In February of this year, when Yan Shang was still in Chang'an preparing for the new imperial examination, the civil war that had lasted for ten years in the Nanman had completely ended. The heroic and brave King Ale unified the plateau and united several Nanman tribes into one.
Wuman King Meng Zaishi became a close minister to King Ale. Meng Zaishi's dissatisfaction with King Ale may never fade, but King Ale's status as a king does not allow him to challenge easily. He can only lie dormant for the time being and wait for an opportunity to turn the tables.
King Ale hated the culture of Wei, but once the country was unified, the backward nomadic people had to learn how the advanced king of Wei ruled his country. With Meng Zaishi's guidance, King Ale awkwardly appointed them generals and meritorious officials one by one, saying that he wanted to lead the southern barbarians to prosperity.
However, looking back at the vast land behind us, this ambition is inevitably discouraging.
The price of the ten-year-long civil strife was that although the Southern Barbarians were unified, the people in the country were living in poverty, the population was sparse, there was no production, and bandits were rampant.
For the Nanman, the only way to solve the current domestic problems is war.
Rely on war to plunder and rely on war to support the people.
Nanman urgently needs a foreign war to plunder resources, gain wealth, and improve the domestic situation. Ten years of civil war have exhausted Nanman, and it is difficult to get rid of it. However, if there is no war, Nanman can't even maintain the current situation.
For this reason, King Ale, who had always looked down on the Great Wei, set his sights on his neighbor, the powerful Great Wei.
Facing the vast territory of Wei, the warlike King Ale was serious about his ambitions. He was good at fighting and would not underestimate any enemy. He was planning this war, looking for Meng Zaishi day and night to learn about the situation of Wei, and thinking of the servants who had escaped from Luo Xiu who had died that year.
The content of the transaction between Luo Xiu and Liu Wenji, the most powerful eunuch in Wei today, several years ago, has become meaningful again.
And God seemed to be favoring the Southern Barbarians, wanting to save this backward nation.
A Wei man named Cheng An escaped from Wei, disguised himself and fled to other small countries from Hexi. This Wei man had never communicated with the envoy Wei Qilang, and he didn't know that the small country he fled to by looking at the map had been annexed and exterminated by the southern barbarians.
The iron hoofs of the southern barbarians mercilessly trampled to death this Wei man whose life was as low as an ant. This Wei man, with gray hair on his temples, knelt on the ground and cried, "You can't kill me! I am the chief eunuch beside His Majesty, and I know many secrets... I finally escaped from Liu Wenji, I shouldn't die here!"
At that time, Meng was standing in the street, watching coldly, thinking about how to benefit from this war. He could understand the language of the Wei Dynasty, and Cheng An's crying in the street caught his attention.
The tall and mighty Meng Zaishi squinted his eyes and looked at the good man who was hunched over and crying on the ground without any image. After a long time, his eyes fixed and he recognized who this person was. A few hours later, Cheng An dressed up and appeared in Meng Zaishi's tent.
After a few more hours, Cheng'an paid a visit to King Ale.
When King Ale heard that Cheng An was the chief eunuch of the previous emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty and the master of the current chief eunuch Liu Wenji, King Ale mocked the Great Wei Dynasty: "Ministers killed the emperor, the emperor has no authority, the Great Wei Dynasty is nothing more than this!"
Meng Zaishi saw that this barbarian who only knew how to fight was simple-minded and did not understand the opportunity to take advantage of this. He sneered in his heart and felt that he might have a chance to replace King Ale.
As long as the war between the Southern Barbarians and the Great Wei broke out, how could the rich and powerful Great Wei be as easy to deal with as the five tribes of the Southern Barbarians? Although the Great Wei was not as powerful as the Southern Barbarians, its vast territory and sufficient food and grass were the foundation of the Great Wei.
The self-willed King Ale will inevitably suffer from the Wei Dynasty.
This was the best opportunity for Meng Zaishi to replace King Ale and negotiate with Wei. When King Ale died, he would humble himself and submit to Wei. The hypocritical and self-proclaimed generous Emperor Wei would surely reward him with countless wealth to help Nanman become stronger... How could he miss such an opportunity?
Meng Zaishi suggested to King Ale: "We can use Cheng An to threaten Liu Wenji. After all, Luo Xiu is dead, and Liu Wenji does not admit that he has betrayed the country. If he is really as powerful as Cheng An said in Wei, the emperor of Wei might really believe him. But if Cheng An is in our hands, Liu Wenji will be afraid.
