After helping Wei Shu submit his examination paper and gaining approval from the chief examiner of the imperial examination, Mu Wanyao was summoned by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
Mu Wanyao was invited to the East Palace, but the prince was late.
The main hall was very quiet, with only Mu Wanyao sitting there.
She sneered in her heart, knowing that the prince was trying to intimidate her.
However, today's Princess Danyang is no longer the young lady who used to be so ashamed that she wanted to die because of the cold shoulder given by others.
Now, even if others say something that hurts her heart, she can swallow it and curse back.
The prince's wish to make her feel uneasy by ignoring her was impossible.
Naturally, Mu Wanyao also knew that as she depended on the Crown Prince, she should behave well in order to gain the Crown Prince's trust.
However, Mu Wanyao didn't want to be obedient, and he also knew that such an attitude would have little effect politically.
Anyway, the Jinling Li family is standing behind her.
She was the only one left behind. If her brother from the same mother had not died, and if the Jinling Li family had not been there, how could the current prince be the prince?
In the past, the Li family was very powerful in Chang'an. Although they have been defeated and returned to Nanjing now, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.
The prince will tolerate her out of taboo.
Knowing this clearly, even though the master of the East Palace was late, Mu Wanyao was still leisurely and asked the maids to serve tea and fruits.
She picked up a picture album at random, and sat leisurely in the hall, reading and eating, feeling so comfortable.
As a result, the prince couldn't control her and had to leave.
The prince's voice came from behind the side door: "Sixth sister is here?"
Mu Wanyao raised her head and saw the Crown Prince, who was handsome and dressed in casual clothes, coming in from outside. While handing his taken-off cloak to the maid, she glanced at the plate of melon seeds that Mu Wanyao had cracked.
The prince's eyes twitched slightly, and he saw Mu Wan stand up and bow to him respectfully with a smile.
The prince suppressed his displeasure with Mu Wanyao's casual attitude and motioned for him to sit down.
After the maid in the palace replaced the teacup and everyone left, the prince rubbed his neck and sighed to Mu Wan, "I was summoned by my father just now to ask about some matters in the Ministry of Personnel, so I kept my sixth sister waiting for a long time."
The prince was filled with sorrow: "My father's illness has worsened. I feel really bad looking at him."
Mu Wanyao sneered in his heart, thinking that you probably wished that old man would die quickly so that you could ascend to the throne.
But the emperor has not died for so many years, how could the prince not be angry?
Mu Wanyao pretended not to understand. She and her brother pretended to worry about their father's health. Then she looked at the prince in surprise and said slowly, "Isn't the Ministry of Personnel managed by my third brother's people? Why is my father asking you, my eldest brother?"
The Crown Prince said gently, "It is indeed my Third Brother's people who are in charge. It's just that the Ministry of Personnel made a mistake before, and my Third Brother and I argued about it for a few days, so Father intervened."
Mu Wan shook her head and said “Oh”.
Seeing the prince staring at her, Mu Wan smiled and said, "I don't understand these things. Third brother and I are not familiar with each other, and our relationship is not good. You know it, eldest brother. I always avoid what he does over there."
The prince smiled and nodded.
It is precisely because this sister and the third brother have a bad relationship that I can easily win her over...but recently...
The prince held the teacup in his hand and rubbed the rim of the cup with the lid very casually.
He stared at the tea stains in the water and chatted casually, "But just now when I was talking to the Ministry of Personnel, I learned that Sixth Sister has been getting close to the Ministry of Personnel because of the paper submission. I heard that Sixth Sister even personally led people to meet the newly appointed Minister of Examinations?"
The Yuanwailang of the Ministry of Personnel was in charge of the imperial examinations.
Mu Wanyao and Wei Shu did go to meet him.
There is nothing to deny about this.
Mu Wanyao just smiled and said nothing.
The prince's face turned pale. He put down the teacup, looked at Mu Wan and said, "You don't seem to play with Yang Sanlang very much?"
Mu Wan shook his head and said, "I don't have the same personality as him. Because I have a bad temper, and he has a bad temper too. We always quarrel when we are together. We can't play together."
The prince smiled.
He narrowed his eyes, as if recalling the past, and said, "Yang Sanlang has been a stubborn donkey since he was young. He doesn't listen to anyone. I remember that at that time, only when you cried, he would get impatient with your crying and come back to find you."
At dusk, I was silent.
Then he whispered, "...Everyone was very young back then, and it was different from now."
The prince nodded and said, "Yes. Who would have thought that until now, Yang Sanlang's temper has not changed, but your temper has changed. You used to be such a weak and crying little girl, but now you are always pretending to obey and not giving face to others."
He knew that the prince was mocking him for helping Wei Shu even though he was on the prince's side.
