Fang Tong held the narrow knife at his waist and looked at the girl on the swing. Hearing the other party talking about Yan Erlang, he said after a while: "...Why do you have to imprison him? If Erlang doesn't like His Highness, what's the point of imprisoning him."
He was speaking for Yan Shang.
Mu Wanyao turned to look at him. Her expression was a little cold, and Fang Tong looked away uncomfortably. Mu Wanyao then stroked her cheek and smiled, as if she had realized something: "As my chief guard, you still care about Yan Shang? Are you afraid that he will get hurt? Are you afraid that he will feel uncomfortable? Don't you care about me?"
Fang Tong was afraid that His Highness would misunderstand him, so he immediately said, "I naturally respect Your Highness, but Yan Erlang is at a disadvantage in front of Your Highness..."
Mu Wan shook her head coldly: "Why, do you think he is just a vassal? Do you think since I don't care about him that much, why should I bully him? Who told you that I don't care about him? Who told you!"
She stood up suddenly and took two steps forward. The swing behind her was shaken by her, and it swayed and trembled. Mu Wan's momentum made Fang Tong retreat, not to mention the other guards in the courtyard.
The owner of the house who rented out the house and his wife were looking around the gate, wanting to know the status of the nobleman who was staying at their house. But Mu Wanyao was so imposing that they turned around and left without asking any more questions.
Mu Wan shook his head and stared at Fang Tong coldly: "Do I have to be in agony to show that I care about him? Do I have to cry every night to show that I care about him? Who told you that if I acted as if nothing had happened, I really treated him as a toy and it would be over in the past?"
Fang Tong had already reached the level of the head of the imperial guards, and yet he was scolded by the princess in public. He lowered his head, blushing, and quickly knelt down to admit his fault. His straightforward admission of fault made Mu Wanyao's expression ease a little.
Mu Wan shook her head in a calm voice: "You always think that I should hate him especially...but the thing about him that makes me hate him is exactly what I envy him the most. When people don't have something, they always want it. When they get something, they will covet something better."
Fang Tong said painfully, "I am narrow-minded. Your Highness deserves better. But Your Highness just said that you want Yan Erlang's life. What does that mean?"
Mu Wan was lost in thought for a while, thinking about the Yan Shang she had seen these days, the Yan Shang who had looked at her sadly in prison, and the Yan Shang who had chatted with her at night a few days ago.
She said slowly: "I am very confused, so I have been watching others and learning from them. But what does it matter? People are supposed to move forward step by step. I have come to my current position as a princess, and it is impossible for me to go any further.
"Wei Shu went on a diplomatic mission, Yang Si joined the war, and Yan Shang participated in politics. Even on the girls' side, Zhao Wuniang escaped from her marriage, and Liu Ruozhu married a husband who liked to preserve authentic ancient books like her... They all had their own lives. Husbands like Wei Shu, Yang Si, and Yan Shang were brilliant enough to leave a strong mark in history. But what am I?"
She murmured to herself, as if trying to convince herself.
She thought that if she let Yan Shang go, with Yan Shang's gentle personality, he would definitely drag his feet in dealing with his fiancée's affairs, and it would not be over in a short time. And she couldn't stand it anymore... couldn't stand being separated from Yan Shang again!
During the half month of fleeing, she and Yan Shang temporarily put aside their old feelings and hatreds and lived in harmony. It was also during this half month that they cooperated as a fake couple.
She stood beside him and saw more of him. Every time she heard people call them husband and wife, Mu Wanyao thought, it would be great if Yan Shang was really her husband. Once this kind of obsession was born, it was hard for her not to think more -
He is a true gentleman with a clear conscience. Is she willing to be a despicable person who allows herself to fall into depravity?
He is admired, loved and respected by the people. Could it be that her childhood dream was to exploit the people and disrupt the government?
She spent her whole life trying to break free from the cage of being controlled by others and searching for a sense of security.
Her existence was attacked and questioned by others, but she stood up, enjoyed it, and was obsessed with it. She vowed not to degenerate, and God would also praise her. God allowed her to meet such a brilliant person like the stars and the moon when she had lost what she wanted and was living a life of destitution... Isn't this a reward for her?
