Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Mu Wanyao walked out of the house holding the sword, with her maidservants and guards following closely behind her. It appeared that no one dared to stop the Princess at this moment.
Below the steps, Yan Shisheng, who had arrived with an umbrella, felt a sinking sensation in his heart upon seeing Mu Wanyao’s imposing stance. The moment Mu Wanyao stepped down from the stairs, he immediately rushed forward: “Lady Mu…”
Mu Wanyao possessed strikingly beautiful features, yet her expression was perpetually as cold as glacial water beneath a deep abyss.
The sword in her hand cut through a layer of rain. Her maidservant, Chunhua, followed closely behind, hurriedly opening an umbrella to shield the Princess. Because the path was slippery from the rain, Chunhua nearly fell, but was caught and supported by the guard captain, Fang Tong.
Yan Shisheng risked his life to keep pace with Mu Wanyao: “Lady Mu, the rain seems to have lessened a bit today…”
He attempted to use words to calm Mu Wanyao down.
However, Mu Wanyao simply pushed the eyesore of a scholar aside and continued to stride forward.
Yan Shisheng realized the situation was dire; Mu Wanyao was not even giving him a chance to explain.
He thought to himself that things had gone terribly wrong.
He still did his utmost to match Mu Wanyao’s stride, quickening his speech in an attempt to make her listen to his words within the span of a few breaths—
“Lady Mu, I fear there is a misunderstanding. This student was just reading in his room when I heard a commotion in the courtyard. I saw your maidservants arguing with my third brother; it seems something has been damaged. My lady, why not stop first and look into the matter thoroughly…”
Yan Shisheng added: “My lady might as well have a cup of tea to calm yourself. Lingnan possesses famous teas that cannot be found in the Central Plains; I can pour a cup for you.”
Mu Wanyao’s sleeves fluttered in the wind, and her footsteps never faltered.
Turning a corner, the group followed the sword-wielding maiden and finally came upon the front of a side room in the courtyard. Two or three maidservants who served Mu Wanyao had surrounded the third Yan brother, noisily demanding that he compensate them for something.
The third Yan brother, Yan Musheng, was renowned throughout the countryside for his booming voice.
At this moment, Yan Musheng’s words were heard loud and clear by the arriving Mu Wanyao and his second brother: “What does it have to do with me? The eaves leaked in the middle of the night, but it’s not like I tore the roof apart. How can you blame this on my family? Besides, you forced your way into our house and occupied it; if things got ruined, you should blame your own lack of foresight!”
The three maidservants were anxious, their eyes red with anger.
They interrupted him sharply: “That night, we let you choose a room to store our important belongings. It was you who recommended your family’s storage room, and you patted your chest to guarantee its safety. Now that something has gone wrong, of course the blame lies with you!”
“Exactly! And who knows if you secretly damaged the roof in the middle of the night? Don’t think we haven't noticed; these past few days, you've been giving everyone the cold shoulder!”
The third Yan brother roared: “Pure sophistry! To my mind, even if I did want to damage your things, you would have deserved it! With this bandit-like behavior of yours…”
Hearing his third brother spouting such reckless nonsense from afar, Yan Shisheng’s heart sank. Catching a glimpse of Mu Wanyao’s cold gaze out of the corner of his eye, he could not help but raise his voice in rebuke: “Third Brother, shut your mouth!”
How could such words be spoken so carelessly!
But it was already too late.
Over there, the maidservants and Yan Musheng all turned their eyes toward the Princess, who was walking toward them with palpable murderous intent.
The maidservants bowed one after another: “My lady, the Yan family intentionally brought harm upon us in this matter…”
Meanwhile, Yan Musheng stared blankly for a moment as the beautiful maiden approached. It was only when he saw the sword clutched in Mu Wanyao’s hand that he retreated in unease: “You… young lady, what is the meaning of coming over here with a sword? Do you intend to kill someone? There are laws in this world; you cannot just kill people as you please!”
Mu Wanyao cut off the third Yan brother’s hollow bluster, stating: “I am the law!”
Rumble—
Accompanying Mu Wanyao’s resounding declaration, a sudden crack of thunder exploded across the horizon.
