Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 158

Chapter 158

March and April brought the rainy season, and all of Lingnan was submerged in a ceaseless drizzle, which was quite vexing.

Because of the rain, the sea pirates did not come to harass the harbor, so they could have enjoyed a few days of leisure. But Yan Shang was not a person who could sit idle. After he had nursed his body back to health in Lingnan, he began to ponder more matters, such as encouraging agriculture and reclaiming wasteland.

There was too much abandoned and useless wasteland in Lingnan, and it was not easy to find fertile land. Yan Shang was somewhat troubled by this.

Compared to his bustling activity, Mu Wanyao was tormented by this month of continuous drizzle, and her mood was quite gloomy. With the rain falling non-stop, she had been lounging on the couch for several days, looking listless and dispirited, which even alarmed Yan Shang's father into visiting their residence personally, thinking she had fallen ill.

Mu Wanyao had no choice but to force herself to perk up.

As soon as the rain stopped and a bit of sunlight emerged, Mu Wanyao, fearing that if she missed this good weather, it would continue to rain for the next half a month, hurriedly grabbed her husband—who was constantly busy with official business—to go out with her to enjoy the flowers and take a spring stroll.

If she stayed in that house after the rain any longer, she would grow moldy, and if Yan Shang continued to be so busy, he would fall ill again.

Yan Shang was dragged by Mu Wanyao to visit a lake. This lake was a beautiful spot that Mu Wanyao had discovered after spending her days idling about since coming to Lingnan. The lake surface was broad with gentle, clear water, and there were lush, ancient trees along the shore; the scenery was pleasant.

Mu Wanyao busied herself having the carriage and horses stop by the lakeside. She joyfully had people move low stools from the carriage and find an incense burner, and then had others pile up firewood to light a fire, clearly intending to spend the day there playing with Yan Shang.

However, after busying herself for a long time, she realized that in her distraction, she had actually forgotten her husband and lost him. Mu Wanyao panicked for a moment, as Yan Shang had been a bit absent-minded lately due to farming matters, and she was truly afraid that if he were careless, something might happen to him.

Mu Wanyao mobilized the servants to find Yan Shang, and eventually, she found the young man beneath the shade of a willow tree, staring blankly at the surface of the lake.

Yan Shang’s eyes were fixed intently on the lake, and it was only after Mu Wanyao coughed twice behind him that he came back to his senses and turned to look at her. Seeing her, his eyes softened with a gentle smile.

Mu Wanyao decided not to blame him for running off and causing her worry.

She stood beside him, smiling as her gaze fell upon the lake along with his: "How is it?"

She was quite smug, implying that this scenery was her discovery.

Yan Shang smiled: "Good."

Mu Wanyao raised her eyes, about to praise herself, when she saw Yan Shang staring at the lake water, reluctant to look away. She heard him murmur: "If this lake were filled in, we could gain another one or two hundred qing of good farmland. The fertile land problem that has been troubling me lately would be solved."

Mu Wanyao: "……?"

She widened her eyes: Fill, fill in the lake? With such beautiful scenery before him, the thing on his mind was actually filling in the lake?

She had thought his fixed gaze was in appreciation of the beautiful scenery.

Mu Wanyao was displeased: "Looking at this lake and the sky, don't you find it beautiful?"

Yan Shang said: "I only find it vexing. Such a large expanse of land sitting empty... why must it be empty? If we drained the water and converted it into farmland to solve the issue of Lingnan having much waste land and little fertile land... it should be worth a try."

Mu Wanyao was annoyed by his pragmatism; she dropped her face and didn't speak.

After pondering for a while and figuring out how to carry this out, Yan Shang held Mu Wanyao’s hand and smiled: "Yaoyao, you are truly wonderful, helping me with such a huge favor..."

He turned his head to praise her, only to encounter her sullen little face. Yan Shang was startled, realizing where he had gone wrong.

Mu Wanyao, as expected, shook off his hand and was furious: "Fill the lake, fill the lake! I dragged you out to have fun because I was afraid you’d stifle yourself, and now it seems you should just go back and hide in that little room of yours to grow moldy! Ruining my mood as soon as we come out, what use are you!"

She turned and left.

Yan Shang followed her; this time he was clever, following behind her and whispering: "What did I do wrong again? Do you not like me filling the lake?"

