No one is destined to sleep tonight.
The Qingning Palace in the imperial palace was the queen's bedroom. Since the queen passed away, the Qingning Palace has been sealed and no one lives there anymore.
And tonight, when the emperor came back from outside the palace, he actually went to Qingning Palace.
The palace servants hurriedly tidied up the things, and the emperor sat in the main hall of Qingning Palace with a game of black and white chess on the table in front of him.
This chess game already existed when the palace was sealed, and the emperor did not allow anyone to move it. Now that the emperor has returned here, he sees that the chess game is still the same as before, and he cannot help but feel mixed feelings of sadness and joy.
However, when he looked up, the woman who was supposed to be sitting opposite him at the chessboard was gone.
The emperor supported his forehead and lowered his head to cough.
The eunuch who served the emperor heard the cough and hurried in. When he saw His Majesty like this, he immediately understood that His Majesty was missing the queen.
But why bother?
Wasn’t the Queen killed by the Emperor himself?
The eunuch did not dare to mention the order, and only said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the Qingning Palace is cold, why not have someone burn some charcoal? It is time for you to take your medicine."
The emperor shook his head and said, "I am just sitting for a while. My health has long been failing, so I don't need to take the medicine today."
The eunuchs tried to persuade him again, but the emperor stopped talking and just stared blankly at the unfinished chess game.
The eunuch sighed in his heart. She was a lady from a noble family brought up by the Jinling Li family. She was elegant and noble, and she was born to be the queen. The queen was kind and virtuous, but she was only good at politics. And the Li family behind the queen was so powerful.
This violated the emperor's taboo.
The Queen is mortal.
Because if the Queen didn't die, then... maybe His Majesty would be the one to die.
However, after the Queen passed away, His Majesty's health deteriorated year by year. He seemed to be exhausted and his spirit had followed the Queen.
Because of his poor health, the emperor has been constantly delegating power. Now the government is almost always managed by the Crown Prince and the three princes, the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin. The emperor holds court once every three days and has not even read the memorials for a long time.
It was precisely because of the great decentralization that the Crown Prince and the King of Qin fought so fiercely.
However, is this a good thing?
The emperor said slowly: "Danyang refuses marriage tonight, what do you think?"
The eunuch looked up and saw that the emperor was looking at the other side of the chessboard, not talking to him. The emperor was asking about the queen who was no longer there.
Sure enough, the next moment, the emperor muttered to himself, "Yes, Yaoyao will understand from tonight that no one can be relied upon, and she must have her own power. The crown prince is good at making plans, the King of Qin is good at fighting, and the King of Jin is gentle. Who do you think can get this position among these three?"
The emperor seemed puzzled. "It's strange to say this. Maybe I'm too good at being an emperor. I can't stand other people's plotting. Every day when I see the kids fighting with each other, I find it ridiculous. I want to... clean them all up."
The emperor was silent for a long time, as if he was listening to someone talking to him.
He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I just said I wanted to clean up, but I didn't do it in the end, right? As long as Yaoyao doesn't go too far, I won't hurt her. I really didn't kill Erlang, why don't you believe me? Why do you always think I am so cruel that I would even kill my own son?"
After a pause, the emperor looked solemn, as if he was irritated. He said to himself, "Yes, within a certain range. Don't worry, I don't have many years left to live. Let's see what they can grow into. Before I die, I will definitely eliminate all the hidden dangers.
"Even if you say I am cruel, I will definitely do this."
The eunuchs who were listening to this broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that the emperor's condition was getting worse. He was even hysterical now, talking to a dead person for so long...
The eunuch was afraid that the emperor would go crazy one day because of all the weird talk he had with his superiors, so he couldn't help but interrupt the emperor and force his way into the conversation between the emperor and a non-existent person: "Your Majesty, you have delegated so much power, aren't you really worried that you will be sidelined one day?"
The emperor glanced at the eunuch.
He sneered and said, "I have been in power for thirty years, and the people support me. Do you really think that the officials are now standing in line because they are loyal to those princes? It's just because I don't care about things. The court is so chaotic, but I gave them the opportunity to muddy the waters.
"If I really want to take back the power, it is easy. How can a small eunuch like you understand the power of the emperor, the loyalty and faith of the scholars?"
The eunuch then said he was ashamed.
