Tigers Sniff the Rose - Extra Chapter 7

Extra Chapter - Young Wanderer (Part 7)

In broad daylight, the way Meng Zaishi stared straight at Mu Wanyao made Yan Shang knit his brows, a flash of displeasure crossing his face.

Mu Wanyao, true to her bearing as a princess of a great nation, only felt a brief moment of shyness before the Wuman King’s intense gaze. Following the teachings of her father the Emperor and mother the Empress, she offered a slight smile and nodded to the Wuman King as any mature princess would.

Meng Zaishi’s eyes, as if wiped clean by clear water, erupted with a fierce, nebula-like brilliance. He stared intently at Mu Wanyao, just about to utter a few more words in his unpracticed Great Wei tongue, when a figure in a cyan robe blocked his line of sight.

Yan Shang bowed to him and apologized: "Her Highness is a bit tired. My wife and I need to go change our clothes, so we will not be able to keep you company, Great King."

Meng Zaishi raised his long brows.

Perhaps it was because he didn't understand the nuance of the Great Wei language, but he felt that the word "wife" in the mouth of this gentle, jade-like Yan Er-lang had been emphasized with peculiar weight.

Troubled by his lack of fluency in the Great Wei tongue, Meng Zaishi wanted to stop them but didn't know what to say. He could only watch helplessly as Yan Shang exchanged a few words with the official behind him and then, hooking his arm through Mu Wanyao’s, led her away.

The official behind Yan Shang was equally astonished: Yan Suchen, a man so meticulous and devoted to his official duties, would actually leave halfway through with the Princess?

—

Yan Shang indeed intended to take Mu Wanyao to change.

Mu Wanyao had her own mansion in Fanchuan. It was just that Yan Shang had only recently become an official and hadn't saved up much wealth, so he was still living off the Princess’s food and drink. It was quite like the Princess was raising him, leaving him without a shred of masculine dignity.

But having married into the position of Princess’s consort, Yan Shang had long prepared himself for such a phenomenon.

Now, as he pulled Mu Wanyao back to the mansion, Yan Shang smiled bitterly. The sense of stifling gloom he hadn't felt even when he first married the Princess had been appearing frequently of late.

His heart was in a daze, completely at a loss regarding the shifts in his own emotions.

Yet, before he could sort out his own heart, Mu Wanyao was already casting hers to the four winds, enticing every man she encountered to the point where they couldn't tear their eyes away.

Mu Wanyao, being pulled by the wrist behind him, was quite relaxed: "Second Brother Yan, you weren't acting right just now."

Yan Shang pulled his focus from his chaotic thoughts to pay attention to his wife: "What?"

Mu Wanyao was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, her cheeks flushed with the rosy glow of vigorous exercise, her lips upturned and moistly vivid.

As her lips parted, she spoke: "I mean with the Wuman King. You didn't show the bearing of a great nation at all. You didn't even host him properly before dragging me away. We should have talked to him more, so he could experience the grace of the Great Wei."

Mu Wanyao spoke for a long time, but seeing Yan Shang stop in his tracks and stare at her without reaction, she was puzzled.

She curiously waved her hand in front of his eyes, worried: "Second Brother Yan, what’s wrong with you? Why are you zoning out?"

Yan Shang suddenly turned his face away, his neck burning red from his momentary loss of composure. Embarrassed, he waved his hand, his brows furrowed, deeply hating himself for being this way.

Mu Wanyao panicked: "What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly blush and frown? Are you sick? You were perfectly fine a moment ago!"

Full of worry, she stood on her tiptoes and reached out a finger to smooth the crease between Yan Shang’s brows, causing him to retreat a step in surprise. Her hand touched his face, and ignoring his attempts to dodge, she exclaimed: "You’re running such a fever... this sudden onset doesn't look easy to deal with. Brother, sit down quickly, let’s rest, let’s not walk anymore. Fang Tong, Fang... Hey!"

