Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 68

Chapter 68

In Chang’an, the entire focus of the imperial court was currently occupied by preparations for the year-end grand ceremony. One after another, envoys from small neighboring states began to arrive in the capital.

These small states were received by the Court of State Ceremonial. However, with the influx of so many foreign delegations, the Court found itself short-handed.

To address this, the Secretariat dispatched Yan Shang, an Assistant in the Secretariat, along with several other low-ranking officials from various departments, to the Court of State Ceremonial to assist with the workload.

Yan Shang was actually quite pleased with this arrangement.

In the Secretariat, he had spent his days with nothing of importance to do—merely drafting documents and running errands. Any tasks with real authority never fell to him.

In the Court of State Ceremonial, however, because he came from the prestigious Secretariat, he was actually able to do some substantial work, such as receiving these foreign envoys.

The officials at the Court were already quite experienced in receiving foreign guests and had their own established protocols, so Yan Shang simply needed to follow their lead.

It was just that one day, after arriving at the Court, Yan Shang noticed several officials gathered together, engaged in a heated argument. He approached them, listening for a moment before asking, "What has happened?"

The officials turned around and saw it was the young Assistant sent by the Secretariat.

They held a favorable impression of Yan Shang, for despite coming from the Secretariat, he possessed none of the arrogance typical of officials from that department, who often treated those in other offices as subordinates.

Usually, when the Minister of State Ceremonial gave an order, Yan Shang would quietly help without meddling or interjecting.

This humble style was very well-received by the Court of State Ceremonial.

Seeing Yan Shang’s inquiry regarding their dispute, they sighed and told him, "It is a somewhat troublesome matter. We had an official who specialized in the languages of the Southern Barbarians. However, two months ago, his father passed away, and he naturally had to resign his post to observe mourning. Now, our department has a vacancy regarding the Southern Barbarian languages, and there is no one to fill it.

"We previously reported this to the Minister of State Ceremonial. The Minister agreed readily enough, promising to find someone. But two months have passed, and no suitable person has been found.

"We cannot just find some random person from the marketplace who speaks the Wuman dialect, can we? How could that possibly be appropriate?"

Interaction among the common people in the Great Wei was open, so there were certainly those who could speak the Wuman dialect. But the people the Court of State Ceremonial required were highly educated individuals—talented scholars who could both speak and write. They had no use for ordinary folk.

Yan Shang was slightly stunned and asked, "Are we not currently on less-than-friendly terms with the Southern Barbarians? Isn't it said they are still at war? Or are you referring to the Wuman tribe? Has... the war ended for the Wuman?"

The official he questioned replied listlessly, "We do not know, either. The list of countries arriving for the ceremony does not yet include the Wuman. Perhaps they are not coming? But just in case, we must have someone who understands their language. If they really do send envoys, and if those envoys cannot speak our Great Wei’s official tongue, and we do not have a single person here capable of normal communication... where would the prestige of our Great Empire be?"

Yan Shang lowered his eyes, lost in thought.

Another official, seeing their dejected faces, laughed out loud.

When everyone’s gaze fell upon him, he remarked with a faint, enigmatic smile, "Why does no one speak the Wuman dialect? What about that Princess who went on the marriage alliance..."

Yan Shang abruptly cut him off: "Sir!"

The official, who had been about to suggest asking Princess Danyang for help, was startled by Yan Shang’s sudden interruption. He glared at him, displeased, and snapped, "What is it?"

Yan Shang said gently, "Look, you are all busy arranging lodging and receiving envoys from other small states. As for the language of this Wuman state—which we do not even know will attend—how about leaving it to me to learn?"

The others looked at him, stunned: "You?"

Yan Shang said, "I have nothing to do all day anyway. I can go to the West Market to find a few Wuman people and learn their tongue; I have the time. Regardless of whether the Wuman send envoys to the court or not, we should be prepared, should we not?"

The others remained skeptical: "There are only two months left until the grand ceremony. Can you manage it?"

Yan Shang lowered his eyes, appearing shy: "My residence is right next door to Princess Danyang’s..."

The others immediately understood and accepted this explanation. Being neighbors with Princess Danyang certainly made it much more convenient for him to learn the language than it was for them.

And so, the Court of State Ceremonial happily entrusted the matter to Yan Shang, and he finally had something to do.

Yan Shang let out a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that he certainly did not want these officials to go and beg Mu Yaoyao for help, having her teach someone the Wuman language.

Although he still did not know the specific details, since Mu Yaoyao was on bad terms with her ex-husband... this marriage alliance was likely not a pleasant memory.

