The Yan family came to Chang'an for Yan Shang's wedding. After the wedding banquet, Yan's father was relieved and sad, and said that it was time to return to Lingnan. Yan Shang was reluctant to leave. He had not seen his family for several years. Now they had to leave again after a quick meeting. He felt so ashamed.
Sometimes he even had a bold idea that his eldest brother could stay in Chang'an. If his eldest brother stayed in Chang'an, his father would definitely follow him; and since they did not separate, the third brother's family would naturally stay in Chang'an as well. His youngest sister had never married and had been with them.
However, this thought often only flashed for a moment before he rejected it. Chang'an was full of twists and turns, and he and Mu Wan were already cautious in the vortex. His family was used to the general style of Lingnan and did not understand politics. If they stayed in Chang'an, they would easily become a handle in the hands of their political opponents...
The eldest brother was kind and honest, and was not suitable for Chang'an; the third brother was a Jinshi, but he just wanted to do some business secretly with his status as a Jinshi, and he didn't want to be an official. Yan Shang forced them, but it hurt them instead.
In this case, Yan Shang only persuaded the family to stay in Chang'an for two more days, and it would not be too late to return to Lingnan after a while.
As Yan Shang's newlywed wife, Mu Wanyao, regardless of how she usually behaves, at this moment, she must act like a good daughter-in-law, making Yan Shang's family live comfortably in Chang'an and feel her meticulous care.
For the sake of this kind of face, Mu Wanyao has not held many banquets at home recently, nor has she gone out to meet with ministers. Although Yan Shang's family will definitely not say anything openly, she is still afraid that Yan's father will think that she is not faithful to his wife and that she is not worthy of his son.
So, by October, Yan Shang's family was still in Chang'an.
In October, the half-year-long deployment of Yang Si, the third son of the Yang family, finally paid off. The central government sent him to fight at the border of Youzhou to guard the border. Yang Si resigned from his post as a general and left Chang'an to take up his post in Youzhou.
Compared to the last time he went to Longyou to join the army, this time he was accompanied by many followers. But last time, Yang's father saw him off at the city gate, but this time, the Yang family was involved in the political struggle between the crown prince and the King of Qin, and they were busy and exhausted. No one in the Yang family was in the mood to see him off.
Mu Wanyao would not send him off either - Mu Wanyao and the prince had opposite positions on the matter of the Ministry of Revenue, and someone as cold-blooded as Mu Wanyao would not give anyone the chance to imagine.
However, there were still people seeing Yang Si off at the gate of Chang'an.
In the early morning, when the sky was light and misty, Yang Si was on the city wall, hanging out with several young generals, all of whom were drunk. Today, he was leaving the city. Yesterday, Yang Si got drunk with them in Beili. Today, several generals changed their guards and came to the city wall to see him off.
Several of them patted their chests and assured Yang Si: "Don't worry, Sanlang. We are all worried about you. If anything happens to your family, we will send you a letter immediately and we will definitely not hide it from you!"
"Yes! Just fight well in Youzhou, we will help you in Chang'an!"
Yang Si smiled with his eyes narrowed. He patted their shoulders, and with drunken eyes, he held their hands and talked for a long time. When the atmosphere on the tower was sad and loyal, one of Yang Si's followers climbed up the tower in a few steps: "Sanlang."
Yang Si turned around, his handsome face was covered with a light layer of red, and he looked very drunk. But when he looked back, his eyes were sharp, cold and decisive, without any sign of drunkenness.
The attendant hesitated: "...a girl is here to see Sanlang off."
Yang Si's eyes were blank for a moment.
His friends behind him put their hands on his shoulders in surprise and said, "Sanlang, is this your lover? That's not nice. I haven't heard you mention it before. Why don't you bring us brothers to meet him?"
Yang Si turned around and smiled: "Do you dare to mess with Yan Erlang's sister?"
The drunkards were startled and dared not speak. Yan Suchen's reputation in Chang'an was so great... It was a pile of cruel incidents. Three years ago, the Ministry of Revenue case made the entire Chang'an officialdom a little afraid of Yan Suchen. Now that Yan Suchen has returned to Chang'an... Even the King of Qin, who had a good cooperation with Yan Shang in the past, is a little scared.
After Yan Suchen got married, he seemed to be leading the entire poor family. The noble families were watching and did not dare to provoke him. After all, Yan Suchen was now in the Ministry of Personnel... The Ministry of Personnel was known as the head of the six ministries. With such an important department, people in the Chang'an officialdom could not help but weigh their own weight when they were about to do something recently.
