Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Yan Shang replied, "I cannot say for sure."

Mu Wanyao: "But I insist on hearing you say it."

Sitting in the carriage, Yan Shang remained silent for a long time.

However, Mu Wanyao clearly had no intention of letting him off. She kept her eyes fixed on him, demanding an answer.

After quite a while, Yan Shang slowly spoke, "Does Your Highness wish to hear my personal opinion, or my analysis?"

When Mu Wanyao heard him say "personal opinion," her heart skipped a beat. But she quickly realized she was overthinking it—for someone like Yan Shang, how could his "personal opinion" be anything like what she had imagined?

She laughed indifferently. After all, she had long since abandoned any thoughts or expectations of marriage. Asking Yan Shang now was merely a way to bully him.

Mu Wanyao said languidly, "Then just give me an analysis."

Yan Shang looked at her and said softly, "If we set aside personal feelings, I believe either of them could perhaps work."

Mu Wanyao: "...Are you teasing me?"

Yan Shang said helplessly, "However, if I were to speak from a more personal stance, I feel that although Wei Juyuan is a bit young, if Your Highness is willing to wait two years for him, he would be a very suitable match for you."

Mu Wanyao glanced at him: "Are you saying this because you are close friends with Wei Shu?"

She suspected, "Are you opposing my marriage to Yang San because you and Yang Si don't get along?"

Yan Shang could not help but knit his brows.

Even with his excellent temperament, he paused at her accusation.

Fortunately, his temperament was impeccable; he adjusted his emotions within a single breath.

Yan Shang said, "I would not allow personal feelings to influence Your Highness. Moreover, Yang Sanlang and I merely had a slight misunderstanding; it would be resolved once cleared up. Why would I slander him without cause?"

Mu Wanyao laughed: "True, you wouldn't slander anyone. I'll just wait for the day the consort moves into my Princess residence, and you and my consort live in harmony, loving each other day by day."

Yan Shang was speechless.

He steered the conversation back to the topic at hand: "I suggest Your Highness choose Wei Juyuan because, compared to the Crown Prince, the arrangement the Li family has made for Your Highness is actually better. Although the Crown Prince will be the sovereign in the future... Your Highness is already a Princess, so maintaining a veneer of respect is sufficient. What the Crown Prince can give you, the Wei family and Li family can also provide.

"Furthermore, the Wei family walks the path of 'Endurance.' Such a noble family will not easily involve themselves in any ill-timed affairs. If Your Highness chooses Wei Juyuan, with the Wei and Li families cooperating—two great noble clans joined together—Your Highness will be in a much better position in the middle.

"Better yet, Wei Juyuan’s relationship with the Wei family is not particularly good. So, even if Your Highness chooses him, it only represents cooperation with the Wei family. Those people in the Wei family, precisely because they do not care about Wei Juyuan, will not easily interfere with the Princess. In this way, after marrying, the Princess can still live comfortably. Your Highness and Juyuan would live in Chang'an, the Wei family in Luoyang, and the Li family in Jinling... With the heavens high and the Emperor far away, life will always be easier."

Mu Wanyao was somewhat stunned.

She had originally just wanted to tease Yan Shang; she never expected him to actually analyze so much for her.

Hearing his analysis... Mu Wanyao adjusted the hairpin at her temple and looked at him curiously: "Were you sent by Juyuan to act as his matchmaker? You keep insisting on how good he is—how much did he pay you? Could it be that Juyuan harbors feelings for me?"

She covered her mouth, muttering to herself: "He’s so young, and he already knows how to pine for a maiden? Isn't that a bit too early..."

Yan Shang watched her with strained patience. He turned his face away, clutching the book in his hand, his lips pressed tightly together.

Mu Wanyao glanced over, seeing his straight nose and his face cast in shadow, shrouded in a heavy gloom... He did not speak, but for someone with his gentle nature, this expression meant he was already quite displeased.

Mu Wanyao burst into a giggle.

She said: "What is it, Yan Shang? Are you angry?"

Yan Shang said softly: "This subject would not dare."

The two sat apart in the carriage. Mu Wanyao couldn't reach him, and being lazy, she simply lifted her leg, her skirts fluttering open like a lotus. Inside the carriage, the young lady’s slippered foot rose, her toe tapping gently against his knee.

