Yan Shang brought Mu Wanyao back to the carriage and told her, "Go to Beili Nanqu."
Mu Wan, who was pulled back into the car by him and was too lazy to struggle from beginning to end, raised his eyebrows.
Since Princess Danyang had no objection, the servants outside naturally had no objection. The carriage started moving again and drove to the place Yan Shang mentioned.
Mu Wan shook her head and stared at Yan Shang, sneering: "I didn't expect Yan Erlang to be so patient. Even at this point, he still has the mind to sleep with a woman."
Beili is a famous place for prostitutes in Chang'an. If a scholar came to Chang'an but never went to Beili, he would be laughed at.
Beili is divided into Zhongqu, Nanqu and Beiqu. Among the three, Nanqu ranks second and is where the upper-middle-class prostitutes live.
This shows how courageous Yan Erlang is.
Yan Shang shook his head helplessly and said, "We went to Beili Nanqu because we were looking for someone there. Let me explain it to Your Highness in detail..."
Mu Wanyao interrupted his explanation: "I could have solved this matter by going directly to my aunt's palace. Who told you to stop me?"
As the carriage moved, the wind and rain mixed with the lanterns and hit the canopy on the roof from time to time.
The car swayed gently, and Yan Shang looked at the princess opposite him, lowering his eyelashes: "Didn't I tell you that I don't want you to offend the eldest princess for this?"
Mu Wan shook his head and said, "You think too much, don't you? If I offend my aunt, will the effect be the same as if you, a commoner, offend the princess? What can my aunt do to me? That little price is worth paying."
Yan Shang said: "Not worth it."
Mu Wanyao's eyes were blazing with fire as he glared at the arrogant scholar who refuted him.
He looked straight at her without avoiding her gaze: "Why would Your Highness do this for me? I have only met Your Highness a few times, and our friendship is ordinary. Why is Your Highness so good to me?"
The light from the lantern shone through the cracks in the window frame, illuminating the young man's elegant face, flickering. The beauty of the blurred light and shadow, and his unavoidable gaze, both made Mu Wanyao stunned for a moment.
Mu Wan raised her chin, a little arrogant and nonchalant: "You think I did this for you? Wrong. I just can't stand being bullied by others and endure it. Not to mention that he is the eldest princess today, even if he is the crown prince, I will still go out and provoke him."
After a while, Yan Shang said quietly: "Is that so?"
Mu Wan shook her eyes and looked at the canopy above her head. The little light from the end of her eye was illuminated by the firelight coming in from the window, making it shine brightly with golden light, which was extremely beautiful.
Yan Shang stared at her and said arrogantly, "That's it."
Yan Shang lowered his eyes.
A moment later, Mu Wanyao heard Yan Shang's unhurried voice, "That's the same for me. Even though I know that Your Highness is also a princess, and even if I'm in front of the eldest princess, the eldest princess can't do anything to the princess, but I'm still worried. The eldest princess is your majesty's biological sister, and her roots in Chang'an are deeper than yours. If something goes wrong, I'm always afraid that others will be more biased towards the eldest princess."
Mu Wan shook his face expressionlessly: "What does this have to do with you? How could I not understand this?"
Yan Shang looked at her gently, and after a long silence, he said, "Even though I know that Your Highness will not be hurt, I still have to see it myself. Only when I see that Your Highness is fine, can I feel at ease."
Mu Wan shook: "..."
What does "being able to speak" mean?
This is called "being able to speak".
Yan Shang's few words made it impossible for Mu Wanyao to put on an icy face in front of him. Mu Wanyao was even a little embarrassed, her cheeks slightly hot, and she turned her head awkwardly and coughed.
And Yan Shang continued, "So the best way is not to let the breakthrough go through the princess. I still don't want His Highness and the princess to become enemies over such a small matter. Your Highness may not care about making clothes for the prince, but I don't want to put Your Highness in a dilemma because of me."
Mu Wan turned her beautiful eyes back, her watery eyes looking back at him with a hint of smile.
On a quiet rainy night, the young princess rode in the same car with him, and she glanced at him intently. Her pupils were dark and her whites were clean, and she looked at him with both anger and joy. Yan Shang felt a burning sensation in his heart, and a tingling sensation climbed up his spine.
