Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Under the gaze of the entire hall, Princess Danyang rejected the Emperor’s arranged marriage.

Not only did she refuse, but she knelt on the floor and used the most heartless words to disparage the Yan Shang standing beside her. While she was at it, she revealed a piece of her history with him to the Emperor, ensuring the monarch would not become overly suspicious:

"I met this Yan Erlang at the end of the year before last when I went to Lingnan. In Lingnan, his family does nothing but farm, relying on the reputation of his father’s status as a scholar to scrape together a bit of money. With a background like that, is he really trying to climb up to me? Father, do you need me to explain how narrow and shallow the perspective of someone from a place like Lingnan is?

"After he arrived in Chang’an, this Yan Erlang used our old acquaintance to beg my manor for help with his literary submission. I helped him out of pity, nothing more. But helping him doesn’t mean anything. He might have a modicum of talent, but our backgrounds are fundamentally different; the things we see and experience are worlds apart. We have no common ground. I am, at the very least, a dignified princess; what is the difference between marrying a rustic bumpkin like him and marrying a decrepit old man on the verge of death?

"Father, if you truly love me, and if you consider the memory of my late mother, you should not allow your daughter to be wronged in such a way."

Yan Shang knelt beside her, listening to those sharp, heart-piercing words of cold indifference. He lowered his gaze, and no one knew what he was thinking.

To the Grand Princess of Luling, this scene was heart-wrenching.

When she heard her brother wanted to match Yan Shang with that Danyang girl, she had felt a pang of heartache, unwilling to see such a beautiful youth be so easily obtained by another. Now, seeing Danyang reject the marriage, she felt heartache again, thinking this niece’s tongue was far too venomous; she had shown no regard for the man’s dignity at all.

Once word of Princess Danyang’s rejection spread, Yan Erlang would certainly be pointed at and whispered about for a long time to come; he would likely never be able to find a marriage match. Even someone as cynical and worldly as the Grand Princess of Luling felt that if Mu Wanyao didn’t want to marry, she could have just said so—there was no need to reject him so cruelly.

No one in the great hall spoke. The scholars were too timid to look up. Wei Shu frowned slightly, feeling that Mu Wanyao had gone too far in her description of Yan Shang.

The Emperor had been listening to Mu Wanyao’s words with a detached air. But when she brought up "considering the memory of my late mother," his expression faltered for a moment, and he fell into a brief trance.

Mu Wanyao looked up at him.

In that split second, the Emperor looked at his daughter’s stubborn, unyielding expression, and in the hollowness of his heart, he thought of that other woman from the past—the one who was just as stubborn and insisted on opposing him at every turn.

He had wanted to eliminate the Li family; the Empress had insisted on protecting them. He only wanted to drive the Li clan out of Chang’an, but the Empress had hated him so much she wished him dead…

Ever since the death of the second prince in infancy, the Emperor and the Empress had become estranged, a distance that remained until she passed away.

Mu Wanyao had intentionally brought up the late Empress… to distract him, to carve into his heart, to drive a knife into his chest.

The tragedy of imperial father and daughter… their affection had turned cruel to such an extent.

A miserable light flickered in the Emperor’s eyes as he gazed into his daughter’s shimmering black pupils. He said calmly: "Enough. Since Danyang is unwilling, and Yan Suchen is also unwilling, the arranged marriage shall be dropped. Why must Danyang put on such a show? I am your father; would I truly force you into a marriage? It was not worth your kneeling over.

"Everyone, rise."

The banquet for this night, at this very moment, came to a hollow and desolate conclusion.

The Emperor said nothing more. After enduring their presence for barely another half-hour, he ordered his carriage and returned to the palace. Once the Emperor was gone, the banquet naturally dispersed, and the guests took their leave one by one.

Yan Shang walked alongside Wei Shu, while other scholars stood with Yan Shang, offering words of encouragement, telling him it was nothing and not to take it to heart.

Mu Wanyao walked past them with utter indifference. Even when Wei Shu took a step to follow, he was blocked by the princess’s maid.

Mu Wanyao did not intend to speak to anyone else that night.

Mu Wanyao felt deep regret.

She had only wanted to join the excitement and watch Yan Shang enjoy his moment of glory.

Had she known that the Qu River Grand Banquet would result in her father arranging a marriage between her and Yan Shang, she would have stayed away at any cost.

But it was already too late to remedy the situation.

She had used the most vicious words to speak of Yan Shang, to slander him. Even if his temperament were saintly, he would surely be devastated. He was so prideful, and in the past, he had always consciously kept his distance from her. After what she said tonight, he would surely never help her again.

Who would ever help a woman who had rejected him to his face and painted him as such a worthless wretch?

She had lost a truly excellent ally.