He would do his best not to stir up her terrible memories—

In truth, the things Yan Shang was busy with all day were not limited to just learning the Wuman language.

Some envoys from the smaller states, passionate about martial arts, wished to challenge the people of Great Wei to duels. Naturally, the Court of State Ceremonial arranged for Great Wei’s generals and warriors to receive them, but the Court also assigned officials to accompany them.

Yan Shang was assigned to follow one such small state.

Spending the entire day with these envoys, even though he was a civil official, meant he inevitably had to spend his time watching them ride horses or practice boxing.

After several days, Yan Shang was aching all over. By following these people, he had even learned to shoot a bow.

A month later, he could already shoot from horseback.

Yan Shang gave a bitter smile, thinking how surprised his eldest brother would be if he knew he could now shoot a bow.

Running around all day—studying Wuman in the morning, traversing the martial arts centers of Chang’an in the afternoon to accompany foreign envoys in riding and shooting—by the time he returned to his own residence at night, Yan Shang was truly exhausted.

And under such fatigue, when he sat down for his meal, the servants of the household presented him with a bowl of clear water, one sesame flatbread, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

Even Yan Shang was stunned for a moment.

He looked up at Yun Shu and asked, "...Am I now so poor? Must I eat only this every day?"

Yun Shu looked wronged and protested loudly, "Is this not what you did to yourself, Young Master? As soon as your salary was issued, you went to the Yongshou Temple and donated the money to the children at the infirmary, and gave offerings to the temple so they could provide more aid to the impoverished. Then, after paying the monthly rent owed to Princess Danyang, and paying our monthly wages... there was simply no money left!"

Yun Shu was filled with indignation: "We tried to advise you that day, Young Master. But you were the one who said you were used to hardship, that you came from a small place in Lingnan and had no need for luxury here in Chang’an, and that having a few flatbreads to eat each day was enough... With you being so kind, what could we say? That there are even flatbreads in the house today, I am already surprised!"

Yan Shang: "..."

His face flushed slightly, and he said, "Even if it is my fault, you need not recall it in such detail, right?"

Yun Shu maintained an upright expression, though inside he felt smug, thinking that he had actually practiced these lines for a long time. To finally be able to speak them in front of the Young Master... it was exhilarating.

Yan Shang only now realized that he had actually become this poor. He sighed, rolled up his sleeves, and soaked the hard flatbread in the clear water, eating it with little flavor. But after a few bites, he found it too difficult to swallow.

He couldn't help but wonder if he had become a bit too pitiful...

Giving his all for the imperial court every day, only to end up like this himself?

Yan Shang put down the flatbread and lowered his eyes: "...I must find a way."

The sky was growing dark, and just before the gates of the residential ward closed, Mu Yaoyao returned on horseback.

She had gone into the palace today to spar with Consort Xian, the mother of Prince Jin, over the authority to manage the grand ceremony. Mu Yaoyao had gained the upper hand, and at noon, she had sent a letter to the south.

She wanted to use the influence of the Jinling Li clan to transport a three-person-tall stone—inscribed with the Emperor's merits—from the south to Chang’an.

It was said this stone had been excavated from the earth... naturally, no one believed it, but everyone maintained the appearance of believing.

For matters in the south, the Jinling Li clan was still the most helpful. As Mu Yaoyao’s voice in Chang’an grew stronger, she intended to make full use of the Li clan.

Entering the alley, just as Mu Yaoyao was feeling pleased with herself, she saw Yan Shang sitting on the steps of his residence, silently lost in thought.

The beautiful young man had the look of a "stone waiting for her husband," which was truly rare.

Mu Yaoyao tilted her head and glanced at him several times, seeing that he remained dazed.

Mu Yaoyao ignored him and headed toward her own residence, but Yan Shang only snapped out of it after being shoved by his servant, Yun Shu.

Yan Shang: "Ahem... Did Your Highness just return?"

Mu Yaoyao gave him a sidelong glance.

Yan Shang: "Has Your Highness had dinner yet?"

Mu Yaoyao glared at him: "Are you inviting me?"

Yan Shang froze, then blushed: "...I meant, may I go to Your Highness's residence for dinner?"

Mu Yaoyao: ...Are you begging for intimacy? Begging for intimacy with so little self-respect?

She hummed: "As you wish."

Yan Shang let out a sigh of relief, thinking that one meal had been secured—

The Wuman King, Meng Zaishi, had spent two years吞并 (annexing) the Chiman.

Now, of the five Southern Barbarian tribes, only four remained.

Contemporary with Meng Zaishi was the Southern Barbarian King, Bule.

