Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 133

Chapter 133

In the deep, secluded inner gardens of the Guhu Kingdom’s royal palace, Zhao Lingfei’s expression shifted, her eyes fixed upon Wei Shu, who was dressed in the royal robes of the Guhu King. He must have used some unknown method to infiltrate this place, but the entire Great Wei envoy delegation was currently imprisoned in the dungeons. What could Wei Shu possibly do upon his return?

Wei Shu saw her staring, lost in thought, yet remaining silent. However, the place was teeming with people, and there was no time to delay. He grabbed her hand, intent on pulling her up from the ivory couch.

Zhao Lingfei was pulled to her feet. Seeing him leading her away, she followed close behind, instinctively reaching out to clasp his hand in return. "Brother Juyuan... Brother Juyuan! Can you please explain this to me clearly first? Did you sneak into the royal palace planning to whisk me away single-handedly? With just the two of us? Where could we possibly escape to? The envoy delegation is still trapped in the city!"

Wei Shu turned his head.

Zhao Lingfei’s face remained as exquisite as ever, yet the three-plus years of life beyond the Great Wall—sharing fate and enduring hardships alongside the envoy delegation—had matured her significantly. The eyes she lifted to gaze at him were still bright, and she remained a spirited young lady, yet she was no longer naive or simple.

She looked at him, speaking in a style completely at odds with her typically bold and swift temperament: "Brother Juyuan, it is only by my staying here that we can stabilize the Guhu Kingdom. You should return to Great Wei to summon reinforcements. You must tell Great Wei that the Guhu Kingdom has betrayed them and defected to the Southern Barbarians... This is what our diplomatic mission should truly be about, isn't it?"

Wei Shu stared at her, a sudden, needle-like pain pricking his heart.

He said, "It is not."

Zhao Lingfei was surprised, her starry eyes widening slightly.

Wei Shu replied, "The definition of an envoy delegation abroad is to help Great Wei manage its relations with surrounding nations. Guhu is eight thousand miles from Chang'an; even if I were to return to the capital, it would be beyond my reach. Even if I persuaded the armies of Shuofang and Helong to come to your rescue, it would take at least half a month, or up to several months. What would you do in the meantime? If something changed during that wait, would you have me survive alone in your place?"

He was approaching manhood, standing between the phases of youth and early adulthood. His features had grown increasingly handsome, and as he pierced her with his cold gaze, he was like a brilliant pearl cast directly before her, radiant and shining.

Wei Shu’s tone, however, remained calm. "I, Wei Juyuan, cannot bear the weight of so many lives and hopes on my shoulders alone."

Zhao Lingfei’s eyes reddened; she felt anxious and despairing. "Then what should we do? What should we do? What is the use of you saving me?"

Wei Shu gripped her hand tighter. "Saving you is absolutely useful! I need your martial arts to cooperate with me! Do not belittle yourself, thinking your only value as a woman lies in marriage. We will carve out a path to survival. We won't return to Great Wei immediately; since we were unaware of Guhu’s betrayal to the Southern Barbarians, we can turn to the nations to our east and west, borrow troops in the name of Great Wei, and return to attack Guhu to rescue the delegation.

"The nations to the east and west sandwich Guhu. In the half-month since we were trapped here, the Southern Barbarians have not sent a single envoy; otherwise, we would have already been handed over to them as gifts by the Guhu King. We have heard along the way that the Southern Barbarian King is busy suppressing internal rebellions to unify his lands. Guhu is a small country; even if the Southern Barbarian King learned we were attacking it, he is too occupied to lead troops abroad to fight us personally.

"Is he not afraid of a trap? Does he really have no apprehension regarding Great Wei? Moreover, even if he did bring troops to fight... a small country like Guhu, existing for so many years caught between the Southern Barbarians and Great Wei, remains standing because, geographically, it is easier to defend a city than to attack one!

"We are here to open trade routes and quell chaos for Great Wei. Guhu, caught in the middle, must never become the Southern Barbarians' lackey or the front line of a war between them and us. We must rename Guhu under Great Wei’s banner once more.

