Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 116

Chapter 116

When he said this, the light in Mu Wanyao's eyes flickered, and her hatred sharpened. An immense, malicious irony made her feel ridiculous; for a moment, she couldn't even fathom how things had come to this.

Mu Wanyao: "Are you fishing for sympathy? I abandon you? It is you who abandoned me! When you chose to take this step... from the very beginning, you had already planned to break with me! You gave up on me from the start! You are the villain! You are the one bullying me!"

Yan Shang's face was pale under the candlelight.

It was unclear if this was due to her words, or the excessive blood loss from his life in prison.

He only let his lips tremble, yet he accepted her accusations just like that. As long as she was happy, whatever judgment she wished to pass was fine.

Mu Wanyao looked at him like this, her gaze turning even colder.

She forced him to look up at her, attacking him with every prickle of her resentment: "Are you satisfied with the situation now? Because so many people find you displeasing, even if you walk out of this prison, most of Chang'an... most of the officialdom has been offended by you, right? Even if you don't die here, once you get out, you’ll just be finished off under some pretext. Without my protection... who cares if you live or die? Those people would sooner drown you in their own spittle.

"And yet, you treat me this way!"

Mu Wanyao cried out, her voice raspy: "Yan Shang, I have lost everything, but you haven't won either!"

Yan Shang lowered his eyes. The more his heart ached, the paler his face became, yet he refused to speak. He let her vent, let her beat him, let her look at him with eyes full of hatred.

It was agreed they would part, but now that a jagged tear had been ripped through his heart, how could Mu Wanyao be doing any better?

He had no rebuttal.

Mu Wanyao hated his submissive, long-suffering attitude more than anything. It was this gentleness that had deceived her, making her think he would always be this way. But at a certain point, he had been so ruthless— "Speak, Yan Shang! Why on earth did you have to take this step? Don't you know that by getting yourself tangled in this, you are a loser too? You are wagering your life, but who even cares?"

He hadn't wanted to argue, but ultimately, he did not want her to drift further and further away.

Yan Shang said: "I wager my life in pursuit of justice. The civil and military officials in the court might not care, and might even think I am striking a stone with an egg. But the common people care, the disaster-stricken Yizhou cares, and the many lives lost in the Yizhou disaster care. After the disaster ended... those seventy-two families wiped out in the aftermath care!

"I know you think I am being impulsive. Even though the Vice Minister of Revenue is dead, I still have to stand up. Yaoyao, this isn't impulse. I have thought about it over and over... I struggled for a long time. You blame me for going back on my word, but I, too, did not expect that they would go on to massacre those families."

Mu Wanyao: "Massacre what families?"

Yan Shang stared at her for a long while: "You don't know?"

Mu Wanyao was silent for a moment. She truly did not understand what Yan Shang meant by the seventy-two lives.

But Mu Wanyao kept her face icy: "Let's put that aside for now. I have always known there were subtle differences in our stances, but I always thought we could coexist peacefully. Because you are not a man who would rather break than bend; you are actually a very flexible, very slick person. You can make friends with all sorts of characters... yet this time, you couldn't tolerate it.

"Even if... even if you were dissatisfied with these matters, you could have waited until I stood firm before doing this! You could have waited until you held enough power in your hands! Endurance is not a mistake; enduring for a time is for the sake of a reckoning later. But you chose to strike now! Not only are you walking toward your own death, but you have also implicated me to this extent."

Yan Shang said softly: "Endure until you hold power over the entire court? By then, our conflicts would only be greater. Separated by all these years, the Crown Prince and I would only drift further apart, torn by diverging hearts and loyalties. Does Her Highness feel that would be better?

"Endure until the day I hold power over the entire court? Then how many more people would have to die because of this? Dying a few each year, a few each year... Her Highness, are human lives mere numbers? Are they just merits? Is a person’s life just a light stroke of the pen, insignificant in your eyes, something you have never even glanced at? If I endure until that time to settle accounts... even if I could endure for so many years without going mad, and maintain the mindset I have today, how muddy would the imperial court be by then! Is it right to leave problems unaddressed, just stacking them up?