Mu Wanyao said calmly, "Wei Qilang is my uncle's disciple. He is young and is ostracized by the Wei family. My uncle asked me to take care of him, so I did it. Even if I didn't do anything, Wei Qilang would become an official in a few years with the background of the Wei family. I am just doing a favor."
The prince sneered.
The prince said, "Let's not talk about him. When do you plan to marry Yang Sanlang?"
Mu Wan shook: "..."
She suddenly raised her head and looked at the prince. Her eyes were like ice and snow, which froze into a cold blade and stabbed him fiercely, like a knife stabbing into the heart.
It actually makes people feel a little bit sorry.
The prince sighed and said in a gentle voice, "Sixth sister, I am not forcing you. I am also thinking about you. The war with Wuman has been going on for a year. I heard that it will be over soon. There is no etiquette among the barbarians. It is common for fathers and sons to have the same wife. What's more, this Wuman King is a new one."
The prince did not know that the current King of Wuman was the eldest son of the previous one.
The prince now only advised Mu Wanyao earnestly: "When the Wuman have ended the war, the Great Wei, as their father country, will definitely send people to Chang'an to pay homage to the emperor. If you haven't married by then, aren't you afraid that the Wuman king will ask the emperor for you? Do you want to marry again after you have married once?"
Mu Wanyao's face was pale. She said nothing, but her arms, which were resting on the table, were tense.
The prince said, "If you marry Yang Sanlang, you and Yang Sanlang have a childhood sweetheart relationship, and the Yang family and I will protect you, then of course the Wuman King will not be able to take you away. I know that in the year of your marriage, you must have experienced a lot of bad things in Wuman, which led to your personality change, which is completely different from the past.
"You've already changed your temperament once, do you want to change it a second time?
"Yaoyao, you can't always climb out of the abyss."
Mu Wanyao looked at the prince quietly.
She thought: If I marry Yang Sanlang, the Jinling Li family will definitely be unhappy. The Li family might even abandon me. Without the support of the Li family, how can I stay in Chang'an and not be manipulated by others?
She wants to please both sides, but she can't let herself get involved.
Everyone is quite dissatisfied.
Why does it seem like she's the only one who can do anything, and she doesn't have any ideas.
Mu Wanyao smiled softly.
She lowered her eyebrows and eyes, like spring water, full of charm.
She sighed sadly: "I know, but I think Yang San doesn't like me."
The prince laughed: "He has that temper, don't blame him. He has always been special to you, otherwise why haven't they married yet? Isn't he waiting for you?"
Muwan shook his head and smiled.
Her face was slightly red, and her eyelashes were trembling. Like a girl in love, she bit her lip and thought about how heroic her husband should be.
Seeing that she was not opposed to it, the prince decided to stop and did not mention it any further.
-----
Mu Wan walked out of the East Palace gate, and the blush on her face, which was like that of a young girl in love, disappeared.
When she left the palace, she even stopped showing that expression.
Mu Wanyao sat in the carriage with an expressionless face, waiting for the maids outside to hand over the sign for entry and exit.
Suddenly she heard the sound of horse hooves and wondered who dared to make such a noise in front of the palace gate. She lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked inside.
I saw a young man riding a horse, wearing a black robe with a red collar and a martial arts robe. He leaned on the horse's back and rushed towards the palace gate at a very fast speed.
The guards looked pale, but the young man's expression remained unchanged and he did not slow down his horse.
The red headband fluttered in the wind, and the sword worn at the waist clanged silently.
His eyebrows are cold and deep, and at first glance, he looks extremely arrogant.
He is really dressed in fine clothes and riding a horse, with outstanding demeanor!
There is only one such person in the whole Chang'an, and it must belong to Yang Sanlang Yang Si!
Yang Si did not slow down his horse until he reached the gate of the palace. When he jumped off his horse, he noticed someone watching him.
He turned his head and met the beautiful eyes of Mu Wanyao who was sitting in the carriage.
Mu Wanyao pretended to be curious: "Yang Sanlang is going to the Eastern Palace again? You go to the Eastern Palace three times a day. If you were a daughter, I'm afraid the position of the Crown Princess would be yours, right?"
Yang Si stared at her.
Slowly: "Was he scolded by the prince?"
Mu Wan shook: "..."
Yang Si led his horse, glanced at her and then looked away, saying calmly: "Of course I can't compare to you. I get scolded every time I go to the East Palace."
Mu Wanyao gave him a hypocritical smile: "Isn't this because the prince is concerned about when I can marry Yang Sanlang?"
Yang Si said slowly: "You can get married whenever you want, I don't care."
Mu Wan shook her head and covered her lips in surprise: "Do you like me?"
Yang Si was also surprised: "Why should I like you? No one says that if you become a prince consort, you can't take concubines, right?"
