Tigers Sniff the Rose - Extra Chapter 8

Extra Chapter - Young Wanderer (Part 8)

Meng Zaishi accompanied Mu Wanyao as she strolled through the streets of Beili.

He trailed a step or two behind, watching her back. He observed her carefree demeanor, full of curiosity about everything; the smile she wore was bright, like the brilliant light of spring.

This was a Great Wei princess who had been cherished and doted upon her entire life.

It was different from the image Meng Zaishi held in his mind.

Meng Zaishi had once had a dream.

Mu Wanyao said it was a nightmare—perhaps it was.

In that dream, he had boasted of ambition and aspiration, yet in the end, he had died with his goals unfulfilled, meeting his end alongside Yang Si due to his own momentary negligence.

And in that dream, the young lady Meng Zaishi longed for in his heart was not one of his wives or concubines, but Mu Wanyao, a Great Wei princess sent to marry into his kingdom, whom he could never truly possess.

She was wedded to his father, the King, yet she maintained a secret affair with him. They used one another, yet they also played games with one another. Meng Zaishi had intended that once he ascended to the throne, he would make this princess his Queen.

The traditions of the Wuman had been this way since ancient times; he did not feel there was anything wrong with it.

But to Mu Wanyao, it was a humiliation.

She seized a fleeting opportunity to kill the new King, sowed discord between him and the new ruler, and returned to the Great Wei. Once she returned to the Great Wei, she never wanted to come back to the Wuman again.

She hated the land of Wuman, she hated his father, and she loathed him as well.

To that princess, Meng Zaishi’s love was not love, but a nightmare she could never shake off.

After waking from the dream, Meng Zaishi felt a sense of profound loss. He grieved for his own unrealized ambitions and premature death, but also for that Great Wei Princess Danyang he could not obtain.

He did not know if the dream was true or false, but by using it to test reality, he discovered it had been a precognitive dream. He had then utilized his foresight to kill his father and younger brother in advance, ascending to the throne himself.

He no longer followed the Nanman King, intending instead to join forces with the Great Wei ahead of schedule to conquer the Nanman together. The Great Wei possessed fine young men like Yan Shang, Yang Si, and Wei Shu; Meng Zaishi admired and respected them, and he had to admit his own inferiority. If he remained an enemy to these men, he might simply repeat the scenes from his dream.

It was better to cooperate.

Yet at the same time, some things had changed from Meng Zaishi’s dream.

For instance, Mu Wanyao was not sent to marry into the Wuman. Mu Wanyao was also no longer the pathetic princess abandoned by her mother, mourning the early death of her brothers, and exploited by her imperial father, forced to rely on seizing power herself just to secure a place in this world.

Meng Zaishi had assumed that with his precognitive dream, once he arrived in the Great Wei, he could attempt to woo this princess. Without the shadow his father had cast upon her in his dream, if he loved her well and pursued her with devotion, never letting her suffer again, she might not be unwilling to return to the Wuman with him.

Because she was such a righteous princess, full of deep understanding.

She was a princess who could sacrifice her own marriage for the peace between two nations.

However, in reality, Mu Wanyao’s second brother had not died; he was the current Crown Prince. There was no rift between the Emperor and the Empress, and no opportunity for ministers to exploit in order to subvert the throne. The two of them steadily suppressed the noble families, supported the scholars from humble backgrounds, and trusted one another. The Great Wei was a nation of flourishing prosperity, not one buffeted by storms.

Furthermore, Mu Wanyao had not given Meng Zaishi any opportunity.

At the age of eighteen, she had hurriedly married. And the consort was still Yan Shang.

It was always Yan Shang.

This left Meng Zaishi feeling quite frustrated—it seemed that regardless of the reason, as long as she had a choice, she would always choose Yan Shang.

She always chose Yan Shang.

Whether she was a woman who had experienced suffering and longed for a gentle man, or one who had not yet experienced hardship but still admired a gentle man.

Yan Shang was the emotional hurdle she could never overcome; she would always fall for this man.