Mu Wanyao returned to her manor, sat before the dressing mirror in her inner chamber, and stared at the pale face reflected in the bronze. She stroked her cheek, gazed into her own cold eyes, and whispered to herself: "It doesn’t matter. If others won’t help me, I will help myself.

"I will not admit defeat. I will not be beaten by any of you."

Mu Wanyao shouted loudly toward the outer room: "Chunhua!"

Chunhua, who had been waiting outside, immediately responded: "Your Highness?"

Mu Wanyao laughed: "I want to drink. Bring me wine."

Chunhua hesitated: "Now? It’s so late, Your Highness should be sleeping…"

Mu Wanyao: "What, even you intend to defy me? Has my word become so ineffective?"

Chunhua conceded reluctantly: "Then this servant will order someone to warm the wine for Your Highness…"

She heard the princess inside strike the wooden desk with a wild, reckless sound: "I don’t want warm wine! Bring me the cold wine! Just bring it here, I want to drink it as is!"

The maids outside dared not say another word, and could only go to fetch the wine for the princess with hearts full of worry.

Mu Wanyao’s eyes drifted as she began to list the names of wines, her voice hollow and aimless: "Bring all the good wine from the manor! I want to drink the Xijing spirits of the capital, the Langguan Clear and the Granny Clear from Xiamaling. I want to drink the Jiannan Spring fire-brew from the Shu region, and the Ruoxia wine from Wucheng…"

The maids were terrified, thinking that mixing so many types of alcohol together was just asking to drink oneself to death.

However… so be it.

The Princess’s manor was never short on wine. Soon, jar after jar was carried into the princess’s sleeping chamber, arranged neatly in rows along a long table.

Mu Wanyao dismissed the servants, sat on the floor, opened a wine jar, and began to drink in solitude…

She drank a great deal, until her consciousness grew dim and the suffocating pain lessened. Only then did Mu Wanyao relax her brows and offer a smile.

Before her marriage alliance, Mu Wanyao had only been allowed to drink sweet, mild wines. But after she was sent away, the Wuman people were incredibly wild; Mu Wanyao drank with them, and later, when she was with Meng Zaishi, he always enjoyed forcing her to drink.

When she was intoxicated, the high mountains, the stone ridges, and the clear waters would sway before her eyes, and they would become a little less impossible to accept. Gradually, she had grown to enjoy the sensation of strong liquor.

…Her tolerance for alcohol had been forced upon her in that way.

After returning to Chang’an, Mu Wanyao had reined in some of the bad habits she picked up in Wuman, assuming the airs a princess ought to have. Yet, she knew in her heart that some habits would accompany her for a lifetime. The scars of growth—no matter how much she tried to mask them, they could never be completely hidden.

As Mu Wanyao sat alone, drinking happily, the door was knocked twice.

The voice of the guard Fang Tong came from outside: "Your Highness, Yan Erlang is at the gate requesting an audience."

Mu Wanyao cupped her cheeks, which were burning from the alcohol, and tilted her head, momentarily thinking she had lost track of time or misheard.

Hadn’t she just returned from the banquet? Hadn’t she just rejected the marriage proposal? How could Yan Shang possibly be here to pay a visit?

Yes, it must be a mistake.

Mu Wanyao ignored him and continued to drink.

Fang Tong waited outside for a while; he was used to the princess’s habit of ignoring people at will, so he repeated: "Your Highness, Yan Erlang requests to see you."

This time, Mu Wanyao was certain she had heard clearly.

Her fair, slender hand held a glass cup. She tilted her face up, and the moonlight spilled down, landing on her cheeks amidst her disheveled hair. Mu Wanyao rubbed her face, genuinely stunned.

Then, after a pause, Mu Wanyao said: "I won’t see him."

Fang Tong left.

A while later, Fang Tong returned and stood outside the door of the sleeping chamber: "Your Highness, Erlang implores this subordinate to beg you to see him, just once."

Mu Wanyao was enraged.

She said: "No! I said no, and that means no! What is there to see?"

Fang Tong said: "Yan Erlang says he will wait outside for your Highness for half an hour. He says he has words for you, and he hopes that your Highness…"

Mu Wanyao impatiently interrupted: "Are you his servant or mine? Why are you always relaying messages for him? I said I won’t see him, do you not understand? There is nothing for me to say to him. Everything that needed to be said was said at the banquet. He has no need to come and humiliate me, nor does he need to come to bid me farewell.

"Tell him he never needs to curry favor with me again, and he never needs to see me again!"

The princess had spoken to such an extent; if he continued, Fang Tong feared he would be beaten. He dared not speak further and went outside to relay the message.

Mu Wanyao continued to drink her wine.

Half an hour passed, and Fang Tong actually returned.