It's too hot.
He turned his face away, not daring to meet her gaze.
The calm and composed person now turned out to be Mu Wanyao. She calmly changed her sitting position, stretched out her finger, and gently poked Yan Shang's shoulder: "Hey, who is that?"
Yan Shang turned around and looked.
She smiled and said, "Even so, you can help me not to offend the eldest princess, but you still owe me a favor."
Yan Shang smiled: "Of course it should be like this."
Seeing that he had no intention of bargaining at all, this man was obviously full of calculations, but he was extremely upright. Mu Wan snorted, feeling that it was a bit boring and didn't want to tease him anymore.
She turned away and ignored him, being willful and unreasonable.
Yan Shang then told him what he wanted to do: "Your Highness may not know that Feng Xianyu often goes to Beili Nanqu to spend the night. He likes to drink and have fun. When I went out today, I met a few friends who said they had an appointment with Feng Xianyu to drink in Beili. We can find him if we go to Beili."
Mu Wan shook his head and turned to look again, feeling both surprised and gloating.
She covered her mouth and said, "Hey? Didn't she get close to my aunt? How dare she go to a place like Beili? Isn't she afraid of being discovered by my aunt?"
Yan Shang said: "It's probably just drinking, not romance."
Mu Wan glanced at him and said, "If you want to play with a woman, then you are just playing with a woman. If you say it so elegantly, then it is not the case, right?"
Yan Shang looked at her helplessly: "Your Highness, do you still want to listen to me?"
Mu Wan shook her mouth and closed it, trying not to make any comments.
Yan Shang said again: "Your Highness may not know that Feng Xianyu has a wife and daughter."
Mu Wanyao opened her eyes wide, and because Yan Shang thought she was talking too much, she covered her mouth with her hands, but her eyes were wide open, looking a little cute and naive.
Yan Shang avoided her gaze, clasped his hands tightly on the table, and tried to calm himself down so as not to be affected by her.
He said softly, "His wife passed away a year ago. I met his daughter some time ago. But the day before yesterday, when I went to Feng Xianyu's house to look for him, he said his daughter went to live with her uncle. This is not normal."
Mu Wan held her chin in her hand, listening to him unravel the story as if she were listening to a story. She thought, it seems that he really doesn't want her to be involved in the prince's conspiracy.
-----
"…So, after he made the decision to get close to the princess, he was afraid that the princess would embarrass his daughter, so he sent her out of Chang'an? However, he was afraid that this was not appropriate, so he divided his people into two teams. On the surface, one team sent his daughter to his uncle's house, but secretly someone else sent his daughter to a safe place?
"Tsk, you have quite a lot of little ideas."
Princess Danyang commented like this.
The carriage arrived at Beili Nanqu, the door opened, and Yan Shang got off first. He was holding an umbrella, and when he turned around, he saw Mu Wan, who was also going to get off, holding up her skirt.
Yan Shang was stunned: "...I can do this, why did His Highness follow me here?"
Mu Wan looked at him with her beautiful eyes, and she jumped off the carriage, so he had to hold up an umbrella to help her. She said casually, "Such an interesting thing, I want to witness it with my own eyes."
The words are still a little uncomfortable.
He said: "But this is Beili..."
The rake, the knight-errant, the prostitute, the worldly traveler... just by standing here, one can smell the strong scent of rouge in the air.
This is because there are fewer customers on rainy days.
Normally, Beili is lit up until dawn and is much more lively than it is now.
Mu Wan shook her head and pushed away the scholar who was hesitating and blocking her way, thinking that she shouldn't go to Beili: "Get out of the way, don't block the way!"
She strode forward.
After taking two steps, he turned back, bit his lower lip and looked at Yan Shang: "Which door should we go to?"
Yan Shang sighed, and had to go and lead Mu Wan to their destination.
He should have known this long ago. The people of Wei were open-minded, and Chang'an was even more so. The famous Princess Danyang might have walked around Beili many times in men's clothing... He was narrow-minded.