Just as Mu Wanyao was the hurdle Meng Zaishi could never overcome. His mind told him to let it go, to stop tormenting her, but as soon as his eyes beheld her, his ears heard her, and his heart sensed her, he would be involuntarily drawn to her.

It mattered not whether she was a charming, cold, and callous princess, or the sweet, naive, and innocent princess he saw before him now.

Her essence remained unchanged.

He loved her.

—

While walking along the street, Mu Wanyao remained on guard against the Wuman King behind her.

She vaguely felt that this Wuman King seemed to admire her, but she could not be certain, so she could only maintain her distance. Under the weight of her suspicions, Mu Wanyao did not even want to continue having fun.

Yet, on second thought, Fang Tong and the others were following her, and she was still a Princess—what was there to fear? She had Second Brother Yan; why did she always act so timid whenever she met a stranger?

Moreover, Meng Zaishi was merely following her; he wasn't bothering her, nor was he exerting much pressure on her... this man did not seem like a bad person.

Because Meng Zaishi had not bothered her from behind, Mu Wanyao quickly relaxed and continued her sightseeing.

Meng Zaishi suddenly asked her, out of the blue: "With Your Highness’s golden constitution, is there a particular reason for coming to a place like Beili?"

Mu Wanyao, completely off her guard, answered bluntly: "I’m looking for Second Brother Yan."

Meng Zaishi raised an eyebrow.

Estimating in his heart that Yan Shang would arrive soon, he couldn't resist sowing discord: "It seems the Consort has done something to wrong Your Highness, and you have come to catch him in the act."

Mu Wanyao’s face turned bright red, and she turned to glare at him.

Her eyes, seemingly ready to spray fire, looked exactly like the arrogant and unrestrained Mu Wanyao from Meng Zaishi’s memories.

She retorted angrily: "Nonsense! My Second Brother Yan would never do anything to wrong me! Even if every other man in the world did, he wouldn't! You don't understand the character of my Second Brother Yan at all!"

Meng Zaishi remained calm: "Your Highness is too young. Is there any man in this world who does not stray?"

Mu Wanyao insisted stubbornly: "That’s you! There are people with noble morals who are strict with themselves, examining their own faults every single day... people like that are like high mountains and clear waters; they are sights other men will never witness in their lifetimes!"

Meng Zaishi laughed leisurely: "Perhaps it is only that he is calculating and does not let you know. If he wanted to hide it from you, would it not be easy?"

Mu Wanyao was so angry her eyes turned red.

Meng Zaishi had infuriated her with just a few words. She only knew how to stubbornly insist that Yan Shang would not be like that, but this was a matter of feeling between a husband and wife; how was she supposed to convince Meng Zaishi?

She simply kept repeating, "He is not that kind of person."

Meng Zaishi watched Mu Wanyao quietly, seeing her eyes moist and her lips half-bitten; she was almost crying from the anger he had caused.

Meng Zaishi laughed in spite of himself and said: "Your Highness is too young."

He raised his gaze and saw Yan Shang walking toward them. A thought stirred in his heart, and with a flick of his finger, the knee of a passerby was struck by a gust of air, causing the person to accidentally fall toward Mu Wanyao.

Mu Wanyao staggered from the impact, and Meng Zaishi stepped forward with natural ease, reaching out to support her. Fearing the person would collide with her, he essentially held her in a light embrace.

Meng Zaishi spoke with a solemn tone: "Your Highness, be careful."

Mu Wanyao’s face flushed instantly, and she said bashfully: "Thank you..."

Meng Zaishi suddenly exclaimed in surprise toward a certain direction: "Hey, isn't that Yan Er-lang?"

Mu Wanyao immediately looked toward the sound.

Her eyes lit up, and she truly saw the beautiful young man in cyan robes walking toward them through the crowd.

Meng Zaishi had expected Mu Wanyao to be embarrassed and flee because she had been held by another man, causing a misunderstanding with Yan Shang.

He had not expected Mu Wanyao to be this innocent.

