Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 82

Chapter 82

The tent was gilded by the light outside, and as the pleated gauze swayed, it looked like flowing, golden clouds.

Everything was brilliant and golden.

Mu Wanyao’s neck was slick with sweat. As the young man’s face pressed against her, she became flushed, her own skin heating up and growing faint and warm.

His long hair was scattered across her neck, and his tremulous breath brushed against the back of her ear. The hand gripping her waist was so tight it felt as if he might break her, and when he lifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes were brimming with moisture.

Mu Wanyao had been somewhat blushing and embarrassed to begin with; she had wanted to please Yan Shang by doing such a thing... but Yan Shang’s intense reaction was beyond her expectations.

Mu Wanyao looked at him blankly, thinking that a man’s most primal desire—cruel and tyrannical—was truly ugly, and she couldn't imagine any flattering words for it. But Yan Shang was different. While other men might appear repulsive when faced with desire, he remained clear, refined, and clean—infinitely beautiful in her heart.

Even now, in this state, she did not find him terrifying or disgusting. Far from it; she loved seeing the watery glimmer in his eyes and the flush at the corners of his eyelids.

Mu Wanyao lowered her gaze to look at her hem. Her begonia-red skirt had been stained a deep crimson near her legs. As her eyes drifted downward, Yan Shang must have thought she was about to do something naughty again; he covered her eyes with one hand, annoyed and embarrassed, and scolded: "Don’t look."

The girl’s thick, long eyelashes fluttered like a brush, scratching against his palm again and again. Her voice was delicate—simultaneously dissatisfied and coquettish: "You got it on me!"

With her eyes covered by his hand, Mu Wanyao imagined Yan Shang’s face must be flushed so deeply he was practically burning up.

She heard his voice, low and stuttering: "I’m sorry... I’ll clean it up."

As he spoke, he removed his hand and propped himself up, ready to deal with the consequences of their antics. Mu Wanyao hurriedly pulled him back down so he was lying with her, complaining: "You really are a glutton for punishment. Can’t you just lie down and rest for a moment? You’ve gotten even more on yourself, anyway. It’ll be fine to clean it up later."

Yan Shang felt flustered and conflicted inside: Is that really fine? Won't it dry in a little while? Won't the maids see the traces?

However, because Mu Wanyao forced him to lie down, he complied despite his anxiety, thinking she must have a way to handle it. Lying on the bed with Mu Wanyao in broad daylight, Yan Shang gazed at her snowy face for a long time. Unable to resist, he cupped her chin and leaned in to kiss her for a while.

It was a kiss that was meticulous and gentle.

Mu Wanyao laughed again and nestled into his embrace. Yan Shang felt quite helpless. Watching her tuck herself into his arms, he covered them up. She didn't reach inside his already loosened robes, but she held his waist tightly.

Just as Yan Shang was feeling that the atmosphere was quite wonderful, he heard Mu Wanyao say: "Your waist is so slender; I noticed it when I was doing that just now..."

Her mouth was covered by Yan Shang’s hand.

Yan Shang was once again flushed bright red by her: "Talking nonsense again! Her Highness is always so unrestrained in her speech."

Mu Wanyao pulled down the hand covering her mouth and rolled her eyes at him. Just as Yan Shang was stunned that she would roll her eyes at him, he heard her say: "You are too dishonest with your own body. What is, is. You dare not look, nor dare you speak. How are you going to play with me in the future?"

Yan Shang paused slightly, looking at her: "In the future... will Your Highness still... play with me?"

Mu Wanyao’s eyes rounded: "What else! What do you mean? You don't actually think I like someone else, do you? I have already... already done this for you. Do you think it’s meaningless for a woman to be willing to do this for a man?"

Yan Shang said: "I have also vaguely sensed... that Your Highness treats me differently."

The two lay on the bed whispering intimate words—Mu Wanyao: "Have you noticed that when you are close to me now, you aren't as tense as before? Although there is still a little bit, you don't tense up like you used to."

