Yan Shang had been drunk for who knows how long before he was woken up by Mu Wan who kept forcing him to drink sobering soup.

He was lying on the bed in his own mansion in a daze. Mu Wanyao sat beside him, hugged him, and helped him sit up. He still had a splitting headache, closed his eyes and frowned, and when he opened his eyes with difficulty, he only saw that the gauze curtain was still hanging low, and it was still dark outside.

Yan Shang held up his head.

Mu Wan shook her head: "Does your head hurt? Drink some hangover soup, it should feel better."

Yan Shang didn't say anything, and was forced to drink the soup from her hand. The gauze curtain was closed, and Mu Wan lowered her eyes to look at him. He was leaning on her shoulder with his hair loose and only wearing a shirt. His usually white face looked haggard and pale, and the corners of his eyes and cheeks were still red as if they were burning.

He was still unclear, his brows were furrowed, and he probably had a headache.

But he has a good temper. No matter how upset he is, he never shows it, never gets angry with others, and just endures it.

The beautiful boy was suffering like this, with a sense of self-pity in his weakness, which was something he had never seen before. He had an extremely stunning beauty that was like a stunning beauty that you only catch a glimpse of.

Mu Wanyao didn't have the heart to wake him up halfway, after all, the last time he was drunk, he slept until noon. But Mu Wanyao was ruthless, she had to ignore his weakness and wake him up.

After drinking another bowl of hangover soup, Yan Shang seemed to be more conscious, but he felt so uncomfortable that he almost vomited. He also felt that he was in a very bad state at the moment. At least, Mu Wan looked down at him and observed him, which made him very uncomfortable. But he no longer had the energy to worry about this.

Holding back the urge to vomit caused by the hangover soup, Yan Shang's long hair brushed against Mu Wan's shaking neck, and he asked in a vague voice: "Is it not dawn yet..."

Mu Wan shook his head and said, "Yes, it's not dawn yet, but you have to get up. Go wash up, eat a little and then go out. Today is the New Year's Day court meeting. Not only court officials, Beijing officials, but all local officials must participate in the New Year's Day court meeting.

"This is only your first year as an official, so you can't make any mistakes today. I've asked your servants to prepare your official uniform. Today's court meeting is one of the rare days of the year when you get to wear your official uniform. You absolutely can't make any mistakes.

"Even if your head hurts, you have to endure it."

Yan Shang closed his eyes, rested for a while, and said, "I know."

He propped his elbows on the bed and tried to stand up by holding onto the bedpost. His hands were shaking from the alcohol and he swayed a bit. Mu Wanyao hurried to help him up. Yan Shang smiled at her gratefully and called Yun Shu to go out and wash up.

Mu Wanyao looked at his thin and frail back, and saw him rubbing his forehead with his hand, with the redness at the corners of his eyes not fading away... Mu Wanyao felt a little soft-hearted again, and said hesitantly: "Why don't you not go, and take sick leave."

Yan Shang said: "How can I make a mistake in such an important matter in my first year as an official? Don't worry, Your Highness. I'm fine. I'll be fine in a moment."

Mu Wanyao secretly regretted: "I shouldn't have let you do whatever you want last night."

Yan Shang had already opened the door, and a faint light shone in from outside. He stood there in a daze for a moment, then turned around to look at his wife who was still lowering her head in regret inside the house.

Yan Shang said: "If you want to blame it, it's me who couldn't resist the temptation, how can you blame Your Highness?"

Mu Wanyao had no choice but to wake him up. With Yan Shang's almost terrifying demands on him, he would definitely go to the court meeting and not make any mistakes. Yan Shang went out to wash up. Mu Wanyao stood in the room for a while. At this moment, she didn't care about her own affairs. She just prayed that today's New Year's Day court meeting would not take too long.

At the same time, she was secretly surprised and thought that Yan Shang's physique of getting drunk as soon as he touched alcohol was too much.

Was he born like this?

As Mu Wanyao was thinking, there was a knock on the door and a maid came to report. The maid said a few words, and Mu Wanyao showed a surprised and thoughtful look. She said, "I'll go out and take a look."