The mist surged like a rushing torrent, pouring from the mountain peaks and generating thick smoke.
The three-foot blade reflected like snow in the young woman’s eyes; she spoke as a matter of course, completely justified. And by merely standing there—
She was the law!
Overwhelmed by the sheer force of Mu Wanyao’s declaration, the third Yan brother stood frozen, watching the rain beat down furiously upon the heavy wooden umbrella above the maiden’s head. His pupils contracted as he saw the sword in Mu Wanyao’s hand thrust forward.
A few paces behind, Yan Shisheng, the second brother of the Yan family who had been closely following Mu Wanyao, experienced a slight shift in expression. He tossed his umbrella aside and lunged forward.
Thud—
In the blink of an eye, the umbrella Yan Shisheng had been holding was cast away, splashing a circle of rainwater into the puddles. His body hurled forward, his long sleeves and flying robes billowing as he reached out with his bare hands to grasp the blade of Mu Wanyao’s sword.
Yan Shisheng shouted sharply: “Mu Wanyao, stop—”
Seeing his second brother about to collide with the sword in Mu Wanyao’s hand, the third Yan brother panicked instantly. His second brother was a mere scholar dressed in white; what ability did he have to intercept a sword? His eyes nearly splitting from tension, he lunged forward: “Second Brother!”
The guard captain, Fang Tong, had initially been worried that Yan Shisheng might be injured under the Princess’s blade. Now, seeing that the third Yan brother seemed to be rushing forward to harm the Princess, Fang Tong immediately took a step forward, grabbing the third brother’s shoulder to prevent him from touching even a corner of the Princess’s garments.
At the exact same time, before the eyes of everyone present, the sword in Mu Wanyao’s hand slashed downward—
Two locks of beautiful hair floated lightly from the maidservants’ bound buns, severed by the blade, before drifting down to the ground.
The maidservants had originally been quietly waiting for the Princess to swing her sword and strike the third Yan brother. It was only when the Princess reached them and raised her blade, swinging it in their direction, that they realized something was wrong.
Meeting the Princess’s eyes—which were as cold and profound as ice and snow—one maidservant stood frozen like a wooden block, completely paralyzed by fear before fainting dead away. The other two maidservants watched rigidly as the Princess’s sword brushed past their cheeks, severing their long hair.
Yan Shisheng had not anticipated that the sword in Mu Wanyao’s hand was not aimed at his third brother. His grasp missed entirely, and after stumbling slightly, he turned his head to see that Mu Wanyao’s sword had cut the dark tresses of the two maidservants.
The fine, dark strands fell quietly onto the ground.
Apart from the one maidservant who had already fainted from terror, the hair buns of the other two maidservants were completely disheveled. Their hair hung loose about their shoulders, and their eyes stared blankly at their severed locks.
As they regained their senses, they fell to their knees with a thud. Drenched in a cold sweat and with their lips trembling, they could not manage a single coherent word of entreaty.
Mu Wanyao looked down upon them with utter disdain.
She then turned her face to look at Yan Shisheng, who had just tried to stop her sword but failed.
Mu Wanyao stared at Yan Shisheng: “What did you just call me?”
Yan Shisheng: “…”
Mu Wanyao’s face darkened instantly: “Is my given name something a person like you is worthy of uttering?”
Yan Shisheng remained expressionless.
He watched as Mu Wanyao spoke again: “Did you believe I intended to kill your third brother?”
Yan Shisheng remained silent.
A few drops of rainwater fell upon Mu Wanyao’s face, rendering her features clear and beautiful, yet her expression remained indifferent. She still held her sword, standing before everyone, but suddenly she let out a brief laugh: “What, did you think I was incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, that I would kill someone without asking for the reason?”
Yan Shisheng opened his mouth slightly, but ultimately gave up.
His eyelashes fluttered gently as his dark eyes locked onto this grandly dressed young woman who had just brandished a sword to cut her maidservants’ hair in the rain. He watched this farce, his attention entirely captured by her.
Seeing that he was gentle and obedient, Mu Wanyao paid him no further mind.