"We want Liu Wenji to cooperate with us and do his best to hinder Wei and make Wei give us its vast territory. This is what the Wei people say, 'conquer the enemy without fighting.'"
King Ale was shocked, and then patted Meng Zaishi's shoulder in dissatisfaction: "Meng Zaishi, you are very good! But don't learn everything from the Wei people. The Wei people are treacherous and cunning foxes. We Nanman are protected by the goddess on the mountains, and we have the blood of eagles flowing in our bodies. If you learn everything from the Wei people, you are not a good man like us Nanman!"
Meng Zaishi said yes respectfully.
After the strategy against Wei was decided, Meng Zaishi left the tent where King Ale was. He stood in the tent with his arms folded, thinking of King Ale's contemptuous attitude towards Wei just now, he curled his lips and waited for the other party to suffer the consequences.
Perhaps he really learned too much from the Wei Dynasty.
He stood here like an evil Asura, planning a war, and leading the entire Nanman people towards a fiery battle without stopping... But the Nanman people needed war, and he could not stop them.
Meng Zaishi just looked up at the blue sky. There were no clouds at all, the sky was clear, and a black eagle spread its wings and flew across the sky. This reminded him of the princess of Wei again.
Five or six years have passed, and he now has a son and a daughter. I wonder if she has gotten out of the shadow of the past.
Where is the princess now?
Did she have a result with the young minister whose real name was Yan Shisheng? If they knew about the war she had planned, they would be enemies again, right?
In the legend of the Wei Dynasty, every star in the sky is the incarnation of a dead hero.
If one day, he kills King Ale, becomes the King of the Southern Barbarians, and forms a friendly alliance with the King of Wei, and sees Mu Wanyao again, he would like to ask her: If he unifies the Southern Barbarians, ends the war, leads the Southern Barbarians and Wei to live in peace, and teaches the Southern Barbarians to get out of the wilderness, then by that time, will he be qualified to become a star in the sky?
Meng Zaishi couldn't help but smile. He whispered Mu Wanyao's name and sneered, "...little princess."
-----
In May, after parting ways with Concubine Zhao Ling, Yan Shang and his wife traveled for another half month and arrived in Lingnan.
When they first arrived in Lingnan, local officials led the people to pay homage to the newly appointed Guangzhou governor, Yan Shang. For hundreds of years, the relationship between the central government and the local governments has always been a mess. Guangzhou was afraid that the highest official sent by the central government was incompetent. Now, after hearing that the Guangzhou governor was originally from Lingnan, and after inquiring about Yan Erlang's reputation in Guanzhong, everyone felt more relieved.
In the carriage, Mu Wanyao was awakened by the sound of gongs and drums.
She got off the carriage with the help of a maid, her long skirt trailing on the ground, and her pointed red shoes were visible under her skirt. The officials below, who were gently advised by Yan Shang not to be so polite, calmed down and looked at the female relative of Mr. Yan, the Princess Danyang.
Mu Wanyao raised her chin, she was as beautiful as peach and plum, and as graceful as the most gorgeous peony in Chang'an, like the boundless red clouds covering the sky.
She blossomed in such a desolate countryside, and when one looked at her casually, the officials bowed their heads humbly and greeted the princess.
Mu Wan tilted her chin towards her husband who was surrounded by officials on the ground, as if rewarding him: "This place is not bad, we will live here from now on."
Yan Shang looked at her helplessly: "This is the government office. I only work here and don't live here."
Mu Wan shook: "..."
She immediately became angry and said, "If you don't have a mansion, build one here! I think the environment here is good and it's close to your government office. What's wrong with wanting to live here? Not only do I want to live here, I also want to bring your father, your brother and sister-in-law, and your brother and sister-in-law to live with me. What do you think?"
Yan Shang smiled: "No problem, but I'll listen to your Highness."
The officials were relieved to hear that the governor had a gentle voice and a good temper, and thought that it would be easy to get along with the governor. However, the eldest princess seemed to be domineering and arrogant, and might be difficult to serve.
Regardless of how the officials grumbled about the couple, they both settled down here. Yan Shang took over the official seal and began to sort out the affairs of Guangzhou. And just as Mu Wanyao requested, Yan's father and others soon moved from the countryside to Guangzhou to live with them.
Only Sanlang of the Yan family was still doing business secretly in the Western Regions and was not at home. Yan Xiaozhou, the youngest daughter of the Yan family, was in Jiannan, which made Yan's father quite dissatisfied. But Yan's father was cowardly by nature, and after muttering a few words about why his youngest daughter hadn't married yet, he didn't say much.