Yan Shang stiffened, looking down at the jeweled toe of her shoe resting on his knee. The vibrant color swayed gently, her jade-like foot wrapped beneath, she hooked it once, then again...

His knee felt stiff from her touch. Yan Shang had to look at her, trying to persuade her: "Your Highness, please do not do this."

Mu Wanyao: "Keep talking. I’m just joking with you; I don't believe you are actually acting as Juyuan's matchmaker."

Yan Shang felt a sense of helplessness. He looked toward her and continued: "I am indeed not pleading for Juyuan. In my view, if Your Highness were to be with Yang Sanlang... that would also be possible."

Mu Wanyao was curious: "How do you explain that?"

Yan Shang pursed his lips and lowered his eyelashes. He appeared extremely earnest in analyzing her marriage: "Although I believe that picking sides is bad, if the Crown Prince is to be the future sovereign... it would not be wrong for Your Highness to take a large gamble. Moreover, Your Highness and Yang Sanlang grew up together—childhood sweethearts, a relationship others cannot match.

"From the demeanor I see when Your Highness speaks with Yang Sanlang, I know... the two of you truly trust one another, and he treats you very well. If... you were to marry, even with the Crown Prince watching, Yang San would likely protect Your Highness. In terms of personal emotion, Your Highness has this old affection with Yang Sanlang, so marrying him is actually quite stable."

Mu Wanyao: "You’ve said a lot of words that mean nothing."

She said: "You think Wei Shu is good, and you think Yang Si is good. You really offend no one. No matter who the consort is, you think they are good. Do you not have a single personal thought? Is this how you intend to muddle through as my retainer?"

Yan Shang lowered his eyes.

Mu Wanyao lectured him again, berating him thoroughly. Only after she finished did he say: "I naturally have personal thoughts. Does Your Highness wish to hear them?"

Mu Wanyao was already accustomed to his mild, non-offensive style. She said irritably: "Let's hear it."

Yan Shang said: "If we speak of my personal feelings, the truth is that in my heart, I do not wish for Your Highness to choose either of them."

Mu Wanyao was instantly stunned.

She looked at him, seeing him staring back at her.

At this moment, the carriage had reached the outside of the Eastern Palace. The carriage stopped, and the servants outside requested the Princess to disembark. But they heard the Princess’s voice, sharp and urgent: "Wait!"

Inside the carriage, Mu Wanyao stared fixedly at Yan Shang, never blinking: "Do not stop speaking halfway. Why do you not wish for me to choose either of them?"

Yan Shang leaned against the carriage wall, completely quiet. He looked at her with gentle eyes and said softly: "If it were possible, my selfish wish is for Your Highness not to be swayed by any interests, but to be able to marry someone you truly love, and to walk hand-in-hand with someone you truly cherish.

"Your Highness’s first marriage was for interest, for sacrifice. Does the second one have to be the same?

"If possible, I wish for Your Highness to have your own desires, to have someone you truly wish to marry. In this world, there must be someone who sincerely cherishes Your Highness, making you feel that no amount of interest is worth as much as choosing him. It is my selfish wish that Your Highness might meet such a person and obtain true happiness.

"Therefore, speaking from selfish grounds, I do not wish for Your Highness to choose either of those two men."

Yan Shang said sincerely: "I hope Your Highness marries someone you love."

Mu Wanyao looked at him blankly, staring at him as if dazed.

His tone was gentle, his gaze was gentle, his demeanor was gentle... As he spoke, it was as if a blade had sharply pierced her heart, striking her long-closed inner self. She felt a sense of grievance in her heart, a sense of sorrow. No one had ever spoken such words to her before...

Then, Yan Shang reached out toward her and smiled: "The carriage has stopped, does Your Highness not intend to descend?"

Mu Wanyao blinked, masking the momentary loss of focus in her eyes. He held his hand palm-up, a gesture of support. She placed her wrist upon it, and was gently lifted, led out of the carriage by him—

When she arrived at the Eastern Palace to see the Crown Prince, Mu Wanyao had already smoothed over all her emotions.