But tonight they wanted to conceal their tracks, as they did not want the princess to find out about this later. So when they arrived at Beili, they ordered the princess' carriage to return and park outside, and Muwan did not bring any servants with her.
Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao walked into Beili Nanqu and knocked on a door. However, they did not enter from the front door, but leisurely entered from the back door.
What surprised Mu Wanyao was that the back door opened from the inside as soon as Yan Shang knocked on it. The person who opened the door for them was none other than Fang Tong, the chief guard of Princess Mu Wanyao's mansion.
Fang Tong bowed and said to Yan Shang, "Don't worry, Erlang, I have already tied up Feng Xianyu. Your Highness and Yan Erlang, please follow me."
Mu Wan shook her head and glared at Yan Shang: "You asked my people to help you? Did you ask me for advice?"
Fang Tong was afraid that Yan Erlang would be scolded, so she wanted to explain anxiously. Unexpectedly, Yan Shang simply said, "It's my fault."
Mu Wan shook her head and stared at Yan Shang for a long time, then walked past him and said, "This won't happen again."
Yan Shang laughed softly and followed her: "Yes."
Fang Tong, who opened the door, was stunned. He thought that Yan Erlang... was really amazing.
-----
Entering the building from the back door, the three of them shuttled between the pond and the garden. Because of the rain, they did not meet anyone. However, when they were about to enter the building, a woman opened a window with sleepy eyes and was surprised to see three people walking in the backyard.
It's ok if it's a man... but why is there a woman here? Judging from her makeup and appearance, she doesn't look like someone from here.
Fang Tong suddenly became nervous and wondered whether he should knock the woman out.
Yan Shang faced the window that suddenly opened and asked politely, "The three of us are lost here. May I ask, madam, which room is the 'Mi Xiang Pavilion'?"
The woman was also dumbfounded and actually pointed them in a direction.
Yan Shang said politely: "Thank you."
The lady blushed, lowered her head, said you're welcome, and closed the window.
Mu Wan shook her head and looked at Yan Shang: "Heh."
Yan Shang: "What does your highness want to say?"
Mu Wan glanced at him and said lazily, "Nothing. I just think your face is really useful."
The lady clearly showed them the way because she saw Yan Shang was handsome, and she closed the window because she was shy. Yan Shang could make the women in a place of red lights shy... He was indeed worthy of it.
Yan Shang had no choice but to pretend that he didn’t understand the sarcasm in Mu Wanyao’s words.
Halfway through the walk, Mu Wanyao asked again, "Come here often?"
Yan Shang said helplessly: "I just came to Chang'an and I am so busy studying that I don't have time. Your Highness, do you think I am someone who likes to come to this kind of place?"
Mu Wan shook her head and stared at him for a moment: "It's definitely not like that."
She said leisurely: "Others are here to enjoy themselves, but you seem to be enjoyed by others. Well, I misunderstood you."
Fang Tong was trying to hold back his laughter, and Yan Shang could only pretend he didn't hear anything.
They entered the "Mixiang Pavilion" and found a man tied up with a cloth in his mouth. He was thrown into the dark room and was in a panic.
After Fang Tong lit the candle and took the cloth out of his mouth, the tied man looked up and saw Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang coming in. He was stunned for a moment, but then he calmed down.
This person was naturally Feng Xianyu who was kidnapped by Fang Tong in advance.
Feng Xianyu was drinking alone in Beili tonight, and he was knocked unconscious without knowing what happened. Now it seems that Yan Shang is looking for him to settle the score.
Mu Wan sat down and looked at Feng Xianyu. He was indeed good-looking.
She said coldly, "I tied you up to ask you to help me do something. Before dawn, go and knock on the eldest princess' door. No matter what method you use, you must ask my aunt to change the number of names released. If the third place is not yours, it will never be yours."
Feng Xianyu sat on the ground. He was panicked at first, but now he laughed angrily: "Your Highness Princess, what you said is so simple. How can I influence Your Highness Princess's thoughts?"
Mu Wanyao said indifferently: "So the next few hours are all yours. I just need to see the place I want when the list is posted."
Feng Xianyu: "What if I don't agree?"
Yan Shang said: "Who do you think she is?"