Mu Wanyao gnashed his teeth and said, "If you are my consort, you cannot take a concubine."
Yang Si said calmly: "You have no right to control me."
Mu Wanyao stared at him through the car curtain for a while, then suddenly opened the car door and threw out a series of tea cups and other utensils.
But Yang Si was prepared. He just took a steady step back and avoided her temper.
Look at this princess, she was so angry that she fell on the car, her snow-soft breasts trembling slightly and her beautiful eyes blazing with fire.
The eyelashes on Yang Si's eyes trembled slightly, and he looked away.
Yang Si said, "You have such a bad temper, you should take good care of your Wei Qilang. To be a daughter-in-law of my Yang family, you must follow the three obediences and four virtues. I don't think you can do it."
Mu Wan shook her head and said, "Then go and tell His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that you hate me and don't want to marry me at all!"
Yang Si said: "I don't hate you. Didn't I say it doesn't matter whether I marry you or not, I can take a concubine anyway."
Mu Wanyao glared at him for a long time, but finally fell silent, pulled down the curtain, and stopped talking to him over and over again.
Yang Si stood where he was, and only when he saw the carriage from Princess Danyang's mansion slowly driving away did he look back, take back the fish token that the guards at the palace gate had used to verify his identity, and lead the horse into the city.
His servant followed the tall and slender young man and whispered, "Why does Sanlang always make the Sixth Princess angry?"
Yang Si said nothing.
The servant continued, "The Sixth Princess must have been criticized by the Crown Prince again. If Sanlang can smile at the Princess, she will be in a better mood when she leaves the city.
"If Sanlang doesn't like the princess, he should get married early and stop the Crown Prince from having any thoughts of her. If Sanlang likes the princess, he shouldn't always make her angry."
Yang Si lowered his eyes.
The servants kept talking about their sympathy for Mu Wanyao. After a while, Yang Si finally spoke: "The prince is too impatient. Arnold, there are some things that I can't do. I can't be too nice to Yaoyao."
The servant was startled.
Q: "Are you helping the princess?"
Yang Si smiled briefly.
Then he said lazily: "Anyway, I am on the side of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Let's put the rest aside for now."
The servants naturally had no objection to this.
Yang Sanlang was the prince's companion and groom, so his natural position was on the prince's side, and the Yang family's position also followed Sanlang and was on the prince's side. Sanlang and the prince had a good relationship, so of course Sanlang should help the prince.
It’s just that there are some things... Sanlang is not very willing to do.
-----
Princess Jin is looking for Mu Wanyao again.
This time it was a good thing, because after Princess Jin prayed for a child last time, one of the concubines in the mansion became pregnant.
Princess Jin was overjoyed, and brought her pregnant concubine to the door, begging Mu Wanyao to accompany her to Yongshou Temple again to fulfill her wish.
Princess Jin kept on talking: "I didn't expect the Bodhisattva in that temple to be so powerful! I've only prayed for a few days, and someone in our house is pregnant. This is the first time in three years! Sister, you accompanied me that day, can you accompany me again today to fulfill your wish?"
Mu Wanyao is so annoying.
She was about to scold the imperial sister-in-law and send her away, but suddenly she saw a slight sadness between the eyebrows of Princess Jin. It seemed that the princess was happy about the concubine's pregnancy, but not as happy as she showed.
Mu Wan paused.
Yes.
The Princess of Jin hoped that her palace would have an heir, so naturally she would be happy as long as someone was pregnant; however, this child was not from her belly after all. She had been taking concubines for the Prince of Jin and sending women to her husband's bed for years, wasn't it all for the sake of an heir?
The nobles in Chang'an all felt that this princess was out of tune and did not like dealing with her. However, as a second wife, how could it be easy for Princess Jin?
Mu Wanyao was silent for a moment, and his heart softened for a rare moment.
Princess Jin felt a little pitiful for being ignored.
Mu Wan shook her head and coughed: "This is just the first time, it won't happen again. I won't follow you to pray for a child again."
Princess Jin was immediately delighted and kept saying, "Thank you, sister! You are really kind-hearted, and it is completely different from what those people said. Don't worry, sister, the Bodhisattva in Yongshou Temple is really powerful. After I fulfill my wish this time, I will also help you pray for a good marriage!"
Good marriage?!
Mu Wanyao was scared to death!
She is now afraid that the marriage will fall on her... She is trying hard to strike a balance between the Crown Prince and Li, and this princess doesn't understand her suffering at all!
Mu Wanyao said hurriedly: "Sister-in-law, just pray for a son for your palace, don't worry about me. I don't want to get married."
Princess: "Is there any girl in the world who doesn't want to get married..."