The soft spot in her heart had only revealed itself for a moment; as she stepped into the Eastern Palace, she assumed her full disguise once more, becoming once again the cold, arrogant Princess Danyang.

Yan Shang followed her inside, but did not enter to see the Crown Prince, for Yan Shang currently held no official post and was not qualified to meet the Crown Prince.

While Yan Shang waited for Mu Wanyao in the outer hall, he saw Yang Sanlang, Yang Si, once again.

Yang Si sat cross-legged under a peach tree in the courtyard of the Eastern Palace, squinting his eyes as he looked at Yan Shang: "Yan Suchen, right? The Crown Prince has ordered me to receive you."

As he said this, Yang Si was juggling a nine-linked ring, clattering it about for a long time.

An Eastern Palace maid could not stand it and whispered to Yang Si: "Third Young Master, could you keep it down? The Crown Prince punished you to reflect in the courtyard; even if you must play with your ring, don't make such a loud noise, or it will be hard for us to answer to the Crown Prince."

Yang Si waved his hand carelessly: "Got it, got it."

He did indeed lower his voice.

But as he toyed with the nine-linked ring in his hand, Yang Si looked bitter and deep in thought—evidently, he could not solve it.

Yang Si: "..."

He had originally intended to lecture Yan Shang from a position of superiority while solving the ring. However, he was stuck at the very first step.

Yan Shang had watched him silently from the side for a long time. At first, he had performed a hand-cupping salute to greet the Third Young Master, but Yang Si could not lose face and focused on the ring, ignoring Yan Shang.

Yan Shang had stood there for a long time, and Yang Si’s face grew increasingly stiff.

Increasingly tense.

Anyone would feel uncomfortable showing off in front of someone else only to lose face in such a way.

Yang Si was annoyed at why he had thought of playing with a nine-linked ring in the first place; thinking it over, he could only blame himself for wanting to give Yan Shang a show of force, thinking the man looked so refined and scholarly... Alas, he was good at boxing, why was he playing with a nine-linked ring!

It was terribly embarrassing not to be able to solve it.

Just as Yang Si was at his most embarrassed, he heard the annoying voice of Yan Erlang: "If you take the ring below the one your right thumb is resting on and wrap it three times to the right, then move it to the ring your left middle finger is resting on..."

Yang Si glanced over with a hostile look: "Could such a child’s game stump me? Do you think I can't solve it?"

In truth, Yan Shang had watched him wind it at the same angle three times—three times like Yu the Great controlling the flood, passing his own door without entering. Yan Shang had only spoken up when he saw Yang Si’s face growing uglier and sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

Now that Yang Si was glaring, Yan Shang smiled and said warmly: "The young master can naturally solve it; it just takes a bit more time. It is just that for someone as valiant as yourself to waste time on such boring trivia is a bit beneath your talents. The young master should be doing more important things."

Yang Si: "..."

He was speechless.

Not only was he speechless, unable to rebuke the other party, but he also felt as if a breeze of spring air had blown into his heart, soothing him in a way that felt extremely comfortable... As a rebellious troublemaker who had been scolded by the Crown Prince since childhood, Yang Si almost never heard praise, and when Yan Shang put it that way, Yang Si could not help but feel smug.

He could not help but convince himself inwardly: He has a point.

Although he agreed internally, Yang Si did not show it on his face. He boredly set the nine-linked ring aside, no longer humiliating himself. The youth sat under the flower tree, looking searchingly at Yan Shang. Even sitting in a pose that required him to look up, Yang Si was full of momentum—like a sword, like lightning—firmly pressing down on Yan Shang.

Yang Si said: "Don't think that just because you can speak well, I will agree with you. This is the Eastern Palace, not somewhere else."

Yan Shang sighed: "The young master seems to have some misunderstandings about me; please allow me to explain."

Yang Si scoffed: "Don't be ridiculous, what misunderstandings could I have about you?"

A subtle sense of discomfort prickled Yan Shang’s heart.

He soothed Yang Si as if he were soothing another Mu Wanyao. Because Yang Si’s tone... was simply too much like hers.

So much so that someone as meticulous as Yan Shang felt waves of discomfort.

Exactly how close was their relationship... to be so alike?

