Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao worked together to plant the water lily Mu Wanyao had brought into a pot.

Because Yan Shang had never been the type of person to spend time gardening, he truly didn't have any flower pots in his room. Mu Wanyao paused for a moment; her water lily had been kept in water, and she really hadn't expected that Yan Shang wouldn't even have a flower pot.

Mu Wanyao stood up: "Then let's go next door and find a bowl-lotus pot."

As she said this, she prepared to head out, but Yan Shang stopped her.

Yan Shang looked at her clothes, which were covered only by a thin, translucent layer of silk, and thought that it was practically the same as being exposed... sigh.

The customs of the Great Wei were open-minded, and Mu Wanyao often even wore men’s clothing; what did it matter if she wore something light and sheer?

Yan Shang endured it for a long while, but in the end, he couldn't help himself. He took one of his own outer robes and draped it over her shoulders, saying softly: "It is one of my old garments. I haven't worn it in a long time; it won't have my scent on it, so I hope Your Highness will not mind."

Mu Wanyao: "..."

She didn't mind it, but... why was he suddenly draping clothes on her?

Mu Wanyao raised her eyebrows, looked down at her own attire, and then looked at Yan Shang—who was wearing a round-collared robe, dressed perfectly upright and covered even while sitting in the room during the sweltering heat—and fell into deep thought.

Mu Wanyao: "Why, do you find I’m dressed too scantily, an eyesore to look at?"

Yan Shang said softly: "It is raining outside, and I fear Your Highness might catch a chill, so I ask that Your Highness wear an extra layer."

As he spoke, he had already pushed open the door and opened an umbrella, clearly prepared to head out.

Yan Shang looked back at Mu Wanyao. He originally wanted to instruct her to wait for him here, but the moment he turned back and saw the delicate, charming young woman standing in the room draped in his oversized, snow-white outer robe—with her dark lashes, fair skin, and jade-like elegance—he was momentarily stunned.

His heart burned with a sudden, thumping intensity.

Mu Wanyao wondered why he had turned back to look at her but didn't say anything: "What is it?"

Yan Shang pulled himself together, withdrawing his wandering thoughts, and gently instructed: "It is pouring outside; please wait for me here for a moment, Your Highness. I will go next door and find a bowl-lotus pot."

Mu Wanyao: "Hey..."

She wanted to say that he could just have a servant go, why did he have to exert himself?

But Yan Shang had already pushed the door open and left, so Mu Wanyao found it difficult to say more. After he left, she stood alone in his room, draped in his outer robe, feeling an indescribable strangeness in her heart.

Mu Wanyao stood blankly for a while, then lowered her head, her cheeks blushing.

This was the first time she had actively sought out a gentleman in the middle of the night—

Yan Shang pushed the door open and went out with the umbrella, though in truth, he also wanted to see what the situation would be like tonight.

When he went out, he saw the guard Fang and a few handmaidens standing under the eaves to hide from the rain. His eyes flickered slightly; in his heart, he understood that it seemed Mu Wanyao had prepared everything for tonight and had no other plans.

He felt a sense of shame in his heart, along with a slight panic that the moment had finally arrived.

He thought muddledly that since she liked it, he would let her have her way. In any case, there was no such talk of men needing to guard their chastity.

But just how was he supposed to do it? He was... not very clear on that.

For Yan Shang, who was accustomed to keeping everything within a certain scope of control, this was somewhat beyond his expectations. He could only steel himself and think that as long as they got into bed, he should be able to master it without a teacher, right? He would probably just muddle through it.

Besides... Mu Wanyao was experienced, wasn't she?

Thinking that she must understand, he felt slightly uncomfortable, yet he tried hard to suppress it. He thought of how Mu Wanyao had mentioned her former husband back in Lingnan; her tone had been unhappy, suggesting she and her ex-husband didn't have a good relationship. He should be careful not to provoke her.

The last time in bed had been an unavoidable necessity... this time, he should follow her lead—

When Yan Shang returned carrying the bowl-lotus pot, Mu Wanyao had already been sitting there bored, fiddling with her fingers for quite a while.

