Mu Wanyao was almost frightened by Yan Shang's silence.
What does it mean that he is silent? Is it a tacit agreement?
Fortunately, just when Mu Wanyao was about to be frightened to death by him, he seemed to finally come to his senses and smiled to save the situation: "Your Highness is joking again."
Mu Wanyao breathed a sigh of relief: It’s good that he didn’t agree.
Indeed, she had always wanted to have a chance encounter with Yan Shang. She still wanted to do so now, and her original intention remained unchanged.
However, she didn't want to have any other relationship with Yan Shang except "bed".
Mu Wan waved her hands to fan herself, stood up pretending to be in a good mood, and muttered that the weather was getting hotter.
Then she seemed to change the subject, or as if she had finally remembered it, and asked someone to find Fang Tong.
Mu Wanyao was slightly angry: "Who told him to bring Yan Er here? Can anyone come in and out of my princess's mansion at will? Can anyone eavesdrop on my conversations at will? And you guys! You all saw it, but you didn't say anything! If an assassin breaks into my princess's mansion one day, you will all be dead too?"
This is like speaking indirectly about something, which is not a good thing to say.
The maids were confused and at a loss, and were scolded by the princess until they blushed and bowed their heads to admit their mistakes.
In fact, they felt aggrieved because they simply couldn't understand the princess's attitude towards Yan Shang.
The princess often said that she didn't want to see Yan Erlang, but when they really stopped him and Yan Erlang didn't come, she got angry and took it out on the maids. When Yan Erlang came, she didn't blame the maids. This happened several times... The servants tacitly agreed that Yan Shang was different in the princess's mansion.
Others cannot enter and exit freely, but Yan Erlang should be able to do so.
Who knew that the princess now said that Yan Erlang could not come in and out as he pleased.
Yan Shang sighed softly. Seeing the servants being punished because of him, he stepped forward to plead guilty. In fact, when he came here, he thought that Mu Wanyao might punish Fang Tong and others. But he was worried about the dispute between Mu Wanyao and Zhao Lingfei, so he didn't point it out. Or maybe he was a little lucky, thinking that Mu Wanyao wouldn't care.
But Mu Wanyao cares now.
Of course it was his fault.
Yan Shang said: "…I was too impatient and forgot the difference between the superior and the inferior. If you want to punish me, please do so. Fang Tong and the others were implicated by me. Please don't punish me too severely."
Mu Wan gave him a glare and said coldly, "Now you think of the difference between the superior and the inferior!"
In front of Yan Shang, Mu Wanyao severely re-established the rules for the people in her princess's mansion. The rules were basically told to Yan Shang, and she cursed Yan Shang implicitly. Obviously, she was particularly ruthless in order to cover up the meaning of the eye contact between her and Yan Shang.
Yan Shang saw it all but pretended not to know.
If it were someone else, they would have run away in shame after being ridiculed by the princess. Yan Erlang was very polite. When the princess punished Fang Tong to copy the big characters, he said he was helping, which made Fang Tong grateful.
There is no need to elaborate on this matter.
-----
After leaving the princess's mansion, Yan Shang did not return to Hongwenguan, but went straight back to his mansion and continued to study at night.
Although he has many friends, he is selective in meeting with them and the number of times is very small. Everyone knows that he is busy studying, so they don't disturb him easily. At the same time, his friends gave Yan Shang a lot of books and a lot of senior materials, all to help him get a good ranking in the Boxue Hongci subject.
Late that night, Yan Shang finished a day of reading, sat at his desk, and meditated for a while.
Then he raised his wrist and picked up the pen, and wrote down silently the books he had read, the things he had done, the words he had said, and the people he had met that day.
With his daily practice of calligraphy and the advice of a friend who is a famous calligrapher, Yan Shang's calligraphy is now completely different from a few months ago. His current calligraphy is simple and elegant, with a calm and majestic style. The calligraphy is like the person, and just by looking at this stroke, you can get a glimpse of Yan Shang's calm character.
Er Shang not only practices calligraphy every day, but before going to bed, he would reflect on his day's actions like he did today to see if there is anything he missed.
He learned this from his teacher.
However, his teacher's original intention was just to encourage him, and he never thought that there would actually be someone who would reflect on himself like this every day and persist in doing so.
After Yan Shang wrote down what he had done and read that day, he went over it one by one, and then made corrections and annotations on the inappropriate parts to deepen his impression. At the end, he held the ink pen in the air, thinking for a long time, and did not put pen to paper.
The ink condensed from the tip of the pen dripped onto the paper, dripping and intermittently.
After a while, Yan Shang lowered his wrist slightly and wrote a few words on the blank space on the paper: Mu Wan Yao.
He put the pen down and sat upright, staring at the name with a complicated look.
Princess Danyang shakes herself in the evening...
Before this, he would occasionally write down her name when he was reflecting on himself before going to bed at night. But there had never been a moment when Yan Shang sat staring at this name for so long, not knowing what to think or how to continue.