-----

Mu Wanyao walked down the steps and bumped into the young lady of the Liu family who was getting off the carriage at the gate of the mansion, wearing a veil.

The maid helped Liu Ruozhu get off the car. Liu Ruozhu was looking up to see what the door of Yan Erlang's mansion looked like when she saw Princess Danyang coming out of Yan Erlang's mansion.

Liu Ruozhu was surprised for a moment, then knelt down to greet her. The snow-white curtain went all the way to her feet, entwined with the plain skirt. When Liu Ruozhu was paying her respects, the morning breeze blew up a corner of the curtain, revealing her elegant and beautiful face, which was exactly the most outstanding young lady in the world, the appearance that could only be seen in ancient paintings.

Mu Wanyao stared at Liu Ruozhu, knowing that she was the granddaughter of Teacher Yan Shang and it was not easy to offend her. But now she was very sensitive to any girl who came to see Yan Shang, so she asked: "Madam Liu, are you here to see Yan Shang? Did Mr. Liu ask you to come?"

Liu Ruozhu was wondering how Princess Danyang came out from Yan Erlang. A vague idea made her heart skip a beat, but she didn't dare to think too much about it.

Liu Ruozhu answered obediently, "Because Second Brother Yan hurriedly said goodbye yesterday evening, saying that he had someone else to see. Second Brother Yan was in such a hurry, I was a little worried, so I came to visit him early today. And, and...now the city is bright and shining, and my husband is out, the whole city is bright. I think Second Brother Yan has not seen it, and I am afraid that he has missed this rare sight of the year, so I want to ask Second Brother Yan to go and see it together."

Every New Year's Day of the Wei Dynasty, before dawn, all the gates of Chang'an were opened in advance. The prime minister, the three envoys, and the Grand Guards, accompanied by other officials on horseback and holding torches, would wander around the city to drive away diseases for the people.

The flames spread all over the city, illuminating thousands of miles away. The prime minister, who worked in the palace all year round, rarely showed up in front of the people, and the people rushed to watch. This was the only chance for ordinary people to see the "head of all officials" in a year.

This is what Liu Ruozhu called the "Fire City".

Liu Ruozhu said this, and Mu Wanyao remembered the tradition of "Fire City". Yan Shang now has Liu Xianggong as his teacher, and maybe he can follow Liu Xianggong and see for himself the power of the prime minister and the glory of Fire City.

But Mu Wanyao was only moved for a moment, thinking of Yan Shang's current condition... She refused: "He is sick and unwell. I'm afraid he can't go with you to see the 'Fire City'."

Liu Ruozhu immediately asked about what illness Yan Erlang had. Mu Wanyao said a few perfunctory words and just said that he would not miss the court meeting.

Mu Wanyao was cold and indifferent throughout the whole process, speaking only a few words at a time. She had a cold face and a hint of impatience, ready to lose her temper at any time, but she barely held back because she didn't want Yan Shang to offend his teacher.

Fortunately, Liu Ruozhu was gentle. Seeing that the princess looked unwell and after confirming that Yan Shang would not miss the court meeting, Liu Ruozhu did not ask any more questions.

At this time, the servant Yunshu came out of the mansion and whispered behind the princess: "Your Highness, Erlang heard that someone came to visit and asked who it was."

Mu Wan shook: "..."

She stood at the gate of the mansion, reluctant to let Liu Ruozhu in.

In fact, Mu Wanyao was not very worried about the previous Zhao Wuniang and Zhao Lingfei.

Because Zhao Lingfei is lively and energetic, while Yan Shang is extremely introverted and low-key. Zhao Lingfei does not quite meet Yan Shang's aesthetic standards for women. Zhao Lingfei's constant pestering of Yan Shang probably won't make Yan Shang happy, but will make Yan Shang avoid her as much as possible.

But Liu Ruozhu is different.

Mu Wanyao felt that if Yan Shang really followed her own aesthetic standards, Liu Ruozhu, with her temperament and cultivation, should be very compatible with Yan Shang and be liked by Yan Shang. Yan Shang liked people with similar interests, she was not, but Liu Ruozhu was.

Seeing such a dangerous girl standing at the door of the mansion, Mu Wanyao really couldn't put on a good face.