"Perhaps Her Highness wants to tell me to 'plan carefully before acting.' Her Highness, for such matters, there is no such thing as a day of truly 'careful planning.' Take Shang Yang’s reforms from ancient times; his end was to be torn apart by chariots! Do I not know this? For things like this, no matter how much you plan, in the end, it’s just that final kick. If the Vice Minister of Revenue hadn't died, I wouldn't have had to stand up... but since he died, if I don't stand up now while you are all alert, it will be even harder for me to break the deadlock later. Perhaps taking everyone by surprise is truly the best timing.

"Maybe Her Highness feels I should have waited until my own faction was strong. But the matter of political influence in the court... it is not that easy. After all these years of wearing down, I fear my own blood would turn cold.

"Or perhaps Her Highness feels I will die this way, and I should leave such things to others while I do something more 'meaningful.' Your Highness, in this world, there is no such thing as letting others sacrifice while you sit back and reap the benefits. In your eyes, only the lives of people like you are worth respecting. But in my eyes... they are all the same. My background makes it impossible for me to ignore human life.

"The only person I have failed is you. And... my family."

Mu Wanyao listened quietly as he spoke.

When he finished, she said coldly: "Different classes, different stances. So, you knew. Then do you know that what you have done cannot fundamentally cure the ills of the officialdom? Even if you pull down the Ministry of Revenue, it is nothing more than a warning to the court. In time, it will all return. Unless you can eradicate it at the root... but such things cannot be eradicated at the root.

"The common people you want to protect die because of the collusion between officials and merchants in your eyes, where superiors shield their subordinates. And the reason this protection exists is because people like me must maintain our own interests. When disaster strikes, merchants want to get rich from it, and officials want to avoid extra trouble, wanting the whole situation to stay unchanged. Did the Vice Minister of Revenue not manage the affairs below? He did. He sent you to provide disaster relief. So what if some money was made in the middle?

"You also stayed in the Ministry of Revenue; you know how many people reach out to the Ministry for money. Do the border military supplies not require money? Does the Ministry of Works not require money for repairs? Even the selection of officials by the Ministry of Personnel... does that not require money?

"I know, you will say small bribes are acceptable, but we have gone too far. Yan Shang, who is to define the boundary of 'too far'? You? Can you guarantee that after this commotion, there will be 'clear water with no fish'? You have only pulled down the Ministry of Revenue, replaced them with new officials, and caused damage to me and the Crown Prince... is there really that much meaning to it?"

Yan Shang: "There is great meaning.

"Because the matter has become such a huge affair, His Majesty will inquire about it, and the Crown Prince's excessive actions will be called to a halt. Officials across the world, seeing the losses suffered by the Ministry of Revenue, will not dare to be so blatant for at least five or six years. And the court can select more inspectors and implement more measures. The time gained from this is absolutely necessary."

Mu Wanyao: "It is only five or six years."

Yan Shang: "Five or six years is enough."

Mu Wanyao mocked: "Your life is only worth five or six years."

Yan Shang’s tone was calm: "If my life can exchange for five or six years of peace, I am satisfied."

Mu Wanyao: "It seems you have lived enough and no longer want to live."

Yan Shang: "It is merely a personal choice."

Mu Wanyao stopped speaking.

In the end, it always came back to their different stances and different ideas. He defended his, she defended hers. Neither could persuade the other, nor make the other bow their head. This exhausted Mu Wanyao, made her sad, and made her feel...

Mu Wanyao murmured: "You make me feel that, in this world, no one loves anyone."

It must be because there is no love that one would choose this path, right?

With that, she felt there was nothing left to say to Yan Shang and turned to leave. Who could have expected that while Yan Shang had been so calm while explaining his thoughts, this one sentence of hers caused his eyes to flush red instantly? As she stood to leave, he suddenly looked up at her and reached out, gripping her wrist.

His eyes were rimmed with red, the light within them flickering like the tide.

Yan Shang’s voice had a tremor in it: "Don't think that. Everything... the thing I fear most is that you would think that way.