When she saw him walk in and noticed the rain stains on his robes, she hurried to greet him.

The two of them squatted together by the side of the pot, holding small trowels, and researched how to transplant the water lily Mu Wanyao had brought into it.

Mu Wanyao was a princess who had never lifted a finger to work, always watching others do the labor; Yan Shang had some experience with gardening, but he had always been thin and scholarly, and his father and brothers at home never let him work the land, only letting him watch from the side.

Thus, Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang both felt they had a theoretical experience with planting water lilies, yet neither of them had actually done it before.

The two of them traded ideas and methods, fumbling their way through, and confusedly managed to plant the water lily into the pot.

Mu Wanyao tilted her head and saw Yan Shang’s wide sleeves dragging on the ground; not only were they stained with rainwater, but now they were also covered in mud. She frowned and froze for a moment, wondering why she was squatting here with him researching how to plant flowers?

Wasn't she here to sleep with him?

It was all because his temperament was too harmless, and he had muddled his way into seducing her to squat here and plant flowers!

Yan Shang carefully inspected the water lily planted in the pot. Seeing only a tiny flower bud, he felt anxious, not knowing if the flower hadn't bloomed when her royal uncle gave it to her, or if he and Mu Wanyao had done something wrong and killed the flower...

Yan Shang turned his head to consult with Mu Wanyao, only to see Mu Wanyao squatting there with a dark face, looking thoroughly unhappy.

He was stunned for a moment: "What is wrong, Your Highness?"

What had he done wrong again?

Mu Wanyao turned her head, her pitch-black eyes fixed on the mud spots on his long, jade-white fingers, and her brows furrowed even deeper. She pushed him, chiding: "Aren't you supposed to go wash up? Why haven't you gone yet? Do you plan on planting flowers all night?"

Yan Shang’s face flushed red instantly.

He understood her subtext.

Yet he still hesitated, looking at the water lily in the pot that he didn't know if they had killed: "But..."

Mu Wanyao urged him: "Go on, go! I’ll keep an eye on this flower; it won't die!"

Yan Shang was urged away by Mu Wanyao.

And as soon as Yan Shang left, Mu Wanyao stood up and tossed the flower pot aside. She had been enchanted into squatting there for half a day watching flowers with Yan Shang, but once she was left alone, she couldn't be bothered to look at any flowers.

What was there to look at?

If the flower died, she would just plant another one.

The white tea trees she had brought back from Lingnan had half died before one or two had finally survived.

The Princess of Danyang possessed a spirit of simply tossing things aside if they weren't good enough.

No longer foolishly researching flowers, Mu Wanyao curiously and somewhat boredly cast her gaze around Yan Shang’s room. She didn't know when he would return from washing, so she simply strolled around his room to kill time.

As for a man’s room, Mu Wanyao wasn't particularly curious. Moreover, Yan Shang’s room was clean, with everything displayed clearly and plainly; one glance was enough to see it was unremarkable, lacking any detail.

He didn't even hide any secrets in his room.

Just like the person himself, he was rounded and transparent, giving no one a chance to disparage him.

Mu Wanyao yawned, knelt on Yan Shang’s desk, and lay prone for a while. Compared to other places, this spot where he read was perhaps the only one with a few more details. Mu Wanyao was too bored, so she grabbed a volume of books he had piled on the desk and flipped through them at random.

Various kinds of books; some she had read, some she hadn't. But Mu Wanyao didn't intend to take the exam like him, and she had no interest in increasing her knowledge with books she hadn't read.

However, while flipping through, a piece of paper fell out of one volume and drifted to the floor—

Mu Wanyao curiously picked up the paper filled with writing and discovered that this was not his study notes, but rather... a plan, a self-reflection?

It was densely written with whom he had met, what books he had read, what he had said, where he had fallen short, and where he could improve...

Mu Wanyao was appalled, wondering what kind of monster he was.

What shocked her even more was that at the very end of his dense self-reflection, her name was actually there. The character "marriage" following the three characters "Mu Wanyao" startled Mu Wanyao, not to mention that it wasn't just the word "marriage."