Mu Wanyao said seriously: "A man like him, once he marries me, he will be devoted to me. He will love me, care about me, and treat me well more than anyone else."
Fang Tong: "Erlang will be angry..."
Mu Wanyao didn't care: "He won't be angry for a few days."
Fang Tong: "But what if he behaves like he did three years ago..."
Mu Wanyao said: "I will walk the path I have chosen. I will bear all the consequences, good or bad. I used to be afraid of this choice, but now..."
She had no right to choose her own man before, and was always forced to choose by others. Now she wants to choose for herself.
She looked back at Fang Tong, her eyes were shining like the quiet Milky Way, shimmering and moving. Under the mottled shade of the trees, she stood in the May garden, the wind blowing her pleated skirt, she lowered her head slightly and looked at Fang Tong. She and Fang Tong looked at each other.
Looking into the distance, Fang Tong saw a magnificent and resolute princess. Mu Wanyao saw countless long rivers of the past, and the outlines of the old people in the light and shadow were cut off one by one, leaving only a shadow standing gently. She whispered:
"Yanshang is the only one who makes me feel that marriage is not so hopeless. I want to give it a try. I have the courage to try. What do you think?"
Fang Tong stared at him blankly. After a while, he tightened his cheeks and said in a hoarse voice: "Of course I will follow Your Highness."
Mu Wanyao smiled gently. She didn't care much about other people's opinions, or what others would say about her and Yan Shang. But Fang Tong had been with her for so long, Fang Tong understood her past, and he supported her future, which was meaningful.
Mu Wan sat back on the swing and swung slowly twice before saying, "Let's talk about the current situation in Rang County. How is Pei Qing? How is Chang'an? Yan Shang went to find the county magistrate of this city... We should close the net."
-----
Yan Shang discussed the princess's matter in detail with the local county magistrate.
With Fang Tong's return, Rang County will no longer be ruled by Jiang. Jiang was furious, but Mu Wan turned back to settle the score. After so many days of fleeing, she had collected countless evidences that Nanyang Jiang wanted to kill the princess. If the princess died, it would be fine. If she was still alive, these evidences would become swords to attack the King of Qin when they returned to Chang'an.
Even if it was Nanyang Jiang or the King of Qin who murdered a royal princess, as long as Your Majesty is still alive, he will not sit idly by and watch one of his own children kill another.
This must be the biggest case in Changan this year.
Nanyang Jiang family must go to Chang'an to apologize.
Yan Shang's arrival made everyone in the county magistrate's house feel uneasy. The county magistrate originally thought that Yan Shang was negotiating on behalf of the princess. When Yan Shang explained these situations one by one, the county magistrate could no longer hold the teacup and began to wipe the cold sweat from his head again and again.
The county magistrate muttered to himself, "How could it come to this? Why did it come to this... My clan has been operating in Nanyang for a hundred years. Even Your Majesty cannot uproot it! If my clan is gone, the whole of Nanyang will be in chaos. Besides, isn't His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin more important than Princess Danyang? Besides... where is the evidence of killing the princess?"
Yan Shang said in a gentle voice: "Why do you think Pei Langjun stayed in Rang County? Of course, it was to collect evidence. Jiang family has been operating in Nanyang for a hundred years, and there must be a lot of things left. Moreover, I have been the county magistrate of Rang County for three years, and I must have some things saved... These have been handed over to Pei Langjun by my confidants. Jiang family must be convicted... The dignity of the royal family cannot be offended. Don't you understand?"
The county magistrate broke out in cold sweat.
After a while, he suddenly knelt down: "Yan Lang, save me! Since Yan Lang is here, there must be a way to save me, please tell me frankly--"
At this time, Fang Tong explained all these situations in the courtyard where Mu Wanyao was. Mu Wanyao nodded and said thoughtfully: "The aristocratic family has been around for a hundred years. If we uproot it, it will definitely break our bones. Nanyang will be ruined. Nanyang is rich and is an extremely important tax-collecting prefecture in the Central Plains. This place cannot be abandoned.