Yan Shang suppressed the discomfort and maintained a gentle smile on his face: "Then please, young master, tell me why your prejudice against me is so deep. If it is only because you saw me in the Northern Ward last time and felt my character was poor, I can explain that."

Yang Si: "On one hand, you have a close relationship with the Princess, and on the other, you are drinking in the flower houses. Do you think there is no problem with your character?"

Yan Shang said: "Is the young master not also sitting in the Northern Ward meeting me, while pretending to stand up for the Princess?"

Yang Si’s eyebrows shot up, his voice cold: "What do you mean?"

Yan Shang: "The young master had his own reasons, and naturally, I am the same."

Yang Si was thoughtful.

He said: "I ran into you and Yaoyao together at Yongshou Temple before; why did you two hide from me at that time?"

Yan Shang naturally would not say that Mu Wanyao was afraid Yang Si would report her to the Crown Prince. He said with surprise: "That must have been an accident, surely? I did not know the young master at that time."

Yang Si scoffed, not believing him, but he could find no evidence.

Yang Si continued: "You are also tangled up with my cousin."

Yan Shang was stunned. This time he was truly bewildered: "Which cousin is that?"

Yang Si was furious and leapt to his feet: "You forgot her so quickly? She is Zhao Wuniang, Zhao Lingfei! My cousin mentions you to me every day; are you keeping her on a string?"

Yan Shang understood.

He smiled bitterly, sighing with difficulty: "To be honest with you, Third Young Master, I have been rejecting Zhao Wuniang all along. I even moved house to avoid her... I have done so much, what more does the young master expect me to do?"

Yang Si was stunned, his expression becoming strange: "...You actually moved house to avoid her? Are you really a man of such high moral standing?"

The label "man of high moral standing" was something others had to say; praising oneself was meaningless.

Yan Shang said nothing.

Yang Si circled him twice and threw out his final question: "Then how, after your marriage arrangement with Yaoyao fell through, are you still so close to her?"

Yan Shang said: "Because I am moved by the Princess's kindness and support, and I have no roots in Chang'an, so I can only choose to rely on the Crown Prince."

Yang Si: "...Rely on the Crown Prince?"

Yan Shang said strangely: "Isn't the Princess on the same side as the Crown Prince? Me becoming the Princess’s retainer, isn't that the same as relying on the Crown Prince?"

Yang Si knit his brows.

He wanted to say that the Princess and the Crown Prince were certainly not the same, but seeing Yan Shang’s frank expression... he held his tongue. Perhaps this country bumpkin really thought it meant the same thing.

And with that cleared up, Yang Si realized he had no more misunderstandings about Yan Shang... When Yan Shang saluted and asked him something, he only hummed in response.

Yang Si: "You should still explain why you appeared in the Northern Ward that day."

Yan Shang’s eyelid twitched slightly.

He thought to himself that this Yang Sanlang probably had no brains. After all this time, he still had to explain such a thing.

Yan Shang developed another layer of recognition regarding Yang Si, but he did not show it on his face. He used gentle words to explain the reason he had appeared in the Northern Ward—

At that moment, in the main hall of the Eastern Palace, Mu Wanyao had just finished explaining her idea: "...That is my meaning. Since Brother needs money, one's own family is the best point of entry. All these years, Aunt has relied on the grace of Father, scouring the world for treasures and raising beautiful youths. The wealth Aunt has hoarded is certainly not small. My meaning is for Brother to have a word with Aunt.

"Make Aunt grant a concession. And with the Grand Princess setting the example, once Brother has obtained money from her, wouldn't it be natural to ask other great families in Chang'an for money?"

The Crown Prince pondered.

He said: "This is the hardest part. Actually, I have thought about this before; with so many noble families and clans in Chang'an, if the state treasury is short on funds, we should just ask them for it. It is a pity that you know there are few noble families I am close to... If we start with Aunt, it is naturally the most appropriate. But the troublesome part is, why would Aunt help me? Wouldn't Aunt go to Father to complain about me?"

Mu Wanyao smiled: "Brother, do not worry about that. I will help Brother by going to plead with Aunt. I will certainly handle this well for Brother and make Aunt willingly pay. Actually, Aunt has it hard too. Does she not fear that when Father is no longer here, she will have no one to rely on? She has simply been suppressed by Father for too long and dares not seek Brother's favor.