Mu Wanyao lifted her skirt, scolding him as she walked: "The ghosts are the only ones who like it! If you fill the lake, where will I go to enjoy the scenery? I truly regret bringing you out; you are a wooden stump, a blockhead, unable to see any romance, only remembering your official duties and mundane affairs...

"Go marry your commoners! You go ahead and marry tens of thousands of them!"

The handmaidens like Qiusi following behind the Princess looked around; they were in the mood to point at the scenery on the lake, their eyes carrying smiles. Clearly, the Princess scolding the Prince Consort was a common occurrence, and the maids, initially terrified, now viewed it as the norm and were no longer afraid of the Princess’s anger.

Yan Shang felt guilty and embarrassed, finally realizing the reason he had made her angry.

He caught up two steps and held her hand to stop her from walking away. He rubbed his fingers against her wrist, intending to make peace. Mu Wanyao stopped, casting a glance at him with her black eyes.

Yan Shang said sheepishly: "Then... we won't fill the lake?"

Hearing this, Mu Wanyao arched a brow; her expression was a bit cold, yet also a bit coquettish. Clearly, her attitude had softened slightly.

Yan Shang smiled and explained: "I was mistaken. I thought you brought me here to give me a hint, to teach me to fill the lake in exchange for fertile land. I was too dull-witted, failing to realize that you were concerned for me, wanting to have some fun and rest with me.

"Yaoyao, it was my mistake, please don't be angry, okay? On such a nice day, why be angry because of a mediocre person like me?"

He was so gentle and soft-spoken, explaining when necessary and admitting his mistakes... Sincerity was an excellent conversational technique, one that Yan Shang used with great ease. Who could look at his gentle, handsome face and remain angry with him?

Mu Wanyao turned her face away, not looking at him. She pouted and muttered: "I am not angry."

Yan Shang followed her lead: "Yes, that was my misunderstanding."

Mu Wanyao’s cheeks were burning hot; as she pondered Yan Shang’s explanation, she felt she quite liked the high praise he had bestowed upon her. She began to act bossy: "Well, since you said I gave you a hint to fill the lake for fertile land, let's just go with that belief. You must tell outsiders the same!"

Yan Shang smiled and agreed.

Thus, she was willing to soften her attitude and be held in Yan Shang’s arms. Standing by the lake, Yan Shang held her back, embracing her so affectionately, and Mu Wanyao felt her romance return, her mood improving once again.

Mu Wanyao requested: "Go ahead and fill other lakes; fill this one last, let me enjoy it for a few more days."

Yan Shang: "Yaoyao is truly kind-hearted. When I eventually fill the lake, I shall erect a monument for you, writing that you were the one who instructed me to do so. Our lives only span a few decades, but stone monuments can last for hundreds or thousands of years. When future generations see it, they will know what a wise and righteous Princess you were."

Mu Wanyao burst into laughter.

She tilted her head back and touched his chin with her fingers: "You really know how to talk... your mouth is so sweet. Come, give your sister a kiss."

Yan Shang’s eyes drifted slightly, signaling that the maids were still behind them and telling her not to talk nonsense.

Mu Wanyao forcefully pulled his neck down to make him lower his head, biting at his lips.

His heart skipped a beat, and he backed away three steps in alarm.

Mu Wanyao rolled her eyes at him, smiling brightly: "The monument won't just say I am wise and righteous; it will also record how loving we, the married couple, were..."

Yan Shang: "Ah..."

Thinking of that aspect, he became a bit reluctant to engrave the monument. He had always been low-key, not wishing for their private relationship to be known to the entire world, let alone be speculated upon by later generations. Yet, it was precisely at this moment that Mu Wanyao became truly invested in the matter, pondering the lake-filling project.

Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang discussed the general plan for filling the lake with great enthusiasm before they were satisfied. Only after they were satisfied did Mu Wanyao have the mood to pull Yan Shang to sit by the lakeside, roasting fish while enjoying the scenery.

Mu Wanyao sat obediently on a giant rock, where a handkerchief had already been laid out by a maid. After sitting down, she chased the servants far away to go play, telling them not to disturb her and Yan Shang. Only when Yan Shang was with her without outsiders could he truly relax.