Who dares to mess with Yan Suchen’s sister?
Yang Si dismissed them and went downstairs with his followers. His steps were not frivolous at all, and the further he went down, the calmer his mind became and the heavier his heart became.
It was still dark and the city gates were not open. Yang Si stood at the foot of the city tower, looking at the corner tower not far away. A girl handed the horse's reins to her maid and walked towards him. In the morning light, her purple skirt fluttered slightly, and her eyes were like glass, her lips were stained pink, and she looked fresh, like an orchid in the valley still covered with dew.
Yang Si looked at Yan Xiaozhou silently, with a gentle smile on his lips, and stood in front of him.
She had a gentle appearance, and her eyes had a bit of the cunning spirit of a young girl. She bowed to him and smiled, "I heard that Sanlang will be promoted to a high official in Youzhou to defend the country. A man's ambition is to go far and wide, and I admire Sanlang very much. It's a pity that Sanlang didn't tell me when he would leave, so I can only figure out the time to send you off."
She raised her head and smiled: "I guessed right."
The light in the girl's eyes was soft, she was secretly happy, and looked at him expectantly - as if waiting for his approval.
Yang Si thought of the conversation between him and the prince that night, and felt even sadder.
He said calmly: "You have always been very smart."
Yan Xiaozhou looked at him in confusion, frowning slightly, wondering why his attitude had changed so much from before. Did he blame her for not telling him that his brother was Yan Shang? Did he dislike his brother... Just like the rumors in Chang'an, her brother had snatched away the princess who had grown up with Yang Sanlang, and Yang Sanlang hated her brother?
Yang Si turned his head slightly, looked at the red sun in the sky, and said, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
Yan Xiaozhou pursed her lips, lowered her head and took out a string of golden bells from the purse hanging at her waist. Her ivory-white face was blushing in the morning sun. She held the golden bells in her hand and handed them forward, lowering her head and saying softly, "For you."
Yang Si lowered his eyes and looked at the string of bells and her slender white fingers.
He put his hands behind his back, clenched them into fists, and trembled slightly. His face was always stern, and he lowered his head to look at the bell for a long time, but did not reach out to take it.
The blush on Yan Xiaozhou's face faded, and her face turned a little pale. She looked up at him with her dark and clear eyes, but her hand stubbornly stretched forward, not taking the bell back.
Yan Xiaozhou said softly: "You said that you heard my voice on the day we first met, and from then on you felt that only my voice could wake you up. Of course I can't give you my voice, so I'll give you a string of bells... to keep it as a memory for you."
Yang Si looked at her for a long time.
There was no one in front of the tower, only the two of them standing there stupidly. The maid waiting for Yan Xiaozhou was already angry at Yang Si's indifferent attitude and wanted to persuade her to leave. However, Yan Xiaozhou still did not withdraw his hand.
Yang Si said slowly: "Sister Xiaozhou, I am going to Youzhou this time to get married."
Yan Xiaozhou's hand trembled as she handed over the bell, and her face turned even paler. She pursed her lips and smiled reluctantly, lowering her eyes. She said softly, "That's great... I wish you the best. I have no other intentions. Please accept the bell, just as a token of our old friendship."
Yang Si's heart hardened: "I can't let my future wife misunderstand me."
Yan Xiaozhou lowered his eyes and said, "I won't take back what I gave away. There's nothing wrong with my feelings. It's you who made me misunderstand. You took the bell, you can throw it away or smash it. Anyway, I gave it away, I did nothing wrong... I just want to make it right from the beginning to the end."
She suddenly came to pull his hand and smashed the bell into his hand. Yang Si took a step forward, and Yan Xiaozhou turned around and walked towards her maid. She didn't even turn her head, but Yang Si had good eyesight, and he saw the mist in her eyes when she turned her face to the side... He felt as if his heart was pierced by thorns.
But Yang Sanlang in Chang'an City has no real freedom. Everything he does is conditional and backed by someone. Since he accepts the kindness of others with a clear conscience, he cannot escape his responsibilities. Besides, the relationship he has had with the prince for so many years...is it fake?
Yang Si took a deep breath, clenched the golden bell in his hand, turned around and walked towards the city gate. He was cold and ruthless, and shouted to his followers: "Open the city gate! Let's go--"
-----
Yan Xiaozhou rode back home on horseback, feeling very sad all the way.
She lowered her head, tears streaming down her eyes, and no matter how hard she tried, her handkerchief couldn't wipe them away. It was the first time she liked a man, and it was that man who pursued her... But today, the joy and tacit ambiguity of the past few months seemed fake.