Without a shred of suspicion, she pushed Meng Zaishi away and ran toward Yan Shang: "Second Brother Yan!"

Meng Zaishi had also underestimated Yan Shang. He thought that upon seeing him holding Mu Wanyao, Yan Shang would be angry with her.

He did not expect that when Yan Shang saw the little Princess running toward him, a warm smile would light up his eyes, and he would take the initiative to open his arms and bend over, allowing Mu Wanyao to throw herself into his embrace.

Yan Shang held Mu Wanyao in a full embrace.

Mu Wanyao was surprised that he would hold her in public view, with people around them looking on. Mu Wanyao tilted her face up in his arms, puzzled, while Yan Shang looked down at her.

He said gently: "I saw it was you from afar, but I wasn't sure. Why did you come here to play? Is it fun?"

Mu Wanyao acted spoiled: "I don't know yet, I haven't gone upstairs. By the way, someone is accompanying me."

Mu Wanyao turned back, and Yan Shang raised his eyes, looking steadily at Meng Zaishi as he walked over. He wrapped his arm around Mu Wanyao’s shoulder, pulling her behind him, while nodding with a polite, calm smile at the man who coveted his wife: "So it is the Great King."

Meng Zaishi looked at this couple, feeling a sense of frustration.

One was too foolish, and the other was too forgiving. A little sowing of discord was useless between these two.

Meng Zaishi: "I encountered Her Highness on the road and, seeing her strolling alone, feared someone might disturb her, so I came to protect her."

Mu Wanyao peeked out from behind Yan Shang: "That’s right, Second Brother Yan, he was protecting me. Once he retrieved my jade pendant, and once when I was bumped, he supported me."

Yan Shang asked Mu Wanyao gently: "Did the guard Fang and the others not follow?"

Mu Wanyao pouted: "They are following, they’re right behind us. I didn't let them follow me every single step of the way, otherwise, everyone would know my identity, and I wouldn't be able to play."

Yan Shang stroked her cold face and smiled: "Naughty."

He asked her again if she was hungry, thirsty, or tired, and Mu Wanyao answered him obediently. She held deep affection for Yan Shang; she answered whatever Yan Shang asked, trusting her husband to the utmost.

Meng Zaishi turned his head slowly and smiled slightly. He knew Yan Er-lang was doing this for his benefit.

Tsk, tsk.

As expected of Yan Shang.

His steady, unruffled style was always the same.

Having finished asking after Mu Wanyao, Yan Shang took her hand, intending to take her away. Meng Zaishi spoke up at this moment: "I’m afraid that’s not convenient, is it? Since Yan Er-lang is here, you likely have a banquet with court officials. If you rashly bring a female attendant back to the banquet, some government matters might be difficult to discuss."

Mu Wanyao immediately said: "Oh, right. Second Brother Yan, I won't go back to the banquet with you. Why don't you come pick me up after your banquet is over? I’ll just play on my own."

Yan Shang’s brows furrowed, and just as he was about to refute this, Meng Zaishi stepped forward: "Rest assured, Er-lang, I will stay by Her Highness’s side and wait for you to come and pick her up. If anything happens to Her Highness, I will pay with my life."

Mu Wanyao nodded repeatedly, sensible as could be: "Brother, hurry back!"

Yan Shang: "..."

He stared at Mu Wanyao for a long time: "Yaoyao, do you know what you are doing?"

Openly, in front of your husband, singing a duet with another man and insisting on leaving with him.

Mu Wanyao blinked: "I am being a virtuous wife. Am I not virtuous?"

Yan Shang: "...You are virtuous to a fault."

Mu Wanyao didn't understand, and Yan Shang reached out to ruffle her hair. Abandoning his own stance, he smiled and sighed: "Fine, go play if you want to. I will come to pick you up when I finish shortly.

"I trouble the Great King to protect my wife."

Seeing Yan Shang define him as a "bodyguard," Meng Zaishi sneered, bowed, and accepted. As long as he could spend a few more moments with Mu Wanyao, a bodyguard he would be.