This kind of relationship is vaguely similar to when they were neighbors with the Yan family in Chang'an, but it is much more comfortable than in Chang'an, where the situation is turbulent.
At least there weren't so many ministers queuing up every day to see Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang, at least there were no longer an endless stream of carriages and horses outside their mansions all day long, and at least Yan Shang was no longer doing the work of several officials while only receiving one salary.
Yan Shang was only the governor of Guangzhou, and he was quite comfortable with it. And probably because he was back home, Mu Wanyao was not used to the heat in Guangzhou, but Yan Shang was very used to it.
Mu Wanyao originally wanted to take good care of Yan Shang, but after returning to Lingnan, she fell ill and was on the verge of death several times. Yan Shang took care of her in return and did not fall ill.
But their life as a couple, with one person getting sick after the other, is really ridiculous.
Yan Shang was very worried that Mu Wanyao would not adapt to the climate here. She was not in good health. He saw her dying all day and was always worried that her old illness would affect her now. Mu Wanyao also advised Yan Shang to take medicine all day because of his poor health.
So doctors came in and out of the couple's mansion all day long.
This made the Yan family living next door look at each other in confusion, filled with worry: Yan Shang and his wife had been married for two years and still had no children. They didn't dare to ask too much, but they were also worried.
Fortunately, Mu Wanyao was a princess, and she was a little uncomfortable with the new environment at first, but she was in a good mood after changing to a new environment. With the careful care of the maids and Yan Shang's thoughtfulness and gentleness, she quickly adapted to the place and became more energetic. After she became more energetic, Mu Wanyao began to think about finding some fun for herself.
This was not Chang'an, where she didn't need to spend all day discussing politics with ministers. Ministers in Chang'an would write to each other once a month at most, and most of the time, Mu Wanyao had no interest in competing with Yan Shang for even the things that a governor had to do.
She had no court affairs to think about, and after being depressed for several days, she picked up her guzheng, qin, and books that had been put away for a long time.
She invited people to visit her all day long, held banquets for them, and went out in gorgeous attire every day. The elegant music and beautiful music played in Yan Shang's mansion every day made Yan Shang feel a little dazed when he returned home every day. He then remembered that his princess was a talented woman.
Both talent and music are outstanding.
It's just that I didn't have the chance to pick it up before.
But once she brought up her old studies, she made him look vulgar.
Yan Shang was quite ashamed, so when he was free, he would ask Mu Wanyao to teach him to play the qin or learn to play the konghou. He had such aspirations when he was young, but later he was distracted by worldly affairs and lost the mood. Now that he picked it up again, Mu Wanyao was also very interested.
But she didn't say yes, she said no.
Yan Shang was helpless: "Why won't you teach me? Didn't you teach me in the past?"
The two of them sat under the pavilion in the mansion. The summer breeze was not cool, and they only relied on the ice cubes placed under the niche to keep cool. Mu Wan shook his chin and said, "It's not that I don't want to be a teacher. If I were a teacher, I would be very strict with my students. I want to pay a tuition fee before I teach!"
Yan Shang was sitting on a stone bench next to her, looking elegant and indifferent. Upon hearing her words, he turned his head and smiled at her: "What kind of salary do you want?"
Without waiting for her to answer, he said, "I am yours completely, what else do you want?"
Mu Wan was startled for a moment, then got angry: "You are such a boring person! You speak so bluntly, and you are no longer as shy as before, which makes people feel cute."
Yan Shang sighed.
Mu Wan stood up and walked to him. The pavilion was surrounded by bamboo curtains. She hugged his neck and knelt on his legs, letting him hold her. The maids looked straight ahead, admiring the lake and sky around them, but Yan Shang was really embarrassed by her behavior.
He put his hand on her waist and pushed gently: "Don't get off yet. It's embarrassing to be in public."
Mu Wanyao glanced at his hypocritical look and said, "Don't hold my waist. If I kneel steadily, I will fall down, right?"
Yan Shang: "How can I watch you fall?"
Mu Wan smiled and her beautiful eyes sparkled, she was very charming. She muttered: "It's your own fault that you are soft-hearted."
She reached out and pinched his face, lowered her head to examine his features, and then said with satisfaction, "There's a little more flesh on your face."
Yan Shang blushed, but couldn't help laughing. His smile was light, and Mu Wan held his face in her hands, and she liked it very much. She stroked his eyebrows with her fingers, and suddenly her heart moved, and she said happily: "I know what kind of salary I want."