He winked at Fang Tong, and in Feng Xianyu's surprised eyes, Fang Tong went out, and a moment later, he pulled in a burly woman who was also gagged with a cloth strip, and threw her to the ground. When Feng Xianyu saw this woman, his expression instantly became panic.
He didn't dare to face Princess Danyang, and stared at Yan Shang with resentful eyes like a venomous snake: "Yan Suchen!"
The cloth strip in the old woman's mouth was torn away. She knelt on the ground in panic and kowtowed: "Sir, I will tell you everything. I will not hide anything. Please don't kill me! This Feng Lang saved my life three years ago. After that, I have been helping Feng Lang. Two days ago, Feng Lang asked me to send his daughter out of Chang'an, so I asked someone to help Feng Lang do this secretly..."
Being used to all kinds of people, she saw how beautiful the girl sitting down with her long dress trailing on the ground was, how mighty and tall the guard standing next to her was, and how handsome the young scholar was. She knew immediately that she could not afford to offend these people.
If you can't afford to offend, then naturally you'll say everything.
She kowtowed to Feng Xianyu as she spoke: "Feng Lang, I'm sorry for you! But I also want to live. They took my granddaughter, and I can't..."
Feng Xianyu was extremely angry: "Yan Suchen, are you so despicable! What's the point of implicating innocent people!"
Yan Shang ignored his questioning and said gently, "We have sent people out of the city overnight to look for your daughter according to the instructions of this lady. If the list cannot be changed before dawn, you may never see your daughter again."
Mu Wanyao heard this and looked at Yan Shang in surprise: Hey? Did you send someone to look for this man's daughter?
She looked at Fang Tong, who shook his head blankly.
Mu Wanyao understood: Oh, Yan Shang is lying again.
Feng Xianyu was tied up and sitting on the ground, his clothes and hair were in disarray, he stared at Yan Shang. Seeing that Yan Shang's face was warm but he was so cruel, his heart immediately turned cold.
He softened his attitude and begged, "Yan Er, Yan Er! We have known each other for a long time, and I have never wronged you before. Why do you have to push me to this point? You are still so young, and you have someone like Princess Danyang to protect you. Why can't you let me go once? Let me go once this year, and maybe you can become the top scholar next year!
"Isn't the top scholar better than the third scholar? Why do you have to compete with me for this position?!"
Yan Shangjing looked at him.
Seeing him in such a state of embarrassment, Yan Shang felt a little sorry for him. Yan Shang said slowly, "I never competed with you for the title of Tanhua Lang. It was you who insisted on competing with me. If you had discussed it with me properly, if you had told me in advance, I might have helped you. But you climbed up to the eldest princess at this time and snatched away what was originally mine.
"If I want to investigate, it wouldn't be wrong, right?"
Feng Xianyu laughed angrily: "Discuss with you? How can I discuss with you? Will you help me achieve fame? If I tell you, will you give in once? Well, even if Yan Suchen is really a gentleman, a rare gentleman in the world, it is me, Feng Xianyu, who misjudged you! However, can you give up the imperial examination ranking just because you want to?
"What do you know? You know nothing! You just came to Chang'an, and you were able to get close to someone like Princess Danyang. How do you know how many cold stares I encountered during my four years in Chang'an? Do you know how many rejections I suffered in order to get a place?"
He was agitated and angry.
When she was moved, her eyes even sparkled: "I know you look down on me and think I stole your place by using despicable means. But am I willing to do this? If I had accepted the princess's love at the beginning like you, why would I have come to this point today?"
Mu Wanyao said dissatisfiedly: "Hey, what are you talking about."
She didn't show any affection.
Yan Shang looked at Feng Xianyu in astonishment and asked, "Are you complaining to me?"
Feng Xianyu sneered.
Then he became depressed and murmured, "Yan Er, do you know how proud I was when I first came to Chang'an four years ago? I had just got married and my wife was pregnant. At that time, at a banquet, when the princess made a move on me, I was arrogant and rejected her. I was so arrogant, thinking how could I let my wife down? Then what did I get?
"Four whole years of suppression! Four whole years!"
