Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 128

Chapter 128

Outside Puji Temple, the chaos had escalated beyond what the officials stationed there could handle. A cacophony of clamor and noise erupted; officials were seen rushing down from the opposite pavilion, robes flapping, shouting, "Bring more men! Quickly, bring more men!" Meanwhile, commoners cried out in alarm, dodging beggars, while the beggars squeezed toward the temple, arguing loudly with those blocking them: "They said food is being handed out for free here! On what grounds are you not telling us?"

In the midst of the mayhem, someone—it was unclear who—bellowed, "The authorities are killing people!"—igniting a situation that was already on the verge of exploding.

At the temple gate, the stranger being surrounded by officials was subjected to repeated face-scrubbing and interrogation simply because her makeup bore a slight resemblance to Princess Danyang’s. When the brutish officials saw that her face, once washed clean, looked nothing like the portrait provided by their superiors, they cursed loudly, turned, and walked away: "Lock her in the dungeon for now!"

The stranger was stunned, thinking this was not what she had expected; when she was hired, the other party hadn't mentioned anything about ending up in prison. She shrieked, "On what grounds are you arresting me? Why are you arresting me!"

The officials yelled back, "Clear the crowd! Clear the crowd! Damn it, everyone move! With it this packed, do you all want to die? Are you not afraid of a stampede? Are you not afraid of a fire breaking out!"

They drew their blades: "Move aside, all of you—"

Tonight, the lanterns were brilliant, their light outshining the moonlight; the entire temple, and indeed the entire city, was resplendent... The officials were terrified, fearing nothing more than an incident on the night of the Dragon Boat Festival.

An eighth-rank official, the highest-ranking among them, wore a grim expression. As he walked toward the temple, he instructed the others: "Close the city gates! Starting tonight, strictly check everyone entering and leaving! Tell them it's because of a riot involving beggars threatening the government offices, and we have no choice but to close the gates... If a single mosquito flies out tonight, I will hold you responsible!"

The officials following him wiped their sweat and stammered, "Sir, I'm afraid we can't spare the manpower to watch the gates... Everyone is blocked here. We can't just ignore the commoners for the sake of protecting the Princess, can we?"

Unlike the higher-ranking officials, the petty officers were of common origin and naturally leaned toward the commoners. They had always believed they were protecting the Princess, so they had been putting in extra effort.

A flash of inspiration struck the leading official, and his breathing grew heavy: "You're saying we might neglect the city gates... Then we should send even more men to the gates! Quickly! Don't let anyone leave the city!"

The officers reporting to him were dumbfounded: "But here, here it's packed with people. Those beggars can't find food, and they've started robbing the commoners..."

The official paused, sweat dripping down his back, realizing the trouble of the situation. However, he made a swift decision and ordered: "Go block the people at the city gates! As for this place, this place... seal the temple! No one is allowed in or out! Put it aside for now."

The officers glanced at him in shock. Seeing their superior’s serious face, they realized he truly meant for them to pull all their men to the gates... and what about the commoners in Puji Temple surrounded by beggars, the beggars who couldn't find their source of food, the monks who were desperately being bound and held back...

Muttering about how "this will end in disaster," the officers turned to relay the orders.

Seeing that the officers were finally following his commands, the leading official breathed a slight sigh of relief, though his nerves remained tight.

He had been promoted by the local magistrate and had always followed the Nanyang Jiang clan’s lead. The local governor was also from the Jiang clan, though unfortunately not of the direct line, but a collateral branch. The direct descendants of the Jiang clan were all in Nanyang or Chang'an; how could it ever be their turn?

Before they left, the magistrate had quietly told him that capturing the Princess, or killing her in the chaos, would be a good deed for the Jiang clan. If they succeeded, their path in the Nanyang officialdom would be smooth.

And yet, such a good opportunity was turning into such a mess tonight!

"Sir! The medicinal herbs kept in the temple are gone!" Another officer, drenched in sweat, climbed down from the temple wall, as the main entrance was completely blocked by beggars and commoners, making entry or exit impossible.

