Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting, Mu Wanyao leisurely made her way toward the semi-open main hall.
In this era, the main halls of noble households often lacked four solid walls; instead, they were supported by several pillars that held up the "eave-roof," allowing for ventilation on all sides. As she walked along the corridor toward the hall, she caught sight of the young gentleman standing outside.
A lady-in-waiting curtsied to the waiting youth: "Young Master, Her Highness has arrived."
Wei Shu lifted his head, looking toward the young Princess as she approached under the lush shade. At a single glance, he was struck by her vibrant crimson attire and dazzling, imposing air. Mu Wanyao, as she approached, caught sight of him as well—
The young gentleman stood before the hall, his poise elegant and his spirit refined and dignified.
As he looked up, the sunlight fell upon him, casting a glistening, snowy radiance over his entire being, making him shine with a distinguished brilliance.
In all her life, Mu Wanyao had never seen someone so clean and cold. He was like a layer of moonlight resting upon a pagoda, making one feel that even a hint of teasing would be inappropriate.
...Her uncle had not lied to her. In terms of sheer quality, this person was absolute top-tier among all the men Mu Wanyao had ever met.
But the only problem was... Mu Wanyao stood before the hall,收起 suppressing the playful mockery on her face, and asked earnestly: "Wei Juyuan, may I ask how old you are this year?"
Wei Shu looked at her: "Fourteen."
Mu Wanyao fell silent: "..."
...No wonder her uncle wasn't in a rush for them to marry, vaguely suggesting they should get to know each other for a few more years first.
Mu Wanyao was already eighteen this year. Facing a fourteen-year-old boy, no matter how beautiful he was... she just couldn't bring herself to do anything.
With a faint flush on her cheeks, Mu Wanyao coughed dryly: "What did you come to Chang'an to do?"
Wei Shu’s voice was as clear and cold as snow: "Luoyang could no longer hold me, so my teacher sent me to Chang'an. I intend to participate in next year's imperial examinations. I hope the Princess can help me find some lodging and servants in the city. I will repay Your Highness in the future."
Mu Wanyao turned her head slightly and smiled: "That is easily done, easily done."
For a time, both fell silent.
Mu Wanyao glanced at Wei Shu secretly, noting that although he was so young, he appeared calm and detached.
As she looked at him, he shifted his gaze unconcernedly, his cheeks flushing slightly. Clearly, he knew exactly what Li Zhi had arranged and felt a bit awkward about it.
Mu Wanyao then calmly arranged for him to be served tea.
She chatted with Wei Shu for the entire afternoon, though it was nothing more than talk about the customs and traditions of Luoyang. Even though Wei Shu was young, his conversation and cultivation were clearly those of someone raised in a prestigious, aristocratic family.
For that moment, without discussing matters of love or romance, the two were pleasant hosts and guests, enjoying a harmonious time—
Li Zhi had his own considerations regarding the Princess's marriage, and the Crown Prince naturally had his own.
Inside the Eastern Palace, the moment Wei Shu left, the Crown Prince received the report.
The Crown Prince sat alone in the quiet for a long while, turning a gilded cup in his hands, and ordered: "...Summon Yang Si back to Chang'an. After all, they grew up together as childhood sweethearts; does he have no reaction at all to the Sixth Sister returning to the capital?"
The young attendant being pressured smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, you know that Third Young Master Yang has a rebellious temperament. You were the one who arranged for him to undergo training with the frontier army in Longxi. Summoning him back so suddenly... won't he be displeased?"
The Crown Prince seethed with hidden anger: "He and his temper! His childhood sweetheart has returned to Chang'an; shouldn't it be natural for him to care? Must he wait until the Li family is completely won over by the Wei family of Luoyang before he is happy? Tell him to return to Chang'an. If he wants to drill troops, I will give him a position in the Imperial Guard.
"His primary task is to cultivate a good relationship with the Sixth Sister and bring the Jinling Li family to my side!"