He paced outside the princess’s door for a long time. Recalling Yan Erlang saying the princess would certainly not strike him, and relying on his trust in Yan Erlang’s usual discretion, Fang Tong gathered his courage and knocked tremblingly once more: "Your Highness…"

Mu Wanyao smiled.

She said softly from within: "Guard Fang, you won’t be happy unless I kill you tonight, will you?"

Fang Tong was terrified.

He could only convince himself to trust Yan Shang and blurted out: "This subordinate is only here to tell your Highness that Yan Erlang has left."

Silence reigned in the sleeping chamber.

After a long moment, Fang Tong heard Mu Wanyao’s low, cool voice: "Oh."

Fang Tong said softly: "Yan Erlang left a message for the princess. He said—"

Half a moment ago, Yan Shang had left the princess’s manor and entrusted a message to Fang Tong to pass on to the princess.

His voice was clear and calm, like frost under the moonlight: "I should have said these words to the princess myself, but since she does not wish to see me, it is fine for you to convey them. Please tell the princess that I dare not be angry with her, nor do I blame her for being so ruthless. I know the princess had her own difficulties; saying such words only hurts her more than it hurts me.

"Please tell her not to be sad. My feelings for the princess will not change because of those few words. I do not blame her in my heart, and I ask that she does not blame herself."

"Clang—"

The glass cup slipped from Mu Wanyao’s hand and shattered on the floor.

She had heard Fang Tong try to imitate Yan Shang’s tone, but could anyone truly replicate the calm, steady, and peaceful manner in which Yan Shang spoke?

As Fang Tong struggled with his words, the door before him was pulled open, and Mu Wanyao stood before him with her long hair disheveled.

Her cheeks were flushed with a wine-induced crimson, but her eyes were bursting with a light never seen before. Dressed in her spring gown, barefoot, she was at once fragile and formidable.

 

She stepped out barefoot, seized Fang Tong by the wrist.

Her voice was breathless: "Go—chase him back for me!

"Didn't he have words for me? I want him to stand before me and tell me those words himself!"

Yang Si and the Prince left the Apricot Garden.

Yang Si should have returned to his own residence, but the Prince said: "Sleep in the Eastern Palace tonight."

Yang Si, his mind drifting, gave a casual assent.

He was still thinking about what had happened at the banquet.

Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess greeted the Prince, wishing to discuss trivial matters, but the Prince said: "Yang San is here."

The Crown Princess paused.

She understood: "This servant will see to it that no one disturbs your Highness and Yang Sanlang."

Yang Si remained absent-minded throughout. After freshening up, he entered the room arranged for him. He hadn't been sitting against the wall for long before the Prince entered. Yang Si glanced at him and saw the Prince sitting on the opposite side of the room, staring at him.

The Prince ordered: "Lock the door."

While Yang Si was bewildered, he heard the palace attendants outside comply. A moment later, a heavy iron bolt slid home, and the attendants retreated.

Yang Si: "..."

He stared at the dignified young man across from him and laughed in exasperation: "Is your Highness guarding against a thief? It would be enough to lock me in, but why lock yourself in as well? What, are you afraid of what I might do?"

The Prince watched him and said: "Locking myself in with you is because I intend to watch you personally. Yang San, I will watch you all night, until you calm down. No matter what, you cannot go out, you cannot go find Yaoyao, and you certainly cannot act on impulse and say you want to marry her at a time like this."

Yang Si’s expression turned cold.

His gaze sharpened, turning as fierce as a wild beast.

A heavy silence hung between them.

The two men glared at each other.

A long time later, Yang Si laughed languidly: "This is truly fascinating. Wasn't it you who constantly urged me to marry Yaoyao? Now that I’ve nodded, you don't agree?"

The Prince said: "Naturally, I have always supported you and Yaoyao. But you saw the Emperor’s attitude tonight; at the very least, in the short term, it is better if Yaoyao’s marriage remains undecided. Yang San, you are not alone; you have the entire Yang family behind you. Even if you don't listen to me, do you really want the entire Yang family to clash with the Emperor’s iron fist?"

Yang Si rose in fury.

He stood tall, pointed at the door, and shouted: "So we are just going to ignore it? Let the Emperor bully Yaoyao?"

The Prince’s voice was calm: "Father does not want Yaoyao to marry, can you not see that?! As long as she doesn't marry for now, she will be safe. If you don't want the Yang family to become the second Li clan, then proceed slowly; do not be willful."

Yang Si stepped back and leaned against the wall.

The youth’s face was cold, and he gave a low laugh: "Calm?"

The Prince watched him for a long time and said slowly: "Yaoyao is my sister. Even if I use her, I am not as heartless as my father. You must acknowledge that, right? At the very least, I don't want her married back to Wuman, and at the very least, I don't want to drive her out of Chang’an. I am still facilitating your marriage… if you two truly marry, you can protect her. But this requires time. Now is not the moment for me to break with Father."