Yan Shang lowered his head to roast the fish for her; with the maids away, he took care of her personally. Being accustomed to being considerate and meticulous, he had specially prepared a handkerchief to pick out the bones, and only after the fine bones on the fish were completely removed would he offer it to Mu Wanyao.

Mu Wanyao: "Brother Yan Er, you treat me truly well."

Yan Shang looked up in surprise, not understanding why she would suddenly say that.

Mu Wanyao marveled: "You are so good, thinking of how to fill the lake when you are outside, and thinking of picking fish bones for me when you are inside. Balancing both perfectly, how can you be so good?"

She was praising him again.

And no matter how many times it happened, each time she grew passionate and praised him enthusiastically, it made Yan Shang feel shy. Yan Shang lowered his head, carefully picking bones, finding it somewhat amusing: "Why are you doing it again? You praise me every day, and I am almost being puffed up by your praise, not knowing my own worth anymore."

Mu Wanyao: "That is just how good you are! You are this good, and you still won't let me praise you? You do so many things, does no one else praise you?"

Yan Shang said as if complaining: "Others are not like you; they don't say so much when it comes to mind."

Mu Wanyao: "But I am expressing my true feelings! I just feel you are exceptionally good, so good that I sometimes feel inferior, feeling that my state of mind cannot keep up with yours and that I am not worthy of you."

Yan Shang did not soothe her about the issue of worthiness, but replied: "Sometimes it is just like that. Perhaps sometimes... one just feels they are not worthy of the other. I often have such feelings as well. But it is only for a moment; most of the time, we are just ordinary men and women, where is there any talk of worthiness or unworthiness?"

Mu Wanyao was suspicious: "You feel you are not worthy of me? Because of our backgrounds?"

Yan Shang kept his head down: "Many reasons. For example, your bravery, purity, determination, and regardless-of-consequences stubbornness... I envy all of these."

He was lost in thought for a moment and said: "I can only handle some trivial matters, while Yaoyao is a great talented woman. I lack appreciation for many things; I cannot tell what is good and what is not, so I envy how you can see at a glance that this is good and that is not...

"The world in Yaoyao’s eyes must be colorful and vibrant, right?

"The colors in my eyes are so boring, so monotonous. I often want to know why your emotions fluctuate so much; the world you see must be so wonderful."

Mu Wanyao rested her chin on her hand, her eyes curling up as she looked affectionately at the young man sitting at her feet. While roasting the fish for her, he was also carefully laying out his own inner thoughts to her.

The gap between people is huge; even as lovers, loving to the extreme, one cannot say they fully understand the other. Mu Wanyao loved listening to Yan Shang talk about his troubles, his thoughts... Listening as if to a story, she heard about a world completely different from her own and marveled once again at how marvelous the fate between people could be.

Her husband was a man with a dearth of aesthetic sense. It turned out he didn't think he was all that great either; he also wanted to have rich sensory experiences.

How happy she was to be with him!

As the wind blew across her cheeks, Mu Wanyao leaned over to gather a strand of Yan Shang’s hair that had fallen beside his cheek. She told him his hair crown was crooked and not to move. So Yan Shang continued to lower his head to roast the fish, while Mu Wanyao, sitting on a giant rock half a head taller than him, bent down to straighten his hair crown.

As she looked down, she saw his long, thick eyelashes, his jade-white face, and his pink lips.

When she was lost in thought, he lifted his head and offered a piece of boneless fish meat. His eyes were shimmering like rippling water with falling stars, and he softly urged her to be careful, as it was hot.

For a moment, as Mu Wanyao was being fed by him, she felt that the current moment was so good. So good that she was reluctant to leave, so good that she was unwilling to change anything.

Yan Shang held the chopsticks for a long time, but didn't see Mu Wanyao open her mouth. Seeing that the fish meat was about to get cold, he looked at her in confusion. He saw Mu Wanyao staring at him, and slowly, laughter began to flow in her eyes, and the corners of her lips curled up.

Yan Shang was helpless, but he was also amused by her inexplicable behavior: "What are you laughing at?"

Mu Wanyao laughed, hugging her knees and resting her chin on them. She opened her mouth to eat the meat, but Yan Shang said it was cold and wouldn't let her eat it. He ate the little piece of meat he had picked himself, so Mu Wanyao hugged her knees and watched him pick the fish bones for her again. He busied himself for a long time and only ate that little bit himself.