"If I help Brother plead with her, Aunt will certainly loosen her grip."

The Crown Prince was thoughtful.

He looked at Mu Wanyao with a smile that was not quite a smile: "Because of the previous matter regarding the Top Scholar quota, you and Aunt had some conflict. I thought you had long forgotten, yet it seems you were waiting for this opportunity to take revenge on Aunt. Yaoyao, you are quite vengeful these days."

Mu Wanyao retorted: "Brother’s words are meaningless. I am helping you. What is wrong with using public office for personal revenge?"

The Crown Prince laughed.

He truly did not care about public office or personal revenge; in fact, he was quite pleased that Mu Wanyao held a grudge against the Grand Princess.

The struggle for the crown was a struggle of choosing sides. To choose no side was, in the eyes of the Crown Prince, no different from being an enemy. And the usual conduct of the Grand Princess of Luling already had some problems... The Crown Prince wanted prestige and needed to use the Grand Princess as a target.

It was only on account of the Emperor that the Crown Prince had difficulty making a move.

But if Mu Wanyao helped him appease the Grand Princess and let her be willingly fleeced, the Crown Prince would naturally be pleased.

The Crown Prince stood up, patted Mu Wanyao’s shoulder, and said with gratification: "Sixth Sister, you are finally able to do something for Brother."

Mu Wanyao’s lips curled in a slight smile, her gaze drifting nonchalantly out the window.

When she had no other use, the Crown Prince felt that marrying Yang Si was her only utility; but now that she had other uses, the Crown Prince would not urge her marriage too strictly.

This idea Yan Shang gave her... was truly excellent.

Mu Wanyao made up her mind, thinking that she had definitely secured Yan Shang as her aide.

However, Mu Wanyao, who had been looking out the window listlessly, suddenly froze in astonishment. She saw in the courtyard, Yan Shang and Yang Si were actually standing together, Yang Si had his arm draped over Yan Shang’s shoulder, and the two were bowed together, toying with something...

As Mu Wanyao wondered, the Crown Prince also saw it.

The Crown Prince: "...Yang San won't have gotten into any more trouble for me, will he?"

Mu Wanyao: "..."

She looked at the Crown Prince’s startled-bird appearance and could not help but purse her lips to suppress a laugh. She thought, how many times must Yang Si have scammed him for him to have a bad premonition every time he saw Yang Si doing anything?

However, Mu Wanyao had to marvel at Yan Shang’s popularity.

When they were on the road just now, Yan Shang had still said that there were misunderstandings between him and Yang Si, but looking at them now... those misunderstandings should have been cleared—

Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang left the Eastern Palace, and Yang Si went in to tell the Crown Prince what Yan Shang had told him.

The Crown Prince said casually: "Never mind. Him helping Sixth Sister is, at least for now, the same as helping me."

Yang Si also told the Crown Prince: "Then there is one thing you must not know. This Yan Suchen is not simple. He told me that the reason he appeared in the Northern Ward that night was because he knew that evening that the Grand Princess had switched the Top Scholar quota. He went to the Northern Ward specifically to find someone to resolve the matter."

The Crown Prince looked at him speechlessly.

Yang Si, who felt he had discovered a great secret, was stunned and said: "What’s wrong?"

The Crown Prince said: "...You heard it from Yan Suchen’s own lips, and only then realized that Yan Suchen had tampered with that matter?"

Yang Si: "..."

He said: "So you knew it all along? You deliberately investigated it?"

The Crown Prince was nonchalant: "I didn't deliberately investigate. I only asked about the whereabouts of those few people that night, and I calculated how the incident had occurred. Otherwise, why do you think I wanted to pull Yan Suchen into my side at the Qujiang banquet later? Just because he was the Top Scholar? The Top Scholars of every year are the most common things, aren't they?"

Yang Si’s face went wooden, and he sat cross-legged.

After a while, he could not help but strike the table in anger.

The Crown Prince glanced at him.

Yang Si was secretly enraged: "So you knew about this all along, and watched me act the fool for so long? You, you all..."