Yan Shang was pushed by her to sit on a craggy mountain stone by the side of the road. She scrambled into his arms, and he, his heart in total disarray, could only focus on dodging while remaining unable to speak.

When she turned and opened her mouth to call for Fang Tong, Yan Shang finally grew anxious. He clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her tightly into his embrace: "Don't call anyone! Are you not afraid of me being embarrassed enough already?"

Mu Wanyao didn't understand.

She leaned against his thigh, standing between his knees. She pulled down his hand that was covering her mouth, her slender, jade-like fingers still playing on his face.

She whispered worriedly: "But you are sick, aren't you? What is there to be embarrassed about?"

Yan Shang stared at her.

After a long while, he said: "You really don't understand?"

Mu Wanyao: "I really don't."

Yan Shang’s gaze grew complex, and the heat on his cheeks gradually faded under her innocent scrutiny.

Only then did Yan Shang lower his voice: "I don't believe you don't know. I blush when I get nervous, yet you claim I’m sick. Yaoyao, are you doing this on purpose?"

Mu Wanyao said coquettishly: "No way!"

But she smiled brightly as she burrowed into his chest, hugging his waist. She loved his waist; every time she touched it, she couldn't help but rub and knead it gently.

Yan Shang’s body stiffened, his back straightening, as he said helplessly: "Yaoyao, don't do that!"

After a year of marriage, Mu Wanyao had discovered that his waist was incredibly sensitive, and she always liked to touch it from time to time, which made Yan Shang very uncomfortable.

Pointed out by him, Mu Wanyao hid in his chest and rubbed against him quietly. Her cheeks were burning, and she whined in a spoiled, complaining tone: "I didn't do anything."

For some reason, there was a hidden desire in her heart to bully him.

She tried hard to control this urge, shocked at how she could have such thoughts, and how she could be so mean to him.

But every time she saw Yan Shang’s pure and clean appearance—as if he were the most innocent and saintly person in the world—a claw seemed to scratch at Mu Wanyao’s heart, constantly urging her: Tease him, tease him.

His skin was thin, and he was nearly ascetic with himself. Such a white-faced scholar was just too easy to tease.

If she didn't give him a little push, she would be wasting his capacity for being bullied.

Yet Mu Wanyao struggled to suppress her desire: she wanted to be a well-behaved and sensible wife who won her husband’s heart. Second Brother Yan hadn't even fallen in love with her yet; if she accidentally teased him until he distanced himself further, what would she do?

Mu Wanyao looked up, wanting to talk to Yan Shang. Yan Shang’s expression suddenly tightened. He grabbed the girl who was going limp in his arms like water, dragged her up, pushed her shoulder, and steered her in a direction: "Someone is coming."

Mu Wanyao was stunned; why did they have to hide just because someone was coming? Did a princess and the Crown Prince’s favorite official need to worry about other people’s opinions?

Mu Wanyao was shoved by Yan Shang into a rocky cave, and Yan Shang followed her inside. The cave was narrow; luckily, they were husband and wife, so it didn't matter how closely they were pressed together.

Mu Wanyao stood facing Yan Shang, almost nose-to-nose with him.

Mu Wanyao curiously turned her head to look outside the cave. Her face instantly turned bright red, and she realized why Yan Shang had pulled her away—

It was a pair of drunk and shameless noble lovers, one of whom appeared to be a married woman. As they walked and kissed, before they had even reached the cover of the forest, the two stopped, unable to wait. They began groping each other, locked in a fervent kiss.

Mu Wanyao buried her face in Yan Shang’s chest, blushing. Yan Shang held her, signaling her to remain silent.

But hiding like this wasn't a solution. Mu Wanyao only blushed for a moment before the sounds of the wanton couple outside tempted her to peek out again.

With that look, she saw the other party’s clothes half-undone, unable to endure for even a moment longer, beginning to act out wildly.