Liu Ruozhu observed the princess' expression and saw that she was worried and couldn't say "please come in" for a long time, so he smiled and said, "I have already delivered the message. I am relieved to know that Second Brother Yan is fine now after his hasty departure yesterday. Your Highness, please tell Second Brother Yan that I have been here. I am going to visit the 'Fire City' and will not disturb Your Highness."

Mu Wan looked at her and said, "Mr. Liu, you have been working hard in teaching me. Fortunately, Madam Liu is here, so we don't have to bother two masters. Xia Rong, prepare a generous thank-you gift for the teacher and let Madam Liu take it back to Mr. Liu."

Mu Wanyao nodded to the surprised Liu Ruozhu, with a slight smile on her face, and said, "Madam Liu, you don't know that Yan Shang has just become an official and rented a house next to my house. He is in dire straits now, and the thank-you gift he gave to Mr. Liu is definitely not enough to express his feelings. And I will naturally help him prepare this gift.

"Mrs. Liu is kind-hearted, so don't tell your grandfather the truth. Just say that it was sent by Yan Shang."

Liu Ruozhu nodded hesitantly, and seeing Mu Wan's brows relax, he couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, Your Highness... Why did you help Brother Yan send the thank-you gift to his teacher?"

Mu Wan turned her shoulder and was about to go back home. She looked at the girl at the steps with tears in her eyes.

Mu Wan's eyes were full of charm and allure. Even Liu Ruozhu, who was also a girl, was stunned by her beauty.

Princess Danyang said nonchalantly: "Just find any reason to convince yourself."

Liu Ruozhu was still standing in the alley, while Mu Wanyao had already returned to her own residence. She watched Xia Rong lead the maids out with the gifts, and she felt a little excited, so she patted her face to encourage herself.

Although she was outdone by Liu Ruozhu's self-control at the beginning, she later behaved in a dignified and generous manner, casual yet not perfunctory, and her aura firmly overwhelmed the other person... She was very satisfied with her performance.

She didn't lose this game!

No one is not worthy of Yan Shang!

-----

Yan Shang missed the "Fire City" ceremony before dawn, but fortunately he did not make any mistakes at the court meeting.

Throughout the year, it was the first time that Yan Shang really saw all the officials of the Wei Dynasty wearing official uniforms and attending court together. Standing outside the Hanyuan Hall and in the ranks of the Zhongshu Province, being blown by the cold winter wind, Yan Shang endured the headache and saw the various official uniforms out of the corner of his eye.

Except for a few officials like his teacher who were able to wear purple robes and gold and jade belts, the officials below were dressed in red, green, and blue according to their ranks. They were extremely neat and followed the prime minister to pay their respects to the emperor above.

The grand ceremony was held last night, and today we will hold a New Year's Day meeting to continue celebrating the New Year. Foreign envoys will also participate.

However, foreign envoys were all outside the Hanyuan Hall at this time, stretching their necks to kowtow to the emperor together with local officials. Those who could stand in the Hanyuan Hall at this time were officials of the fifth rank and above who attended court on weekdays. The emperor sitting on the throne looked listless, and it was obvious that the grand ceremony last night had drained his energy, and he was a little unmotivated for today's New Year's Day court meeting.

Afterwards, Prime Minister Liu, as the head of all officials, read the congratulatory message and led all officials to kowtow to the emperor.

When Yan Shang had a headache, he also felt the silence of heaven and earth, and only heard his teacher's loud and high voice coming from Hanyuan Hall. He followed all the officials and, under the leadership of the master of ceremonies, knelt, bowed, and walked.

The flags fluttered in the wind, making the officials' robes wrinkle on their bodies.

Yan Shang looked towards Hanyuan Hall and tried to concentrate and listen to his teacher's voice.

Other officials of the same rank as him who could not enter the Hanyuan Hall looked up with envy, thinking that if they could enter the Hanyuan Hall to attend court in this life, they would have no regrets in their lives. However, Yan Shang listened to the content of his teacher's words. In addition to the same old congratulatory words, he also quoted the saints' teachings and advised the civil and military officials.

"Confucius wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, and rebellious officials and traitors were afraid."

The way of ruler and subject, the way of people’s livelihood.