No one cared about medicinal herbs anymore. The official waved his hand, annoyed, worrying only about how he would explain the situation to the magistrate when he returned.

His brows were tightly knitted as he mentally replayed the night's events: someone outside the temple claimed to have found someone who looked like the Princess, then they encountered another lookalike at the gate, followed by the sudden intrusion of the beggars... He muttered to himself: "So, the renowned minister Yan Suchen of the realm is truly with the Princess."

They had originally used the herbs as bait, and now the herbs were stolen... A faint smile played at the corner of the official's mouth, thinking that a blind man and a delicate princess, how could they possibly escape from the city gates he had turned into an impenetrable cage?——

Near the temple, officials were constantly being recalled, but those who had been sent out had not received the latest deployment orders. In a deep alley, a group of four or five petty officers on patrol sensed movement and stepped closer.

The light was dim and flickering. From the direction of the patrol, they could vaguely see a pair of figures, a man and a woman, embracing in the alley.

The man was tall and slender, slightly hunched, one hand cradling the woman’s face in his arms while the other wrapped around her waist. His moon-white outer robe was draped over the lady in his arms, obscuring her figure and leaving only a glimpse of dark hair seeping through his fingers, entwined with his arm and cascading onto the ground like a waterfall.

Only a Princess of the imperial family could possess such a head of hair, reaching all the way to her ankles.

After Yan Shang had removed her hairpin, he had realized his oversight, so he feigned infatuation, curling his arm through her hair, hoping the petty officers wouldn't notice that her hair was longer than that of an ordinary woman.

The sounds of the man and woman were muffled and low; one look made it obvious what the two were doing. But the leader of this small group of officers happened to be a man who had spent his life among all walks of life, and his instinct told him something was wrong. He didn't immediately notice that the woman’s hair was different from others; he simply thought: with the situation at the temple as it is, how could there be a couple here, unable to restrain themselves?

Hands on the hilts of their blades, they walked closer cautiously, shouting from a distance: "You two, turn your faces! What are you doing? Why are you here!"

Yan Shang felt the eyelashes of Mu Wanyao, pressed against his face, tremble; clearly, she too had heard the footsteps of the officers approaching them. Yan Shang remained calm. While he kissed Mu Wanyao, he tightened his grip on the knife hidden in his sleeve. He listened to the sound, calculating how to easily incapacitate the officers without leaving a trace once they arrived...

He did not intend to kill, but he had to ensure they were unconscious.

Mu Wanyao closed her eyes as if intoxicated, burying her whole body in Yan Shang’s arms, her hands wrapping around his waist with passion. In her sleeve, her hand was also gripping a dagger tightly. She was thinking that if it truly came to that moment, she would let Yan Shang run while she stayed behind to cover him. Yan Shang had poor eyesight, while she at least had the dagger... and even if she fell into the hands of the authorities, as a Princess, she would always have a glimmer of a chance.

The footsteps behind them drew nearer and nearer, yet the couple only kissed more deeply and inextricably.

Lips and teeth entwined, breaths flowing like a stream. It was soft and indulgent, their minds deliberately intoxicated, yet at the very height of passion, they maintained a cold, discerning vigilance.

But as Mu Wanyao tilted her head back, eyes half-opened, she intended to look at the approaching officers but accidentally noticed Yan Shang, who was kissing her with his eyes closed. The surroundings were silent; far off, there was slaughter. In this endless game of chess, he kept his eyes closed.

Disheveled hair was scattered across his face, with a few strands slipping down his collar to his neck. His robe was draped over her, and a few specks of mud splattered on his cuffs. He was thin and clean, with brows knitted in feigned intoxication and a face flushed with red; he looked so...

Hmm.

Yan Shang opened his eyes.

Even though he could not see, the moment she "met his gaze," the split second he paused, Mu Wanyao felt the fingers he pressed against her cheek tremble.

As if deeply intoxicated, he pushed her shoulder, causing her to lean against the wall.

The officers behind them shouted: "Stop!"

Of course, they could not stop.

Actions were more persuasive than words.