Yan Shang: "You always come at me out of the blue; I’ve long since been scared into getting used to it. It’s just that today... daytime is still not good; next time, let’s do it at night."

Mu Wanyao glanced at him: "You’re already scheduling the next time with me? So greedy."

Mu Wanyao curiously cupped his face, observing his expression. She bit her lip bashfully and asked in a low voice: "Is it really that comfortable? Especially comfortable? You were so... excited. More excited than before."

Yan Shang was embarrassed, yet annoyed that she would ask anything. But because Mu Wanyao pressured him for an answer, he finally nodded, albeit reluctantly. Mu Wanyao cheered, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. As they rubbed against each other, he became a little... Mu Wanyao noticed this too and glanced at him.

She opened her mouth to ask if he still wanted more, but her mouth was covered by Yan Shang, who didn't want her asking random questions.

Yan Shang: "...Indulgence is not good."

Mu Wanyao was impressed: "And what kind of 'indulgence' do you call this?"

Yan Shang held his body stiff, but he refused in the end. After all, the one who is uncomfortable is me, not Mu Wanyao. Seeing him so shy, Mu Wanyao let it go.

The little princess in his arms had finally stopped causing trouble, and Yan Shang lowered his eyelashes, smiling helplessly. The smile was shallow, rippling like still water.

He kept his head down as if thinking about something. Mu Wanyao didn't bother him; she rubbed against his chest until she found a comfortable position, reached out, scooped up a handful of his black hair that was scattered on the soft pillow, and twined it around her hand to play with. She couldn't resist kissing his hair, catching the faint fragrance and a touch of lingering dampness.

Because he had just bathed.

Mu Wanyao thought with satisfaction: I knew he had bathed when I hugged him in the courtyard. Otherwise, I wouldn't have done that for him. She was so smart; she had pleased Yan Shang and earned his forgiveness at the same time.

Just as Mu Wanyao was thinking smugly, Yan Shang lowered his head and said to her: "It is still wrong for you to be so close to the Wuman King."

Mu Wanyao’s expression immediately turned cold. She looked up, expressionless: "What, are you settling accounts with me again?"

Yan Shang said helplessly: "That’s not what I meant. I just meant that there might be other solutions. It’s not that I don't trust you, it’s just... you never tell me anything; you have to let me have some peace of mind, don't you?"

Mu Wanyao was cold: "What do you want?"

Yan Shang: "I don't really want anything. It’s just that when my official business isn't too busy, I can go to the Court of State Ceremonies to help. When you are with the envoys and the Wuman King, when you are dealing with them, I want to go along too."

Mu Wanyao was stunned.

She said: "You want to supervise me from up close?"

Yan Shang said: "Not supervise. I just want to protect you."

Mu Wanyao: "Isn't that just wanting to supervise me?"

Yan Shang was silent, lowering his eyes.

Because he didn't speak, Mu Wanyao was afraid he would be sad or angry, and her heart softened instantly. She thought that she was already being very open and aboveboard, and although it would be a bit troublesome if Yan Shang followed her... she couldn't bear to see Yan Shang sad.

Mu Wanyao said slowly: "If you want to come, come. I don't care."

Yan Shang glanced at her, and Mu Wanyao smiled: "So, can we turn the page? Can you stop settling accounts with me now?"

In truth, there were still many doubts in Yan Shang’s heart, but Mu Wanyao’s behavior made it clear to him that it wasn't convenient to discuss it with her too deeply.

She was a rose with thorns, forever extending them, looking at everyone with vigilance, fearful that someone might come close to hurt her. She worked hard to spread her leaves, welcoming Yan Shang into her world. However, he was, after all, an outsider; he couldn't expect her to abandon her thorns entirely from the start and embrace him with absolute trust.

Yan Shang lowered his head, swept aside the bangs on her forehead, kissed her forehead gently, and said: "No more settling accounts."

Mu Wanyao exhaled, a smile returning to her face.