And Yan Shang was not finished yet.

In front of Meng Zaishi, he summoned Fang Tong and gave him a few whispered instructions. Fang Tong glanced at Meng Zaishi and acknowledged the order. Meng Zaishi guessed that Yan Shang was ordering someone to watch him and guard against any insults to the Princess.

Meng Zaishi could not be bothered to care and let them do as they pleased.

—

After Yan Shang left, Meng Zaishi led Mu Wanyao up to the pavilion, ordered a banquet, and summoned singing and dancing girls to accompany them, allowing the little Princess to feast her eyes on the style of Beili.

Only when Mu Wanyao hesitantly wanted to keep one of the singing girls did Meng Zaishi mercilessly drive the woman away.

Mu Wanyao glared at Meng Zaishi: "What are you doing? I have something I need to ask."

Meng Zaishi smiled: "Just ask me if you have something to ask. I cannot let you associate with the women of Beili; if you learn something bad, Yan Er-lang will have to settle the accounts with me."

Mu Wanyao blushed with frustration and rested her chin in her hands, sullenly.

Meng Zaishi poured her wine and smiled: "Don't be angry, let’s drink."

Mu Wanyao refused: "I don't drink. Second Brother Yan cannot stand the smell of alcohol; for his sake, I decided long ago not to touch a drop."

Meng Zaishi was stunned and whispered: "For his sake, you have even changed this."

Mu Wanyao turned her face toward him: "What did you say?"

Meng Zaishi regained his composure: "Nothing."

He drank the wine he had poured for himself in one gulp, then proceeded to drink cup after cup.

The atmosphere at the table grew stifling.

Mu Wanyao looked at him with her beautiful eyes: "Are you unhappy? If so, you can go; I will wait for Second Brother Yan by myself."

Meng Zaishi’s face darkened: "Yan Er-lang, Yan Er-lang—is your whole heart only occupied by him? Do you not seek power, do you not seek to win over hearts, do you not seek to maneuver in all directions! You only remember Yan Shang! What exactly is so good about him?"

Mu Wanyao stared at him for a long time.

And what Meng Zaishi truly wanted to ask was merely, "Is it really impossible to consider me?"

Mu Wanyao was incredibly bright; she finally saw the Wuman King’s true intent. As if to avoid suspicion, she stood up: "You are drunk; I am leaving."

Meng Zaishi reached out and grabbed her wrist.

She scolded him to let go.

After a long silence, Meng Zaishi smiled bitterly: "It’s fine, sit down. Let me guess: you came to Beili just because of a man. If you want to ask about a man’s heart, it’s better to ask me, this man, than those women in Beili.

"You came here just for the problems in your relationship with Yan Er-lang."

Mu Wanyao was surprised. After a moment of hesitation, she sat back down.

—

Mu Wanyao spoke hesitantly. She felt it wasn't right to ask Meng Zaishi such questions, but Meng Zaishi had suddenly adopted the posture of a confidant, and she found she couldn't refuse.

In the end, she hesitated and told Meng Zaishi that everything between her and Yan Shang was fine, except for one thing that was rather difficult.

Meng Zaishi was blunt: "Bed... matters?"

Mu Wanyao glared at him.

Meng Zaishi laughed.

As he laughed, he slumped forward, resting his arms on the table, his shoulders trembling. Everything was so ridiculous, everything was so absurd. The princess he longed for in his heart was troubled by her affairs in bed with another man.

And he was listening!

A sense of violent tyranny rose in his heart; he wanted to simply disregard everything and force himself upon her, to take her away. At the same time, he felt bitter, wondering if he did that, how would it be any different from the dream he had lived?

Wasn't it better for her to be carefree?

Why did he have to force her to become that real Mu Wanyao?

The real Mu Wanyao had trod through suffering and stepped through blood; was she born wanting to be that way?

Mu Wanyao watched him slumped over the table, laughing with trembling shoulders, his laughter hoarse like a cry. She was terrified and stood up again, saying she was leaving.