In the silent standoff, Mu Wanyao kept her silence, pushed against the wall by Yan Shang. His hand moved from her waist upward, the moonlight shining on both their faces. He became as rough and excited as a frequent visitor of the northern red-light districts—excited yet cold. He was so terrifyingly like a stranger that Mu Wanyao suddenly thought of those men back in Wuman...

Those malicious touches, that crushing mockery.

But she tilted her head back, her eyes pitch-black, staring at Yan Shang’s face. His clean, gentle face was pressed against hers, his breathing crushing against the nape of her neck. It was bone-chillingly cold, yet a feverish heat rushed up her spine.

Mu Wanyao stretched her neck high, clutching him tightly, a lingering sound spilling from her lips: "Mmh..."

It sounded like a cat, supple and bone-deep in its charm.

The officers were all blushing and breathless at the sound, let alone Yan Shang. That touch of allure scratched at the tip of his heart; she was right beneath his palm, her slightly cool cheek pressed against his slightly burning skin. She whimpered softly, the tip of her nose brushing across his neck, and the goosebumps on his skin rippled in waves.

He suddenly felt a dryness in his throat, his entire body tense. It wasn't the kind from acting, but a genuine... his mind instantly flashed to the countless times they had been together in the marriage bed.

The officers were already thirty paces away.

Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao each gripped their respective knife or dagger tighter... The officers saw that the couple ignored them even now, and naturally realized something was amiss. They raised their blades horizontally. In the brief standoff, just as the officers were about to strike, a shout came from the head of the alley: "What are you still doing here! Sir is calling for men to go to the city gates! Protect the Princess!"

The few officers with their blades drawn in the alley were unwilling: "But..."

The couple remained in their embrace, as if no one else existed. The officer shouting the order said sternly that it was the superior’s order and that the city gates were the important direction. With a superior’s authority weighing down on them, even if the officers felt something was wrong, they had no choice but to grit their teeth, turn around, and follow the messengers out of the alley...

The leader of the unwilling group of officers looked back at the alley one last time as they exited: he saw the couple sit down, the man pressing his face against the woman’s neck, and continuing downward...

He cursed "filthy," convincing himself he must have thought too much, that perhaps the man was simply an obsessed, lewd expert of the romantic arts—

The officers left. Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao sat face-to-face, sliding down along the wall. Their whole bodies were trembling, numb, an aching soreness deep in their bones.

As Yan Shang lost his strength, his fingers brushed against her and felt something. He paused: "Why are you holding a dagger?"

Mu Wanyao rolled up his sleeve, and with a faint smile, she hooked her finger against the hilt of the knife in his hand and then his wrist, signaling to him: "Don't let the fifty-step laugh at the hundred-step."

With that light flick of her fingertip, his body shuddered. He pressed his face against her neck, his breath burning; his tightly coiled body did not relax even after the enemies were gone. Mu Wanyao did not push him away either. She acted as if nothing had happened: "Can you still walk?"

Yan Shang smiled bitterly.

He knew that he had lost his composure, his true self fully revealed. He was pressed so close to her, draping his clothes over her to ensure the enemy didn't recognize her, pressed against her tightly, and when his desire became uncontrollable, how could she not have felt it?

If it were anyone else, Yan Shang would surely be so ashamed he would want to die. As someone who valued his image so much, how could he endure exposing such ugly behavior in public? But the person was Mu Wanyao, the Mu Wanyao who had witnessed his past... and that made him feel not so afraid, even in his state of tension.

Yan Shang whispered: "I need a moment to recover."

Mu Wanyao said nonchalantly: "Do you need me to use my hand?"

Yan Shang: "..."

The finger he pressed against her wrist flickered slightly, and he turned his face toward her. Mu Wanyao sat against the wall with her legs bent, looking at his appearance. His lips were red and moist, glistening. His mouth was slightly open, his chin tilted slightly as he gasped for air. This look of his—partly dazed, partly struggling—truly made one want to do something.

Mu Wanyao loved doing things to him most of all.