But he asked doubtfully: "Then why did Your Majesty allow the princes to take power? Why did you watch them muddy the waters? What is Your Majesty going to do?"
The emperor said indifferently: "It's nothing, just to eliminate all hidden dangers before I die."
The eunuchs didn't understand, but seeing that the emperor's hysteria had subsided, they made jokes and waited for the emperor to return to his bedroom to rest, without saying anything more.
-----
That night at Princess Danyang's mansion, after Yan Erlang entered, the maids all breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that with Yan Erlang around, everything should be alright tonight.
As for Yan Shang, he couldn't refuse a drunk princess.
He himself doesn't drink, so he's usually the one who takes care of the drunk in the end.
Yan Shang thought that tonight would be similar.
According to his understanding of drunkards, they are either very unreasonable or very well-behaved and obedient... Yan Shang thought that Mu Wanyao was usually so arrogant, wouldn't he be even more troublesome when he was drunk?
But he was wrong.
Mu Wanyao was much more obedient than he had imagined.
Apart from pestering him to hug her, she didn't make any other excessive demands.
In the end, Yan Shang could not refuse and could only feel ashamed. He was then forced to enter the princess' bedroom and sit on her bed.
The curtains were lowered, and Mu Wanyao was held in his arms. Yan Shang's heart was beating wildly, but he convinced himself that he should take care of this young princess like his own sister. He didn't need to think too much, tonight was special, and the princess would forget all this tomorrow.
After constantly convincing himself, Yan Shang's body finally became less stiff.
This made Mu Wanyao, who had been leaning on him, feel it clearly.
But when she buried herself in his arms, she could clearly hear his raging heartbeat, thump, thump, thump, which was especially clear in the night.
Mu Wanyao smiled secretly, thinking that this person looked so calm, but it turned out that there was actually nothing.
He was still moving to stand up.
Mu Wan shook his head and looked up, glaring at him accusingly, asking him why he was leaving.
She thought she was glaring at people, but her eyes were misty, red at the corners of her eyes, and her hair was loose, making her cheeks look even smaller. This way, she was not fierce at all, but rather pitiful.
Yan Shang softened his heart and whispered, "I just want to find someone to wipe your face with a handkerchief, so that you will feel better when you wake up tomorrow."
Mu Wan shook his head and understood.
Yan Shang thought she was drunk.
He thought he was coaxing a drunkard, but he didn't know that Mu Wanyao could drink a lot and didn't get drunk easily. But Yan Shang treated her so gently, Mu Wanyao didn't want to say it out loud. She would rather let him hold her like this, which made her feel better.
Mu Wanyao didn't say anything, just grabbed his sleeve and looked at him.
As she watched, she began to feel soft-hearted towards Yan Shang.
He turned his head and coughed slightly. The dim moonlight shone in, and Mu Wanyao could vaguely see that his ears were a little red, and he looked embarrassed for a moment.
He sat back helplessly and hugged her: "Okay, I won't leave, as long as Your Highness falls asleep."
Mu Wanyao: "You are not allowed to leave tonight."
Yan Shang: "...This doesn't make sense."
Mu Wan shook her head: "Don't leave."
Yan Shang was silent for a moment, and she looked up at him again. He lowered his eyes and looked into her clear eyes for a while, then nodded.
Mu Wanyao finally felt relieved.
She returned to his arms, the faint scent of his agarwood lingering around her nose, and his arms were warm, yet not scorching, just the temperature she wanted.
Mu Wan was at a loss, thinking that this is what it felt like to be in someone's arms.
It was neither so cold as to scare her, nor so hot as to suffocate her.
He was always different from every other man she had ever met.
However, Mu Wanyao didn't believe it. How big could the difference between men be?
Mu Wan swayed as she thought about those things, closed her eyes, and murmured softly, "When my second brother was still alive, he would hold me like this all night long when I was sick. But he passed away later, and I was left alone."
The words are still silent.
I thought of the second brother that Mu Wanyao mentioned, who was once the crown prince. That was the legitimate son born first and last.
He was a man of extraordinary talent, both in literature and martial arts. Unfortunately, he died young when he fell off a horse at the age of fifteen.
It is said that the emperor and his concubines were extremely sad.
Yan Shang said gently: "Then Princess, it is ok for you to treat me as your brother."
Mu Wan shook: "..."