Mu Wanyao watched him, observing him, and after a long while, she suddenly said: "What should I do, Brother Er."

The busy Yan Shang slightly lifted his face.

With the wind blowing his loose hair and his robes fluttering like flower petals, Mu Wanyao rested her chin on her knees and foolishly smiled: "I don't want to return to Chang'an anymore."

Yan Shang didn't understand her true meaning for a moment.

Mu Wanyao looked at him and laughed: "I don't want to go back to Chang'an, I don't want that power anymore. I don't want to read the letters the ministers in the capital write to me every month. I have been away from there for so long, what do those matters have to do with me? Besides, I can't be Empress anyway.

"I seem to have fallen in love with life as it is now. Brother Er is here recuperating, so there won't be too many mundane duties; you can spend more time with me. I can pick up the skills I threw away in my youth, read some books, and flip through old scores. We stay in Lingnan, close our doors, and live our own lives, not caring about the wind and clouds in Chang'an.

"We are like an immortal couple! No, even if someone offered me to be an immortal, I wouldn't trade!

"I suddenly... seem to not like power as much anymore. I seem... to like you a bit more. Having enough power to protect myself is sufficient, but Brother Er is the person I will spend my whole life with."

Yan Shang looked at her in a daze and didn't speak.

Mu Wanyao acted spoiled: "Say something! I confessed to you, I said I like you more than power, and you have no reaction at all?"

Light flowed in Yan Shang’s eyes.

He said softly: "Yaoyao, I am very happy."

Mu Wanyao raised her brow.

He whispered: "Not because you said I finally occupy the top spot in your heart. But because the fact that you can say such things means... you have finally reconciled with the past. I have no intention of agonizing over what you love more; those things don't have much meaning. When a person makes a real choice, their fleeting impulses, their true thoughts, and their long-ingrained thoughts might all be different.

"I am just happy, Yaoyao, that you have finally let go of the past and walked out of the shadows. I have accompanied you for several years, and we have known each other for nearly ten years... I was able to pull you out of the nightmares of the past, to make you stop dwelling on things, and to make you think of the present and the future...

"I am worthy of your love, and I have not let you down, right?"

Mu Wanyao looked at him quietly.

There were gradually some tears in her eyes. She wanted to say something, but as she opened her lips, laughter overflowed from the corners of her mouth. Her heart was sour and astringent, bitter and sweet. She absolutely did not feel grateful for the hardships of the past, but she was grateful that heaven had allowed her to meet Yan Shang. Heaven had treated her well in the end; it had stripped away some things, but it had compensated her by giving her the best Yan Shang in the world.

She loved this compensation.

Mu Wanyao acted obediently and spoiledly: "Brother Yan Er, do you want to give me a hug?"

She paused, the glow in her eyes like tears. She opened her arms to him, tilted her face, and closed her eyes, cute and charming: "Do you want to give me a kiss?"

Yan Shang laughed, got up, abandoned the work in his hands, sat over, and leaned down to take her into his arms—

Birds chirped and flowers bloomed; the world was beautiful and tranquil.

The couple snuggled together, but they didn't have much time for tenderness before they heard the sound of hurried hoofbeats.

Yan Shang released Mu Wanyao. He stood beside the seated Mu Wanyao, hand resting on her shoulder, and turned his face to see Fang Tong rushing over to find them, holding several letters in his hand.

Fang Tong faced Mu Wanyao: "The letters from the ministers in Chang'an for the Princess this month have arrived."

Mu Wanyao lowered her eyes.

Fang Tong then faced Yan Shang: "Er-lang, Miss Xiaozhou has written to you... but it was sent via the emergency channel that we agreed upon with Han Shuxing, sent at full gallop."

Yan Shang’s expression stilled, and the hand resting on Mu Wanyao’s shoulder trembled. An emergency channel would naturally not be used at ordinary times. Xiaozhou... had something happened?

Waves rose in his heart, and Mu Wanyao held his hand. He steadied himself, smiled at Mu Wanyao, and then tore open the letter.