A string in her mind pulled tight; the distance between them was already a mere breath. Mu Wanyao lowered her head and kissed his lips. He was stunned, his upper body leaning back slightly. Mu Wanyao didn't move, and after a moment of stillness, he leaned forward again, opening his mouth to respond to her.

Mu Wanyao sneered.

She said: "You are so dishonest."

He whispered: "You are too honest."

Extending the previous pleasure, extending the previous love. Her mind was a blank; perhaps she didn't want to think too much. It was just that once passion was released, it had to be vented; once the floodgates were opened, they had to slow down... Han Suxing’s voice suddenly appeared: "I have the medicine."

Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao, who were pressed against each other, froze simultaneously.

Both were conscious of that moment of loss of control.

Mu Wanyao’s voice was a bit hoarse, yet deliberately cold: "Can you stand up?"

She was speaking to Yan Shang. Yan Shang’s face flushed red as blood, and after a long while, he smiled bitterly: "Give me another moment."

Han Suxing became immediately nervous: "What’s wrong? Is Erlang injured? Where are you injured? Can you not stand up?"

He revered Yan Erlang so much that he felt he had to come and check if he was hurt. Yan Shang leaned back in horror, and Mu Wanyao directly blocked Han Suxing with her arm, refusing to let him touch Yan Shang. Mu Wanyao glared at Han Suxing, gritting her teeth: "...Are you an idiot?"

Han Suxing was flustered by the Princess’s scolding and habitually wanted to ask Yan Erlang for guidance. But Yan Shang kept his head down, his fingertips clutching the Princess’s sleeve, just sitting there in a hunched, rigid posture, saying nothing—

While the county under Nanyang’s jurisdiction was thrown into such chaos by Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao, in the city of Chang'an, on the night of the Dragon Boat Festival, there was a true air of celebration.

The Crown Prince had originally asked Yang Si to stay in the Eastern Palace for the holiday, saying the Crown Princess was cooking personally and wanted Young Master Yang to have a good meal. However, Yang Si had said nonchalantly and somewhat smugly that he had an appointment with a beauty, leaving the Crown Prince astonished, and giving him the feeling of "the pig I raised has finally learned how to root around."

The Crown Prince had no requirements for Yang Si now; if Yang Si could get married soon, it would put the hearts of the Yang family’s elders at ease.

That evening, Yang Si happily went to meet his beauty. The Crown Prince spent some time in the Eastern Palace with his wife, concubines, and children, but after hearing a piece of news, the smile that had been on his face faded, causing his eldest son, who had come to toast him, to tremble in fear and not dare to speak more.

Crown Princess: "Your Highness, what is it?"

The Crown Prince收敛ed his expression, a trace of a smile on his lips, and said: "Father has invited a folk physician. I am worried, so I will go take a look."

The Crown Prince left the Eastern Palace immediately to pay his respects to the Emperor in his sleeping chambers. Both the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Qin were there, and Cheng An, the Emperor's personal eunuch, was explaining the Emperor's condition to the Princes. Liu Wenji stood silently in the corner, observing them.

As they spoke, a wide-robed, thin, and short old man wearing Taoist robes floated out of the great hall, and Cheng An hurried to ask about the Emperor’s condition.

Cheng An nervously introduced to the Princes: "This is the divine doctor Eunuch Liu invited for His Majesty from overseas..."

The Crown Prince’s dark gaze turned to Liu Wenji in the corner. Liu Wenji had now been enfeoffed as some sort of General; he was powerful and held high office, not at all what he once was. Facing the Crown Prince’s cold, chilling gaze, Liu Wenji bowed without saying a word.

The divine doctor joyfully reported the good news to the Princes: "Your Highnesses, rest assured. With this old man here, I can at least help His Majesty recuperate for two or three years..."

Everyone was stunned.

The Princes reacted, each feigning an expression of immense gratitude. In his heart, Liu Wenji mocked their acting, yet he was very satisfied with the result that the Emperor could still linger for two or three years—the Emperor not dying was beneficial to Liu Wenji. For Liu Wenji to govern as a eunuch, he needed the Emperor's support.