Yet, Yan Shang, having cast aside those bothersome things, seemed to have developed a rare curiosity about matters between men and women. He leaned into her ear and asked in a low voice: "What you did to me just now... can I also do that to you?"

Mu Wanyao: "..."

She froze instantly. Sensing the hand Yan Shang had around her waist subtly sliding downward, she panicked and quickly held it in place. Yan Shang looked down at her, and she always felt he had ill intentions. Mu Wanyao’s face flushed red, and she heard Yan Shang whispering, blushing: "I think people are all the same. If I felt comfortable, you should too... I want to try."

Mu Wanyao shrieked: "Don't you dare! Don't you dare!"

She began to struggle, not letting him touch her. Her face was like dyed clouds, panicked and shy, jumping like a fish in his arms. Yan Shang was startled by her and let go. Mu Wanyao said in shy anger: "If you dare do that to me, I’ll never pay attention to you again!"

It was fine for her to observe Yan Shang and control him, but how could Yan Shang observe her and control her? He was supposed to be the one she suppressed, not the other way around!

Yan Shang withdrew his hand, saying forlornly: "Alright, alright, stop jumping around."

Mu Wanyao felt relieved.

The two spoke of some more trivial things—the kind of idle chatter between lovers that sounds meaningless to outsiders but makes the two of them laugh.

Afterward, Yan Shang lifted the curtain first. Emerging with disheveled clothes, he avoided looking at the marks he had left on Mu Wanyao’s skirt, urging her to call the maids to bring water so they could clean themselves. Yan Shang was frustrated again: "Don't do this next time... what about your skirt?"

Mu Wanyao: "What about it?"

Yan Shang stuttered: "What... what if someone sees the traces?"

Mu Wanyao: "Look at how distressed you are. I am a princess; if they see, they see. Who would dare to ask me?"

Yan Shang then fell silent—

But when Mu Wanyao went to bathe, the maid Xia Rong came to ask, struggling with her words: "Your Highness, should I prepare a contraceptive decoction?"

Mu Wanyao paused, looked back at her, and said: "No need."

Xia Rong was stunned, her expression even more troubled. She thought: Could it be that Her Highness means she is willing to bear Second Young Master Yan’s child?

However... being pregnant before marriage was not ideal, was it?

Xia Rong heard Mu Wanyao’s cold voice: "I don't need such things, and I will never need them in the future. You do not need to ask me again. If you ask me again whether I want a 'contraceptive decoction,' I will kill you."

Xia Rong was horrified and aggrieved, so she had no choice but to withdraw.

The princess’s residence had a separate bathing chamber with a hot spring pool. As the steam billowed, after Xia Rong and the other maids retreated, Mu Wanyao sat by the pool alone. She sat on the edge, playing with the water with her slender, fair calves for a while.

After staring blankly into space with a hollow heart for a while, Mu Wanyao let out a self-deprecating laugh and stepped into the water to bathe—

In the following days, the envoys dealing with Princess Danyang all noticed that a certain official would occasionally follow by the Princess’s side.

It was said he was from the Court of State Ceremonies, accompanying Princess Danyang to assist in receiving the envoys.

The envoys accepted this reluctantly.

When Meng Zaishi went out with Mu Wanyao again and saw Yan Shang following, he froze and narrowed his eyes immediately.

Mu Wanyao was in front, Yan Shang behind. Mu Wanyao blocked Yan Shang from view as if by accident, casting a warning look at Meng Zaishi.

Her intent was so clear—if he dared to harm a single hair on Yan Shang’s head, she would fight him to the death.

When Meng Zaishi met Yan Shang’s gaze again, Yan Shang smiled at him gently and politely. But polite politeness was Yan Second Brother’s consistent style... Meng Zaishi remembered that at the Court of State Ceremonies, he had almost fallen into this man’s trap.

If Yan Shang hadn't written a second document but had handed the first one directly to the throne, although the misunderstanding would eventually be cleared up, Wuman would not have escaped being put through some turmoil.

Yan Shang could scheme without making a sound... which was much more sinister than Mu Wanyao’s straightforward style.