The fair, gleaming skin scorched Mu Wanyao’s eyes, and the woman’s head-tilted, lovesick murmurs as she called out to her lover stirred Mu Wanyao’s soul. The woman’s eyes were filled with lust, her head tilted back, lips parted, sighing and moaning. The extreme pleasure left her eyes reddened, misty with desire.

Yan Shang reached out to cover Mu Wanyao’s eyes, and he blocked her head from peeking out.

Mu Wanyao looked up at Yan Shang, seeing his embarrassed expression as he shook his head at her, signaling her not to watch.

Mu Wanyao’s heart thudded.

She whispered: "They... they are very excited."

Yan Shang: "..."

He hadn't expected Mu Wanyao to have the leisure to chat with him at a time like this. Fortunately, her voice was low, and Yan Shang was afraid that if he didn't answer, the little Princess would stir up more trouble.

He responded awkwardly in a low voice: "Hmm."

Mu Wanyao looked at his face.

She thought of the face of the man outside. She automatically projected herself and Yan Shang into the place of the couple. If she and Yan Shang were that selfless and carried away... she bit her red lip at the thought, both shy and embarrassed.

Seeing her blush like this, Yan Shang leaned down, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke in a breathy whisper: "Yaoyao, calm your heart. Do not let your thoughts run wild."

Mu Wanyao felt his lips brush her ear, and her cheeks turned even redder. She opened her eyes wide and denied it: "I’m not letting them run wild!"

Yan Shang offered a polite smile: "If not, then... Yaoy..."

Before his urgent "Yaoyao" could be uttered, Mu Wanyao threw her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him. His face went as pale as if it were dripping blood, not only because of her suddenness, but also because a small, spiritual snake was gently prodding his lips.

Yan Shang pushed her away in distress. Due to the limited space in the cave, the more he pushed, the more she clung to him. Yan Shang bit his teeth together, refusing to open them. His hands, resting on her back, were balled into fists, forcefully resisting her temptation.

He pursed his lips, sweating, his Adam’s apple bobbing. But he remained fully armed, not daring to relax.

If she kept being this stubborn, he wouldn't be able to hold out; if she became any more infatuated, he would go mad.

Just as Yan Shang’s willpower was about to collapse, Mu Wanyao couldn't break through his teeth and had to retreat in frustration.

Her eyes were filled with mist, entirely full of accusation.

Only then did Yan Shang speak, his voice already trembling and hoarse: "What are you doing?"

Mu Wanyao was on the verge of tears, lowering her head in deep sorrow: "Let’s separate."

Yan Shang was caught off guard, as if struck by a bolt of lightning; he stared at her blankly.

After a long moment, unable to control his voice, he stammered: "Why? You..."

Did she not like him anymore?

The moment he opened his mouth, teeth parted, he was tricked by Mu Wanyao’s sweet and soft little mouth, boldly robbed as she invaded his sanctuary.

Yan Shang pushed her away with a groan, but Mu Wanyao gave a mischievous smile and hooked her tongue with his.

And so, while the couple outside was locked in an inseparable embrace, the young couple in the cave also fell into an abyss of ice and fire.

It was as if they had opened a gorgeous new world.

The door filled with radiance was pushed open; Yan Shang was gripped with dread, yet couldn't help but be drawn in. Gradually, it was no longer her tangling with him, but him chasing after her.

He stopped pushing her away and instead drew her into his arms, as if wanting to knead her into his own bones and blood.

Their breathing was chaotic; his head was spinning.

Yan Shang had known this would happen, but he couldn't control it. Once the dam had broken and the flood of affection swept over him, covering the sky and the earth, he was nothing but a creature of flesh and blood, an ordinary man of this world—what could he do?

Finally, just as he was testing her against his chest, Mu Wanyao couldn't hold back anymore and pushed Yan Shang away.

By this time, the couple outside had long since left. Mu Wanyao’s clothes were in disarray, and his hand was pressed against her soft ribs. She whimpered like a kitten; Yan Shang’s eyes were bloodshot, and after a long while, he spoke in a hoarse voice: "Don't call out like that. I—I can't take it."