Meng Zaishi’s reputation was celebrated only within the Wuman, but the grand ambitions of the Southern Barbarian King Bule were celebrated throughout the entire southern region.

This young Southern Barbarian King was valiant and skilled in war. Since ascending the throne, he had campaigned across the north and south, and for many years, the various tribes of the Southern Barbarians had gradually come under his command.

The King was still unsatisfied and planned to merge the five tribes into one, which he considered the true Southern Barbarian nation.

Only then could he establish an empire as magnificent and glorious as that of the Great Wei.

Compared to the legendary status of the young King Bule, the Wuman King Meng Zaishi was so low-key that he was almost invisible.

If the Chiman had not been annexed by the Wuman and disappeared entirely, that Southern Barbarian King might never have noticed that there was such a formidable ruler among his subordinates.

Moreover, unlike the Wuman’s pro-Wei stance, the Southern Barbarian King Bule was extremely repulsed and disgusted by the Great Wei. He believed that it was the women, jewelry, and culture coming from the Great Wei that had paralyzed and corrupted the inherent power of the Southern Barbarians.

Now, the Southern Barbarians were becoming weak in combat, unlike their past selves. They had actually begun to enjoy living in houses rather than tents, and had taken to settling down rather than wandering; this was all caused by the weakness transmitted by the Great Wei.

Because of this, the Southern Barbarian King had always disliked the marriage alliance between the Wuman and the Great Wei.

However, he had neither the capacity nor the ability to oppose it previously. Now that the Southern Barbarian King Bule had gradually unified the voices of the Southern Barbarians, he could begin to interfere with the intimate relationship between the Wuman and the Great Wei.

Meng Zaishi had wiped out the Chiman overnight, which should have drawn a reprimand from the Southern Barbarian King.

But the envoy sent by the Southern Barbarian King came with no reprimand; instead, he was amiable, directly conferring the lands of the Chiman upon the Wuman.

The Wuman people breathed a sigh of relief.

After settling the envoy, several subordinates close to their King followed Meng Zaishi to high ground to observe the defensive formations of the Great Wei’s border, discussing the matter of the Southern Barbarian King conferring the land.

Everyone remarked, "We were afraid of the Southern Barbarian King’s censure before, but now it seems King Bule is still quite reasonable."

Everyone looked toward the tall, majestic back of the Wuman King, imagining which of them was more formidable: their own King, or that battle-hardened Southern Barbarian King.

In the dusky twilight, Meng Zaishi stood before his subordinates and scoffed at their words.

The subordinates immediately revealed expressions of trepidation and dared not speak.

The Wuman originally had no ministers, but after Meng Zaishi abolished slavery, he began to follow the example of the Great Wei, conferring titles of generals and ministers upon his subordinates one by one.

They were quite imposing, and now that they were dressed in such titles, they acted as masters when Meng Zaishi was away.

However, when Meng Zaishi was present, they always felt a sense of inferiority and unease.

Meng Zaishi said lazily, "How is Bule reasonable? He simply does not consider sending the Chiman lands to me a significant matter. Moreover, the Chiman had already been conquered by me; what else does he want? To go to war with me again? The chaos in the northern region of the Southern Barbarians has not yet been quelled; he has no energy to fight me. And if he does not come himself, the soldiers he sent... I do not hold them in high regard."

The subordinates felt relieved, knowing their King was indeed extraordinary.

They asked curiously, "Why does King Bule not consider sending the Chiman to our King a major event? It is, after all, the land of one of the five tribes. Why is King Bule so indifferent?"

Meng Zaishi crossed his arms and replied, "Perhaps for two reasons. One reason is that Bule believes he cannot spare the effort right now, so giving the Chiman to me is of no consequence. Once he can spare the effort, he will unify not just the Chiman, but the Wuman as well. I have destroyed the Chiman for him, and he feels I have reduced a step for him, making things easier.

He paused. In the fierce night wind, as they stood on the high ground, the scar that ran across half of the young Wuman King’s face appeared particularly ferocious as he spoke eloquently.

Hearing King Bule look down upon their King, the subordinates were all enraged: "Too much! It took us two years to annex the Chiman, yet he treats our Wuman as if it were something 'easy to take from a bag.' He treats us with too little respect!"

Meng Zaishi’s tone was teasing: "As for the second reason, it is even more interesting. Just like you—you can now say things like 'easy to take from a bag,' a language transmitted from the Great Wei. Yet, within the Southern Barbarian tribes Bule wishes to unify, not a single person can speak it. We learn the culture of the Great Wei, we learn the advanced technology of the Great Wei, but Bule looks down upon it. He believes the Great Wei is weak and incompetent, and that they should worship him as King. He believes that the Wuman, who have learned the culture of the Great Wei, are no longer orthodox Southern Barbarians.