Hatred welled up in his eyes: "How did my wife die? It was because I couldn't pass the imperial examinations, and the family didn't have enough money, so I spent it all on making friends and studying. My wife was also a rich lady, and Chang'an is such a wealthy place, but my wife starved to death...starved to death!
"After my wife died, I figured it out. What's the point of reputation and dignity? I'm a scholar, I just want fame! Only with fame, at least... I can support them. Don't I feel ashamed to cling to the eldest princess? Am I willing to send my only daughter away?"
"I am heartbroken, but what good is this?"
Feng Xianyu slumped on the ground, with sparks flickering in his eyes and tears about to fall.
He finally raised his head and looked at the high and mighty Princess Danyang. Her bright and beautiful face was so noble, and that was what he wanted.
He murmured, "Chang'an... Chang'an. What a wonderful place this is. Many people want to stay here, but in the end, how many people can really stay?"
The house is quiet.
No one spoke.
Fang Tong sighed, with pity in his eyes. He was born in the military, and Chang'an values both civil and military talents, and people like him who are purely military are looked down upon. Seeing Feng Xianyu collapse like this, he felt a little sympathetic.
When he looked again, he saw Yan Shang's eyes flashing as he stared at Feng Xianyu, as if he was moved; but Her Royal Highness the Princess had a blank expression on her face, as if she hadn't heard what this man said at all.
Mu Wanyao said coldly, "You have been complaining for half an hour. You don't have much time left. If I can't see the list at dawn, you will never see your daughter again."
Feng Xianyu: "Your Highness! Can't you let me go this time?"
Mu Wan shook her head and said, "I understand your difficulties, but you are blocking my way, I can't let you go."
Feng Xianyu immediately laughed bitterly, then he fell to the ground and thought, how could a princess understand him?
At this time, Yan Shang slowly said: "I am a poor scholar in the history. It is not easy to study and seek fame. However, a gentleman should think about nine things in his life. Since you are a scholar, why do you want to throw away the integrity of a scholar? There are things that can be done and things that cannot be done.
"I want to say a lot to you, but when the words come to my lips, I think you will think that I am just talking without any pain, so I won't say them. It's just that the world is difficult, and everyone is like this. You can say that the whole world has forced you to this point, but ask yourself... If your wife was sick, even if you put down your studies, beg for a bowl of porridge for her, and take her to see a famous doctor, maybe she would not die?"
Feng Xianyu's mind went blank and his face turned pale as he thought of his wife's last sick appearance.
Yan Shang whispered, "Go and make up for your mistake. If you fail this year, you can still pass next year, and the year after... And even if you fail all the time, what's the harm? You can be a staff member, a counselor, or even join the army at the border... There are so many paths you can take. You are not at the end of your rope, you are just unwilling to give up."
He turned his back and didn't want to say anything more.
Mu Wanyao signaled Fang Tong to untie Feng Xianyu and let Feng Xianyu go to find the princess immediately. Mu Wanyao saw that Yan Shang was in a bad mood, and she felt sympathy for him. She reached out and gently stroked his back, as if to comfort him.
Yan Shang looked at Mu Wan a little lonely, then smiled at her and indicated that he was fine.
Feng Xianyu, who stood up from behind, saw this scene and sneered, "You talk so high-soundingly, but what's the difference between your affairs with Princess Danyang and mine? Didn't you also become a servant of the princess, licking her, fawning on her, and devoting yourself to her?"
Yan Shang suddenly turned back: "Shut up!"
His usually elegant face rarely showed a solemn expression. He said, "Your Highness and I are innocent, how can you use your dirty behavior to speculate about me and Your Highness?"
He shook his head towards Mu Wan and said, "Your Highness, this man is talking nonsense. You don't have to listen to his nonsense!"
Feng Xianyu stared at the two of them in a daze, then had a strange look on his face.
Mu Wan looked at Yan Shang lazily and realized that he was doing this to plead for Feng Xianyu and didn't want her to punish Feng Xianyu.
Mu Wanyao didn't bother to pay attention to them. She just wanted the quota to be changed back.
She said coldly, "Guardian Fang, take this Feng what-what to the Princess's residence yourself."
-----
Fang Tong took Feng Xianyu away, and the kidnapped woman was also untied. However, Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang just left without paying any attention to the woman.