"A person in power should balance all parties. The Nanyang Jiang family cannot fall. But that does not mean that people cannot be replaced."
The noble families take turns to be the boss. Although they cannot be overthrown, they can be pushed. Just like the way her father once dealt with the Jinling Li family, the Li family retreated to Jinling and her uncle was banished to Lingnan. They were injured, but the roots are still there, and the Li family is still there. As long as the Li family is still there, it can ensure that the south will not be in chaos.
A clear train of thought appeared before Mu Wanyao, allowing her to think about it one by one and push forward her ideas one by one——
"Yan Shang went to negotiate with the county magistrate. The county magistrate is also from the Jiang family. This time, I will use the crime of murdering the princess to overthrow the governor and the governor, and replace this county magistrate who has to side with our Jiang family and is not a direct descendant with us.
"Pei Qing has to stay in Rang County. There is only one county magistrate who is on my side, and I am worried. Rang County is a county attached to the capital, and if I want to take one Yan Shang away, I have to let one go. Pei Qing betrayed me, and I want to remove him from his position as the imperial consort. He is no longer suitable to stay in Chang'an... It is better for him to stay in Rang County and help me conquer Nanyang.
"Nanyang still has bandit suppression to do, so we can't let things get chaotic right now. If Nanyang changes its people, my third brother will be restrained. I can use this to force my third brother to retreat. If my father wants to deal with the Jiang family, he won't let my third brother get into trouble... My father is not in a position to take action against his own son, so why not let me give him a push."
Mu Wanyao got up and went into the house, preparing to write a letter. One letter was sent to Rang County, which was for Pei Qing. Several letters were sent to Chang'an, which were for the ministers of humble origins in the court who were her vassals, asking them to use this incident to attack the Nanyang Jiang family and have the provincial governor and military governor take off their titles and bring them to Chang'an to convict them.
She also had to write a letter to the King of Qin, using the blood connection between siblings to bargain with him and get what she had always wanted from him.
By the way, I have to write to Liu Wenji and cooperate with him...
"Father!"
Mu Wanyao was about to enter the house when she heard a clear boy's voice. She turned around and saw Fang Tong's face was pale and a little embarrassed. Mu Wanyao raised her eyebrows and followed Fang Tong's line of sight. She saw a chubby little boy in the corner of the side room next to a tree, calling quietly.
The boy was immediately picked up by a guard and his mouth was blocked. The guard looked over here anxiously, fearing that the princess would punish him. The boy was held in the guard's arms and looked at Mu Wanyao. When he saw Princess Danyang, whom his father would talk about from time to time, the boy was stunned.
The little boy's face turned red instantly when he saw such a beautiful and noble girl for the first time.
Fang Tong said with difficulty: "Your Highness, please forgive me. It was my child who was ignorant and ran out somehow, disturbing Your Highness..."
Mu Wanyao was in a good mood and smiled nonchalantly. She might still have a knot in her heart about the child, but it was definitely not as serious as before. She saw the boy's embarrassed expression and found it quite interesting. She let the guard take the boy away and did not punish him.
-----
In Rang County, late at night, Pei Qing was sitting at his desk when he received a secret letter from the princess, which was delivered at full speed.
He struggled for a long time, thinking back to the day when he saw the bandits and was terrified. His fear made him flee, and his cowardice made him let go of the princess's hand. Although he led his troops to rescue her afterwards, the dragon woke up and the princess was gone.
Afterwards, he cooperated with Yan Shang's forces in Rang County to help the princess stabilize the situation here, just to atone for his sins. Now, the letter from the princess that could decide his life or death has arrived.
As a princess, she could easily decide the life or death of someone of his background. Even if he tried his best, he was still afraid of the upcoming punishment.
Pei Qing couldn't help but wonder, when Yan Erlang betrayed the princess, was he as terrified and anxious as he is today? The imperial power was so oppressive, but they were fed by the emperor, so what could they do?