Even though she was pretending to be drunk, she couldn't help but sneer: "Have you forgotten that I'm half a year older than you? Second brother Yan?!"
Yan Shang: “…”
He said, "Your Highness is really hard to appease."
Mu Wanyao: "You said the wrong thing. If you continue like this, I will call you my brother."
Yan Shang: "Yes, it's all my fault. It's my fault."
Mu Wanyao burst into laughter, with the corners of her lips curled up. She quietly stretched out her arms and hugged his waist tighter.
It's not her fault.
She had planned to spend the night alone, but he had to come over and say something that made her feel wronged. It was indeed all his fault. She just wanted to be willful, put aside those things outside for a while, and do whatever she wanted.
At this moment, she just wanted to lie on the bed with him like this, even if he was not very willing.
But who made him have such a good temper?
If you have a good temper, you deserve to be bullied by her.
-----
The moonlight shines in, and the cold moves the bricks.
Yan Shangjian felt a little stiff from sitting there, and he didn't know whether the princess in his arms was asleep or not.
He leaned back and leaned his back against the wall behind him, but then paused again because he found that the princess was holding his waist too tightly and he couldn't break free. He spread his arms and found that he was being held below the waist and couldn't move at all.
Yan Shang frowned, feeling a little worried, wondering how to move Mu Wanyao back to the bed and free himself without disturbing her.
While he was deep in thought, Mu Wanyao suddenly spoke. It turned out that she was not asleep yet: "Actually, it's good to marry you."
Yan Shang was startled, and lowered his head to see a bit of her snow-white cheek exposed from under her black hair.
He sighed, "Why is your highness still awake?"
Mu Wanyao closed her eyes and said to herself, "It's actually quite good to marry you. Although you have a lot of thoughts, you will probably be able to hide them in a few more years. But you are a decent person and you are nice to everyone. Whether you are a real gentleman or a fake gentleman, I can see that you plan to stay like this for the rest of your life. Even if you are a fake gentleman, you will become a real gentleman if you pretend to be one for a lifetime.
"And with your moral level, once you marry me, whether you like me or not, you will treat me well, love me especially, and think of me wholeheartedly. I have never met someone who is wholeheartedly good to me, but I think if we get married, you will be like that. Your morality restrains you, it restrains you from betraying me, from making me sad. You will not visit prostitutes like other Chang'an children, and you will not learn bad things from them. You don't even drink alcohol, just to stay sober at all times.
"Although I think you live too hard. But your tiredness can be good to me, why should I be dissatisfied? If we get married, you will agree to every request of mine, and try your best to satisfy whatever I say. You will help me draw my eyebrows, mix rouge for me, and serve me.
"And you have such a good temper. I don't know who can really make you angry. You won't scold me, you won't be angry with me, you won't turn your head and ignore me, and you won't make me cry. If I were too willful, you would definitely just sigh and look at me helplessly. You look at me with such affection, what else can I not like..."
As she spoke, her voice gradually became lower and lower, and she seemed to be a little dazed, as if she could really imagine their life after marriage.
She slowly raised her head from his arms and looked at Yan Shang who was silent and looking down at her.
Yan Shang's eyes were complicated. He looked at her quietly without saying anything.
An inexplicable, suppressed emotion gently swayed in the two people's eyes.
Tenderness and affection, confusion and bewilderment. I want to get close but dare not, and I want to retreat but cannot.
Just watched quietly.
After a long while, Yan Shangcai's voice became hoarse: "But you refused the marriage."
Mu Wan shook his head and smiled.
She lowered her eyes again, her eyelashes covering all the expression in her eyes.
She said in a somewhat dejected voice, "Because I just can't accept it. My fate is in the hands of others. I had to marry someone when they asked me to, and now I have to nod my head when they assign me something. My life is always at the mercy of others. I have only been back in Chang'an for a short time, and my father wants to send me away again.
"I'm not willing to give up. I'd rather find a balance between the Crown Prince and Li than get out. I want to protect everyone around me. I want everyone around me to not have to sacrifice. I want power, so I can't get out now and I can't get married."
Yan Shang didn't say anything.
Mu Wanyao couldn't help but feel annoyed: "Why don't you answer?"
Yan Shang said, "I originally thought that His Highness refused the marriage because he was afraid that marrying me now would affect my career. He was afraid that His Majesty would suppress His Highness and me at the same time. I didn't expect that I was just being sentimental and His Highness didn't even think about me at all."