There were also when he would meet her, to what rank his official position would need to reach before he could progress further with her... everything at the end pointed to one outcome—

Serving the Princess—

Mu Wanyao’s expression shifted, uncertain. She tucked the paper back into the book, stood up, and paced the room, her heart in turmoil.

She had two guesses:

The first possibility was that Yan Shang was treating her so well right now purely for the purpose of "serving the Princess." And he was serving the Princess for the sake of his own future.

Because in the Great Wei, there were quite a few驸马 (consorts) who had climbed to power through the Princess. Consorts of the Great Wei were not limited in their official positions and would not be deliberately suppressed because they served a Princess. Many aristocratic families looked down on the Great Wei Princesses for having hot tempers and did not want to marry into the Royal Family; but there were also many aristocratic youths who wanted to marry into the Royal Family—after all, by whispering into the Princess’s ear, a government position might be obtained.

Yan Shang came from a humble background, so it was difficult for him to move upward. After experiencing the Feng Xianyu incident, he should have known how difficult it was to come from a low station... For someone like him, it was very likely he would connect serving the Princess with his future.

The second possibility was that Yan Shang didn't have that kind of motive; he simply liked making plans, just as on that sheet of paper, there were not only plans for her but plans for other things as well.

This did conform to the character Yan Shang had shown—not longing for wealth or status.

But this also had a huge problem—wasn't he a bit too invested in their relationship?

He actually wanted to reach a fruition with her?

He wanted to work hard step by step to reach that fruition?

Yet, when she asked him that day if he could forgo responsibility, he said he wasn't the kind of person who wanted her to be responsible—

The first possibility made Mu Wanyao angry, wanting to never pay attention to Yan Shang again and completely break with him.

The second possibility made Mu Wanyao afraid, afraid to associate with him.

She simply wanted to relax, and she happened to encounter someone she liked... She really had no plans for anything further.

She couldn't make such plans, either.

Either don't marry, or if you marry, you must maximize the benefits of the marriage... She would have to be an idiot to have a result with Yan Shang—

Yan Shang had scared Mu Wanyao. As Mu Wanyao paced the room, her expression was inconsistent, and she thought several times about pushing the door open and fleeing.

Just as Mu Wanyao was about to try to push the door open and flee again, the door opened, and Yan Shang returned.

She looked up to see him, and her eyes brightened slightly.

Perhaps afraid that leaving her alone in the room was not right, Yan Shang had returned very quickly. But he could be quick, yet his long hair couldn't dry that fast, and his clothes couldn't be as orderly as usual.

And he had returned in such a rush, bringing with him the cool, rainy air, his eyes clear and lips red, his dark hair half-tied. The wind and rain blew against his robes from behind, and in the flutter, he resembled an immortal exiled from the clouds.

He possessed a rather elegant, free-spirited demeanor.

Yan Shang, who returned with a lantern, closed the door, turned his head, and met Mu Wanyao’s gaze. He smiled slightly, still with a bit of moisture on his face and water mist on his eyelashes.

Mu Wanyao’s feet seemed to be fixed to the floor; she couldn't bear to leave—

A handsome youth, indeed.

How could she bear to? —

Hesitating, Mu Wanyao decided to test Yan Shang.

When he stood at the door looking somewhat hesitant, she walked up with a brilliant smile, hooked her arm around his, and pulled him in. She glared at him a little, chiding: "I didn't expect someone like you to be this impatient, too. Men, heh."

Yan Shang: "..."

He was pulled to sit down by Mu Wanyao. Seeing her mocking tone, as if she looked down on the nature of men, he felt somewhat uneasy.

Yan Shang truly couldn't help but defend himself: "I came back in such a rush because I felt it wasn't right to leave Your Highness alone in the room, not because of anything else."

Mu Wanyao glanced at him: "Did you not come back to go to bed with me?"

Yan Shang was speechless.

Mu Wanyao poked his arm through his clothes: "If it is, then don't deny your lustful heart. Who said their heart wasn't innocent?"

Yan Shang pursed his lips and said nothing.

He wasn't exactly denying it, was he?

He just sometimes didn't know how to get along with her.

Just like at this moment...