Following these orders, fast horses naturally set out from Chang'an, galloping toward Longxi to find Third Young Master Yang.
The Crown Prince hoped to arrange someone of his own choosing for Princess Danyang's marriage.
And among his own people, Third Young Master Yang, Yang Si—who had been a childhood companion to Mu Wanyao and a long-time study partner and attendant to the Crown Prince—was the most trustworthy—
And so, for an entire year, Mu Wanyao was caught in the calculations of the Crown Prince and the Li family. On one side was Third Young Master Yang; on the other, Seventh Young Master Wei.
Letters from Lingnan still arrived, but because the distance was too great and correspondence was inconvenient, Mu Wanyao had initially cared about Second Young Master Yan, but as she grew busier with the Crown Prince, she pushed him to the back of her mind.
That young gentleman in the drizzling rain of Lingnan had been nothing more than a momentary sentiment brought on by the atmosphere; what importance did he have?
From initially asking about Second Young Master Yan’s letters every now and then, Mu Wanyao eventually stopped asking or looking at them, even when he wrote.
Knowing the Princess’s interest had passed, Chunhua and the others stopped bothering her with the letters.
However, the contents of the letters were interesting, as Second Young Master Yan would tell them about the customs and legends of Lingnan. Chunhua, Fang Tong, and the others read his letters with great relish every month, eagerly passing them around.
In October of that year, Yan Shisheng, as he had planned, received the quota from Guangzhou to be sent to Chang'an for the imperial examinations.
That year, after the eldest son of the Yan family married, the family exchanged all their remaining valuables into gold ingots after the wedding expenses and stuffed them all into the Second Young Master’s luggage.
Just after the New Year, they urged the Second Young Master to go to Chang'an, so as not to miss the examinations in the second month.
And Yan’s father, who spent his days drinking and never once asked about his son’s future, called the Second Young Master into his room the night before he was to leave.
After all, his father had once passed the Jinshi examination, so of course, the Second Young Master wanted to hear if his father had any advice for his own exams.
There was no advice, to be sure.
But his father did indeed make arrangements for him: "...I have been away from the Chang'an circles for too long; there is nothing I can do to help you. But I have an old friend who is now a professor at the Imperial Academy. He is only a minor sixth-rank official with no real prospects, but he happens to be useful to you.
"I have already written to my old friend to take you on as a disciple. Once you arrive in Chang'an, go and seek refuge with him.
"Second Young Master, you are a child who has always had a stronger sense of your own mind than anyone else. Among all my children, the one I worry about the least—and also the one I worry about the most—is you. I only hope that no matter whether you face fortune or disaster, you never forget your home and do not bear everything alone. If you are in any difficulty, such as lacking money, tell us."
Second Young Master Yan’s eyes grew warm. He said nothing, only knelt and performed a formal kowtow to his father.
His father sighed: "That teacher of yours has already agreed to take you on as his disciple. However, he said your name is not good and he wishes to change it for you. Are you willing?"
Second Young Master Yan replied softly: "Naturally, I will listen to my teacher and my father."
His father nodded. Watching his son kneeling before him, he felt a wave of melancholy, unsure what the future held for his son once he left. He had failed to secure an official post in Chang'an all those years ago, and he wondered if his son would end up the same.
Yet, after the sigh, the father suddenly reached into his chest and carefully produced a jade pendant, handing it to the Second Young Master with an air of mystery.
The Second Young Master was bewildered.
His father said mysteriously: "Your mother asked me to keep this when she was still alive. This is our family's heirloom token of betrothal. It’s just that there are so many of you children, and I didn't know who to pass it to... After thinking it over, I will give it to you."
The Second Young Master was slightly stunned: "...Eldest brother just got married, and sister-in-law has never even seen this jade. I am going to Chang'an to take an exam, yet you give me a betrothal token?"
His father said anxiously: "I am trying to urge you not to just think about exams and your career, but to hurry up and get married and have children! If you use your teacher to find a good marriage prospect in Chang'an, it will certainly be better than staying in Lingnan. The noble ladies in Chang'an might not look at other things, but our heirloom token of love will certainly not lose face for you!