Pei Qing finally opened the princess' letter. He read it quickly. After finishing it, it was hard to describe what he felt in his heart -
The princess asked him to apologize to Chang'an and let the matter of his marriage to her be his concubine be forgotten.
The wedding preparations in Chang'an went on as usual, but Pei Qing was about to become a laughing stock.
But becoming a laughing stock was not a big deal, because the princess did not intend to seek the position of the official of the Ministry of Personnel for him. The princess wanted him to stay in Nanyang, and after the people who spoke for Jiang in Nanyang changed, he had to stabilize Nanyang to prevent Nanyang from helping the King of Qin too much in the future.
The new position that the princess had arranged for him was the Nanyang Changshi, which was a sixth-rank position, much better than the official position of the Ministry of Personnel that the princess had originally promised him.
But, after all, he is a local official.
After all, I can’t go back to Chang’an.
From Chang'an to Nanyang, this was a promotion in name only and a demotion in reality. Without the princess's support, if the poor family abandoned Pei Qing, Pei Qing's position as the Nanyang Chief would probably be over... He consoled himself that at least it was better than Yan Erlang's in the past.
Pei Qing felt bitter in his heart, but he still lifted his heavy arms and wrote a letter to the princess to reply and agree to her request.
-----
In the next half month, Nanyang changed dramatically.
After hearing the news that the princess was safe, the governor and the military governor were questioned. They took off their official uniforms and were taken to Chang'an to be punished. Nanyang lost its two top military and political leaders, and the whole situation became turbid. The county magistrate from the Jiang family, who was supported by Mu Wanyao, was appointed to serve as the governor of Rang County temporarily to stabilize Nanyang first.
In Chang'an, the ministers of humble families accused the King of Qin of the crime based on the evidence of the princess being hunted down. Since the princess was being hunted down, it must be the fault of the Jiedushi in mobilizing troops. The Jiang family's military force in Nanyang was too strong, and the ministers of humble families supported by the princess suggested that the military force in Nanyang be weakened, and the Jiang family should avoid suspicion and their clansmen should not serve as officials here anymore.
Liu Wenji intervened at this time. He also coveted the troops in the hands of the governor of Shannan Road, and he also wanted to merge the troops into the Northern Yamen. The principle of officials avoiding local affairs was actively supported by Liu Wenji.
The Lord Zhao, who had always followed Liu Wenji's lead in the court, was now the Imperial Censor and moved to the Imperial Censorate with a real job. The Lord Zhao was very motivated. Liu Wenji talked to him privately about something. The next day, he led the officials of the Imperial Censorate to impeach all the officials of the Nanyang Jiang family.
The principle of official avoidance has become the hottest official business in the court today.
At the same time, the princess's loss must be compensated. The poor family attacked the Ministry of War controlled by the King of Qin and asked the King of Qin to hand over the military power of Chang'an, because the princess was hunted down because she was chased by the officers and soldiers. These are two different things, and there is no logical connection between them, but when the rulers want to make trouble, any excuse can be used.
When the King of Qin was in a state of panic, he cried to the Emperor but to no avail, and finally had to humiliate himself and beg his sister, Princess Danyang. The King of Qin pleaded with him, clearing his relationship with Jiang, saying that those who were chasing the princess were all inferior people, and Mu Wanyao could punish whoever he wanted, and the King of Qin would never plead for mercy. However, the two were siblings, so why did the sister force her brother like this?
Princess Danyang was moved by the several earnest and sincere letters written by King Qin, which were wrinkled with his tears. She sighed and talked to King Qin about the deep love between brother and sister.
Finally, Princess Danyang took a step back. She did not want military power anymore, but the right to dismiss officials from the Ministry of Personnel. In short, Mu Wanyao wanted to intervene in the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Personnel could no longer be ruled by the King of Qin. Because Mu Wanyao was worried about her safety when she went to Jinling, she could not rest assured that after the policy of officials avoiding her was implemented, she would meet officials from the Jiang family of Nanyang again and be retaliated.
Mu Wanyao wanted to have the power to appoint and dismiss officials in the Ministry of Personnel to ensure her own safety on her journey south.
Such a request was more acceptable to the King of Qin than dividing the troops.