And thinking back to that day at the Northern Quarter, when Mu Wanyao had circled Yan Shang like a fool... Meng Zaishi sneered, extremely displeased in his heart.

Meng Zaishi changed his gaze and smiled: "How about going to Leshou Plain with me to race horses today, Your Highness?"

Mu Wanyao: "Let’s go."

Meng Zaishi looked at Yan Shang: "Yan Second Brother is a civil official; surely you won't insist on following?"

Yan Shang replied amiably: "Although my horsemanship is indeed inferior to yours, Your Majesty, and the Princess’s, as an official of the imperial court, I have my duties. I ask that you two not make things difficult for your servant."

The meaning of this was that he would be following along.

Meng Zaishi turned and walked away. Mu Wanyao turned her head and secretly smiled at Yan Shang.

Yan Shang returned her a smile that meant "rest assured."

In fact, after a few days, regardless of how Yan Shang felt, Mu Wanyao quite enjoyed having him follow. She could secretly tease Yan Shang and flirt with him quietly. And when he was caught off guard, he would often be very nervous.

Mu Wanyao admitted she was a bit wicked; she wanted to see Yan Shang bickering with the envoys one moment, and the next moment be so frightened by her that his eyes would dart around as he retreated again and again.

The troublesome thing was that with Yan Shang following, to some extent, Mu Wanyao really couldn't execute her plan to slowly warm up her relationship with Meng Zaishi.

In her original plan, she was supposed to change her attitude during their private meetings, "rekindle the old flame" with Meng Zaishi, and then, when he was off-guard, take his life. But now with Yan Shang watching, although Yan Shang usually didn't say anything, Mu Wanyao’s plan was forced into shambles.

As a result, while Mu Wanyao and Meng Zaishi no longer appeared to be at daggers drawn and would chat and laugh, it... really didn't look like there was any affection.

Fortunately, just as Mu Wanyao was struggling with all kinds of indecision, one day Yan Shang told her he had an appointment the next day and had something of utmost importance to attend to, so he would not be accompanying her to see Meng Zaishi. Mu Wanyao’s heart leaped with joy, though she did not show it on her face, only saying "Mhm" coldly and indifferently, fitting her usual perfunctory and casual attitude.

She successfully fooled Yan Shang—

That night, Mu Wanyao arranged with Meng Zaishi that the next day, they would invite all the foreign envoys to go hunting in the Southern Mountains together.

The Princess of Great Wei wanted to hunt! Such flair—truly worthy of a great power.

The envoys naturally agreed with pleasure, and Meng Zaishi agreed as well.

But that evening, in his own lodgings, Meng Zaishi thought about Mu Wanyao’s appointment and found it somewhat interesting.

Meng Zaishi stroked his chin, muttering: "Hunting... that means swords and guns will be brandished... can I trust her?"

His subordinates said: "This is Great Wei’s territory; Princess Danyang shouldn't dare to do anything, right? One wrong move and it would be a conflict between two nations."

Meng Zaishi was thoughtful.

However, he said: "She is, after all, a ruthless and heartless little princess; I cannot help but be on guard. I must make some preparations."——

This night, the Princess’s residence was also brightly lit.

Sitting in the inner hall, Mu Wanyao sat before a long table with her eyes closed in feigned sleep, listening to Fang Tong talk about the arrangements.

Fang Tong said: "For the past few days, I have been carefully moving the guards from the Princess’s residence to the Southern Mountains. Now, all the guards from the residence have been transferred to the Southern Mountains. Although the Wuman King has great martial power... since we have made arrangements in advance, we should be able to kill him."

Mu Wanyao nodded and said: "Bring the person in."

Fang Tong retreated, and a moment later, led in a burly man.

Mu Wanyao opened her eyes and looked at the silent man standing in the hall. Under the dim lamp, at a glance, his build was somewhat similar to Meng Zaishi’s, and his facial features also had similar contours. What was even more curious was that this man also had a long scar on his face.