Mu Wanyao smiled and said, "To be honest, sister-in-law, I once had an ambition to comb my hair and become a nun. It was my father who stopped me from doing that."
The princess was stunned, not knowing whether the princess' words were true or not.
-----
When they arrived at Yongshou Temple, Princess Jin devoutly took Mu Wanyao with her to worship Buddha. The concubine she brought with her followed behind her and knelt down to worship together.
After Mu Wan bowed to a few houses, she became impatient. She was extremely puzzled. She watched her sister-in-law kneeling on the cushion with her eyes closed for a long time. She really didn't understand why the Princess of Jin had so much to say to the Buddha.
Mu Wanyao had nothing to ask the Bodhisattva.
While the two men were kneeling, Mu Wanyao was already waiting outside.
When the two men came out, they saw the princess squinting at the sun, looking at the endless stream of people entering the temple that day.
Mu Wan shook his head and said to the two of them, "I have finished my worship. You guys take your time. I will go play for a while and come back to see you."
Princess Jin also knew that it was good enough that the princess could accompany her. She really didn't dare to expect the princess to worship Buddha like her, so she nodded.
Mu Wanyao left the maids and servants to the princess, turned around and blended into the crowd, and disappeared in a flash.
The maids left behind by the princess seemed quite calm, as if they were not worried about the princess's safety at all. It was obvious that this was not the first time that the princess had left the maids behind. Princess Jin had no choice but to continue to worship the Buddha with these servants uneasily.
-----
Mu Wan shook his hands and left his servants, not to look for Yan Erlang.
Although she knew that Yan Shang lived in Yongshou Temple, she was just visiting casually. What did it have to do with him? She never thought of looking for him.
But Yongshou Temple is not a big temple, and Mu Wanyao really met Yan Shang.
When Mu Wanyao was strolling in the temple, he saw a group of talented people inviting each other to write poems on the wall.
Yan Shang was a handsome man standing among a group of literati. Mu Wanyao could see him from afar.
In the Wei Dynasty, the people who wrote poems on the walls of temples and monasteries were all elegant scholars and were admired by countless people. In inns or temples, there were often poetry boards for passers-by to write on.
These literati usually wrote their poems on a poetry board first, and then hung it on the wall for people to appreciate.
The fame of many talented writers spread from these poems written on the walls.
Such elegant activities were quite popular in the temple. The monks would use cork cards, brushed with Wujiao powder, and hold begging poems.
At this moment, a young monk brought many ordinary poetry boards and asked the literati to write on the wall.
Many people around were attracted and observed from a distance.
Ordinary people naturally cannot read, but this does not stop them from respecting and admiring talented people.
Mu Wanyao mingled with these people and saw with interest that Yan Shang was being pulled away by others.
Yan Shang said helplessly: "I'll just forget it... I really don't need it..."
Those people pulled him and said, "Yan Suchen, why are you so reserved? Everyone is writing on the wall, why are you hiding alone? This may be passed down through the ages, so don't be so modest."
Yan Shang was dragged to the wall.
Mu Wanyao walked slowly in the crowd, approaching him step by step. After all, she didn't know these talented people, and only recognized him, so of course she looked at him.
Seeing that he couldn't put it off, she took the poetry board and found the most secluded corner of the wall to write poetry.
Other talented scholars gathered together to discuss the mountains and rivers, their talents were everywhere. Yan Shang was very stingy, writing only a few words, as if he was afraid of taking up space and leaving his calligraphy on the wall.
He had to write poetry.
But he obviously didn't want to write a poem.
However, this was an invitation from my companions, and refusing would seem unsociable, so naturally I could not refuse.
Yan Shang huddled in the corner, trying his best to write small and blurry enough so that his poem would not take up much space on the wall, preferably so that a leaf could cover it.
He was already so careful to avoid people, but behind him, a woman slowly read out the poem he had written, chuckled, and commented: "...What a mess you wrote? No wonder you didn't dare to write big characters, for fear of taking up space. Are you afraid of being embarrassed?"
Yan Shang turned around and saw Mu Wanyao leaning against the wall with his eyes wide open and the corners of his mouth raised.
When he first saw her, his eyes lit up slightly, as if light was flowing out. But Yan Shang was slightly confused again, and he didn't recognize her at first.
Because what he saw was Mu Wanyao... leaning against the wall with his arms folded, glancing at him like a playboy.
She was wearing men's clothes.
Yan Shang looked at her and smiled: "...Your Highness, did you sneak out to play? Disguised as a man?"
Mu Wan shook his head and said, "You are the one dressed as a woman!
"What do you know, country bumpkin? It's very popular in Chang'an for girls to wear men's clothes, so it's convenient for them to enter and leave the palace. Who doesn't know that I'm a girl? You're the only one who's blind."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