Mu Wan was startled and looked up at him.
There was a hint of smile in his eyes.
She immediately realized that he was just joking and trying to make her happy.
Mu Wan let out a soft "ah" and couldn't help but reach out and hold his face.
He stiffened for a moment, but she knelt straight, not letting him retreat, and said softly: "You are looking for excuses to speak for me again... You are so kind. I really didn't think of you at first, but now that you say this, I will allow you to think of this in the future and think that I did it for your own good."
Mu Wanyao said solemnly: "You should think that I am a good person who cares about you. Forget all the reluctance I said before, and just remember that I am doing this for your own good."
Yan Shang couldn't help laughing and said, "I obey your order."
Mu Wanyao followed him and raised her eyebrows. He was so amazing that he could make her feel better with just a few words. But she was still worried. She couldn't help but ask again, "You really don't blame me for rejecting the marriage? You don't blame me for saying that to you?"
Yan Shang shook his head without getting tired of it.
He said, "If you don't refuse more harshly, His Majesty might continue to force you. The more you say bad things about me, the more His Majesty will think you are determined."
Mu Wan lowered her eyes, a few strands of hair scattered on her cheeks.
She rarely felt sorry for him.
She bit her lip and said anxiously, "But if what I said about you gets out tomorrow, those families in Chang'an who want to marry you may have to reconsider. No one will rush to marry a man who has just been ruthlessly rejected by the princess and has been said so badly."
Yan Shang said: "It's okay. I told you that I have no plans to get married in the short term. My sister-in-law is pregnant. I am the second child in the family. My third brother has not started studying well yet, and my youngest sister is even younger. It's far from the age to get married.
"Even if I don't get married for a year or two, it won't have much impact on my third brother and little sister."
Mu Wanyao felt somewhat happy upon hearing this.
She looked up at him again, hugged his waist eagerly, and rubbed against him, appearing somewhat intimate.
She said softly: "Why don't you want to get married?"
The words are still hesitant.
Mu Wanyao said unhappily, "I'm drunk and I won't remember anything tomorrow. Can't you tell me the truth?"
Yan Shang said: "It's not that I didn't tell Your Highness, it's that I haven't thought it through myself."
He frowned slightly and said with some self-doubt, "I am indeed not very interested in love between men and women. Starting a family is just a responsibility for me. Since it is a responsibility, I just have to fulfill it. So before I have to fulfill my responsibility, I am not interested in love, so naturally I will not want to get married."
He blushed slightly.
A little embarrassed.
Whispered: "Am I a little weird?"
Mu Wan shook her head.
Yan Shang: “…”
He couldn't help but glare at her.
Mu Wanyao started to laugh.
She said coquettishly, "Your idea is very strange. What's wrong with me nodding? Who among other 18-year-old men is not a good age for Mu Shaoai? When you see a beautiful girl, your eyes become straight and you can't walk? Besides, it's such a wonderful thing to like someone. It's such a happy thing to kiss, hug, and roll around with the person you like.
"You are not interested. If you are not curious, then who is curious?"
Yan Shang smiled politely.
Obviously very polite.
He respects other people's ideas, but there is nothing he can do if he is not interested in them.
A mischievous look appeared in Mu Wan's eyes.
Even without smiling, she was still a little angry: "You are not interested in women, it must be because you have never seen them. It's okay, I will teach you."
Without waiting for Yan Shang to react, she lunged forward. Yan Shang was just leaning against the wall, and she lunged sideways with such force that she pushed him down on the mattress.
Yan Shang's heart stopped beating for a moment.
He grasped her hand and said in a slightly tense voice: "Your Highness!"
But it was too late.
Mu Wanyan smiled, her eyebrows were slightly closed, and the corners of her eyes were red from alcohol. She pressed him down and began to pull at his belt.
Yan Shang was shocked and tried to resist her, but his collar was torn open, revealing his long neck, which was smooth and clean.
With her other hand, she pulled off his hairband, and his long black hair spread out on the pillow like ink scattered in water.
The young man raised his long neck slightly, and under his snow-white face, his muscles and bones were as taut as strings.
Mu Wan was swaying dizzy, biting her lips lightly, her brows slightly furrowed, as if in pain, but also in joy.