"Lingfei, do you know what 'Jimi' (loose rein/tributary governance) means? It means that in territories not yet part of Great Wei, we must act according to local conditions and use the local people to govern their own land. This is the policy we should adopt for Guhu. That is the true purpose of our mission."

Zhao Lingfei looked at him, stunned. She had always felt Wei Shu was talented and insightful, but he rarely spoke, always remaining cold, quiet, and detached. She had always thought... he didn't care much for others or concern himself with people.

Zhao Lingfei lowered her head to look at his hand holding hers, murmuring, "You are too bold. Since ancient times, envoys going beyond the passes have never had the precedent of an envoy taking up arms to destroy a nation."

Wei Shu whispered, "What harm is there in us being the first?"

Wei Shu waited for Zhao Lingfei’s reply, but suddenly, her expression shifted. She pulled at his wrist, dragging him toward her. Wei Shu was stunned; although he practiced martial arts, he was clearly not as agile as Zhao Lingfei. He stumbled as he was pulled over by this incredibly strong young woman.

As Zhao Lingfei leaned back against the bed, she threw her arms around Wei Shu. In the chaotic struggle of their movements, Wei Shu pressed Zhao Lingfei down within the gold-curtained canopy of the bed.

With their noses brushing against each other, Wei Shu froze instantly.

At the same time, the palace doors were pushed open. A servant, speaking in broken Great Wei officialese, came to announce impatiently, "Royal Consort, the auspicious time has arrived, you should—Your Majesty!"

The servant saw the royal wedding robes of the Guhu King peeking out from the bed curtains. She did not know that the real Guhu King had been knocked unconscious and lay in an obscure, unnoticed corner of the palace. The servant caught a glimpse of the robes and, quickly averting her eyes from the bed curtains, knelt and began speaking in the Guhu tongue.

Neither Zhao Lingfei nor Wei Shu understood what she said.

Wei Shu kept his head lowered, watching the girl whose breathing was now inches from his own.

Her bright eyes were like water, her breath tangled with his.

Neither of them spoke; both waited in the silence.

After a long while, the servant kneeling at the door, having received no answer from her sovereign, quietly stood up, closed the door, and retreated. As soon as the servant left, Wei Shu immediately sat up, turning his back to Zhao Lingfei.

A strange, eerie atmosphere filled the room.

Zhao Lingfei’s hand was taken in his again. She shivered, her heart pounding like thunder, and looked at him cautiously.

Wei Shu’s face was fair, bearing his usual appearance of a jade-like beauty, burning with radiance. At this moment, his snow-white face was flushed with a rosy hue, yet he firmly pulled her to her feet.

Zhao Lingfei was dragged off the bed. Despite her internal shyness, she deliberately spoke to break the awkward silence between them. "If you have thought it all through and are this courageous, once we are out of this predicament, you should just go borrow troops directly... You didn't need to come back."

She muttered, "Or you should have saved the head envoy and the others. Why save me?"

Wei Shu looked back. "Because the one getting married tonight is not the head envoy, but you. And because I helped you leave Great Wei, it was not so that you could continue to exist solely for the purpose of marriage. Isn't that what you said, Lingfei? You wanted to be a free eagle in the sky, not someone else's dependent."

Zhao Lingfei stared at him, dazed, and then broke into a smile.

Her smile became dazzling, and the dim light in her eyes ignited once more. Her eyes welled with tears, but she smiled and nodded, nodding repeatedly, and took the initiative to hold his hand. She possessed all the courage needed to charge forward; she had only been afraid that there was no one behind her to support her.

As long as there was one person who supported her!

As long as there was one person!

This thorny, difficult road ahead... what was there for her to fear!

Zhao Lingfei stepped forward, tearing off her headpiece and ripping away the red bridal gown she had worn for so long—a garment that had made her feel so low. She followed Wei Shu as they escaped from the palace, fleeing along a small path he had already scouted.

If they encountered palace guards along the way, they killed them!

If someone stood in their path, they leaped over them!