It was all written in the congratulatory letter of more than a thousand words.

However, Yan Shang looked at the expressions of the officials around him and sighed softly in his heart, wondering how many people had listened carefully to the contents of this congratulatory message.

...This congratulatory letter was written by Yan Shang.

However, this is an internal matter of the Secretariat and is not worthy of being publicized to the outside world.

-----

After attending the court meeting for half a day and enjoying the singing and dancing, Yan Shang originally wanted to ask what happened at the ceremony last night after the court meeting. However, he really couldn't hold it in any longer, and fearing that he would be embarrassed, he had to leave after the court meeting was over. In a hurry, he only had time to confess his crime to Prime Minister Liu.

After not having eaten for a day, Yan Shang vomited a lot of sour water when he returned home.

But it feels better if you spit it out.

He forced himself to wash up, then lay down on the couch, panting and closing his eyes, wanting to rest for a while. In a daze, he finally felt better and fell into a fitful sleep.

I don't know how much time has passed, but I seemed to feel a cold hand on my forehead.

He opened his eyes and saw Mu Wanyao leaning over him. She placed one hand on his forehead and turned one shoulder to the side, asking the doctor about his condition.

When Yan Shang opened his eyes, she felt it. She turned around to look at him, the worry in her eyes faded, and she was a little surprised: "You woke up? Yunshu said that you vomited after you came back and didn't eat for a day. Are you feeling better now?"

Yan Shang blushed and apologized to Mu Wanyao, saying that he was fine and nothing was wrong. Mu Wanyao didn't believe it and forced the doctor to check Yan Shang's pulse. After hearing the doctor hesitantly say "My dear, you were probably just drunk before", Mu Wanyao reluctantly let him go.

She asked the servant to bring some porridge. Mu Wanyao watched Yan Shang eat the porridge. Only when she saw that his pale face had turned red did she feel relieved.

Yan Shang put down the bowl of porridge and looked at Mu Wanyao apologetically. He gently placed his hand on her sleeve and said, "It's my fault. I made Your Highness worried."

Mu Wanyao was still angry: "If I had known you would be like this, I would rather ask for leave than have you attend the court meeting. What's the big deal? When you become a fifth-rank official, you will have to attend the court meeting every day. It's not worth being surprised at all."

Yan Shang said softly, "Your Highness called me to get up, and I am grateful to Your Highness. I also met a few more friends at the New Year's Day court meeting, and the trip was worthwhile. I am afraid that I was just a little uncomfortable because of the wind during the day, but I am fine now."

Mu Wan looked at him like this, with a cold face: "Anyway, including yesterday and today, officials have a total of seven days off. I want you to stay at home and take good care of your health for the next five days. If you still want to move around, I will, I will..."

Because the current incident happened because of a little bit of alcohol, Yan Shang was happy that Mu Wanyao cared about him, but also felt it was too embarrassing. It was too ridiculous to ask for leave because of such a thing.

Yan Shang discussed with her, "I will be fine after three days of rest. I still have to greet other ministers during the New Year, right? There will also be banquets among friends. I can at most use the excuse of being unwell and come back early... but I can't stay away forever. Your Highness, don't be angry."

Mu Wanyao's eyes widened: "You still want to discuss this with me? No, just listen to me!"

She toughened up, raised her chin, and looked like she was going to argue with him. Yan Shang looked at her with his dark eyes for a long time, but just sighed and gave in: "Then let me write some letters to explain the situation to others, okay?"

Mu Wan smiled and nodded in agreement.

After that, Mu Wanyao forced Yan Shang to lie down on the bed and sleep. Yan Shang was forced to go to bed by her, but he couldn't fall asleep. He opened his eyes and saw her lying on the bed. When she saw him open his eyes, she glared at him, as if to say "I caught you".

Mu Wan shook his face and said, "I told you to rest, why don't you sleep well?"

Yan Shang lowered his eyes and said softly: "How can I sleep when Your Highness is here?"

Mu Wan was stunned for a moment, then her face turned red and she burst into laughter. She smiled and said, "Then I'll talk to you."