"He knows only how to fight. He gave the Chiman lands to me because even if they were in his hands, they would be useless. He simply does not know how to govern; what use are these lands and people to him, other than serving as fodder for his wars?"

Meng Zaishi began to laugh, and the scar on his face made him appear even more ominous: "Since they are useless, he might as well give them to me and buy my favor. In the future, when he destroys my Wuman, he will have his justification."

The subordinates nodded one after another, saying so that was how it was.

Then they began to feel smug, thinking King Bule’s actions were most unwise. When the late King was alive, the move to defy public opinion and form a marriage alliance with the Great Wei now appeared to have been the right choice.

They no longer looked up to the Southern Barbarian King, feeling that the Southern Barbarians were backward, and that the Wuman had left them far behind.

They gazed happily at Meng Zaishi’s back, thinking that this was all thanks to this King. Although the late King had established the marriage alliance, apart from trade and transactions with the Great Wei, there was nothing else.

It was only in the three years since this King ascended the throne that they had gradually cast off their previous ignorance and stupidity.

The subordinates asked, "Then, Great King, we have allowed the envoy sent by the Southern Barbarian King to stay—are we planning to discuss going to the Great Wei to pay court to the Emperor? Has the Great King decided to send someone?"

Meng Zaishi countered, "Send whom?"

Opinions were divided.

Meng Zaishi said, "None of your suggestions are good. I propose someone; how about that?"

The subordinates immediately stopped speaking to listen.

They heard Meng Zaishi laugh, turn to face them, and point to himself: "Look, how about me?"

Everyone was stunned, hearing their King state once more: "How do you feel about me going to the Great Wei in person?"

After being stunned for a long time, they finally came to their senses and could not help but begin to praise the Wuman King: "The Great King is giving such face to the Great Wei Emperor! The Great Wei Emperor will be pleased!

"The Great King is the hero of the Wuman! The high-flying eagle! The star in the sky!"

Meng Zaishi remained silent. Following their praise, his gaze shifted from the bright, lamp-lit defensive lines of the Great Wei border down below, and moved upward toward the vast, starry sky above.

Meng Zaishi said calmly, "I once heard a legend. It is said that only when a hero dies does he transform into a star in the sky. And in this world, who is worthy of the title of hero?"

The starry fields were boundless, and time flowed on.

He thought once again of the Princess Danyang, Mu Yaoyao—

That was one month before the Wuman incident.

The late Wuman King had suffered an arrow wound on the battlefield, and upon returning to the royal court, he was cared for by the Queen, Mu Yaoyao. Mu Yaoyao cared for her husband very diligently, yet the more she cared for him, the worse the old Wuman King’s condition became.

The late Wuman King felt that his days were numbered, and in the final phase of his life, he had fallen in love with this wife from the Great Wei. He did not believe that this Great Wei princess would plot against him, and there were always witch doctors in the royal court, who also praised the Great Wei princess for her devotion.

The late Wuman King sadly felt that his life was going to be reclaimed by the heavens, and he began to establish the next King.

He directly skipped over his eldest son, Meng Zaishi—whom he disliked and who was born to a small maid of another tribe—and wanted to pass the new throne to his favorite youngest son.

Fearing that the Great Wei princess would be displeased, he even took the Great Wei princess’s hand and said, "Do not be sad. If you have a son, I will make your son the King."

The Great Wei princess shed tears as she said, "The Great King honors me too much. Since the King and I have been husband and wife, how could I care about such a thing?"

The late Wuman King always found his wife’s scholarly way of speaking difficult to understand, so he said, "Rest assured, I will make arrangements for you."

The arrangement he made for the Great Wei princess was that after he died, the succeeding new Wuman King would take this Great Wei princess as his wife once again.

However, when the Wuman King was critically ill, the Great Wei princess left the royal tent quietly one night and met privately with the eldest son, Meng Zaishi, whom the Wuman King did not like.

The two rode horses far from the royal court, drinking and making merry.

When discussing that the Wuman King was about to die, the princess could not help but show a smile.

Meng Zaishi said, "Our Wuman legend says that after everyone dies, they transform into stars in the sky. Father King will always be watching us. Are you afraid?"

Mu Yaoyao was startled for a moment, then began to laugh.

She said, "I dared to kill him even while he was alive; why would I fear someone who is dead?"

She rested her burning cheek on her palm and turned to look at Meng Zaishi.

Her gaze flickered gently; the soft, delicate beauty unique to Great Wei women made her different from any woman Meng Zaishi had ever met.