"In short, you are already eighteen! It is best if you get married this year and let me hold a grandson next year! You are the second child; your elder brother is already married. Don't leave your younger siblings unable to arrange their own marriages."
The Second Young Master helplessly accepted the jade pendant.
But in his heart, he disagreed.
He was clearly dedicated to seeking an official career and did not care for marriage—
In the first month of that year, the ladies-in-waiting and guards of the Princess’s estate received the latest letter from the Second Young Master.
The Princess was not at the estate today, and she had long since ceased to care about the Second Young Master, so when the group read the letter, they naturally did not wait for her.
Chunhua and Fang Tong were surrounded in the center, and Chunhua read the contents of the letter in a soft voice: "...The Second Young Master says he has already arrived in Chang'an and will meet us when there is an opportunity."
The group cheered. Through a year of correspondence, they had all grown fond of the Second Young Master.
Chunhua made an surprised sound: "Second Young Master says his teacher has changed his name for him. From now on, he will not be called Yan Shisheng, but Yan Shang..."—
The spring water broke the ice, and the days in Chang'an grew warm.
The Second Young Master, renamed by his teacher—now known as Yan Shang—stood on the streets of Chang'an.
In the capital, the noble carriages were as thick as clouds. He was initially shocked by the prosperity of Chang'an and felt a bit out of place.
But after entering the city with a caravan of foreign merchants and seeing the masses of people and activities like the "musical battles" on the streets, he found it quite interesting.
Yan Shang bought a freshly steamed flatbread known as "Goulouzi" and, after taking a few bites, tucked it into his pack. He walked along the street with great interest, his eyes unable to take it all in.
Suddenly, several horses and riders came charging from a distance. Pedestrians on the street hurriedly scrambled out of the way, and Yan Shang naturally followed suit.
He was merely watching the commotion out of curiosity, but among the young noble men and women riding on the street in bright, colorful clothes, he saw one leading the group—a young lady.
She wore an ornate skirt with swaying ornaments, and amidst the crisp, tinkling sounds, she rode alongside a young man in brocade robes and martial attire. The man's horse was a step ahead of hers, but she did not seem hurried.
The silk veil of her hat was blown open by the wind, revealing her face.
The vibrant, flowing hem of her skirt trailed over her horse's back, and her beautiful, fair face was as radiant as spring water. Her slender neck and hair like dark clouds were breathtaking.
Such vivid, alluring beauty.
Like clouds parting to reveal the sun, the bustling street seemed to fade away. Yan Shang watched her ride past, a kaleidoscope of silk and color.
The onlookers whispered: "That must be Princess Danyang; what a magnificent presence."
As Mu Wanyao brushed past the pedestrians, she suddenly heard someone call out from behind—
"Yan Suchen!"
Another voice, gentle as jade, replied: "Brother Liu has arrived."
The latter’s clear, resonant voice sounded like beads of jade striking bamboo. Mu Wanyao reined in her horse and stopped, abruptly turning her head to look behind her.
She saw the bustling crowd, and in it, someone stood with their back to her, possessing a noble, refined bearing like green mountains and white jade, walking into the crowd with another, until they were lost from sight.
The gentleman beside her stopped his horse to wait for her, asking coolly: "An acquaintance?"
Mu Wanyao collected her thoughts and glanced at the incredibly detached Yang Si, Third Young Master Yang, with a faint smile: "Not at all. I must have misheard."——
And at the Princess’s estate, the lady-in-waiting Chunhua read clearly—
"Changed name to Yan Shang, courtesy name Suchen.
"'Shang' means to respect, to exalt. 'Suchen' means 'Minister of the Su King.' 'Su King' is the honorary title of Confucius. My teacher gave me this name and courtesy name to encourage me to cultivate the way of Confucius, pass down the classics to the world, and hone literature for all time.”