She reached out and held his fingers. As she lowered her head to play with his fingers, Mu Wan shook her little finger and gently hooked it with his fingers, again and again. Yan Shang was teased by her and his face turned red and he coughed. Mu Wan shook his hand and held it to prevent him from moving away.

She lowered her head and asked, "It's strange to say, ordinary people wouldn't be like you even if they were drinking for the first time. How come you can't drink so much?"

Yan Shang hesitated for a moment.

Mu Wan looked up at him and raised her eyebrows: "Why, you can't tell me?"

Yan Shang sighed and shook his head: "Not really. It's just a small matter anyway. Your Highness knows it."

Leaning against the bed, he lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling like feathers, and talked about the past: "When I was a child, about seven or eight years old, my mother's health began to deteriorate. My father was busy taking care of my mother and seeking medical treatment for her illness. My eldest brother was a swordsman, and my third brother was also a rough-hearted person. My younger sister was only three or four years old at the time. In order to help my father share the pressure, I was the one who took care of my younger sister.

"Maybe I wasn't very good at taking care of people at that time, and I was afraid that I wouldn't take good care of my younger sister, so I always forbade her to do this or touch that. Once, Xiaozhou was very unhappy, and when we were playing, he accidentally pushed me into a wine barrel.

"Every family there brews wine, and the wine barrels are as tall as half an adult. I don't know how I was thrown in, and the wine went directly over my head. I couldn't struggle out."

Mu Wan's eyes widened suddenly, and she held his wrist tightly. He smiled at her comfortingly and continued to recall:

"Later, my eldest brother rescued me. He said Xiaozhou fainted from crying. I was sick for a month afterwards. I was afraid that Xiaozhou would be told by his parents, so I made an agreement with my younger sister not to tell anyone about it. We just said that I fell in by accident."

Mu Wan shook her head and said, "Your sister looked so well behaved, but she was so excessive when she was young. She is so bad!"

Yan Shang smiled: "It's a good thing actually. Since then, my little sister has been more obedient to me, which saves me a lot of worry when taking care of her.

"But unfortunately, even though my father led us children to seek medical treatment for our mother, she still passed away early. As for me... ever since I almost drowned in alcohol, I can't touch any alcohol anymore. Maybe it's because my body instinctively resists it, there's nothing I can do about it."

Mu Wanyao immediately grabbed his hand and shook it, feeling annoyed and guilty, and promised him: "I will never drink again in the future."

Yan Shang smiled and said, "...It's okay to drink occasionally. I..."

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Not drinking alcohol is not a good thing after all. I still have to work hard to overcome it... I should overcome it."

Mu Wanyao was amazed at his self-demands, which were almost like torture, but he couldn't change it, so he didn't say anything. Just mentioning his younger sister, Mu Wanyao remembered something and said, "But when I was in Lingnan, your sister gave me some wine, saying it was brewed by your family. You can't drink alcohol, but your sister still brews wine?"

Yan Shang sighed, "How can I let Xiao Zhou be traumatized for life just because I can't touch it? Naturally, I coaxed and lied to my little sister to forget about the childhood, and let her think that I didn't drink alcohol until later. And it's just me who can't touch it, how can I let other people in the family not touch it?"

Mu Wan raised her head, and under the candlelight, she looked at him with full eyes.

Yan Shang blushed at her burning gaze, and after self-reflection, he said, "...did I say something wrong?"

Mu Wan shook his hand, raised her head and whispered, "I really want to be your sister."

Yan Shang couldn't help laughing.

He smiled and said, "Nonsense again."

Mu Wanyao grabbed his hand and put it in her arms, letting him feel her heartbeat and her sincerity: "It's true, it's so nice to be your sister. I'm so jealous of your care for Yan Xiaozhou."

Yan Shang pulled his hand away at once, covered her collar, and then moved his hand away. His extremely flustered action made Mu Wanyao look at him in confusion. She saw him move a few steps to the inside of the bed, his cheeks even redder than before.

Mu Wan looked at him blankly. He raised his head and glanced at her. After a while, he said, "You...you just now, just now...my hand touched your chest."

Mu Wan shook: "..."

She looked down at her half-exposed skin and half-covered shoulders, then looked up at Yan Shang's evasive eyes. Mu Wan shook her head in silence for a long time.