It was not in vain that Fang Tong had gone to such lengths to buy this person in the foreign market.

Fang Tong introduced: "This person was originally a Wuman man; his mother was a horse slave. His mother was trampled to death by Wuman iron hooves. He hates the Wuman people and has gone against Wuman soldiers many times. When he was almost killed, he was saved by a Great Wei merchant who went to do business in Wuman. After some turns, this person ended up in our Great Wei’s market and became a slave."

"Although he is a Wuman man, he has been in Great Wei for ten years and has even given himself a Great Wei name. This man is loyal to Great Wei and hates Wuman; we should be able to cooperate with him."

Mu Wanyao raised her chin.

The man standing below bowed, performing a hand-clasp salute to the noble, beautiful Princess, whose beauty was impossible to ignore. His Great Wei language was already quite orthodox: "The commoner Han Shuxing greets Your Highness the Princess. Your people gave my master a thousand strings of cash, and since you also wish to remove the Wuman, I will naturally do my utmost to serve you."

Mu Wanyao said coldly: "If I tell you to die, would you be willing?"

Han Shuxing looked very indifferent, and the scar on his face seemed to move like a swimming dragon as he spoke: "It doesn't matter. My life is cheap, and I have no hope left in this life. If I can kill a few Wuman people and die with them, it would be my honor."

Mu Wanyao remained silent for a moment and then asked the man several questions. Seeing that the other party was indeed reliable, she allowed Fang Tong to take him away.

In the quiet inner hall, Mu Wanyao sat alone for a while, feeling her heart pounding at the thought of what she was about to do.

However, she had to—

Meng Zaishi had actually been good to her all along.

But she refused to marry into an alliance!

Only by killing him could she solve this once and for all!

He was her shameful past, and she did not want this past to keep hovering before her eyes... She was just this ruthless—

The next day, Meng Zaishi came to pick up the Princess to go to Leshou Plain together.

The Wuman party, as usual, wore bronze masks. The Wuman King, wearing his mask, rode a tall horse bred in Longyou and nodded to the radiant and bright Princess Danyang.

Mu Wanyao gave their party a slow glance and gave Fang Tong a wink.

Mu Wanyao smiled. When she turned her head, her beautiful eyes darted around, looking as exquisite as jade, winning praise from the crowd. Then, she suddenly tightened the reins and shouted, "Giddyap!" With a single ride she sped off, her clothes fluttering like flight as she led the way.

The Wuman King and the others gave chase!

In the streets of Chang'an, this was the style of nobility. As the commoners stepped aside, they saw Mu Wanyao riding a horse with the Wuman King, leaving the city directly, headed toward the Southern Mountains!——

Yan Shang was busy hosting the Hu merchants he had previously hired, who had finally returned from Wuman after much hardship.

He couldn't wait for them to come to him; as soon as he heard they had returned, he went straight to the West Market to find them.

Yan Shang had come here time and again to inquire about the safety of the Hu merchants, and now that they had returned, he paid them once more—a commission higher than what had been agreed upon when he hired them.

The Hu merchants felt deeply moved. When they left Chang'an, Yan Second Brother was still studying; yet when they returned, he was already an official of the imperial court.

Even as an official, the Second Young Master was just like before, sitting as an equal with them, never looking down on them.

Naturally, the Hu merchants wanted to do their best to repay Yan Second Brother.

Yan Shang asked directly: "We can talk about other trifles later; I want to ask what I most want to know first. Do you know what kind of relationship the current Wuman King has with Princess Danyang, who went to marry into an alliance?"

The foreigners exchanged glances, revealing that knowing, "men-only" smirk.

Yan Shang’s heart felt hollow.

He heard one of the foreigners say: "Young Master, you’ve asked the right person! There are rumors all over the Wuman grasslands that when the current Wuman King was still a prince, he and the then-Queen—that is, the Princess who went to marry into the alliance—were entangled. The two of them had a relationship very different from ordinary people. Before the old Wuman King died, such rumors were suppressed, but now that this Wuman King has become King, no one suppresses such rumors. Many people on the grasslands have heard this gossip!"