He suddenly froze, realizing: "Yan Suchen must have also known that you already knew about it, that is why he told me about it so nonchalantly today. Because he felt you already knew... so actually, you both knew that each other knew, and only I didn't know? I kept thinking he went to the flower house for pleasure?"

The Crown Prince paused for a long while, eventually throwing his head back and laughing uncontrollably.

He said: "I truly did not expect that you have been a fool for so long! If I had to tell you everything... what use do I have for you?"

Seeing him laugh, Yang Si grew even angrier, his eyes reddening and his neck turning thick. He flipped the table in front of him and pounced in fury: "You smart people are truly too much! Damn you!"

Peach blossoms fell in the courtyard, the maids were silent, crouching under the eaves to feed the cat—

Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang returned by carriage. Midway, Yan Shang said softly: "Your Highness has just recovered from illness, go back and rest. As for the matter with the Grand Princess, since I am the one who caused it, it is natural for me to go to the Grand Princess’s residence to bridge the connection between the Grand Princess and the Crown Prince."

Mu Wanyao was silent: "The Grand Princess wanted to bed you but failed, and this is the idea you gave her to rely on the Crown Prince? To make her sacrifice a few treasures and have her face slapped by the Crown Prince in Chang'an?"

Yan Shang smiled.

He said: "Only in this way can the Grand Princess, who does not participate in any politics, do a favor for the Crown Prince."

Mu Wanyao: "However, I see you are using public office for personal revenge. I do not believe you could not come up with a better way; you clearly do not like the Grand Princess and want to see my aunt suffer a loss."

Yan Shang said: "How could one say it like that?"

Yet he did not deny it.

Mu Wanyao glanced at him, discovering that his brows were gentle and the smile on his face was much more sincere than before. Clearly, he was now on her side and did not have as many misgivings as before; there were many things he would not say, and many things he did that he would no longer hide from her.

The distance between them had narrowed.

Mu Wanyao saw his smile, and her heart felt an involuntary rush of joy. Even when he was up to no good, he was so open and upright about it, which truly made her... admire him.

She scolded coquettishly: "However, do you only want Aunt to suffer this one loss? You have no subsequent means, and you are just letting Aunt go? I feel that is not like you."

Yan Shang looked over and asked in return: "Why does Your Highness think I will not let it end here?"

Mu Wanyao looked at the sky and said softly: "Because you resisted so fiercely that day."

Yan Shang: "..."

Mu Wanyao was expressionless, as if speaking of someone else: "Your senses were not clear, and seeing me, you didn't even care about appearances. Your state at that time... made me feel like you were completely falling apart. You were toyed with by Aunt to that extent; if you only retaliated in such a small way, I feel that doesn't fit your style."

She stared at the sky, thinking: "Your face was so red then, your body was so hot, you were clutching my hand and would not let go, you were so tense, you..."

A trace of embarrassment flushed onto Yan Shang’s face, and he said quickly: "Your Highness, do not say anymore!"

Mu Wanyao looked at him with mischievous mockery.

Watching him turn his face away, his earlobes slightly red. He coughed, and the way he steered the conversation back was truly deliberate: "Actually, once the Crown Prince begins to manage this matter regarding the Grand Princess, the Grand Princess’s future will not be good. Because once the floodgates are opened, it is not easy to retract. And your aunt’s weaknesses are truly too numerous...

"In the future, whenever the Crown Prince is short of money, whenever he thinks of it, he will make use of the Grand Princess. And if things are let go a little bit like this, sooner or later, the Crown Prince will be unable to resist making a move against the Grand Princess, and the power the Grand Princess possesses today will be completely reclaimed by the Crown Prince."

Mu Wanyao’s eyes widened, and she said: "You are truly a terrifying person. People just wanted to bed you for a moment, and you want to retaliate until everything is reclaimed from them... You are too ruthless to the women who want to bed you!"

Yan Shang glared at her.

Seeing the teasing in her eyes, full of mockery.

He had been bullied by her all day, squeezed by her words for so long, and now, he finally could not help himself and retorted: "Am I really too ruthless to the women who want to bed me? Every single one of them?"

Mu Wanyao froze, and then her face flushed a deep red.