Zhao Lingfei had no sword in hand, and neither did Wei Shu. But Zhao Lingfei’s martial arts were excellent, and she soon seized a sword from the palace guards attacking them. In an instant, the two stood back-to-back, fighting with a sense of spirit and defiance as if they were fugitives at the ends of the earth!

But this was not a true flight to the ends of the earth.

Wei Shu had naturally made some preparations before coming to save her.

Wei Shu gave Zhao Lingfei a few instructions. Zhao Lingfei looked at him with concern, but upon meeting his firm gaze, she gritted her teeth and departed, leaping away to carry out her mission alone. The young woman’s figure was elegant; under the night attacks of the guards, she had the strength to put up a fight. Had it not been for the safety of the envoy delegation earlier, how could Zhao Lingfei have ever been captured?

She broke through the encirclement alone, leaving Wei Shu behind. Having made such a clean escape, the palace was thrown into chaos because a bride-to-be had been lost; the guards, struck by panic and fear, unleashed all their lethal techniques against Wei Shu—at the very least, they had to keep one of them behind!

Years of diplomatic missions beyond the borders had honed Wei Shu’s martial arts to a level far beyond what he had possessed in Chang’an. While he could still hold his own for a time, as he fought, he calculated the time in his mind. But as time passed and the flames began to gather around his position, sweat beaded on Wei Shu’s forehead, and he worried that the plan would fail.

A tightly woven net was cast down upon him. Just as Wei Shu was reaching his limits, he heard the rhythmic sound of galloping hooves drawing near. Zhao Lingfei’s voice rang out, clear and sharp:

"Brother Juyuan—"

Wei Shu looked up. Outside the dense net, he saw her riding through the night, her sleeves and hair flying in the wind, her gaze as bright as the river of stars, as luminous as candlelight. She leaned down, reaching out her hand to him, while the sword in her other hand swung upward. A brilliant arc of light—the beautiful young woman swung her sword without a hint of fear toward the giant net meant to ensnare Wei Shu!

Lightning streaked across the sky!

It was the most beautiful light Wei Shu had ever seen—

The lightning split the gray sky, sending curtains and canopies flying like rain and sand.

It was as if a night rain had arrived; the evening breeze was cool, silently and effortlessly pushing open the window. The lightning spread across the horizon, radiant and magnificent, witnessing the chaos between the young Princess and her lover in a post-house on the way to Jinling.

It was like a butterfly circling a vine-covered, ancient tree that had grown naturally, free from desire. The vibrant butterfly insisted on perching upon the ancient wood; and at the moment it alighted, the place where it rested began to produce a brilliant, incomparable glow, blooming into mesmerizing, fragrant flowers.

The leaves and vines grew along the ancient wood’s limbs, radiant and sparkling. The tree’s branches extended, and the flowers and leaves flowed throughout the marrow of the entire tree. And so, it was a tree in full bloom, a tree filled with fragrance.

Amidst the swaying bed curtains, Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao faced each other, locked in a lingering kiss. His fingers were laced with hers, and he could vaguely feel the wind; as he tilted his head, the young woman kissed his cheek.

His brows twitched.

So, she kissed him again.

Yan Shang couldn't help but smile. The bitterness and gloom in his heart remained, yet love flowed through them in thin, continuous strands. She was like a succubus, full of charm and allure, and he hated only that he could not see her. Yet, she was that vibrant butterfly, the water lily in his heart that had been slow to bloom. He always wanted to ignore her, yet he could not help but be drawn to her.

He was stiff, uninteresting, and dull; he was benevolent, heartless, and cowardly.

He was not suited to be a lover; he was not suited to love someone.

Yet Mu Wanyao still came to pull his hand; she still came to love him.

And he sometimes thought that, in truth, Mu Wanyao was also quite terrible. She was self-centered, fickle, and selfish; she was cunning, eccentric, and restless. She was always hot and cold, often reckless, and occasionally made him sad. Yet this was Mu Wanyao—the very beauty, alive and vibrant, who kept him mesmerized.