Yan Shang’s face turned slightly pale.

However, he was strong-willed and did not react.

Besides, this had been his own speculation all along... He had felt all along that Mu Wanyao was lying to him!

Yan Shang said: "Your words confuse me. The current Wuman King—what do you mean when you say he was a prince?"

The foreigner was surprised: "Don't they know this in Great Wei? Although this Wuman King is said to have fought his way out of the chaos of war, he is the eldest son of the previous Wuman King! He was the son of the previous King all along; it’s just that the throne wasn't passed to him at that time."

"Everyone says that the current Wuman King and the Princess who married into the alliance conspired together to murder the old Wuman King and kill the young Wuman King who hadn't yet ascended the throne, and that is why the current Wuman King was able to take the throne! The Wuman don't care about this, so such rumors spread everywhere, and no one bothers with them—I don't know if they are true or not."

Another foreigner added: "Although I don't know if they are true, they are very likely to be accurate. Otherwise, how could the Princess who married into an alliance have returned to Great Wei after only two or three years? She must have made a deal with the current Wuman King!"

They began to chatter, offering all sorts of information.

Until they saw Yan Shang’s expression turn ugly, and he suddenly stood up.

It was rare to see a person like Yan Shang looking unhappy... The group stopped talking, anxious: "Young Master, what’s wrong? Did we say something wrong?"

Yan Shang forced a smile at them and consoled: "It’s nothing, I suddenly remembered something. I will ask you the rest of the questions next time. I truly have something to do this time... I have to go, forgive me!"

It seemed that the matter Yan Second Brother had suddenly remembered was extraordinarily important, as his etiquette was slightly panicked, and his departure was particularly hasty—

After leaving the shop, Yan Shang rode his horse back to his residence, then headed to the Princess’s residence without hesitation.

He had suddenly realized he had missed a very serious speculation.

He had been guessing that Mu Wanyao and Meng Zaishi were still lingering in the past, with feelings shallow and deep.

He had never thought that Mu Wanyao might hate him to the marrow.

Perhaps her smiling at Meng Zaishi was not rekindling old flames, but... paralyzing Meng Zaishi, for another purpose.

If Meng Zaishi was the son of the old Wuman King!

If Mu Wanyao had a close relationship with Meng Zaishi while the old Wuman King was still alive... serving both father and son—the father married her, and the son had now come to Chang'an to ask for her hand.

Serving both father and son!

To Mu Wanyao, how shameful that was!

If it wasn't love, then it could only be hate!

Hatred to the extreme necessarily meant the desire to kill... yet what if something happened to her in the process?——

Yan Shang rushed to the Princess’s residence, and sure enough, the guards of the Princess’s residence had been emptied out.

Yan Shang ignored the bewildered maids of the Princess’s residence, not giving them explanations as he might have in the past. He came in a rush and left in a rush. Yan Shang’s residence had no guards, so he thought of his friends and immediately rushed to call people to go to the Southern Mountains.

Yan Shang rode his horse urgently on the street, his mind in a chaotic mess as he calculated whom he could borrow troops from. Suddenly, a team of riders came toward him quickly from the front.

The horse speed was extremely fast!

Yet, as they were about to pass him, the lead horse stopped.

Flags fluttered, and the riders stopped one after another. Yang Si sat on his horse, looking back at him: "Yan Suchen?"

Yan Shang looked over and saw it was Yang Third Brother, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, leading a group of riders and entering Chang'an City with great swagger. Yang Si’s face was handsome, a bit darker than before.

Meeting on a narrow road, the market bustling, this young man reined in his horse, raising his eyebrows and looking at him lazily. Wearing a black robe with a red collar, his hair slightly brushing his face, Yang Si was extraordinarily dashing, unrestrained and romantic.

Yan Shang said immediately: "Third Brother, I have a request for help; you must come with me to the Southern Mountains!"