She put her hands close to his ears, kissed and bit them, and told him what she wanted to do with him.
He was extremely shocked and looked up at her. Now he didn't want to learn anymore...
Yan Shang hesitated for a while and sighed. Mu Wan shook his head happily: "Tell me, am I powerful?"
Yan Shang blushed: "How do I know if you are powerful?"
Mu Wan shook her finger and hooked it on his brow. She said seriously, "What I said was that I raised you to have some flesh on your face. I'm so awesome. What do you think I said?"
Yan Shang was stunned, then ashamed. He began to reflect on whether he was dirty, and Mu Wanyao was overjoyed when she saw this, hugging him and kissing him non-stop.
When Yan's father came to visit, he could vaguely see Erlang and the princess playing in the pavilion across the lake. He felt relieved, thinking that it might be because the climate in Chang'an was not good and the situation was too tense that Erlang and the princess had no children. The two had such a good relationship, and if they lived in Lingnan for two years, they might have children.
-----
I don't know what conditions she and Yan Shang have reached, but Mu Wanyao started to teach Yan Shang how to play the guqin. She thinks the konghou is more suitable for women to play, and the guqin is elegant and more suitable for Yan Shang. Mu Wanyao fantasizes about the day when the couple will be harmonious and play music together.
When she was a young girl and had not yet married, her ideal husband was a godly gentleman who shared her interests and could play music and read with her.
However, as soon as Yan Shang started learning, Mu Wanyao suffered a great blow.
The sound of the zither could be heard from outside the mansion all day long, and it was as unpleasant as slaughtering a pig. Whenever Erlang was at home on vacation, the sound of the zither would linger in the air, and within a ten-mile radius of the mansion, no passerby would dare to stop and enjoy it.
Mu Wan shook him and scolded him: "How can you be so stupid? I told you to pick! This fingering technique is called 'pick', not pluck! You got it wrong again!"
Yan Shang corrected himself in a hurry.
After a while, Mu Wanyao scolded him again, and simply pushed him away and started to demonstrate it himself.
She was extremely fierce and scolded loudly, but when she turned around to look at Yan Shang, she saw that he was always calm and composed. Mu Wanyao became even angrier: "Are you listening to me? Why don't you react at all? Don't you take my words to heart at all?"
The words are still confused.
He whispered, "I'm always like this."
Mu Wan angrily plucked the strings of the zither: "Have some reaction!"
Qiu Si was terrified when she heard this. She thought the princess had a bad temper and was afraid that the prince consort would be scolded so much that he would not want to learn the piano anymore. The princess scolded the prince consort even though he had a peaceful temperament...
When Mu Wanyao realized the scolding Yan Shang received during the day, she would feel ashamed at night, thinking that she was too harsh on him. She swore in her heart that she would be gentler to Yan Shang tomorrow, even if he was tone-deaf, even if he didn't have this string, she would be gentle and patient...
Mu Wanyao's love surged in her heart. When they reached the bed, she indulged Yan Shang in every way, calling him brother affectionately, which made him happy.
But the next day, the scolding and humiliation would be repeated again... For half a year, this became a daily routine in the mansion. It was a big mystery why Yan Erlang was so smart and so poor at playing the zither.
-----
This year's New Year's Eve, Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao naturally spent it at Yan's father's house. Yan's father gave them a big red envelope again, and this time, he almost clearly reminded them that they should have a child.
But Father Yan saw that the two of them were like clay Buddhas and did not react to his words at all.
Does the princess not like children?
Yan's father observed that Dalang and Sanlang's children all liked to hang around Erlang. Erlang had a gentle personality, and the children all liked this second uncle. Compared to Erlang, the princess seemed to be a little colder towards the children... but she didn't seem to hate them too much.
Yan's father was anxious and felt that he could no longer give any hints.
After the new year, one day, Yan Shang came back from the government office. Before he changed his clothes, he was called in by his father for questioning. After hesitating for a long time, Yan's father finally asked embarrassedly: "Erlang, you and His Highness have been married for almost three years, why don't you have children? I see that you and your husband have a good relationship. Although His Highness sometimes has a bad temper, he treats you differently from others.
"Since you have such a good relationship, why don't you have children? Is it possible that you and your wife have any hidden illness? You are so young, if you have any hidden illness, don't be afraid to seek medical treatment. It is better to treat it as soon as possible."
Yan Shang had known that this day would come.
When he returned to Lingnan, he had thought about this day. Staying with his father every day, his father would definitely care about this issue.