Mu Wanyao scanned the letters from the ministers to herself and felt that the situation in Chang'an had not changed. In the corner of her eye, she saw Yan Shang’s expression becoming increasingly grave. Just as she began to feel uneasy because of him, he lifted his face and handed the letter to Mu Wanyao.

Yan Shang: "The intelligence Yang Sanlang spoke of... must be known to Chang'an with all haste."

——

Yang Si was currently doing hard labor building city walls at the border, but the keen observation skills he had cultivated over years of military life could not be underestimated.

He used Yan Xiaozhou’s voice to detail the unusual activities of the Southern Barbarian frontier forces over the past few months. For instance, how their troops were drawing inward more and more, and the difference in the frequency of their conflicts with Great Wei compared to previous years... all these pointed to one piece of intelligence: the Southern Barbarians might be preparing to take up arms against Great Wei.

Yang Si judged that now that the spring grass was sprouting and all things were recovering, the Southern Barbarians had recuperated well from their hibernation in the previous winter, and if they were truly going to mobilize, now was the best time.

Yang Si suspected that the internal strife among the Southern Barbarians had already ended. Everything now was just a feint to paralyze Great Wei. The Southern Barbarians were ambitious and had likely coveted this war for a long time.

With such information reaching Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao, the two could naturally not treat it as ordinary.

Yan Shang was skilled in socializing and had many friends in officialdom. Once Yang Si’s letter arrived, Yan Shang began writing to the Jiedushi of Jiannan and the Jiedushi of Longyou, as well as several generals guarding the two great formations, asking them for detailed military intelligence.

Furthermore, Yan Shang was worried that Lingnan was remote and that the time taken for letters to travel would delay military affairs, so he asked these people to reply to him later, but most importantly, to send their replies to Chang'an.

With several pieces of intelligence arriving together, Yan Shang’s teacher, Chancellor Liu, sitting in Chang'an, would surely see the problem. At the same time, Yan Shang also wrote a letter to Chancellor Liu, detailing the reason why Yang Si had to pass the message through him.

Yan Shang even kept a mental note—he realized that if Great Wei and the Southern Barbarians were to go to war, Yang Si’s letter would become a breakthrough for him to commit meritorious deeds to atone for his crimes.

Yan Shang not only wanted to think for the sake of Great Wei, but he also wanted to take the opportunity to strip away the sins on Yang Si’s body and help Yang Sanlang restore his reputation.

——

In the season of April, the officialdom in Chang'an City entered a state of tension. Chancellor Liu chaired the court conference to discuss the situation with the Southern Barbarians, negotiate the deployment of Great Wei’s troops, and prepare for provisions.

Liu Wenji held a military rank, so he naturally participated in such court conferences.

The only one excluded was the Emperor.

However, the Emperor clearly didn't care either—the ministers were too powerful, leaving the Emperor with nothing to do. While the court officials were discussing the credibility of the intelligence sent by Yan Er-lang and whether Great Wei should fight or negotiate with the Southern Barbarians, the Emperor was pestering the ministers to agree to let him tour the world.

The Emperor was in high spirits, wanting to tour the land of Great Wei as the Son of Heaven to see how strong the Great Wei he governed was.

The state affairs were handled by several Chancellors; the Emperor couldn't intervene in anything. When Yan Shang was in Chang'an, the Emperor had still tried to vie with the ministers. After Yan Shang left, the Emperor found that he couldn't beat these ministers, and fearing that exposing his own shallow talents over time would be problematic, he simply let the ministers do as they pleased.

Now, the Emperor just wanted to tour the world!

But Chancellor Liu and the others slammed the table, declaring that they must fight. To fight, they naturally needed the Ministry of Revenue to balance the books, ensure that the national treasury had ample provisions, and account for every penny spent. The Emperor’s desire to tour naturally had to be delayed; it could not be approved.

Chancellor Liu was a man of firm character; he forcefully suppressed the voices in the court that opposed the war. In his view, the Southern Barbarians had been plotting for a long time, and if Great Wei did not fight but instead sought peace, it would make the Southern Barbarians even more insatiable. Great Wei’s military strength might not be as good as the Southern Barbarians’, but Great Wei’s ample backup supplies were far beyond what the Southern Barbarians could compare to.

This battle, regardless of victory or defeat, Great Wei had to fight.