After a while, she sneered, "You really don't have the nerve to enjoy yourself."

She turned her eyes and smiled: "Let your sister help you eat meat?"

Yan Shang: "Don't talk nonsense. Who is my sister?"

Mu Wanyao widened her charming eyes and said, "You are such a person who doesn't recognize anyone. Who called me 'Sister Yaoyao' at that time? Why don't you recognize me after we got out of bed?"

Yan Shang blushed: "...Don't talk nonsense, we didn't have sex."

Mu Wanyao said nothing, kicked off her shoes and got on the bed, without pulling down the curtains, she leaned over and threw herself at him, pressing him down. She rubbed his neck, kissed him lightly behind his ears, and whispered something, as if asking him to touch her.

He just kept refusing, so Mu Wanyao bit her lip and smiled: "You don't even dare to touch me, how dare you draw 'peony' on my chest in the future?"

Yan Shang was stunned: "You...really want to draw? You're not kidding me?"

Seeing him like this, Mu Wanyao suddenly felt bored. She opened the curtain and said whimsically, "Forget it, I'd better find someone else...ah."

The man behind her grabbed her waist and pulled her back. Yan Shang hugged her from behind and whispered against her neck: "...I will try my best, don't look for anyone else."

Mu Wan lowered her head and smiled, her beautiful eyes moving around, and she placed her fingers on his hand: "Don't just talk and don't practice, Second Brother Yan."

The red candles flickered and the curtains were lowered, filling the room with fragrance and warmth, intoxicating people.

-----

Yan Shang soon found out what happened at the New Year’s Eve ceremony.

Before the official seven-day leave was over, he often went to Liu Xianggong's house to ask for advice from his teacher. When the central government finally reopened, Yan Shang returned to the Secretariat and discussed with his teacher the matter of the Wuman King wanting Princess Danyang to marry him.

While browsing ancient books in the Secretariat, Yan Shang went to see Prime Minister Liu with the books in his arms.

The two walked and chatted in the courtyard. When talking about the marriage, Yan Shang said, "Since ancient times, there has never been a princess who married twice. This is not in accordance with etiquette and law, and it will bring shame to the Wei Dynasty."

Liu Xianggong said, "But throughout history, there has never been a saying that a princess who was married to a foreign country would return home midway. According to etiquette, Princess Danyang should be in Wuman now, not in Chang'an, Wei. She shouldn't be actively participating in government affairs at this time, and she shouldn't be discussing her whereabouts at the ceremony."

Yan Shang said, "Teacher, do you mean that the princess should marry a foreign prince? Wuman is a small country. It was ridiculous to let a real princess marry a foreign prince, not to mention that this princess is a legitimate princess. I don't know the details of what happened back then, so I won't talk about it for now. I only know that if we let the princess marry a foreign prince again this time, it means that our Great Wei is incompetent and that our monarch and ministers are incompetent. The Great Wei cannot accept this humiliation."

Liu Xianggong looked at the locust tree in the courtyard and said thoughtfully, "It can't be said to be a humiliation. Wuman has always had the tradition of 'sharing wives' and 'inheriting the queen'. That's their tradition. I'm afraid that welcoming the princess back to Wuman is a matter of course for Wuman. You talk to them about etiquette, they don't understand."

Yan Shang was silent for a moment, then said, "I will look up books and ask people in the next few days to find out what their traditions are."

Mr. Liu looked at him and asked, "What then?"

Yan Shang said slowly: "Then convince everyone that the princess cannot go to marry."

Mr. Liu looked at his elementary school student with a stern face.

He said slowly: "Why do you care so much about this? This is not something you should be involved in... Do you have a private affair with Princess Danyang?"

Yan Shang raised his eyes.

Said: "Yes."

Liu Xianggong's eyes narrowed, and his gaze instantly became cold and sharp. He actually had guessed it long ago, but he was not sure. However, Yan Shang admitted it himself... Liu Xianggong smiled bitterly after a while and said, "Su Chen, you are really too brave. You dare to have a private affair with a princess who is married to a foreign princess, and you dare to admit it to me... I really don't know whether you are low-key or high-profile."