She knelt in front of him like a fairy, with lust in her eyes. The tassels of the bed curtains swayed, and the curtains were lifted like moonlight. He held her hand while panting heavily, not letting her mess around, but after all her tossing and turning, his shoulders were exposed, and his robes were obviously messy.
Yan Shang's voice was no longer so peaceful: "Your Highness... Mu Wan Yao!"
Xia Fei's face was full of smiles, and her lips touched his cheek. He tilted his head suddenly, but she didn't care. Her breath brushed his neck, spreading like moonlight, winding down. Yan Shang's breathing became disordered, and the air brushed his face. He began to breathe rapidly and out of control.
Sensing his tenseness and heat, Mu Wan smiled knowingly and playfully, and buried herself under the mattress. When she teased him like this, she realized that his muscles and bones were relaxed, which was because the robes he usually wore were too loose, so it was not visible at all.
Yan Shang saw that something was not going well, so he hugged her and held her tightly in his arms, not allowing her to continue.
Mu Wan shook her face and was forced to lean against his chest. She didn't care and gently stretched out her pink tongue, just a little bit. Yan Shang's eyes were dim, he made a quick "hmm" sound, bent down slightly, trembled slightly, and sweat oozed from his forehead.
Mu Wanyao was about to tease him again, but after hearing him helplessly call him "Your Highness" twice, he finally spoke -
"Is it the same with your ex-husband, Your Highness?"
Instantly, the atmosphere turned cold.
Mu Wan raised her head and looked at his handsome face which was slightly flushed and oozing with sweat, and his pupils which were as black as ink jade.
There was no expression on her face.
Said: “You are really amazing.
“As expected of Yan Shang.
"You really know where my weak spot is, and you hit it right away. Not only do you use words to comfort me, you also use words to irritate me. Yan Shang, you really... know how to talk."
The words are still silent.
She stopped stoking him, and he was able to sit up slowly. He bent his legs to hide the changes in his body, but she had already understood and sneered at his hypocrisy.
Yan Shang ignored her sarcastic look, sat up, and gathered his clothes. His long hair was scattered on his face and shoulders. At this moment, even though his clothes were messy, he looked elegant and inviolable.
Yan Shang said slowly: "Your Highness is drunk."
Mu Wan shook his head coldly: "You are so smart, you know whether I am drunk or not."
Yan Shang was silent for a while, and then said, "Your Highness just doesn't want to observe etiquette, wants to be unbridled, and wants to play with me. Your Highness doesn't want to have any future with me, to discuss any possibilities. Your Highness is just too unhappy tonight and wants to make fun of me."
Mu Wanyao did not deny it.
Said: "Is it not possible?"
Yan Shang said, “No.”
Mu Wan shook his head angrily: "You!"
He looked at her with eyes as clear as snow, which made her speechless. He said, "I am not that kind of person. If Your Highness wants to find someone to have fun with, there are many young men in Chang'an, and there are also many people who want to devote themselves to Your Highness. I am not one of them. I don't serve the king with my body, and I think Your Highness knows it."
Mu Wan shook her head and stared at him, her anger was about to burst out, her face flushed, and she felt a little ashamed and angry.
She was rejected... She had vaguely guessed what kind of person he was before, but she thought he would treat her differently after all, and thought he would not reject her...
It was as if the dirtiest and most disgusting side of me was seen by him and tortured by his eyes.
She couldn't accept it all at once.
He lowered his head and buried his face in his knees, angrily saying, "Get lost."
Yan Shang said gently: "Your Highness, please go to sleep. I will be on guard outside and will not disturb you."
Mu Wan buried her face in her knees, not wanting to look any further. When she heard him getting out of bed and his footsteps, she felt empty inside.
Then he paused and said softly, "Your Highness was just distracted. It will be fine tomorrow. Your Highness, take a good rest."
Mu Wan shook: "I'm fine."
She pretended to suppress the shame in her heart and smiled lazily: "I rejected you once tonight, and you rejected me once tonight. We are even."
Yan Shang: “Yeah.”
He left the inner room.
Mu Wan raised her head and saw that there was no one in the house. She wailed in her heart and buried her red face in the pillow, feeling extremely annoyed.
She was rejected!
She was such a beautiful lady, yet she was rejected!
Her previous men were all obsessed with her body. What went wrong…Yan Shang actually rejected her?
She began to doubt her own charm.
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