However, at this moment, Mu Wanyao had her own little schemes. She didn't need Yan Shang to think of a topic; she would take the initiative to come over and talk to him.

She sat down with him, rested her hand on his knee, leaned in, and leaned against his stiff shoulder as if chatting idly: "Today when the royal uncle sent the water lily, I met my aunt at the Eastern Palace."

The Princess of Luling.

Yan Shang’s eyelashes lifted slightly as he looked at her.

Mu Wanyao giggled: "It’s because the Eastern Palace wants to build a garden for Father, but there isn't enough money, so they asked my aunt for it again. My aunt was very angry; for once, taking advantage of the time she entered the palace to see Father, she ran to the Eastern Palace and had a big fight."

Yan Shang smiled slightly.

He said: "It doesn't matter that the Princess of Luling has a fight with the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. As long as they are fighting, it means they are not forming factions. His Majesty will not suspect the Princess, and the Princess’s position remains secure."

Mu Wanyao: "However, my aunt is heartbroken at having to pay a large sum of money! I saw her fuming, almost unable to contain herself. I was just afraid that one day she truly wouldn't be able to hold back and would run to complain to Father..."

Yan Shang said softly: "No matter, Brother Feng will stop her and explain it to her. Brother Feng will let the Princess know that only by enduring this moment will there be an opportunity to come out on top later."

Hearing him mention Brother Feng, Mu Wanyao paused for a moment before remembering he must be talking about Feng Xianyu.

Mu Wanyao took a light look at him.

She said: "And my aunt entered the palace today, but in reality, it was to ask Father to give your Brother Feng a government position. By the time I knew about it, that Scholar Feng had already been given the position of an editor in the Secretariat."

"Although it is only a ninth-rank petty official. But it is an official position, after all. He doesn't have to take next year’s imperial exam... He is already a ninth-rank editor in the Secretariat. The Secretariat is close to the central government, a good place to be. Moreover, the position of editor—speaking of it—is just looking at books in the library; it’s leisurely and relaxed, which everyone likes very much."

Yan Shang’s eyelashes lifted slightly; he was surprised at first, then nodded, indicating he understood.

He said: "Then it seems I should find an opportunity some other day to congratulate Brother Feng."

The imperial exam was naturally not the only path to becoming an official.

Feng Xianyu had originally latched onto the Princess intending to take next year’s imperial exam... but now that the Princess had directly asked for a position for him, that was also quite good.

Mu Wanyao observed Yan Shang’s expression and saw that he was genuinely happy for Feng Xianyu. Although he was stunned for a moment, he had no look of despondency or envy.

Mu Wanyao simply stated directly: "Do you need me to go find Father and directly ask him for a position for you as well? To toil away taking that exam in October, not even knowing if you’ll pass; not only wasting another year if you fail, but losing face as well. It would be better if I asked for a position for you right now, and you didn't have to study so hard, just go and be an official."

She used these words to test whether Yan Shang wanted to climb the ladder through her. If she offered him an official position, was that the purpose of his changing his attitude to be good to her now?

Yan Shang was stunned, his expression becoming solemn.

He explained in detail: "I don't know why Your Highness keeps thinking I want to rely on Your Highness’s connections to climb upward... If I had such thoughts, I have refused Your Highness several times—which could even be interpreted as playing hard to get—but wouldn't that be too many refusals? I knew Your Highness when I was in Lingnan, and after arriving in Chang’an, my relationship with Your Highness has always been quite good. If I wanted to climb upward by relying on Your Highness... why wait until now?"

Mu Wanyao looked at him.

He said gently: "What position I hold does not require Your Highness to plan for me. Your Highness, rest assured... how I treat Your Highness right now has nothing to do with those things, so Your Highness should not overthink it."

He looked into her eyes and said softly: "For a woman as wonderful as Your Highness, isn't it normal for a man to like you? Why must you always suspect that my intentions are not good?"

Mu Wanyao looked at him.

She thought, what was so wonderful about her, and why was it normal for someone to like her? It had never been normal.