Meng Zaishi said: "No need to leave, I’ll tell you—those things in bed are not troublesome at all."

He raised his face from the table, looking at her with a dazed gaze: "The dumber method is what you planned before—to seek advice from the ladies of Beili, learning how to make a man take the bait, and how to be a bit more harmonious in bed."

Mu Wanyao’s face turned bright red, but she grasped it instantly: "So you mean there are other methods?"

Meng Zaishi said calmly: "There is also a permanent solution."

He twirled a pill between his fingers and dangled it in front of Mu Wanyao, who had sat back down: "Men, for the most part, are all the same. Women, for the most part, are also all the same. This problem between you and Yan Er-lang is merely a lack of adjustment between the two sides. I will not guess why you have not adjusted well; if I guessed that reason, it would only make me angry.

"The permanent solution is for you to eat this pill. It is an aphrodisiac. I will have someone go find Yan Er-lang; he will come to save you, and you two are husband and wife, so he will inevitably have to perform this act with you.

"After doing it a few more times, your problem will likely be resolved."

Mu Wanyao stared blankly at the pill in Meng Zaishi’s hand. Her heart pounded, and she finally reached out her hand toward him.

—

When Meng Zaishi walked out of the pavilion, he brushed shoulders with Yan Shang, who was rushing up the stairs.

Yan Shang whispered a word of thanks to him, but Meng Zaishi said nothing.

He was muddled and groggy, as if trapped between the dual spaces of a nightmare and reality. He stumbled down the stairs and walked along the boisterous street, which was filled with the scent of rouge.

On both sides of the street, lanterns were brilliant, and the singers and dancers were beckoning from the buildings above.

Meng Zaishi let out a sudden, startled laugh, full of tragic sorrow, his shoulders slumping.

Let it be... let it end like this!

They were a divine couple, and he was ultimately just a passerby.

The best help he could provide her was to never appear in her life again.

If it were possible, would he willingly be her nightmare?!

—

After this night, the couple Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao truly became as sweet as honey.

The two of them wrote an invitation to host Meng Zaishi. Meng Zaishi accepted the invitation and spoke with Yan Shang calmly about government affairs, discussing the plight of the Wuman and the cooperation between the Great Wei and the Wuman.

As for Mu Wanyao, Meng Zaishi never mentioned her again.

After the grand ceremony, the Wuman King Meng Zaishi led the envoys from various countries to conduct military exercises with the officials of the Great Wei. To ensure fairness, civil officials like Yan Shang and Wei Shu also participated in the exercises.

Meng Zaishi gave his all in this exercise. He was exceptionally eager to know, when he exerted his full strength and the Great Wei did not have to hide its skills, whether he could defeat Yang Si, and whether he could defeat Yan Shang.

Because of Meng Zaishi’s all-out effort, this exercise was exceptionally spectacular. Mu Wanyao spent the entire day worried from the sidelines. Yang Si stole the show during the exercise, which made the First Prince quite gratified.

And the First Prince and Mu Wanyao, who were usually not very harmonious with each other, found much common ground during these exercises; they both worried about people getting hurt and feared accidents.

The exercises ended with a narrow victory for the Great Wei. But in the final battle, Meng Zaishi played a trick, causing Wei Shu, Yan Shang, and Yang Si to all suffer injuries in the battle.

The injured men were carried off the field unconscious. Both the First Prince and Mu Wanyao looked grim, wanting to fight Meng Zaishi to the death. Thanks to the Crown Prince’s mediation, both sides were stopped from causing further loss of life off the field.

As Yang Si’s cousin, Zhao Lingfei naturally wanted to visit her cousin after he was carried off unconscious. However, after Yang Si left the field, he was taken into the palace by the First Prince, which left her quite melancholy.

While she was melancholy, she saw Wei Shu, who was equally heavily injured. The youth was pale, his eyes closed in misery. For some reason, her mind exploded with a boom, and her heart suddenly felt a dull, tingling ache.