"It was I who chose to walk this path. I am not worthy of your love; I should never have walked toward you in the first place. I have already regretted it immensely, that I shouldn't have let you suffer for my sake... but don't think like that. It is only that I am not good; it is not that everyone in the world is not good. Don't feel you can never obtain pure love again because of me. Don't shut yourself off and stop believing in anyone because of me.

"I finally managed to let you, let you... walk out a little bit. I don't want you to hide back inside.

"Actually, actually... I had left a path open for you, I was just afraid you wouldn't be willing to take it.

"Have you ever thought about what consequences await you if you continue to follow the Crown Prince down this path? If you are lucky enough, you will become a powerful Princess, but you have witnessed his past, your power overlaps with his, and if you ever threaten him, will he turn his hand against you? Working with people is all about mutual benefit; what kind of cooperation is that?

"Your Highness, you went to be married off for an alliance because of the check and balance between the great clans and His Majesty. Now that you have returned, you choose to cooperate with those same great clans again. It is not wrong that you want to gain such power when you are threatened. But actually, you could jump out of this... people should walk toward better places, don't stay in the filth forever.

"Your Highness... do not lose heart because of this, do not become heartless because of me. I am not worth Your Highness doing this..."

Mu Wanyao was held by the wrist, listening to him ramble in a way she rarely heard. He was confused, not like the usual him. He was pale, thin, his long hair disheveled. He looked up at her like the hazy moonlight, and she stared blankly down, when suddenly she heard footsteps approaching from outside. Mu Wanyao turned her head and saw the prison door, which had only been left ajar, being pushed open. The Ministry of Justice officials appeared.

Upon seeing them, the cold fingers Yan Shang had used to grip her wrist shrank back as if scalded.

Mu Wanyao was confused, then heard the officials bowing and smiling ingratiatingly at her: "Your Highness, we must interrogate the prisoner; there are some things we need to ask."

Mu Wanyao was surprised: "Interrogate the prisoner? At this hour?"

She looked up at the moonlight shining through the small window on the wall: "The Ministry of Justice interrogates prisoners in the middle of the night?"

The officials apologized with a smile: "It is precisely at such a time, when the prisoner’s wits are not as sharp as they are during the day, that it is easier for them to open their mouths and speak the truth."

The officials hesitated and did not say more. Seeing that the relationship between Princess Danyang and Second Master Yan seemed unusual, they feared that saying anything more would provoke the Princess. After all, she was a pampered noble lady who should not be exposed to their filth. There was no need for the Princess to know how many times Second Master Yan had been tortured at night.

Mu Wanyao’s eyes were in turmoil.

She realized instantly what the officials meant.

Her face went deathly pale, and her first reaction was to look at Yan Shang, who was kneeling at her feet. She saw the bloodstains on his white under-garment again, but this time she thought of the many hidden injuries under his clothes. She did not speak, standing there blankly, and the officials, thinking the Princess had given her silent consent, went to grab Yan Shang’s arms and hauled him up.

It was then that Mu Wanyao noticed Yan Shang was so weak he couldn't even stand on his own.

She opened her mouth to order them to stop, not to hurt him like this, but the words felt like they were scalding her mouth, and not a single sound could come out.

Yan Shang was an enemy! An enemy!

Yan Shang was supported by the officials; he tried his best to hide his injuries, tried his best to walk on his own. But seeing Mu Wanyao’s dazed, helpless gaze looking at him, Yan Shang paused for a second, gave a faint smile, and said softly: "Your Highness, can you leave this place?"

Mu Wanyao was dazed.

He lowered his eyes and whispered firmly: "At least... we once knew each other, so please, Your Highness, grant me some dignity."

Mu Wanyao was lost: Did he lose his dignity just because she watched?

Mu Wanyao did not speak again and turned to leave. However, she did not truly leave; she only walked toward the exit of the prison, but her steps grew slower and slower. Because in the empty prison, in the dead of night, only Yan Shang held the honor of being interrogated at this hour.

