.

Yan Shisheng seemed to sense her presence. Just as he was about to look up, Mu Wanyao leaned over from behind and her slender, fair hands grasped his, holding the somewhat worn brush together with him.

Mu Wanyao said softly: "You are writing this character incorrectly; I will teach you."

Yan Shisheng froze, not making a sound.

He heard her laugh in his ear, her breath mingling with his slightly reddened ears, as light as mist: "You are just memorizing by rote; you don't grasp the underlying logic, and your momentum is insufficient and constrained. You have neither power nor connections at home, and you refuse to socialize. If you keep reading like this, ten years from now, you still won't pass the exams."

Yan Shisheng looked up at her.

The two met eyes for an instant before both averted their gazes, looking up at the sky and the rain—

Mu Wanyao was recovering well at the Yan house, but her uncle kept sending letters, urging her to go to Nanhai. Mu Wanyao used the excuse that Chunhua had not yet recovered to drag it out for another two days.

In her daily life, scolding Yan Shisheng and teaching him to read, these days felt light and easy, even better than her life in Chang'an.

That evening, after finishing her tea, Mu Wanyao received a letter from Chang'an.

The letter had been sent by the Crown Prince through a staffer from Princess Danyang’s estate—

The Wu Barbarians had unified once more, and a new King had ascended the throne.

The new Wu King had sent word to ask her: Did she still remember the promise they made to each other? —

Mu Wanyao’s expression changed violently.

In that instant, the past she had deliberately forgotten and discarded roared back like a tidal wave, rushing toward her and drowning her.

The days when she was left alone and ostracized among the Wu; the days when she watched helplessly as her maid was bullied to death; the days when Meng Zaishi pressed against her ear, holding her hand, and speaking of cooperating with her...

Everything had returned.

Just as Yan Shisheng said, the past never truly passes.

Even if things were good now! —

A thunderclap exploded in the sky, rumbling loudly.

The night was soft and deep. Yan Shisheng stood in front of the house, staring blankly at the gray sky, thinking that it would probably rain again tomorrow.

Thinking of rain, he couldn't help but think of that day... Yan Shisheng touched his cheek, as if he could still feel the warm fragrance she had left there.

He closed his eyes, suppressing his restless thoughts.

The boisterous, loud voice of the third Yan brother rang out from behind: "Second Brother, why are you touching your face and smiling?"

Yan Shisheng: "..."

Yan Shisheng opened his eyes to see the third brother having just returned from outside, panting as he carried in a box of books for him. As Yan Shisheng stepped up to unload the books with his third brother, he heard a huge BANG of a door being pushed open.

He instinctively turned his head and saw Mu Wanyao had exited the main room and was standing on the veranda.

She saw him, and her gaze paused slightly.

Mu Wanyao shouted sharply to everyone in the courtyard: "Pack your things! Tomorrow, we leave for Nanhai!"

The guards and maids in the courtyard were stunned; they hadn't expected such a sudden decision—

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and flashes of lightning occasionally illuminated the veranda pillars with a chilling light. After ordering the guards and maids to pack, Mu Wanyao turned and walked along the veranda, Yan Shisheng following behind her.

Yan Shisheng: "Your Highness... Your Highness... Mu Wanyao!"

He caught up to her and grabbed her wrist.

Mu Wanyao was jerked around by his pull, and she met his gaze.

The light in Yan Shisheng’s eyes became gentle, and he sighed: "Why the rush to leave? If there is any problem, perhaps I could help Your Highness think of a way..."

Mu Wanyao looked at him coldly.

Mu Wanyao said: "You are so concerned about me—do you intend to come with me? The only people I can keep by my side for long are eunuchs. Are you prepared to have yourself castrated?"

Yan Shisheng: "...”