The King of Qin gritted his teeth, thinking that even if he lost the Ministry of Personnel, his uncle was still the Minister of Justice. Besides the half of military power taken by Liu Wenji, he could still control the Ministry of War, which was already good... The King of Qin agreed to Mu Wanyao's request.
-----
I am in Nanyang. It is June now and the weather is getting drier. The hot June weather makes people's hearts fluctuate.
However, the debate between Chang'an and Nanyang had begun to come to an end after Mu Wanyao and the King of Qin reconciled.
Mu Wan smiled and looked at the people on the list she handed over. She felt very happy when she started to intervene in the Ministry of Personnel. She thought that next year, the Ministry of Personnel would be able to use the imperial examination to select people to serve in the court. This would be a good opportunity for the poor to rise.
She achieved her goal by planning her moves step by step... starting from the step of suppressing bandits, she forced the King of Qin to have only the Ministry of War left.
What does Mu Wanyao want the Ministry of War for? She is a princess who doesn't practice martial arts and doesn't understand military affairs. It's useless for her to hold military power. It's just to make wedding clothes for others. But it's different if she holds the Ministry of Personnel. Mu Wanyao has wanted the Ministry of Personnel of the King of Qin for a long time... and now she has finally got it.
Mu Wanyao was reading the letter and admiring the fruits of his victory when there was a knock on the door and Yan Shang, with a veil on his eyes, walked in.
Seeing him, Mu Wanyao felt very happy and said with a smile: "Thank you for helping me. The matter in Chang'an has been settled, and the officials in Nanyang will also be replaced. I will remember that you saved me, and Chang'an will also remember it. It will be good for you to be promoted in the future."
Yan Shang smiled, he didn't care about that.
But his tone was slightly strange: "Your Highness, I have heard some news."
Mu Wan stood up, took his hand, and asked him to sit. She looked down at his handsome and thin face, and she liked it in her heart, but she said angrily: "What do you mean by 'subject' or not 'subject' between you and me? Just say you say me like before."
Yan Shang paused, and said as she wished: "I just got a piece of news. The bandits who kidnapped Your Highness are all dead."
The evening is quiet.
Then he smiled: "It's good. Aren't you happy about it?"
Yan Shang raised his head, even though he couldn't see her, he looked in her direction. He said softly: "The death was too clean, it was unusual... When I think back to what happened, I feel suspicious. Pei Qing and the princess left the city, they must have been provoked by me and left the city temporarily. I clearly made sufficient arrangements to protect His Highness in Rang County, why was His Highness caught by bandits as soon as he left the city? Did Pei Qing leak the news?
"I thought before that I was not protecting His Highness enough, but in the past two days, all the news about the people I arranged that day came back. In my opinion, nothing should have happened, but it still happened. Did Pei Qing really leak the news? But if Pei Qing leaked the news, why did His Highness promote Pei Qing?
"Your Highness, will you be more tolerant towards him than towards me?"
Mu Wan shook the corners of her lips with a faint smile.
She leaned against him carelessly and said, "What do you want to say?"
Yan Shang lowered his head and said softly, "I want to ask, have you taken advantage of everyone?"
Mu Wanyao flicked the fingers on the back of his hand lightly, but said nothing.
Yan Shang whispered: "After you quarreled with me, you were really angry with me, so I was going to deal with your matter. You still wanted to take revenge on me and cause me a big trouble, so you secretly gave the bandits a chance to get into trouble in Rang County. What you thought at the time was that as the magistrate of Rang County, if you got into trouble, I would be punished, and the provincial governor and the military governor were from the Jiang family, so they would sit back and watch you get into trouble.
"The whole incident of your death was part of your plan. You made arrangements along the way, so we were able to escape, but each time we managed to avoid being caught by the government. Fang Tong didn't just come here. Fang Tong's guards had been following us with the guards along the way from the beginning.
"You calculated everything. You made Nanyang into trouble and chaos. You put yourself in danger and made the Jiang family want to kill you. Because you wanted to use this to change the Jiang family's fortune in Nanyang and use it to pressure the King of Qin. You don't want military power either. What you were planning from the beginning was the Ministry of Personnel.