Both he and she possessed many, many flaws; neither was suited to love another or to delay another’s life. Yet destiny turned and turned, and they met again, time after time.

Yan Shang felt as though he were exceptionally agitated; the rare heat in his blood was about to be ignited by her. He held her tightly, leaning over to kiss her. He remained silent, focused only on his actions. She was different; her messy, languid, warm, and soft breath brushed against his ear, making him even more anxious.

He could only gasp, pleading, "Yaoyao..."

Mu Wanyao’s face flushed red. She furrowed her brows, submerged in ice yet drowning in fire, holding his neck tightly, refusing to let go. This stimulation was too vivid; she hummed softly, reaching out to brush away the hair dampened by sweat on his cheek.

Her fingers circled his gauze-covered eyes, and her sparkling autumn-water gaze rested on his crimson lips. An itch in her heart, Mu Wanyao leaned in, her moist breath tangling with his once more.

Mu Wanyao whispered, "You seem... to have quite a bit of feeling."

He did not speak, only arched his neck, his Adam's apple rolling lightly, and she couldn't help but reach out a small finger to gently hook it. He shuddered and reached out to catch her hand, and she giggled, hiding in his embrace, curling up and randomly calling him "Good Brother."

Three years of time. Three years.

Old feelings re-emerged; old feelings were hard to forget.

When it ended, he arched his neck, and she rested against his chest. Both of them furrowed their brows, both emitting a soft, comfortable sigh of relief.

Then, they both froze simultaneously.

Mu Wanyao giggled: "Wasn't it great? Look, I told you so. I told you to come earlier, but you wouldn't."

Yan Shang blushed, unable to speak. He was always at a loss for words at such moments. Mu Wanyao gently scraped his face, then embraced him as they lay down together. She lingered with him intimately for a while, holding him as they hastily cleaned up the traces of their encounter.

She turned her back to him to sleep, as that was the habit she and Yan Shang had always shared. He was always back-to-back with her on the couch; after many times, Mu Wanyao had also formed the habit of turning her back to him. With a chaotic mind, Mu Wanyao closed her eyes, but just as sleepiness took hold, she felt the hair by her cheek being lifted; someone was kissing her from behind.

Mu Wanyao’s lips curled into a smile.

She heard Yan Shang whisper hesitantly: "...Can you come again?"

Mu Wanyao was instantly terrified. She was already satisfied; how could she fight again? Mu Wanyao hurriedly shrank into the bed, saying: "I can't, I can't... Oh!"

She angrily slapped his arm, because as he held her from behind, persistent and slow, it was clear he hadn't listened to her at all.

Mu Wanyao: "How can you be like this? You aren't my dearest Yan Er-ge anymore!"

Yan Shang’s face was immensely red, but he truly couldn't control himself. He whispered: "This is all your fault... what kind of messy medicine did you put in...?"

They did not sleep the whole night through, only resting when dawn broke.

The day remained pitch-dark; the curtains in the house had never been opened. The servants outside all knew the Princess’s intentions and none came to disturb them. Furthermore, the little maidservant, Qiusi, was very sensible; she stood outside the door and called out softly twice, and only after hearing the slightly hoarse, low response of Yan Er-lang did she place the meal on the ground outside the room, requesting the young master and the Princess not to forget to eat.

But Mu Wanyao slept in a daze, clearly lacking the energy to eat.

After sleeping the entire morning, when Mu Wanyao woke up, a feeling of laziness and comfort radiated from her bones. The release of desire made one happy, and doing such things with the person one liked made the experience even more addictive. Mu Wanyao sat on the bed by herself for a while; she casually draped a light silk robe over her shoulders, her feet bare, her hair hanging down, and stepped off the bed in that state.

Her jade-like feet stepped onto the rug, blooming like lotuses in a pond.

Her long, ink-black hair spilled to the floor. Mu Wanyao, lazy and casual, walked outside with a swaying gait. After passing a few curtains, her footsteps paused; she saw Yan Shang.