Maybe Yang Si had no choice, or maybe Yang Si was just playing with her, but didn't dare to play with her anymore after finding out that she was Yan Shang's sister... No matter what the reason was, her love had withered.
Yan Xiaozhou returned to the alley where the princess's mansion was located, and hastily fixed her makeup with the maid. She was going back to the mansion where Yan Shang had lived before and now the Yan family lived. She was afraid that her family would see that she had cried and that she would make them worry, so of course she had to wipe away her tears.
When Yan Xiaozhou dismounted in front of the mansion, he met Mu Wanyao who was coming out of the princess's mansion.
Mu Wan came out of the house with a feather fan in her hand. She covered half of her face with the fan and looked at me with a charming look. I saw her hair was in a mess, and she was wearing pearls, jade and silk.
Yan Xiaozhou, the princess sister-in-law, is always exquisite and brilliant, shining like a pearl wherever she stands.
Yan Xiaozhou quickly stood up and respectfully greeted her sister-in-law. She instinctively felt a sense of fear towards her sister-in-law, perhaps because Mu Wanyao was born a princess, or perhaps because Mu Wanyao was mean to her when she was young... In short, Yan Xiaozhou wanted to worship her sister-in-law like a bodhisattva.
Mu Wanyao was planning to go next door to chat with the Yan family and have lunch at the mansion next door. Yan Shang was working in the Ministry of Personnel and would not be back, so Mu Wanyao planned to get along well with Yan Shang's family.
Mu Wan glanced at Yan Xiaozhou and stopped: "Why are you crying?"
Yan Xiaozhou shuddered: "...No."
Mu Wan frowned and said, "All the makeup on my face has been wiped off by crying, and you still say you don't have it?"
Yan Xiaozhou was at a loss, wondering how his sister-in-law could see it with her sharp eyes. Her maids had clearly guaranteed that they couldn't see it.
Yan Xiaozhou was thinking about how to lie to deal with her sister-in-law's questioning, but Mu Wanyao was holding her cheek with a feather fan, and her heart was moved. Yan Xiaozhou was Yan Shang's most beloved sister. If she was a considerate sister-in-law, wouldn't she be able to take credit from Yan Shang?
Mu Wanyao immediately showed her sincere concern for her adopted sister: "Come back home with me, wash your face, and put on your makeup. If you go back like this, your father-in-law and your brothers and sisters-in-law will worry."
Yan Xiaozhou quickly said no, but Mu Wanyao did not give her a chance to refuse. The maids coaxed and carried the sister-in-law back to the princess's mansion. Mu Wanyao looked at Yan Xiaozhou's confused maid, and then winked at Qiu Si, indicating Qiu Si to ask questions and find out why Yan Xiaozhou was crying.
So half an hour later, Mu Wanyao forcefully hugged Yan Xiaozhou and talked about emotional issues with her sister-in-law. Yan Xiaozhou refused to admit it at first, but after being deceived by Mu Wanyao several times, she also retreated. After all, she was a young lady who had never experienced love, how could she compare with her sister-in-law's rich experience?
Besides, her sister-in-law gritted her teeth with her: "Yang Si is such a bastard! I warned him not to touch you, but he still couldn't control himself and didn't discuss it with me! This bastard, I will help you scold him!"
Yan Xiaozhou had recovered, but Mu Wanyao brought him to tears again. Mu Wanyao asked him about it in a roundabout way, and Yan Xiaozhou sobbed and couldn't stop sobbing.
She raised her pale face, her eyelashes tangled together, and said blankly: "Sister-in-law, am I really being played with?"
Muwan hesitated.
Yan Xiaozhou was as sensitive as Yan Shang. She noticed when Mu Wanyao's eyes paused for a moment. Yan Xiaozhou said softly, "Sister-in-law, what is Sanlang hiding? Sister-in-law, tell me. I won't pester him. I just want to figure out where I went wrong."
Mu Wanyao was silent for a long while, and then slowly said in words that Yan Xiaozhou could understand: "Xiaozhou, you and your third brother have been in Chang'an for more than half a year. Can you understand that the situation in Chang'an is extremely volatile? People like me, your brother, and Yang Sanlang...all of us are helpless. Every decision we make affects more than just us."
Yan Xiaozhou seemed to understand something: "Sister-in-law, are you saying that someone asked Sanlang to stay away from me? Yes..."
She suddenly understood: "Sister-in-law, do you and brother both want me to keep my distance from Yang Sanlang?"