She glanced toward the maidservants whose hair she had just partially severed, speaking in a deliberate manner: “I entrusted my casket to your safekeeping; when something goes wrong, of course you are the ones to be held accountable. Did you think that by shifting the blame onto the Yan family, I would let you off? To think you expected me to be a fool—are you malicious vipers, or simply idiots?”
The maidservants trembled violently, no longer daring to harbor any thoughts of escaping punishment. They bent their bodies to kowtow, stammering: “My lady, this servant was wrong…”
Mu Wanyao tossed the sword aside.
She turned back to Fang Tong and said: “Punish each of them with thirty strokes; if they are beaten to death, they deserve it.”
Ignoring the wretched cries for mercy behind her, Mu Wanyao did not cast another glance at the maidservants kneeling in the rainy courtyard.
Chunhua was still a bit hesitant, unsure of what she ought to do, when she heard Mu Wanyao call out to her: “Chunhua, come with me!”
Chunhua hastily replied: “Yes!”
She gathered her skirts to pursue the Princess, only managing to turn back and call out in a hurry: "Guard Fang, handle the matters here!"—
Mu Wanyao wore a veiled hat that barely managed to block a bit of the rain as she and Chunhua set out on horseback.
She was furious, naturally dissatisfied with those maidservants who had tried to shirk their responsibilities. However, what displeased her even more was that the creams personally ground by her Imperial Mother had been soaked by the rain and could no longer be used.
How could that be allowed?
That was one of the few items her mother had left behind for her. Following her return, she would gradually lose many of the favors of the past. But she did not wish to lose the objects left behind by those who were gone. She wanted to preserve her mother’s things, just as she wished to preserve the affection her mother had once promised her.
Only with these things present would she remember that her mother had truly loved her once.
Mu Wanyao stubbornly rode out into the rain, heading toward the town. The roads in this region were treacherous; she and Chunhua wandered aimlessly through the town, pushing open the doors of shops one by one to ask if they possessed certain ingredients.
She wanted to recreate that cream. Her mind was a chaotic mess, and she did not know the exact materials she needed to prepare, but she absolutely had to find them.
Mu Wanyao asked Chunhua: “What materials are used to make face cream and hand lotion?”
Chunhua did not really understand either, but she could only rack her brains: “At the very least, cinnabar and angelica root are required… Oh, and this servant can smell the scent of patchouli.”
Mu Wanyao gave a faint murmur of assent.
Drenched from head to toe, the two women rode their horses through the town searching for shops. Chunhua did not truly believe the Princess could restore the face cream left behind by the late Empress; having looked at it, she felt none of them were capable. However, Chunhua did not dare to speak the truth to the Princess, so she could only accompany her through the rain, helping her purchase materials that they did not even know could be used.
Emerging from yet another shop, Mu Wanyao cradled a small amount of realgar that she had managed to buy after much persuasion. She stepped down the stairs, preparing to search for the next establishment.
Above her head, an umbrella appeared.
Mu Wanyao slowly lifted her head. The rain was misty, dripping down along her eyelashes; she squinted her eyes, and as the umbrella was held aloft, she gradually made out the person before her.
Yan Shisheng stood in front of her, holding the umbrella over her.
Mu Wanyao’s splendid attire was already stained with mud, and her elaborate hairstyle was somewhat disheveled. Nevertheless, her back remained perfectly straight and her bearing proud; she was still the high-and-mighty Princess Danyang. This Princess bore a cold expression, ignoring him entirely as she prepared to walk past while clutching the oil-paper packet in her arms.
Yan Shisheng reached out, gently supporting her wrist to block her path slightly. She dodged away as if scorched, glaring at him.
Mu Wanyao: “Yield the path, or I will kill you.”
Yan Shisheng’s voice was gentle: “Why would you kill me? I have come to help you.”
The strands of rain flowed overhead like a river, striking the umbrella and splashing into a hazy mist.
Amidst the pitter-patter, Mu Wanyao’s footsteps paused. In Yan Shisheng’s eyes, she tilted her face up, her eyes round and enchanting, like shallow lakes steeped in moonlight, crystalline and moving.