Yan Shang was clearly awake long before her. He was kneeling quietly in the bright light by the window. His long hair was also unbundled, spilling loose; he wore a thin summer shirt. Seen from behind, the sharp, elegant bones of his spine were faintly visible, like the秀water of a mountain in spring—utterly refined and transcendent.

Mu Wanyao studied the young man kneeling under the window, his eyes covered by gauze, facing the light. She could not tell if he was lost in thought or doing something else.

Her gaze swept over his lips and then grazed his long, slender neck, which revealed a few traces. Mu Wanyao smiled silently, and because he had been unable to see for so long, his hearing had become extremely sharp. Even though she had stepped on the ground with her bare feet without making a sound, Yan Shang turned his head and "looked" toward her.

Mu Wanyao sneered: "What are you doing kneeling there so early in the morning?"

Yan Shang whispered: "What early morning? It’s already noon."

He paused, somewhat vexed: "I was reflecting on myself."

Mu Wanyao raised an eyebrow, humming a little tune, and drifted past his side. She was nonchalant: "Then keep reflecting. I’m hungry; I’m going to eat."

Fragrance brushed against him and then faded away. The vexation and shame Yan Shang felt toward himself turned into a sense of reluctance. He reached out and grabbed a corner of her silk robe.

Yan Shang was slightly annoyed: "You’re in such a good mood?"

Mu Wanyao smiled: "Yes, I’m in a good mood. Even if I see your sour face as soon as I wake up, I’m still in a good mood. Feel free to reflect all you want; in any case, I’ve slept with the person I wanted to sleep with, and that person couldn't refuse me. Who cares about you?"

Yan Shang’s expression stiffened slightly: "If you hadn't drugged yourself... how could I have acted like that!"

Mu Wanyao hummed: "There are plenty of men in the world; do you think I can't live without you? Besides, weren't you satisfied? I’ve never seen you look so addicted before."

She suddenly leaned over, hooking his chin, and flicked his stubble-covered jaw. He shrank back, but Mu Wanyao wouldn't let him.

Mu Wanyao smiled brightly: "It’s been three years, Yan Er-ge. You’ve become much more open-minded. Hmm, I’m very satisfied."

Yan Shang’s face flushed red.

He said: "...Why are you saying that?"

Mu Wanyao was nonchalant: "Just praising you."

However, the sense of shame and the frustration of being dragged down by her had left Yan Shang feeling unwell all morning. He had spent the morning contemplating why he had become like this, why he couldn't control himself. He was so easy to push over; didn't that mean he was letting her do as she pleased? He had made up his mind to draw a line in the sand with her, but as soon as she lowered her head to speak to him, fragrance wafting about, he uncontrollably thought of last night.

And so, his face turned red instantly.

The words—articulated clearly—telling her to stay away from him felt too shameful to speak.

After a long while, Yan Shang only managed one sentence: "Could it be that you kept me under house arrest just to make it easier to do this kind of thing? You have nothing else to do?"

Mu Wanyao laughed sardonically.

She said: "If you don't do this while you’re young, when are you going to do it? Wait until you’re seventy or eighty and can’t do it anymore? While you’re young, you should be clinging to each other all day and all night, entangled day after day, squandering your youth."

Yan Shang: "...I won't be like that with you!"

Mu Wanyao waved her hand and stood up, humming a tune as she walked away: "Suit yourself."

In any case, when she wanted to, he wouldn't be able to escape.

Mu Wanyao walked to the door and remembered one more thing: "You’d better eat. This afternoon we’ll go see the local customs and observe the commoners. If you don't eat, where will you get the energy?"

Yan Shang was startled, saying: "You... you really want to go see the commoners?"

Mu Wanyao turned back and glared at him.

She said: "What, you want to be the great person whose name goes down in history, and I’m just the villain standing opposite you? I’m not just putting on an act. Get up and eat!"—

But Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao were still at odds. It was a one-sided conflict. Unfortunately, to outsiders, this one-sided conflict made no difference.

Because Yan Er-lang’s heart was too soft.