Yet, Yan Shang’s words warmed her heart, making her feel that it was her own problem to have tested him... But she felt uneasy in her heart; she had repeatedly said these things to him, yet he had always patiently explained it to her over and over again, saying he didn't mean that... and he had never once felt she was humiliating him or been angry with her.

He was so good.

Mu Wanyao pursed her lips and looked at him under the candlelight; she was happy, yet afraid.

What made her happy was that he didn't want to use her; what made her afraid was that if he didn't want to use her, then he truly wanted to be with her...

This was too scary.

Mu Wanyao was scared to death by him.

But... with such beauty before her, and having longed for it for so long without getting anything, she was truly unwilling to give up.

Therefore, Mu Wanyao grew bold, still wanting to stay... at least get a benefit, and then flee?

And if this benefit wasn't good, if it didn't make her like it, couldn't she then openly find an excuse to completely separate from Yan Shang and tell him not to disturb her?

Mu Wanyao’s thoughts spun for a long while. Seeing Yan Shang looking at her gently, she suddenly grinned, opened her arms to him, and acted spoiled: "Give me a hug."

Yan Shang was stunned.

Then, with a flushed face, he leaned over to hold her, wrapping his arms around her body.

When he held her, he smelled her fragrance and felt her softness and slenderness... his heart beat fast, as if it were about to jump out. Yan Shang’s arms tightened slightly, but he didn't give up.

However, Mu Wanyao was not satisfied.

She tilted her head and looked at him.

Yan Shang was so sensitive.

He lowered his voice: "What is it?"

Mu Wanyao said with a faint smile: "Not this kind of hug."

Yan Shang’s face grew even redder.

He truly couldn't keep up with her, so he had to ask for guidance in a low voice: "Then what kind of hug is it?"

Mu Wanyao wondered, was this person a fool?

She smiled brightly: "It’s for you to carry me to the bed."

Yan Shang was stunned, realizing he had made a fool of himself. He coughed awkwardly and turned his face slightly.

Mu Wanyao was being deliberate: "What, can’t you carry me?"

Yan Shang was helpless: "Your Highness!"

Somewhat unaccustomed, he put one hand around her neck and the other through the back of her knees, carrying her horizontally into his arms before standing up. His clumsiness was fully seen by Mu Wanyao. Mu Wanyao tilted her head and laughed, kicking her legs in his arms.

Her smile was like a flower, her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her face buried in his neck. The gold hairpins rattled with every step—

Mu Wanyao sat on the bed with Yan Shang for a while.

He said dryly: "Then let us rest."

Mu Wanyao looked at him with a smile.

She had a somewhat intentional mocking meaning, so Yan Shang could only stand up and extinguish the candles himself, thinking that once it was dark in the room, everything should be all right.

Who knew that seeing him prepare to blow out the candles, Mu Wanyao’s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly grabbed his wrist, not letting him get off the bed.

She blurted out: "Don't blow out the candles!"

Yan Shang was stunned and turned his head to look at her. Mu Wanyao turned her gaze away, her face slightly pale, refusing to meet his eyes, but he seemed to understand instantly.

Yan Shang smiled slightly and said softly: "I was just going to lower the bed curtains. Actually, I am not used to blowing out the candles at night, either. It’s quite good to have a little light in the room."

Mu Wanyao didn't believe him.

Sometimes when she couldn't sleep at night and sat on the third floor of her own mansion looking at the mansion across the way, she could see total darkness. He wasn't afraid of the dark at all; like any normal person, he had no habit of refusing to blow out candles at night.

He said that for her sake.

Mu Wanyao was moved and pleased.

She chided: "Then how much candle wax will you waste? You are so poor, do you have money?"

Yan Shang said: "Am I really that poor?"

Mu Wanyao hugged the quilt and looked up at him, just in time to see him lower his head to look at her.

He sat before her with his hair loose, his eyes pitch black, his temperament pure and harmless.

The candlelight flickered outside, and occasionally she could hear the babbling sound of rain outside the room.

Inside the bed curtains, only the two of them sat like this. Mu Wanyao’s face flushed red; she found her heart racing for the first time in a while, feeling her cheeks burning hot.

After sitting for a moment, Mu Wanyao said: "Is there nothing you want to do?"