Mu Wanyao’s face turned even hotter.

She lowered her head to look at his hand pinching her waist. The fingers were slender, with the veins on the back of his hand slightly protruding, which couldn't help but remind Mu Wanyao of Yan Shang’s intense passion just a moment ago.

She whispered: "You were very excited just now."

She added a small thought in her heart: she had never seen him like this.

But what was it that made him lose himself? Was it the stimulation she herself brought, or the stimulation of the environment?

Yan Shang was distracted: "Hmm."

He lowered his head to tidy her clothes and hair, then suddenly asked: "When you said 'separate' earlier, you were lying to me, right?"

Mu Wanyao looked up in astonishment, meeting his gaze. She burst out laughing: "Of course I was lying to you! If I didn't say that, how could you, so conservative as you are, ever open your mouth? If you didn't open your mouth, how could I kiss you?"

She exclaimed with wonder: "So, when tongues touch, that’s what’s called 'kissing'! We were both wrong before; we were so silly."

These innocent, frank words were all the more soul-stirring. She didn't understand it herself, but Yan Shang’s fist at his side tightened again, forcing himself to control.

Yan Shang said hoarsely: "You shouldn't have lied to me like that; I took it seriously. Don't lie to me with such words again."

Mu Wanyao was stunned.

She whispered: "Is Brother afraid that I will leave?"

Yan Shang leaned down and pulled her into his arms. He murmured: "Yaoyao, I will give you anything you want, but don't do that. From the moment I married you, I swore in my heart to be husband and wife with you forever. I truly want to be husband and wife with you, otherwise, otherwise..."

Mu Wanyao looked up blankly. She was pulled into his arms as he bowed his head, her eyes looking past his shoulder at the blue sky outside.

Mu Wanyao whispered the rest for him: "Brother truly wants to be husband and wife with me, otherwise, every time I get close to you and play tricks on you, you wouldn't indulge me. You only indulge me because you want to be with me, right?"

Yan Shang whispered: "Yes."

Mu Wanyao curled her lips and hugged his waist with outstretched arms. She vowed: "I won't tease you with things like that ever again! I won't make you sad again. But Second Brother Yan must also trust me; I like Second Brother Yan so much, how could I bear to let Second Brother Yan go?"

She tilted her head, half-joking and half-serious: "I will hold onto you tightly and never let go."

Yan Shang laughed in embarrassment, his uneasy heart settling back into place.

He gently pushed her a little further away and bowed his head to look at her. Seeing her bright eyes and red lips, looking so sweet and lovable, he couldn't help but be moved, giving her lips a light peck.

Mu Wanyao’s eyes widened.

Yan Shang’s eyelashes trembled as he stood up quickly. Mu Wanyao gripped his hand, staring at his face in disbelief: "You blush even when you kiss me yourself! You said you blush when you’re nervous—what are you nervous about? Am I not the Yaoyao you love the most?"

Yan Shang laughed and pushed her hand away. With no one outside, he began to walk away, eager to flee the scene.

Mu Wanyao hugged him from behind, leaning on his back in even greater surprise: "You didn't refute me, hey. Am I already the Yaoyao you love the most? Is it true, is it?"

Yan Shang was teased into anger by her, yet he couldn't help but laugh. Just like that, the two of them walked out of the cave, tangled in their deep affection. When the couple reunited with their maids, everyone felt that the relationship between the Princess and the Consort seemed to have improved significantly, though they couldn't quite put their finger on it.

—

Mu Wanyao, however, could clearly sense the change in Yan Shang’s attitude.

Between two people in love, no one could be clearer about their emotional connection than the two people caught in the whirlpool itself.

Mu Wanyao was no longer the young woman she had been when she first married the year before.

She now understood that Yan Shang’s attentive care at the beginning was nothing more than courtesy and politeness; his subsequent evasion was because he was shy and didn't know how to deal with an emotion that was completely out of his control; and now, Yan Shang had begun to take the initiative to draw closer to her.