"Your Highness, am I right?"
Mu Wan smiled deeply, and she stretched out her slender jade fingers and gently pressed them against his red lips. She leaned over, hugged his neck affectionately, and whispered in his ear, "Shh, keep your voice down, don't let others find out.
"I knew that my methods could not be hidden from Second Brother Yan."
She began to call him "Second Brother Yan" sweetly again.
Yan Shang was silent for a long while, feeling complicated. She did not hide anything from him, and he felt something was wrong after receiving letters from Chang'an and Nanyang in the past two days...
Yan Shang was silent for a while, then smiled bitterly: "Your Highness has become much more powerful. You are so decisive, I underestimated Your Highness."
Mu Wan shook her head and looked at his smooth chin, and asked, "But you are the exception. I didn't expect you to risk your life to save me... I didn't take you into consideration at the time. Second brother Yan, I thought that after our big fight, you really wouldn't care about me anymore. I was very angry that you didn't care about me, and I wanted to take revenge on you... You want to get married, and I want you to not get married... But I didn't expect you to save me like that.
"At that time on the mountain, after you shot arrows, you came to hug me and asked me if the bandit had hit me. Your tone at that time... I thought you were about to cry.
"I was in a trance at the time, and then I realized that you had always cared about me. It was my ignorance that made you so sad. Second Brother Yan cared about me so much and accompanied me all the way to the south to escape... You even gave up your eyes. You knew that if you followed me at that time, you might become completely blind... But you still chose me."
Mu Wan leaned over and kissed him.
She whispered, "You are so nice."
She repeated what she had said over and over again: "You are the best person I have ever met."
Yan Shang's face turned red a little bit, and he began to feel uncomfortable being held down by her.
He had originally been a little bit blaming her, but she kept confessing, and he was too embarrassed to say it. He couldn't see her, and the strong desire to see her face arose in his heart again. But he felt sad, knowing that she was now fulfilled and was leaving... Yan Shang felt sad again, but was happy for her: "This is also good. You have become so capable, and I feel much more relieved about you.
"When I return to Rang County, at least I won't be worried about you being cheated all day long."
Mu Wan shook her head: "You want to go back to Rang County?"
Yan Shang: "Yes. Now that the matter is over, I should go back and stabilize Rang County, right?"
Mu Wan shook her head: "Oh."
Her perfunctory attitude puzzled him for a moment, but he did not think about it too much, because her flirting soon made him blush and his mind was in a mess. He almost forgot how she played with everyone in Nanyang.
-----
The next day, in front of the carriage, Mu Wanyao and his group were about to leave, and Yan Shang came to see them off. As soon as the princess left, he would return to Rang County.
He was wearing a loose robe and standing in front of the carriage. He bowed and sincerely wished Mu Wanyao a safe journey.
He took a step closer to the princess and told her embarrassedly that he asked her to wait for him for a year and that he would go find her.
Mu Wanyao looked deeply at this handsome man who looked like a divine jade, took two glasses of wine from Fang Tong, and handed one to Yan Shang: "Since this is for farewell, please drink this glass of wine. You don't know whether you can drink or not?"
Yan Shang's face was slightly hot, but he smiled and said, "Although my alcohol tolerance is not as good as that of ordinary people, I will not get drunk after one glass. Your Highness, please rest assured."
Muwan shook his head.
Fang Tong looked at Yan Erlang with sympathy, as he was not on guard against the princess and drank the wine that the princess handed over. Yan Erlang, who said that he would not get drunk after drinking one glass of wine, staggered two steps after drinking the wine, and Mu Wanyao supported him and asked him with concern.
After that, Yan Shang fainted.
-----
Three days later, Yan Shang woke up in a carriage heading to Jinling.
At this time, he was already a hundred miles away from Nanyang, and there was no hope of turning back. He had lost all means of contact with his own people and was trapped in the princess's carriage.
There were sounds of carriages and horses, and the young man was wrapped in quilt in the carriage, dazed and speechless for a long time.
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