Chancellor Liu had been guarding against Liu Wenji interfering from within to stop the war. Because the contradiction between the literati and the eunuchs was so obvious, Liu Wenji would oppose all of his decisions.

But Liu Wenji did not oppose the war, which allowed the literati to heave a sigh of relief.

Liu Wenji did indeed not oppose the war. The literati group could profit from the war, and so could the eunuchs. War was the fastest way to get promoted... Liu Wenji wanted to insert the power of the eunuchs deeper and raise all the literati forces that relied on him, led by the Zhao family, to high positions.

Only the Emperor was unhappy, complaining to Liu Wenji that his opportunity to tour the world had been shot down by Chancellor Liu, and that no one cared about him as an Emperor.

Liu Wenji dealt with the Emperor perfunctorily, despising his shortsightedness in his heart.

However, this cooperative mindset of Liu Wenji towards the war changed at the end of April. A group of Southern Barbarians disguised themselves and entered Chang'an. They did not see the Emperor, but first saw this Eunuch Liu, asking him to cooperate with the Southern Barbarians——

Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao stayed in Lingnan, with a letter sent every day, at full gallop between Chang'an and Lingnan. It was just unfortunate that the place where they lived was truly too remote, and the information lagged too much; they couldn't get the latest news at all.

Yan Shang was tormented in his heart, starting to suffer from insomnia at night, fearing that the war would break out prematurely while Chang'an was still unprepared.

On the night Yan Shang and his wife suffered from insomnia, the Southern Barbarians had already marshaled their troops, divided into two armies, and began to invade from Hexi and Jiannan, respectively. The troops in Hexi were led by others, but because Jiannan was a land of wealth, it was eyed by King Ale of the Southern Barbarians. King Ale personally deployed the troops and sat in command there, wanting to take Jiannan.

Meng Zai Shi followed by King Ale’s side, and seeing that once the decision to start the war was made, this headstrong and self-opinionated king burst out with unprecedented keen intuition. King Ale not only sent people to Chang'an to see Liu Wenji, but also sent people to investigate the Jiannan government troops and investigate their weaknesses.

That night, at the border of Jiannan, because of their vigilance against the Southern Barbarians, the frontier army was much stricter than in the past. But by the time the guard shift was changed in the second half of the night, the guards began to slacken.

After a day of exhaustion, when Yang Si fell asleep in the tent as usual, he closed his eyes and suddenly felt the movement of light and shadow. He sat up immediately, and amidst the soldiers sleeping soundly in the tent, he looked at the tent. A moment later, other walking figures cast their shadows on the tent...

Yang Si leapt with his tall body, flipping out of the tent.

Fire-lit arrows suddenly raided the camp in the darkness, and the enemy cautiously crept over like assassins to kill the guards on duty. As they turned their heads, they saw a young man in black拔身而来 (leaping up), his body like black lightning——

"Looking for death!"

With a long roar from Yang Si, the entire military camp awakened, and the battle began!——

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

After the watchman’s bell, in Liu Wenji’s private residence in Chang'an City, Liu Wenji sat in a corner, watching the foreigner speak eloquently to him in broken Great Wei language:

"The things that Eunuch did, our King has kept evidence of all of them. Your teacher, Eunuch Cheng'an, is now being well-fed and well-provided for by our King. Only when Great Wei is finished can he be finished. Otherwise, we will personally send this Eunuch Cheng'an back to Great Wei to let him meet with you.

"As master and apprentice, I wonder if the Eunuch wants to see him?"

Liu Wenji stared at this whiskered foreigner with gloomy eyes. He asked slowly: "What do you want?"

The other party replied: "We want land, we want wealth, we want gold, silver, and jewelry, and beauties... Eunuch, we have our eyes on that piece of land, Jiannan. If Great Wei gives it to us, our tribe’s King is willing to sign an alliance with your Majesty of Great Wei, promising never to invade Great Wei!"

Liu Wenji did not speak.

He thought to himself, Jiannan... you truly are lion-hearted, daring to ask for it.

Liu Wenji lowered his eyes with a smile: "I need to think about it."

The other party said: "Don't think for too long... Eunuch, if my guess is correct, our first army has already entered your Great Wei."

Liu Wenji’s eyes shrank violently, and snowy light erupted. The other party laughed maliciously, saying: "Your Great Wei troops are no match for us."