He began to face his emotions, no longer running away.

As a result, Mu Wanyao enjoyed an unprecedented level of care from Yan Shang. He wanted to solve every single problem by her side for her; he took the initiative to ask about her affairs and participated in her world, bit by bit.

He came to understand her and everything around her through subtle influence. He was attentive, patient, and deeply thoughtful, having likely inquired about the ancestors of Yang Si and Wei Shu to the eighteenth generation. Yang Si and Wei Shu had even become his friends.

Yan Shang would take the initiative to draw close to Mu Wanyao.

Before sleep at night, he would often stare at her for a long time, then sigh as if defeated by his own desires, leaning in to ask for a kiss.

And kissing was easy to get carried away by; it was easy to let sparks fly, and it would bring up other questions regarding intimacy between a man and a woman.

Especially in the case of Yan Shang, who was so disciplined and insisted on only kissing her while sitting on the edge of the bed.

When he kissed her within the bed curtains, when he pressed her down, it brought more longing. Every time a kiss couldn't relieve the tension, Mu Wanyao’s face would turn bright red, feeling both shy and fearful of his meticulous affection.

She had a clear feeling.

Because when he woke up every morning, he would sometimes couldn't help but kiss her, but the more he kissed her, the more his brows would furrow, and mist would fill his eyes. One day, when he was dazed, he was touched by Mu Wanyao, and she was startled. Yan Shang sighed, turned around to soothe her, and then slumped on her shoulder, sighing in misery.

Mu Wanyao thought: This is no way to go on, either.

Naturally, she wanted to be closer to Yan Shang, and besides, they had been husband and wife for a year; she had long since known how to be closer. It was just that every time Mu Wanyao recalled those two experiences, she found them painful... could it be that his pleasure required her to suffer?

Yet, that didn't seem right either.

On the day she and Yan Shang bumped into that couple engaged in their secret affair, the woman’s neck-tilted, misty appearance didn't look like pain at all; on the contrary, it looked exceptionally happy.

Then, surely... surely there was something that she and Yan Shang had gotten wrong.

It seemed perfectly normal that a couple who had gotten even their kisses wrong would have gotten that other matter wrong as well.

Mu Wanyao thought about these things, her face turning red, while simultaneously complaining about Yan Shang’s incompetence. He wasn't in a hurry, but she was.

Mu Wanyao made a decision; she decided to pay a visit to the Beili.

—

There were only a few days left before the grand ceremony, and Meng Zaishi frequented the Beili in Chang'an all day long. The Beili was a chaotic mix of people, hiding too many secrets.

The Wuman wanted to form an alliance with the Great Wei to jointly deal with the difficult Nanman, and there was no way to avoid coming to the Beili to gather some intelligence.

But Meng Zaishi pondered: his accession was illegitimate. He had killed his father the King and his younger brother to obtain this throne. Since the Wuman were also one of the five Nanman tribes, why would the Great Wei choose to ally with the Wuman instead of the Nanman?

In the end, Meng Zaishi needed to gain the recognition of the Great Wei to sit firmly on his throne and even gain the entire territory of the Nanman.

While he was dealing with various officials in Chang'an, he was also thinking of other methods.

With this intent in mind, Meng Zaishi frequented the Beili day and night. While he was sitting by the window of a pavilion one night, drinking his sorrows away, he glanced downward inadvertently.

The lights were brilliant, and the city was bustling. Mu Wanyao was dressed in men’s robes, walking boldly through the crowd.

The Great Wei had an open society where women often wore men’s clothing, so people took Mu Wanyao’s male attire for granted, merely glancing over to think that this lady looked quite beautiful.

But what was such a lady doing in the Beili?

Mu Wanyao walked through the crowd alone, only letting Fang Tong and the others follow from a distance so as not to disturb her. She was quite excited, as she had never strolled through the streets like this alone.