Mu Wanyao heard the sound of a whip swinging, heard the sharp questioning of the officials, and occasionally heard the sound of water being splashed.

Facing the direction of the prison exit, Mu Wanyao’s back grew stiffer and straighter.

She held her breath, not daring to listen further, and quickened her pace like a fugitive to leave this place.

Yan Shang was right.

She could not listen, and even less could she look.

Because... if she were to look, she would never allow them to treat Yan Shang that way.

She would get hot-headed, she would cry, she would protect him... but he was so hateful!

She neither understood nor wanted to understand... she just wanted to fight for what she deserved.

He was dead... even if he were dead, she would not shed a single tear for this man who had betrayed her—

Xia Rong met the Princess outside the prison.

She expected to see a Princess with red-rimmed eyes, or one who had already had a good cry.

Yet Mu Wanyao was so cold, with not a single expression.

Xia Rong: "Second Master Yan..."

Mu Wanyao said coldly: "Near death. What, do you want to be buried with him?"

Xia Rong did not dare to ask again—

The case ignited by Yan Shang continued to ferment, resulting in the dismissal and investigation of the entire Ministry of Revenue.

The Ministry of Justice had been bustling lately. This was a heaven-sent opportunity to topple the Crown Prince, yet Prince Qin was not as happy as he had imagined.

Prince Qin was somewhat frightened by Yan Shang’s ruthless urge to drag everyone down with him. He feared he might one day suffer the same blow the Crown Prince was receiving today.

If Yan Shang hadn't returned to the capital that day, if they had only interrogated the Vice Minister of Revenue, the situation might very well not have developed into this irreversible state... but there were no "ifs." Now that the court was focused on this, Prince Qin dared not seek personal revenge; he had to investigate as the law dictated.

It was just the Ministry of Revenue, yet it implicated all Six Ministries. The Ministry of Justice was under immense pressure, and Prince Qin could not help but blame Yan Shang for being a busybody, letting his underlings secretly seek revenge during the interrogations to make Yan Shang suffer more.

However, Prince Qin would not let Yan Shang die during interrogation.

Every time the Court of Judicial Review finished an interrogation, Yan Shang would be half-dead, so the Ministry of Justice had to ensure he did not die. At the very least, Yan Shang should not die at this time... once the Crown Prince fell, Prince Qin wouldn't care how Yan Shang died afterward—

As the case was investigated, no matter how unwilling people were, no matter how much they hid, they watched as more and more evidence was presented to the imperial desk.

The entire court was in an uproar.

Because the kickbacks the Ministry of Revenue had taken under the Crown Prince’s management were unexpectedly greater than anyone had imagined. The Ministry’s accounts were drained year after year, and unknown amounts of silver had flowed into the homes of those Ministry officials. Many great clans were implicated, as many used the Ministry of Revenue to scrape money for themselves.

The Ministry of War found that the money they were allocated each year was slashed, while the Ministry of Works had been barely touched, leading to immediate dissatisfaction.

The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites were also arguing over who had spent the taxes allocated by the Ministry of Revenue in a certain year.

With clear logic, Yan Shang recorded these old accounts of the Ministry of Revenue during the triple-hall interrogation. The ledgers he had seen when he was in the Provisions Bureau were brought out, and they found that they did not match the actual situation. And so, it was more interrogation, more summoning of witnesses... in the chaos, most of the officials had been dragged down.

The Crown Prince and Mu Wanyao’s side kept denying, and when they couldn't deny it, they found scapegoats.

The official sent by the Crown Prince to confront Yan Shang in court was dismissed and exiled as soon as he returned home that day.

The officials on Mu Wanyao’s side tried to use connections to let the Ministry of Justice show leniency, but with the Secretariat, the Censorate, and the Chancellery overseeing the case, the Ministry of Justice dared not do so.

The situation became increasingly unfavorable for the Crown Prince’s side. Gradually, the wind in court began to shift, and tentatively, the Hanlin Academy began to present memorials expressing grievances for Yan Shang. The Hanlin Academy’s memorials were brushed aside with a laugh, but as more memorials from other ministries were sent in... the Crown Prince and Mu Wanyao found their situation increasingly difficult to handle.