Yan Shang smiled bitterly.
He gave the answer he had prepared long ago: "Father, do you know that I have been in poor health in the past few years?"
Father Yan was confused, then sighed. He didn't understand much about the affairs of the court, and didn't dare to ask. But he knew that Erlang returned to Lingnan this time under the pretext of recuperating from illness.
Yan Shang said, "I was imprisoned in my early years, and I was left with a chronic illness that has never fully recovered. When I came back to recuperate this time, I secretly asked the doctors about it. They all said that it would be difficult for me to have children... I'm afraid I'll be childless for the rest of my life."
Father Yan: “…”
He was stunned, dazed and shocked.
He said anxiously: "Why don't you get treatment quickly?"
Yan Shang said: "The root of evil left by the old illness, how can it be cured so easily?"
Father Yan paused for a moment: "...That needs to be treated too."
Yan Shang sighed and said, "It's under treatment."
Father Yan whispered: "Does your wife... Princess know?"
Yan Shang whispered, "How can I let her know?"
Yan's father immediately became anxious: "Then you have, haven't you misled His Highness... If His Highness knew that he couldn't have a child because of you, wouldn't he be angry? What if he wants to kill you?"
Yan Shang smiled innocently and said, "My husband and I have a very good relationship. She won't kill me."
He was a gentleman, handsome as jade, but at this moment, his brows were shrouded in a gloomy look. He said, "I don't want her to be with other men and have children with other men. So I must hide it from her and not let her know. Father, don't tell her, just help me this time, okay?"
Yan's father: "...Erlang, how could you be the kind of person who deceives women?"
Yan Shang: "The word love is ugly to everyone. Who can be truly noble and truly free from vulgarity?"
Yan's father wanted to say something to him, but maybe Yan Shang had touched upon his own concerns. Yan's father sighed, and hesitated to speak. He didn't know how to say this. Yan's father was conflicted, and felt guilty towards the princess... He was on his son's side, and didn't want the princess to abandon him because he couldn't have children. However, he didn't agree with his son's fraudulent marriage.
Yan's father hid and didn't see Mu Wanyao.
Occasionally, when he accidentally ran into Mu Wanyao, Yan's father was always very nice to her and always looked at her with a guilty look.
The evening is shaking for no apparent reason.
Yan's father also sent many rare and strange medicines to their mansion. In Lingnan, witchcraft was prevalent, so Yan's father invited many wizards to the young couple's mansion, making it a mess all day long. Every time Mu Wanyao returned to the mansion and listened to all kinds of chanting, music, and drum sounds, he felt dazed.
Mu Wanyao met Yan's father in the courtyard. Yan's father said a lot of things to her, asking her to be considerate of Yan Shang. He also said that they were sorry to His Highness. If one day His Highness wanted to divorce her husband, the Yan family would accept it.
Mu Wanyao returned to the dormitory and saw Yan Shang drinking the strange, pungent medicine his father had gotten for him.
He frowned, sighed and drank, and Mu Wanyao felt very distressed when she saw this.
She said, "Is your father old? Why is he so confused recently? He sends all kinds of people to our house and forces you to drink all kinds of strange medicines... Is he old and confused? But he is not that old."
Yan Shang heard Mu Wanyao talking about how his father had tortured her recently. She wanted to get angry but was too embarrassed to do so... Mu Wanyao was furious: "He always looks at me with guilty eyes! Yan Er, did you do something bad again? What are you laughing at?"
Mu Wanyao: "He also asked me to divorce my husband!"
Yan Shang joked, "Maybe my father found out that I was having an affair behind your back and is afraid that you'll divorce me."
Mu Wan was startled for a moment, then said seriously: "No, you won't. Second Brother Yan would never do that."
Yan Shang: "How do you know I can't? All men in the world are the same."
He had been in Lingnan for a year, and his health and spirits had improved a lot. He liked to tell her some jokes. This meant that he was becoming more and more relaxed and comfortable in front of her, and Mu Wanyao was of course happy.
Mu Wanyao refuted him seriously: "Second Brother Yan would never do this to me. All men in the world would do this, but Second Brother Yan would not. I don't believe it."
Yan Shang stared at her, and saw that she trusted him very much. His heart trembled slightly, and he put down the medicine bowl in his hand and said in a hoarse voice: "Come here, Yaoyao, I want to hug you."
Mu Wan shook her hand and turned away, refusing to go over, acting like a princess.
Yan Shang was helpless: "Come here and I will tell you why my father is like this."
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