Before she was married, she couldn't even leave the imperial palace and had to have Yang Si secretly sneak her out; after she was married, she could go wherever she wanted, but there was no business for a noble Princess to have in the Beili, so Mu Wanyao had never been here.

Tonight, she was determined to learn a thing or two about the Beili.

Mu Wanyao lowered her eyes, a crafty smile rising in them as she turned. She knew Yan Shang was attending a banquet in one of the buildings in the Beili tonight.

She naturally trusted her husband’s character completely, but she also wanted to take a sneak peek at what Yan Shang was like when he wasn't in front of her.

She wanted to give him a surprise.

Mu Wanyao shuttled through the crowd with her hands behind her back when suddenly someone bumped into her waist. She stumbled back a step, and a figure darted out.

Mu Wanyao was still bewildered when another grunt sounded. The person who had run out felt his knees go weak, falling to the ground, and a jade pendant he had been holding in his hand flew out of his sleeve.

A tall, towering young man passed by behind Mu Wanyao and strode toward the person who had fallen. As the person on the ground shouted for mercy, the young man, who had bent down to pick up the jade pendant, turned back to look at the bright-eyed, brilliant young Princess.

Meng Zaishi took off his mask; the faint glimmer of the lanterns fell upon his face, creating a warm flow. His features were firm and handsome, his brows deep and distant.

Meng Zaishi hooked his lips into a smile at Mu Wanyao, handing back the jade pendant he had retrieved, speaking in Great Wei officialese: "He snatched this from you; I’ve brought it back."

Mu Wanyao looked at him, then at the thief on the ground. She reached out her slender, white fingers to take hold of her jade pendant. Meng Zaishi didn't let go immediately, and Mu Wanyao looked up, focusing her eyes.

Her voice remained as soft and glutinous as he remembered: "Won't you give it to me?"

Meng Zaishi coughed: "I am..."

Mu Wanyao smiled brilliantly, revealing her pearly white teeth: "I recognize you; you are the Wuman King Meng Zaishi, and the Great Wei grand ceremony invited you as well."

Meng Zaishi’s eyes brightened: "You remember me?!"

Mu Wanyao laughed: "Because I have a photographic memory."

Meng Zaishi didn't understand her "photographic memory," but seeing her smile, his heart warmed, and a surge of sour and happy affection welled up. He knew full well what this meant, but he gazed quietly at her slender figure standing in the lamplight. For a long time, he could only helplessly compromise with fate and return her smile.

Mu Wanyao took back her jade pendant and withdrew her gaze: "I still have some things to do, I’ll take my leave."

Meng Zaishi followed her: "The Beili is not safe; it has all kinds of people. I will accompany Your Highness."

Mu Wanyao hesitated for a moment, thinking it wouldn't be good to offend this foreign King, so after failing to decline twice, she defaulted to having him accompany her.

Meng Zaishi walked with his hands behind his back, his eyes fixed on her retreating figure. He suddenly said: "Your Highness is like a Goddess."

Mu Wanyao was confused: "What?"

Meng Zaishi looked into the distance: "In our Wuman legends, the supreme deity is the Goddess, and we pray to her for blessings. I have never seen a Goddess, but I feel that if there truly were a Goddess in this world, she would be exactly like Your Highness."

He sighed: "I feel as if I have met Your Highness in my dreams."

Mu Wanyao was bewildered; she understood the bold hint of this man. She moved two steps to the side, politely declining him with a look of wariness: "That must have been a nightmare."

Meng Zaishi was startled, then burst into laughter.

He raised his hand to block the swaying tassels of a lantern for her. This Wuman King, who looked down upon the world, revealed a rare softness in his eyes. He raised his eyes again, looking in a certain direction.

Not far away, Yan Shang pushed open a window and happened to see them.

His gaze met Meng Zaishi’s.

Meng Zaishi gave a provocative smile and withdrew his gaze.

Yan Shang lowered his long eyelashes, feeling irritable. He said to a friend beside him: "I’m going out to change."