The decline was inevitable.

Because Mu Wanyao had spoken with Yan Shang, she had already come to this realization. Although she was angry, her emotions were stable. The Crown Prince, however, was the most furious, repeatedly throwing his desk wood in the Eastern Palace and swearing he would not let Yan Shang go.

The Eastern Palace was filled with smoke and fire every day. Mu Wanyao had wanted to study with the Crown Prince which ministers were impeaching them, but now she was tired of hearing his outbursts.

In this incident, the Crown Prince did not show his joy or anger toward his staff and ministers; he would return and vent his fire on Mu Wanyao, using her as a release.

When she remained expressionless, the Crown Prince blamed her again, saying it was all her indulgence that had let Yan Shang reach this step. Mu Wanyao could not stand the Crown Prince constantly looking at her with suspicion, so she turned and walked away, which only made the Crown Prince more annoyed by her temper—

Because of these vexing matters, Xia Rong and Fang Tong suggested she go out among the people to clear her mind.

Mu Wanyao was reluctant, but did not want to go back and argue with the Crown Prince, so she allowed them to pull her out the door.

In the twilight of the afternoon, Mu Wanyao drove to the East Market. Yet, as soon as she entered the East Market accompanied by her maids, she felt it was much quieter than usual, and there were not as many people as usual. Mu Wanyao was suspicious and sent Fang Tong to investigate. After a while, Fang Tong said everyone was gathered in one place, so Mu Wanyao went over out of curiosity.

As Fang Tong said, the people were all gathered in one spot.

A tent was pitched there, where young maids were serving tea and water, moving gracefully, while a young lady sat at a table, surrounded by the people, who were all talking at once. The young lady was writing, and every person who emerged from the crowd received a cup of hot tea from the maids.

It was nothing more than free hot tea, yet it was enough to gather these people.

Mu Wanyao recognized the lady surrounded by the people as Liu Ruozhu.

She murmured: "What is Ruozhu doing here? Can these people really possess precious books she would want to collect?"

"It’s all for the sake of Second Master Yan, isn't it?" a cold male voice came from beside her.

Mu Wanyao turned her head and saw a graceful man standing next to her.

She looked at him for a long time: "...Lin Yan?"

The man's face darkened: "My name is Lin Dao, courtesy name Yanzhi."

Mu Wanyao didn't care: "Oh."

She asked: "Did you lead Ruozhu here to play?"

Lin Dao said coldly: "It was her own idea. As things stand with Yan Shang, there are few ministers in court speaking for him. Originally, the Imperial Academy students should have stood with Yan Shang... but as Your Highness knows, most of the Imperial Academy students come from great clans, and this time, they must have received instructions from their elders at home not to take a stand.

"So, the only way is to let the imperial court hear the voices of the true commoners. Ruozhu is collecting these... she will take them to show Second Master Yan, and I will present them to the Emperor. Only with more voices like this will the ministers in court be influenced."

Mu Wanyao’s voice was even colder than his: "I know, the first memorial from the Hanlin Academy speaking for Yan Shang was yours. A pity for your luck, it was blocked by the Crown Prince first. The Crown Prince has kept you in mind."

Lin Dao: "It doesn't matter. I have been in the Hanlin Academy for years anyway; the worst that could happen has already happened."

Mu Wanyao: "You also come from a great clan, and Liu Ruozhu also comes from a great clan. I did not expect you both to stand with Yan Shang."

Lin Dao: "I am not standing with Second Master Yan. Ruozhu stands for justice; I stand for... her."

Mu Wanyao slowly raised her eyes and looked at him. She saw a great deal of tenderness within his cold expression as he looked toward the young lady sitting under the tent writing. Lin Dao watched that direction with focus, his heart’s desires laid bare.

Mu Wanyao could not help but say: "She is so reckless and naive, writing these words of the people; I fear even Minister Liu would not present them to the Emperor for her. Why are you helping her? Don't you know this is fundamentally useless? The power of discourse does not lie here; it lies in the hands of the court ministers."