Zhao Lingfei involuntarily walked toward Wei Shu and stood before him. She bent over and whispered: "What happened to you?"

—

And the three injured young men all had the same nightmare.

The three of them remained unconscious for three days, causing the people around them immense anxiety. And in their dreams, they saw storms shaking the earth, buildings collapsing, the flames of war causing displacement, and the brevity of life amidst romantic entanglements... could a single word truly encompass it all?

—

Three days later, Yang Si was the first to wake from the nightmare.

The moment he woke up, after a brief period of distraction, he bid farewell to the First Prince, mounted his horse, and left Chang'an, heading straight for the Jiangnan region.

He rode at breakneck speed, unable to wait. It was hard to distinguish truth from falsehood in the dream, but he could not forget it upon waking. Changing horses several times, he finally arrived in Lingnan days later and found Yan Shang’s home.

In Yan Shang’s old home, fourteen-year-old Yan Xiaozhou was squatting by the well. She turned her face and saw the gate outside the fence being pushed open; the travel-worn Yang San-lang, covered in sweat and with crimson-red eyes, was looking at her.

She squatted by the well, the sunlight falling upon her, fair and delicate, her apricot-shaped eyes widening in astonishment.

Yang Si walked toward her step by step and stood before her.

He thought of the heavy scenes in the dream, thinking of the outcome where she waited for him always, yet never again received him.

His eyes were crimson, his nose stinging. Yang Si suddenly shed a tear and reached out to hug Yan Xiaozhou.

Yan Xiaozhou was startled and blushed: "You, you let go of me... Did you mistake me for someone else?"

Yang Si closed his eyes in sorrow.

He murmured: "I did not mistake you. It is my fault.

"Little sister Xiaozhou, scold me, fear me, hate me. In the previous life, I made you wait for me in vain; this time, let me be the one to wait for you. Wait for you to grow up, wait for you to open your heart to love, wait for you... to come love me."

—

In the Wei mansion in Chang'an city, Wei Shu sat up with his robes draped over his shoulders, and Zhao Lingfei sat blushing by his bedside.

She said awkwardly: "Actually, I haven't come to visit you every day; I only came to look occasionally... although we don't know each other yet, but..."

Wei Shu interrupted softly: "My name is Wei Shu, courtesy name Juyuan. I am the seventh in my family, fifteen years old this year, half a year older than you.

"Let us reintroduce ourselves."

Zhao Lingfei looked at him in surprise, her eyes suddenly curving as she thought of the news she had gathered, which all said Wei Qi-lang did not like to speak.

But Wei Qi-lang spoke with her.

It was wonderful.

Zhao Lingfei smiled openly and reached out her hand: "I am willing to be friends with Seventh Brother Wei."

—

In Princess Danyang’s mansion, Mu Wanyao was sitting before the mirror, combing her hair.

Hearing the news that her consort had awakened, she hurriedly pushed aside the maid combing her hair and stood up to go see Yan Shang. But she had only just stepped out when she saw Yan Shang, his clothes in disarray, coming toward her, colliding with her in a full embrace.

He held her tight.

Mu Wanyao was worried: "What’s wrong with you?"

Yan Shang lowered his head, cupped her face in his hands, and looked at her earnestly.

He compared her with the Mu Wanyao of his dreams, inch by inch. The wanton and romantic princess had not appeared in his reality, and had not made him fall in love at first sight... but he was fortunate that she had not appeared.

Only now did he realize how precious the innocent and ignorant Mu Wanyao was.

He held her in his arms and whispered: "I had a dream. In the dream, it was like that, and we were quite good... but in reality, this is better.

"Yaoyao, don't change. Just be like this. I like the Yaoyao of that dream, but I like this Yaoyao even more. Let us always be together, all right?"

The young Princess in his arms was both happy and shy, dutifully saying "all right," before boldly looking up and planting a kiss on his face. She watched his expression with mischievous and nervous curiosity, her eyes blinking like dripping water.

Yan Shang could not help but smile, holding her even tighter.

He cherished this Mu Wanyao above all else.