Yan Shang lowered his eyes.

His fingers, which were supporting him on the bed, trembled slightly. Mu Wanyao saw his throat bob.

She heard him say in a low voice: "I want to kiss the Princess; may I?"

Mu Wanyao was both angry and amused; hugging the pillow, her face turned bright red, and she grabbed the pillow to hit his arm: "Fool! Do you think I wouldn't let you kiss me? What is there to ask about?"

He leaned over, and their lips touched.

Mu Wanyao trembled; she still held the pillow, but her fingertips began to feel numb, and she couldn't hit him any longer—

The mere fact that he was just touching her like that had already left her stunned.

However, he certainly wasn't foolish to that extent, thinking that a touch was a kiss.

After all, even if he really didn't know... Mu Wanyao had kissed him before, and Yan Shang had long known that a kiss between lips and teeth was not just mouth touching mouth.

Thus, lips parted and tongues engaged; thus, jaws lowered to meet, and breaths intertwined.

Fragrant and soft, at first like a gentle spring rain, later becoming a drenching exploration.

His long hair was scattered on the bedding, and when he leaned over, those somewhat damp strands fell onto the back of Mu Wanyao’s hand. The black strands against fingers as white as snow and jade—the stark, contrasting colors entwined together, alluring and tender, wanting to speak yet hesitant.

"Mm..."

Mu Wanyao quietly opened one eye to look at him and saw that he had his eyes closed, with the area under them slightly red. His eyelashes were cast over his eyes; she heard his breathing go erratic, so it turned out he wasn't always so composed. While she was lost in thought, he reached out, suddenly putting his arm around her shoulder and drawing her into his arms.

Mu Wanyao: "Ah!"

He pulled her into his embrace, suddenly pressing her down.

Mu Wanyao suddenly hit his shoulder, struggling vaguely: "Don't... don't press on me!"

Yan Shang’s breathing was already chaotic, and his breath had become scalding. His emotions were no longer under control; he couldn't help but hug her. While she muttered and resisted in his arms, her strength was so tiny, like a little cat scratching. Yan Shang’s face turned red, and he barely regained his composure, only then hearing what she was muttering.

He moved away with some difficulty and lay down on his side, not pressing down on her. Once their posture changed, the kissing ceased. Just as he felt melancholy, he saw Mu Wanyao open her eyes, looking at him teasingly.

She pounced on him, pinned him down, and kissed him again.

And her mischief was like a storm, completely different from his own gentleness and shallowness, afraid of hurting her heart—

Inside the curtains, there was a rustling sound.

Yan Shang gradually became somewhat uncomfortable, gently rubbing against her, instinctively reaching out a hand to gently pinch her neck, with a slight trend of wandering downward. Mu Wanyao was as soft as spring water, yet she was vigilant.

She grabbed his hand and opened her eyes wide: "What are you doing?"

When Yan Shang could no longer control his feelings, he also felt very embarrassed.

Yet he said: "Isn't it supposed to be this way?"

Mu Wanyao: "I only wanted to kiss you; what were you thinking? Can it be that you are so disrespectful to me and only want to have me?"

Yan Shang: "..."

He was helpless to the extreme, yet extremely uncomfortable, and was even accused by her. If it had been any other gentleman, they would have been driven mad by Mu Wanyao’s back-and-forth long ago.

Yet, Yan Shang had such a good temper.

Once she said that, he went off to reflect on whether he was truly being disrespectful to her. He simply sighed, pulled her back into his embrace, and said in a low voice: "Then let us just kiss."

Mu Wanyao was stunned.

She could feel his body was burning hot, and he was still... he was just going to kiss and that would be enough?

She was held by him, her mind turned cloudy and muddled; after mumbling for a long time, she even forgot what she had been thinking about—

Mu Wanyao was held in Yan Shang’s arms, listening to his heartbeat.

In the end, she couldn't bear it, feeling that she was too cruel, and said: "Shall I help you?"

Anyway, it wasn't as if she hadn't...

Yan Shang, however, said vaguely: "No matter, don't worry about it. It will be over in a moment. I just want to hold the Princess."