Lin Dao smiled.

He said: "I actually feel it’s useless, too. If the Emperor wants to protect the Crown Prince, Second Master Yan will die in prison; if the Emperor wants to protect Second Master Yan, Second Master Yan might be killed by those ministers after being abandoned by the Crown Prince and Her Highness. Besides cheering up Second Master Yan, what is the use of Ruozhu doing this?"

Lin Dao paused for a moment, then whispered: "But I... I just envy fools like her. I’m just trying my best to protect her."

He said: "Your Highness likes Second Master Yan; isn't it this side of him that you like?"

Mu Wanyao kept a cold face: "Who said I like him? He is a mortal who is about to be buried, and I am a high and mighty Princess. How could I like him?"

Lin Dao smiled and said nothing.

Over there, Liu Ruozhu turned her head, probably wanting to find Lin Dao, but unexpectedly saw the Princess standing and talking with him. Liu Ruozhu was surprised for a moment, then her eyes suddenly lit up. Unsure what she had misunderstood, her eyes revealed a joyful glow.

Liu Ruozhu told her maids and came over. She looked at Mu Wanyao joyfully: "Your Highness is here too? I knew Your Highness loved the people as your own children; Your Highness was just entangled for some reasons. Your Highness is on our side... Your Highness, would you like to write a few words?"

Mu Wanyao: "I am out shopping; encountering you was purely accidental."

Liu Ruozhu did not believe her, convinced she was just being stubborn and refusing to admit it. Liu Ruozhu felt that Mu Wanyao must also have a heart full of words she wanted to tell Yan Shang, and asked if the Princess would be willing to take these brief messages from the people to see Yan Shang in prison and encourage him.

Mu Wanyao thought she was truly foolish; their stances were opposed, how could she possibly go see Yan Shang.

Besides, she and Yan Shang had already parted.

But in a daze, Mu Wanyao found she truly couldn't resist such soft-spoken people, and she was pulled in by Liu Ruozhu. Mu Wanyao refused to help the people write, as that would violate her stance. But Liu Ruozhu stuffed a brush into Mu Wanyao’s hand and turned to help the people write, leaving Mu Wanyao holding the brush and spacing out for a while.

Mu Wanyao still did not help Liu Ruozhu.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Lin Dao found a sentence left by Mu Wanyao among the words written by Liu Ruozhu and her maids:

"Adoring a hero, this love is most difficult."——

Going for a stroll in the East Market did not make Mu Wanyao’s situation any better.

The next day, she was impeached again by those ministers, who said she interfered too much in politics and requested that the Emperor govern his own daughter well.

This was surely another move from Prince Qin’s side.

In the past, Mu Wanyao would not have cared about such memorials, but today, when she went to the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace to participate in their state affairs, the Eastern Palace was overly polite, saying the Princess had just received an impeachment and should keep a low profile recently.

Mu Wanyao’s heart paused.

After returning, she sent a message to an official she had planted in the Eastern Palace, demanding that the person tell her what the Crown Prince meant by this.

That official quietly told the Princess—

"It is said that in the courtesan Chunniang’s place, a portrait of the Princess was found. The Crown Prince suspects that the Princess and Second Master Yan had long since colluded to impeach the Ministry of Revenue."

Mu Wanyao instantly felt it was ridiculous: "The Vice Minister of Revenue is dead! What benefit is there for me in impeaching the Ministry of Revenue?"

The official smiled bitterly: "This old servant will help Your Highness persuade the Crown Prince... the Crown Prince has had a difficult time recently."——

Yet, who was not having a difficult time?——

In the dim room, Mu Wanyao closed her eyes and pondered quietly.

It seems the Crown Prince is going mad.

Should she still tie her ship here?

Mu Wanyao hesitated for a long time, thinking of the "escape route" Yan Shang had said he left for her... she had a premonition, but was not entirely certain.

That night, Mu Wanyao drove into the palace to pay respects to her father, the Emperor. She had to save herself... she could not rely on that Crown Prince who had become estranged from her!