Mu Wan opened her eyes wide and was amazed, thinking that Yan Shang, her sister, was really quick to understand.
Mu Wan frowned and said, "I just found out about you and Yang San. I guess your brother doesn't know about it yet. Our attitude...is actually okay. Because although in-laws are a manifestation of one's stance, it's not entirely true. And someone like your brother probably cares more about whether you are good or not, and won't care too much about other things.
"It's just that Xiaozhou, most people in Chang'an are different from your brother, do you know that?
"Yang San and I grew up together, and I want to say something fair for him. He is definitely not the kind of person who teases girls casually. His attitude is so inconsistent, it can only be that either the Yang family refuses to marry us, or the prince wants him to refuse. No matter what the reason is, the problem caused by the standpoint is the problem of the two families, not just the two people."
Yan Xiaozhou lowered his eyes.
She said softly: "So my brother and sister-in-law are on the same side and got married just to form an alliance?"
Mu Wanyao immediately stood up and shouted, "Of course not!"
Yan Xiaozhou was startled by her.
Mu Wanyao softened her attitude again and said softly: "Your brother married me because he loves me so much. We are definitely different from others."
Yan Xiaozhou was stunned. He saw Mu Wanyao saying without blushing that her brother was infatuated with her. The princess was so frank, but Yan Xiaozhou blushed for his sister-in-law and was speechless for a long time.
After a while, Yan Xiaozhou turned the topic back to Yang Si and said sadly, "He didn't let me down. I don't blame him."
Mu Wanyao comforted her sister, and seeing that her sister was no longer so depressed, she took her arm and went to have lunch next door. Seeing that his sister-in-law was so enthusiastic about getting along with them, Yan Xiaozhou felt a little nervous, but he still put his mind at ease and planned to help his sister-in-law.
In the Yan Mansion, Yan's father and others smiled bitterly when they heard that Princess Danyang was coming again - Alas, a princess.
But of course I couldn't refuse.
The family had lunch together, except for Yan Shang. There was a natural gap between Mu Wanyao and them, but today Yan Xiaozhou helped to make some jokes, so the atmosphere at the table was barely good.
But something went wrong in the middle of the meal.
Mu Wanyao choked on a mouthful of food and coughed with her head tilted to cover her handkerchief. Her maids stood outside the house, and when the princess started coughing in the house, Sanlang's wife, who was sitting next to Mu Wanyao, was startled and poured wine for the princess in extreme panic.
Mu Wanyao was still coughing, forgetting who was next to him, and spoke harshly as if to his maid: "What are you drinking? Can't you see I'm coughing? Take this dish away, it can't be eaten."
Dalang's wife responded quickly and got busy.
Sanlang's wife came to pat Muwan's back again, and Dalang's wife took the handkerchief that the princess handed over very naturally and gave her a new one. Yan Xiaozhou jumped up smartly and went to make tea for his sister-in-law.
The other men in the Yan family stood up, surrounded the princess helplessly, and expressed their concern anxiously.
When Mu Wan's shaking finally subsided, she breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and turned around to face the crowd... She found that her two sisters-in-law were kneeling at her feet serving her like maids, three men were standing like servants listening to her lecture, and Yan Xiaozhou was holding a pot of tea waiting for her to rinse her mouth.
Mu Wan shook: "..."
Her face flushed, deeply upset at herself for treating Yan Shang's family like servants.
Yan's family also realized it belatedly. The sisters-in-law returned to their seats awkwardly. Several men were speechless. It was Yan's father who said dryly, "Your Highness, this meal...are you still going to eat?"
Mu Wanyao was frustrated that she had not been a good daughter-in-law, but she could only grit her teeth and say, "Eat!"
-----
When Mu Wanyao was trying to be a good daughter-in-law, Yan Shang was summoned to the palace by the emperor. Since he returned to Beijing, he often had to go to see the emperor. The emperor used him as a tool and sent him wherever he was needed. Yan Shang was used to it.
But on this day, Yan Shang did not have time to have lunch before he was summoned to the palace by the emperor, and the emperor did not see him immediately.
Yan Shang waited for about half an hour, and only when the emperor woke up from his nap did he let him into the palace.
After being given a seat, the emperor coughed and drank the medicine for the day. Yan Shang sat down below, and the emperor sat on a recliner, looking sideways at the autumn maple leaves outside the window, and said slowly: "Another year is almost over. When all the leaves fall, it will be the end of the year. Life is short, and it's about the same for a few decades."