Liu Wenji was likely more eager for the Emperor to live than any of the Princes.

The Crown Prince led his two younger brothers to bow to the Emperor outside the bedchamber before leading them away. Afterward, the three of them parted ways, each returning to their palaces or leaving the palace grounds. After the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin left, palace attendants led the way with lanterns, and the Crown Prince walked silently back to the Eastern Palace.

The advisors following the Crown Prince lowered their heads and stayed silent.

In front of the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince suddenly stopped. He turned around, staring fiercely at the golden palace towers behind him, looking at the magnificent buildings... The pent-up frustration in his chest wouldn't come out; he whispered, talking to himself: "...Why hasn't he died yet?"

To live two or three more years—how could one endure that kind of torture?

The advisors close to the Crown Prince were terrified, lowering their heads even further, pretending they had heard nothing.

Yet he heard the Crown Prince’s gritted teeth, heard the Crown Prince’s frustration, heard the Crown Prince’s indignation—

"Does he not know that everyone is waiting for him to die?"

"Why won't he just die?!"——

In the peripheral county under Nanyang’s jurisdiction, the magistrate had transferred all his men to the city gates, thinking that after such a massive riot tonight, Mu Wanyao would surely be in a hurry to leave the city.

But Mu Wanyao was in no hurry to leave the city.

Fang Tong and the other guards from the Princess’s manor had already left Rang County and were heading south to find her. Mu Wanyao was not as anxious as she had been at the beginning... searching the city would be troublesome, but with her and Yan Shang’s capabilities, it was still enough to handle.

The immediate priority was Yan Shang’s eyes.

Mu Wanyao irritably sent off Han Suxing, who couldn't read the room, instructing him to sneak to the city gates to see the situation the authorities had set up. If they could leave the city, they would; if not, they wouldn't, but at the very least, they had to understand the government’s attitude.

Before he left, Mu Wanyao specifically instructed Han Suxing: "After you apply the medicine to Yan Shang, the two of us will be going to sleep tonight. When you return, unless it’s something incredibly important, don't knock on the door to disturb us. Even if the sky falls, we’ll talk about it tomorrow."

After finally getting rid of Han Suxing, Mu Wanyao let out a breath. In the house they had rented, Yan Shang was sitting on the couch, and Mu Wanyao was kneeling behind him, carefully applying the medicine to his eyes and covering them with gauze.

Mu Wanyao was as solemn as if performing a major task. She whispered: "Starting tonight, you must apply it for two hours every night; you cannot interrupt it again. If you interrupt it again, your eyes might truly be ruined."

Yan Shang’s lips held a smile. As he lowered his eyes, sitting upright, his fingers rested quietly on his knees.

Her hand brushed away the hair scattered on his shoulders. As he closed his eyes, he felt her fingers wiping the area around the corners of his eyes. Yan Shang’s voice was very low: "I know. Thank you, Your Highness."

Mu Wanyao: "Put the gauze back on and don't take it off."

Yan Shang froze.

He suddenly felt a twisting pain in his heart.

She was still kneeling behind him, applying the medicine, and came to support him to let him lie down, but perhaps due to the burning pain of the medicine at the corners of his eyes, his whole body began to feel uncomfortable. When she stood up to get the gauze, Yan Shang grabbed her wrist and whispered: "Why?"

Mu Wanyao paused: "Why what?"

Yan Shang: "Why do I have to put the gauze back on? Is it because... you are leaving, and you are going to separate from me?"

Mu Wanyao was silent. She looked down at the handsome young man lying on the couch, grabbing her wrist.

Her mind was dazed for a moment, and she said, almost like speaking in a dream: "Of course. Once we leave this city, I can completely get out of the Shannan Circuit. Once we’ve left the Shannan Circuit, the Nanyang Jiang clan won't be able to pursue and kill me anymore. I’ll regain my freedom, and once I turn back, I’ll be able to counter-attack. Naturally, there is no need for you to follow me anymore. You can return to Rang County and treat your eyes properly."

Yan Shang whispered: "When are you leaving the city?"

Mu Wanyao’s eyes squinted slightly.