He always said he wouldn't pay attention to the Princess, but if something happened to her, he would be very concerned, often unable to stop himself from interjecting, only to feel vexed with himself for being a chatterbox afterward. Mu Wanyao, as if she had him pegged, always loved to engage him, regardless of whether he responded or not.

Along the way, she dragged him into her antics a few more times.

No one knew if Yan Er-lang had succeeded in resisting.

The maidservants didn't dare to ask; they just delivered water to the room as usual. Whether those two used it or not, they acted as if they knew nothing.

After such wear and tear, at the end of the sixth month, the party arrived in Jinling. Before Mu Wanyao rushed to see her maternal grandfather, she grabbed Yan Shang and tidied him up thoroughly. He already had a good skin, but Mu Wanyao was still not satisfied, only because Jinling was Li family territory, and she absolutely could not let Yan Shang be looked down upon in simple cloth robes.

Mu Wanyao had also inquired about the imperial physician; since leaving Chang’an, his target had been Jinling, traveling faster than Mu Wanyao, who was dragging a reluctant Yan Shang along. When Mu Wanyao and the others arrived in Jinling, that physician had actually already arrived.

This was quite a pleasant surprise for Mu Wanyao.

The physician didn't have time to properly examine Yan Shang’s eyes before Yan Shang was pulled away by Mu Wanyao to see her maternal grandfather. Yan Shang was led by Mu Wanyao the whole way, feeling only that the carriage turned and turned, stopping and stopping; Mu Wanyao’s hand, which was holding his, was sweating, and he thought to himself that she must be a bit afraid of her grandfather.

Li Gong, sick and dying, saw his granddaughter, the Danyang Princess of Great Wei, directly in his bedroom.

The old man’s hair was entirely silver, his face full of the vicissitudes of life, his body heavy with illness. Hearing that Mu Wanyao and her consort had come to see him, Li Gong summoned his remaining strength—he had been holding onto this spirit, waiting for Mu Wanyao.

Seeing that the old man, who had been full of vigor the last time they met, had become so thin and aged, Mu Wanyao felt a surge of sadness. She sat by the edge of the bed, a look of melancholy floating in her eyes.

Li Gong patted her hand, his gaze shifting to the young man standing by the couch with his eyes covered in white gauze. Seeing the gauze, Li Gong was surprised for a moment but still gestured for him to come over: "You must be Yaoyao’s consort, right?"

Yan Shang didn't know what to say; hearing no sign of rebuttal from Mu Wanyao, he felt slightly uncomfortable, feeling as though he were replacing Pei Qing to see her grandfather. But uncomfortable as he was, Yan Shang didn't want to trouble a dying old man, so he leaned forward and bowed: "Greetings, Grandfather."

Li Gong thought this consort’s manners were quite good and nodded.

Li Gong said: "Master Pei..."

Yan Shang gave a soft response.

Mu Wanyao paused, looking at Yan Shang. Yan Shang did not offer a single word of rebuttal, clearly intending to play the role of "Pei Qing" for a while and listen to Li Gong’s instructions. His quiet silence suddenly made Mu Wanyao feel uncomfortable, annoyed at why he was always so considerate of others.

He was so soft-hearted that it always felt as if she were wronging him.

Mu Wanyao interrupted: "Grandfather, you are mistaken."

Yan Shang seemed to sense something and turned his face in her direction. Under the confused gazes of everyone, Mu Wanyao walked to Yan Shang’s side. She took hold of Yan Shang’s hand; the hand she held trembled slightly but did not pull away. Mu Wanyao turned to Li Gong and smiled: "Grandfather, he is my consort. But my consort is no longer Pei Qing; he is Yan Shang."

Yan Shang was slightly stunned, his eyes lowered, thinking: Consort? Had she discussed this with him?

No.

But a faint smile curled on his lips. Standing in the great hall, feeling the gaze of everyone upon him, he did not refute or reject—

"Yan Shang?" a voice came from outside, "Could it be the famous minister of the realm, Yan Suchen?"

Mu Wanyao turned her head to see that it was her uncle, Li Zhi, who had been serving as an official in Lingnan, had returned.