Mu Wanyao was shocked: "...It will be over in a moment?"

Yan Shang: "Hm."

Mu Wanyao looked at him with a strange expression, thinking this person truly had no fate to enjoy himself. However, she also liked the feeling of being held by him. Nestled in his arms, she felt a sense of being pampered and cherished.

Mu Wanyao’s eyes smiled, and she buried herself in his embrace, opening her arms to hug him. She didn't dare to touch him randomly, afraid he would be even more uncomfortable. And she lifted her face, meeting his gaze as he looked down.

He reached out and gently touched her face.

Yan Shang whispered: "Your Highness."

Mu Wanyao: "Hm?"

Yan Shang smiled: "Has the water lily bloomed yet?"

His slightly hot fingers rested on her face as he leaned in slightly to look down at her, his gaze gentle and lingering, and extremely focused. Mu Wanyao froze slightly, realizing he was using the flower to talk about her. She pulled up the quilt to shield her face, shrinking down bit by bit.

Like a turtle hiding its head.

And hidden under the quilt, she couldn't help but chuckle—

The water lily, of course, had bloomed—

The rain fell softly all night.

Sharing the same pillow and sleeping together.

Inside the bed curtains, the hangings lowered to block the view. Under the flower bud exposed in the bowl-lotus pot outside, a faint red gradually seeped out; a flower bud was quietly and tentatively blooming in the night.

The room was full of fragrance.

Mu Wanyao got up carefully, leaned over, and looked down at Yan Shang. She carefully pulled her long hair out from under his arm and, by the light of the candle, lingeringly looked at him for a long time. The way he looked in deep sleep was particularly pleasing.

However, the way he was insistent on marrying her truly scared her to death.

No matter how reluctant, Mu Wanyao had to steel her heart and put an end to his intentions.

In his muddled, deep sleep, Yan Shang seemed to feel Mu Wanyao getting up. He opened his eyes slightly, his voice low and hoarse: "Your Highness...?"

Mu Wanyao hurriedly said: "I am returning to the mansion; you keep sleeping."

Yan Shang was stunned and moved to get up: "I will escort you, Your Highness..."

Seeing that he was still muddled, Mu Wanyao hurriedly pressed him down. Her heart thumped, fearing her own little schemes would be discovered by him. She playfully scolded: "It’s just returning next door, what is there to escort? You go to sleep, don't get up."

She was rare in her gentleness and consideration, persuading Yan Shang to go back down—

The next day, Mu Wanyao entered the palace, had a discussion with the Crown Prince, and upon returning to the mansion, she packed her luggage and followed the Emperor to the summer resort villa.

Half of the Princess’s Mansion was emptied out by her.

Chunhua hadn't finished agonizing over whether or not to abort the baby before she was taken by Mu Wanyao to the summer villa, where she spent every day with the Emperor.

On the third day at the summer villa, Mu Wanyao went to accompany the Emperor fishing, and Chunhua hid in her room alone.

After being dazed for an hour, she brewed the medicine, endured her fear, and cruelly gulped it down—

Praying only that it would truly cause a miscarriage!

And that it would not be discovered by the Royal Family! —

Yan Shang came to the Princess’s Mansion to request an audience for three consecutive days, but Mu Wanyao refused to see him.

At first, she excused herself by being busy, and Yan Shang hadn't thought much of it.

By the third day, Yan Shang already felt that something was wrong.

For any pair of man and woman, after a night together, this should not be the state of affairs. He used some linguistic traps and easily pried the information out of the servants left behind at the Princess’s Mansion, learning that Mu Wanyao had gone to accompany the Emperor and had followed the Emperor to the summer resort villa.

The people at the Princess’s Mansion said that they would stay at the summer villa for at least a month.

Clearly, within this month, the Princess would not be returning.

Standing in front of the Princess’s Mansion, despite it being June, Yan Shang felt as if he had been doused with ice and snow.

From beginning to end, his heart instantly turned cold.

He stood dazed for a long time, guessing why she would treat him this way.

...Was it because that night had been bad?

She didn't like it anymore?

Could it be that she... looked down on the way he kissed?