Yan Shang was a little dazed. When he walked out the door, he walked casually. It seemed that he did not go to the back door, but entered the building.
Mu Wanyao stared at Xiao Su's back for a long time, knowing that Feng Xianyu's words tonight made Yan Shang think a lot more. After thinking about it, she did not leave alone, but followed Yan Shang to see where he was going.
Suddenly, the lights in front of him became bright and he heard the sound of stringed instruments. Yan Shang, who was standing in front of the lobby, came to his senses and was stunned to find that he had walked into the main hall without realizing it.
Mu Wanyao's laughing voice came from behind: "Have you come to your senses?"
Yan Shang turned around and saw Mu Wanyao still following him. He suddenly felt embarrassed, how could he lead the princess to such a place.
He said, "I was distracted. Let's go back and wait for news from Feng Lang."
Mu Wan shook her head: "No, I'm tired after a night of singing and dancing. You come with me."
What else could Yan Shang say? He had to suppress the myriad thoughts in his mind and followed the princess up the stairs.
Once they entered the lobby, everything was different. The two eunuchs standing in front of the building watched a girl walk into their place with a haughty manner, as if she was not their mistress... However, this girl was too confident, which made others feel guilty and embarrassed to stop her.
After Yan Shang was gone, he hurriedly stuffed some copper coins into the dumbfounded gatekeeper's hands before going in.
But Yan Shang had just entered and hadn't come to his senses yet when he saw Mu Wanyao, who had been so arrogant just now, suddenly turned around and strode towards him in panic.
While Yan Shang was at a loss, Mu Wan rushed over and hugged his waist, and turned around to lean against the wall, blocked by Yan Shang. Yan Shang was stiff, and the warm and soft jade suddenly rushed over, so he had no time to react. When he reacted, he struggled with a flushed face.
Mu Wan, who lowered his head in his arms, shook his head: "Don't move, don't move, there are acquaintances here!"
Yan Shang: "...Another acquaintance?"
Mu Wanyao no longer answered him, obviously an acquaintance was approaching.
She hugged Yan Shang tightly, burying her face in his arms. Yan Shang was stiff for a moment, but he also cooperated with her and hesitantly put his hand on her shoulder. The two stood in the corner, and people came and went behind Yan Shang. When he glanced over, he felt that it was a patron who was taking advantage of the beautiful lady in their building.
There were steady footsteps behind me.
Yan Shang hugged Mu Wan and shook her while calming down. He said softly, "Did you miss me, young lady?"
Mu Wanyao raised her face from his arms.
She still held his waist, looked up at his slightly red face, and tried to hold back her laughter: "If you can't do it, then don't mess around. Just shut up and don't make me laugh."
Yan Shang: “…”
Yan Shang had no choice but to be a silent benefactor.
However, he glanced casually outside and saw a handsome young man with broad shoulders and long legs, leading a few warrior-like people, striding towards him from behind. Yan Shang paused in his heart, vaguely feeling that he had seen this person before.
As he thought about it, his eyes met this man's.
-----
Yang Sanlang Yang Si looked at Yan Shang expressionlessly.
The other party withdrew his gaze indifferently. Yang Si saw that he was hugging a woman in the corner, and he knew what this impatient man was doing.
Yang Si curled the corner of his mouth, turned around and passed by Yan Shang.
However, Yang Si lowered his eyes and felt that the person he had just seen was very familiar. He wondered where he had seen him before... A scene suddenly emerged in his mind, and Yang Si remembered that he had seen Mu Wanyao walking with a young man in Yongshou Temple.
Yan Shang hugged Mu Wanyao and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when the footsteps behind him stopped and Yang Si came back again.
Yang Si stood behind him and said calmly, "We have met before. Turn around."
Mu Wanyao was extremely nervous, tightly pinching Yan Shang's waist. She panicked and rubbed against his arms, hinting that he should find a way to avoid Yang Si.
Yan Shang's waist was pinched tightly by Mu Wan, his handsome face was slightly distorted, and he was almost strangled to death by the princess.
…knowing she was hiding from people.
But he is also a human being. If she strangles him to death, who will help her?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