Yang Si sneered in silence.

Watching him, the Prince sighed: "She is my sister, but you are my closest friend who grew up with me. I would rather see her suffer a little than see you jump into a fire pit, do you understand?"

Yang Si said: "You are just too obsessed with calculating everything."

The Prince was silent for a long moment.

Then he said: "It’s better than watching you go to your death."

He added softly: "Sleep. I will watch you tonight. Just as… I watched you back then, to stop you from taking her away from here."

Yang Si fell silent at once.

He leaned his head back against the wall.

He thought of that year, when he heard they wanted Mu Wanyao to be sent for a marriage alliance; he had been furious and indignant, wanting to take her away.

But he couldn't take her.

The Prince had held him under personal guard, and the Yang family had spent every day sending people to convince him. By the time he was released, it was already too late.

Yang Si laughed at himself and said softly: "If you hadn't been watching me back then, she wouldn't have had to go through with that marriage."

The Prince nodded: "True. And the Yang family would have been destroyed because of you alone. You would have flown away with Mu Wanyao, living in hiding for the rest of your lives. As a man, that might be fine, but have you ever considered if my delicate little sister could get used to that kind of life?

"She wouldn't have gone with you back then. And you cannot marry her now. It is the same principle."

Yang Si lowered his eyes. After a long while, he sat down. Withdrawing his aura of violence, he said softly: "I just couldn't bear it… you are all too heartless."

The Prince said: "Then wait for me to plan. When the time is right, you will marry her and protect her yourself."

Yang Si said: "I cannot protect her."

Without waiting for the Prince to grow angry, he turned his head, looked at the moonlight outside the window, and said slowly: "I have watched this sister grow up since she was a child. Although I cannot bear it, who asked me to be the third son of the Yang family? If I lack the courage to cast aside my family, I can do nothing.

"I don't want to marry her. I only hope there is one person in this world who treats her with sincerity, and until then, I will try… I can only try to be a little better to her."

The Prince said: "You must marry her."

Yang Si, feeling impatient, turned over and covered his head with the quilt: "Sleep!"

The Prince sighed and stopped pressing him—

Yan Shang was chased down by Fang Tong, led all the way into the princess’s manor, and brought to the door of the princess’s sleeping chamber.

Fang Tong and the others retreated, signaling that the Princess was waiting inside.

Yan Shang walked to the door and felt a bit dizzy from the smell of wine wafting from within.

He was stunned, meditated for a moment, and knocked on the door.

Mu Wanyao’s tender yet cold voice sounded: "Can’t you push the door open yourself?"

Yan Shang was silent as he pushed open the door.

Just as he hesitated about whether entering would harm the princess’s reputation, Mu Wanyao’s impatient voice continued: "If you don't close the door, are you trying to freeze me to death?"

Yan Shang closed the door and turned around.

The curtains were layered thick and heavy.

He did not see the princess.

Yan Shang was confused: "Your Highness?"

Mu Wanyao said: "Are you going to be so decorous to the point where you won't take a single step forward?"

Yan Shang gave a soft sigh, sensing her growing impatience; he guessed she was nearing the end of her tolerance. He stood there, surrounded by the scent of alcohol, and a glance swept across many empty jars. He didn't know how much that drunkard had consumed.

Yan Shang somewhat regretted coming.

Clearly, he did not believe he could have a clear conversation with a drunkard.

However, since he was here, he would just have to make do.

Yan Shang lifted the layers of curtains and walked inside, searching for the princess. Suddenly, a figure collided with him from the inner chamber, wrapping her arms around him.

The girl’s two slender arms hugged his waist tightly.

Her entire body buried itself in his embrace, her face pressed against his chest.

Yan Shang stiffened, his arms splayed out, not knowing what to do. He stammered: "Your Highness…"

Mu Wanyao buried her face in his embrace, clutching his waist tightly, and whispered: "Don't be so decorous, don't be so eager to push me away. Let me hold you, just for a moment."

Her voice was like shattered glass, hollow and empty, reminiscent of fallen leaves in autumn or withered snow in winter.

She was hurting too much.

Yan Shang paused for a long time, then dropped his arms to her back, holding her close.

He bowed his head, embracing her. He circled her, drew her into his arms, and whispered tenderly: "Don't be so sad, Your Highness."

He offered a faint smile and said softly: "I simply felt that your Highness would be very sad, and feeling restless, I thought that no matter what, I had to see you tonight. I had to personally ask you for one thing."

Mu Wanyao looked up, her gaze misty, and murmured: "Ask me what?"

Yan Shang looked down at her: "I ask your Highness, please do not become estranged from me."

—He was so good with words, so willing to grant her grace.

Clearly, he was the one who should be angry and refuse to speak to her, yet he was the one begging her not to be estranged.