Yan Shang: "You don't have to leave the city. There is a better way."

Mu Wanyao picked up the gauze and covered his eyes with it: "You mean, using the magistrate of this county, supporting him to ascend, and changing the leader of the Nanyang Jiang clan? I thought of that trick too, but..."

Yan Shang’s breathing grew slightly rapid. He sat up; her hand was touching the gauze covering his eyes, and he grabbed her other slender, delicate wrist. Yan Shang said: "I can help Your Highness do this. Since there is a better way, we should use the better way. Why settle for the second best?"

Mu Wanyao stared at him in a daze and said: "I’m afraid you will be in danger."

Yan Shang lowered his head and said: "...I won't. Don't worry. I don't do things I’m not sure about."

Mu Wanyao looked at him for a long time. She whispered: "You... do you have to be so risky? Why be this way? Is it because of Pei Qing’s betrayal that you feel I’m pitiful and are trying to compensate me?"

Yan Shang was stunned.

He said: "Why would you think that?"

Mu Wanyao helped him tie the gauze and, seeing him knitting his brows, couldn't help reaching out to rub his brow, concerned: "Why are you frowning? Are you uncomfortable?"

Yan Shang answered in a low voice: "The medicine... it burns a little. It’s fine, I’ll be better after a moment."

Mu Wanyao: "Do you want to lie down?"

He shook his head. She thought for a moment, then let him sit against the wall, and she sat on the couch with him, leaning against the wall, shoulder-to-shoulder, saying she wanted to keep him company. Yan Shang stubbornly repeated: "Why think that I’m pitying you?"

Seeing that the topic hadn't moved past that, Mu Wanyao rested her chin on her hand: "Do you know what he did to me?"

Yan Shang pursed his lips.

He said: "Are you talking about Pei Qing?"

Mu Wanyao was surprised: "Didn't you call him 'Young Master Pei'? Why are you using his full name now?"

Yan Shang paused, somewhat sulkily: "I don't want to call him that. He makes me very angry."

Mu Wanyao was unimpressed: "Why are you angry? You don't even know what he did."

He whispered: "...I can probably guess."

Mu Wanyao raised an eyebrow. She had been about to tell him a story, but he said he had already guessed it. Mu Wanyao was curious about what he had guessed. Yan Shang’s voice was a bit strained: "When the bandits knew you were the Princess, they must have followed you after you left the city. You were captured; it must be because Pei Qing didn't follow you."

"He... he let go of your hand and escaped by himself. Right?"

Mu Wanyao was dazed and lowered her eyes.

Yan Shang said: "So you had him work in Nanyang, helping you handle the aftermath, because you don't want to face him for the time being. And according to your temperament... you probably don't want to marry him anymore. You are in the middle of being upset."

Mu Wanyao lowered her eyes: "Chang'an is already preparing for my wedding."

Yan Shang: "But I support you; don't marry him."

He paused, both somewhat dejected and somewhat firm: "Why does your marriage always go so poorly... why treat you like this?"

Mu Wanyao rested her chin on her hand and turned her face to look at him worrying for her. She smiled faintly and rested her face on his shoulder. Seeing him so worried made her so happy. She was happy in her heart, but she still wanted to pull him into changing the topic: "Why talk about that? Let’s chat."

Yan Shang: "Chat about what?"

He hesitated, thinking about the incident in the alley that night, feeling uncomfortable, hesitating, and thinking about how to talk to her about the event that night...

But Mu Wanyao said: "Let’s talk about ourselves. Yan Shang, what kind of person do you want to be? Are your current thoughts the same as your thoughts at seventeen? I also want to tell you about myself. I don't want to talk to anyone else... I just want to tell you."

She turned her face slightly and lifted her eyelids. She thought of his abandon when he kissed her in the alley that night; she smiled slowly, slyly, and like a spoiled child, nudged his arm: "Anyway... hmm, you aren't marrying me, and I aren't marrying you. Let’s just be friends and get along well, okay?"

Yan Shang was astonished—he could be friends with her? What was she thinking?