Compared to Wuman women, Great Wei women were always a fraction more delicate.

And compared to that delicacy, two years of life among the Wuman had added a sense of cold toughness to Mu Yaoyao. As a result, she had become both cold and soft, both vivid and distant.

As Mu Yaoyao looked at Meng Zaishi, her gaze was alluring, and Meng Zaishi could not help but prop himself up and lean toward her, wanting to look closely at her beautiful eyes.

Meng Zaishi suddenly asked her, "How did you kill my Father King?"

Mu Yaoyao smiled playfully: "Guess."

Meng Zaishi regained his composure, lost in thought: "Was it simply the arrow wound? The witch doctor said you listened to them in everything and did nothing."

Mu Yaoyao laughed with particular cunning.

Meng Zaishi pinched her chin, smiling with an enigmatic expression: "Little Princess, you are being naughty again. Very well, tell me—what is it you want this time?"

Mu Yaoyao: "Hmm, after your Father King dies, he wants me to marry your brother. I do not want to marry, and I want you to give me a few Wuman warriors to help me kill someone that night and escape from his side."

Meng Zaishi looked at her with deep focus: "You will not be able to escape."

Mu Yaoyao replied nonchalantly: "What has that to do with you? In any case, this is my condition; you provide me with the manpower, and I will tell you the answer."

Meng Zaishi looked at her for a moment and agreed. At the time, he only thought that Mu Yaoyao simply did not want to remarry; how could he have imagined that she intended to use the warriors he provided to incite a misunderstanding for the new Wuman King, and destroy both parties at once?

That night, Meng Zaishi must have been drunk and did not delve too deeply into Mu Yaoyao’s intentions.

He agreed easily to give her men, and then he saw her raise her hand, her delicate, jade-white palm beckoning toward her as a signal for Meng Zaishi to lean in and press his ear close.

This languid allure of hers, in Meng Zaishi’s eyes, was nothing but those fingers and those eyes.

The light in his eyes darkened, and he moved close without a word, pulling this slightly intoxicated woman into his arms.

She was still giggling: "Of course it was the arrow wound. Only, before your Father King went to war, I specifically went to check the arrows you prepared. I asked, and not only you, but the opposing side was using the same kind of arrows. They were all useless arrows, rusted from blood being splashed again and again, which were just wiped off.

"I do not understand warfare and I do not know martial arts. But I know that this kind of used-up iron crossbow, once it enters the human body, is very easy to die from. Haha, these arrows were already covered in poison. I only needed to drag out the medical treatment afterward; your Father King’s body was already weak, so it was very easy for him to give up the ghost.

"It was so simple! Why would I need to specifically do anything else?"

Meng Zaishi was awestruck, and then asked her for guidance: "How did you know these things? Was this something you could see in the books of you Great Wei people?"

She whimpered vaguely, answering him no more.

She was already heavily intoxicated, her eyes streaming like water, hazy and blurred. She leaned against his shoulder, tilting her head to watch the stars in the sky, and suddenly said: "Actually, in our Great Wei, there is also the saying that after people die, they transform into stars in the sky."

Meng Zaishi looked up with her to see the starlight in the sky.

His deep, profound eyes looked down at her clear, limpid pupils; he loved her so much he longed to bite those alluring eyes of hers.

He said slowly: "Then, after I die, will I also be able to meet the Little Princess in the sky?"

Mu Yaoyao was startled, but shook her head.

Meng Zaishi’s whole body felt cold, thinking her meaning was that she did not want to meet him in the sky.

But then he heard Mu Yaoyao mutter in a daze: "However, the Great Wei saying is that only heroes will transform into stars in the sky.

"In this world, who is the true hero?"

Meng Zaishi looked at her, took her hand, and placed it to his lips. He said: "Then I shall strive to be this hero, so that even after I die, I can be seen by the Little Princess in the sky."

He asked her: "Do you wish for me to die?"

Meng Zaishi’s scorching palm rested on her slender white neck. Upon hearing this, she shook her head.

She only leaned against his shoulder, tilting her face, her eyes staring straight at him.

She seemed to react for a moment before understanding his words. And so, she pressed her upper eyelids down slightly and opened them wide again, very quickly.

These alluring, cat-like eyes perfectly interpreted what was meant by "eyes like spring water." Vivid, yet not flirtatious.

No man could withstand that look of hers.

She did not answer his question until the very end, and he did not ask again.

Meng Zaishi hugged her tightly, kissing her face repeatedly, and whispered: "Little Princess... when I become King, I will make you Queen. Stay here forever, will you?"

It was only later that he discovered she had actually been hoping for him to die.