Yan Shang said in a gentle voice: "Your Majesty, why do you have to be so emotional? Your Majesty is blessed by heaven, and with the help of overseas miraculous doctors, you will surely live a long and healthy life."
The emperor laughed at himself: "I wish there were more people who died than me."
Yan Shang then tried to persuade him again in a gentle voice.
He always spoke like this. Even though the emperor knew that this person might not have any feelings for him, his words reflected a person's cultivation. Yan Shang's words were pleasant to the ears, which softened the emperor's expression. The emperor chuckled, "I understand what Yao Yao sees in you."
As Yan Shang sat quietly, his eyelashes trembled slightly.
The emperor said: "Who wouldn't like a good-looking, sensible and well-behaved person?"
What the emperor said was that Yan Shang was just a plaything kept in the pen by Mu Wanyao, and all he had to do was wag his tail and beg for mercy.
He remained calm and said he was ashamed.
The emperor looked away from his face with a thoughtful expression, but Yan Shang remained calm, which made him admire him. If the emperor was in good health, he might be interested in fighting with such a young man. But now... the emperor was afraid of people like Yan Shang.
I want to use this person, but I am afraid that he cannot be controlled by me.
The emperor smiled slightly. He looked at the scenery outside the window and lost himself in memories. "I don't have many children. Yaoyao is my most beloved daughter. Before she was fifteen, she grew up in a honeypot and was spoiled by me and her mother. We raised her to be innocent and naive, and she doesn't understand worldly things. If possible, I would like her to live like this for the rest of her life.
"But as a princess, she has to make her own contribution when a country is in need."
Yan Shang listened in silence.
The emperor's eyes turned from tender to cruel: "I sent her to marry, and I never regret this decision. She made a sacrifice for the Wei Dynasty, and the whole Wei Dynasty will be grateful to her. This is her mission as a princess, even if she is the daughter of the queen, it will be the same.
"The only thing that hurts me is that the Wuman people are uncivilized and rude. Yaoyao has been married for more than two years and has ruined her body. My daughter will never be able to have children again. She is no longer a complete girl!"
Yan Shang slowly raised his eyes and looked at the heartbroken emperor.
When the emperor was talking excitedly, he started to cough violently. The eunuch beside the emperor patted the emperor on the back and anxiously told him not to get excited. But the emperor didn't listen, and sighed and told Yan Shang that his daughter couldn't have children, with tears on his face... The emperor came to see Yan Shang again.
Seeing that Yan Shang looked calm.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and said, "You know?"
Yan Shang felt tired and sighed softly in his heart.
Yan Shang could see the coldness and cruelty of the emperor. The emperor's hypocritical behavior was ridiculous in Yan Shang's eyes. However, this was the emperor. Even if Yan Shang didn't care about these things, it was impossible for Yan Shang to question an emperor... Yan Shang just felt the deep tiredness in every short time he spent with the emperor.
Yan Shang replied: "I know that Your Highness is infertile."
The emperor was stunned. He didn't expect Mu Wanyao to tell Yan Shang this. He couldn't understand why these two people would get married if Mu Wanyao told Yan Shang this? Did Yan Shang need Mu Wanyao's power? For the sake of power, could he endure this?
The emperor's face turned cold, and he said, "In that case, I won't say any more nonsense. I love Yaoyao the most, and I can't bear to see Yaoyao suffer any injustice. You are her consort, and you should rise and fall with her. She can't have children, but you can. I'm afraid that you will have a mistress outside, have a child secretly, and come back to tease my Yaoyao.
"As a father, I have to make the decision for Yaoyao."
After a long pause, he said, "Your Majesty, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to swear that I will only have one woman, Your Majesty, for the rest of my life?"
The emperor sneered indifferently.
He said, "I don't believe that. I'll ask the imperial physician to bring me a bowl of fertility-preventing soup. If you drink it, I'll believe you."
Yan Shang was silent for a long time.
He said, "Okay."
-----
Liu Wenji came back from the training ground outside the palace, sweating all over. When he was changing clothes in a palace room, a young eunuch whispered a few words in his ear. Liu Wenji's face changed slightly, and he immediately walked out of the palace again.
——The old emperor seems to be getting more and more ill.
I want Yan Shang to have no descendants!
Since his own daughter can't have children, does he want others to be childless as well?
Is this the logic of their royal family?
Liu Wenzhi stood in the scorching sun, feeling anxious for a long time, but he decided to go to Mu Wanyao and give it a try - if she was so heartless to her husband, then there was nothing to say.
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