He thought again of what he had heard during the day when Mu Wanyao shouted at Concubine Zhao Ling to leave.
He didn't know that Mu Wanyao was just talking nonsense, and he didn't know that Mu Wanyao herself might not have thought much about what she said. But she was too good at talking.
She not only moved Concubine Zhao Lingfei, causing her to retreat... she also moved Yan Shang, who was standing behind the screen, causing him to listen quietly and not leave for a long time.
When he looked at her through the screen at that time, he felt how vivid, how tenacious and powerful her image had become in his eyes.
It could speak to people's livelihood and hit the nail on the head... Yan Shang's heart was struck by Mu Wan's shaking at that moment. He was speechless and felt as if he had finally found someone who understood what he wanted.
"Those who know me say that I am worried, and those who do not know me say that I am seeking something."
How hard is it to find people with similar aspirations?
Even this similarity of ambitions, far more than appearance, far more than character, moved Yan Shang more. He was moved by her beauty and cuteness, but he was more impressed by her broad-mindedness.
Yan Shang closed his eyes and suppressed the excitement in his heart. He originally had no idea of love, and even though he couldn't help wanting to care for the princess and get close to her, he tried very hard to restrain himself from getting too close... However, it is difficult to find a true friend in life.
At this moment, he finally understood how lucky he was if he could be partnered with someone who shared the same ideals as him.
A prosperous and peaceful life, three or five close friends, and a beautiful woman by your side... This is probably all he wanted in his life.
A myriad of thoughts flashed through Yan Shang's mind. After opening his eyes again, Yan Shang breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his neck, which was sore from a day of reading.
He stood up, put the words he wrote in self-reflection in front of the candle, and burned them bit by bit. He was indeed such a careful person, even if he did not do anything bad, he would not leave any traces.
When the candle burned to the three words "Mu Wan Yao", Yan Shang's eyes showed tenderness and he smiled slightly.
He had already made up his mind: if there was a young princess like him who shared the same aspirations as him, he should not only help her, but if he could really marry her... he would be so lucky.
He should adjust his attitude when interacting with Mu Wanyao.
After burning the note and washing up, Yan Shang went to the box to get clothes for tomorrow. When he was packing his robes, a jade pendant fell out of the box. The jade pendant was emerald green and felt cool when he held his hand.
When Yan Shang saw the jade pendant, he was stunned for a moment. He held the jade pendant in his hand, looked at it, and pondered for a while.
This was an ancestral token of love given to him by his father when he left Lingnan, asking him to give the jade pendant to a girl he liked if he met one.
However, because Yan Shang had no interest in this matter, and for various reasons it was not appropriate to talk about marriage now. A few days after he arrived in Chang'an, he threw the jade pendant into the box and never took it out again. This night, when he accidentally saw the jade pendant, Yan Shang's heart moved.
He didn't know what he was thinking about and his face turned slightly red.
He took the jade pendant out of the dark box, put it together with his daily clothes, then turned off the lights and went to bed.
I think from tomorrow on, this jade pendant that Yan's father has been longing for will finally appear on Yan Shang.
-----
After daybreak, Mu Wanyao ate his breakfast leisurely, flipped through the music scores for a while, and looked at the memorials handed in by his staff yesterday.
She thought the morning court had ended and it was almost time, so she leisurely went out and planned to go to the East Palace.
After leaving the outer courtyard, in front of the gatehouse in front of the mansion, Mu Wanyao saw a slender figure as graceful as a bamboo, talking to Fang Tong and two or three maids.
Mu Wanyao thought he had seen it wrong, so he blinked and stopped.
"Your Highness!" The servants' greetings made the man turn around. He smiled, his brows and eyes were gentle, and he and the servants greeted her together.
Mu Wanyao looked him up and down. He was as elegant and graceful as ever, but she felt something was different. Oh, maybe it was the bunch of pink apricot flowers still covered with dew in his hand.
Seeing Mu Wanyao staring at the flower in his hand, Yan Shang looked down and explained with a smile: "The apricot flower that a friend of mine grew at home was about to die. I worked with him on it for two months, and unexpectedly, the flower bloomed again. He was so happy that he came to give me the flower early in the morning."
Yan Shang shook the apricot blossom in his hand.
The dew splashed lightly on his robe and hands.
The pink color is so dazzling that it makes his face look even more elegant.
He waved the flower casually twice, and seeing Mu Wan staring at it, he handed the flower forward: "If Your Highness likes it, you can take it and play with it. Apricot flowers are so bright and beautiful, and they are naturally suitable for someone like Your Highness. It would be a pity to leave it with me."
He always spoke nicely, and Mu Wanyao was already used to hearing him.
Mu Wanyao: "...You came here so early in the morning just to give me flowers?"
Although her tone was unkind, Mu Wanyao still winked at Xia Rong behind her and asked the maids to come forward and take away the apricot blossom that was still covered with dew. She really liked the flower when she saw it... In fact, she liked Yan Shang's leisurely look when he waved the flower more.
The man holds the flowers without looking effeminate, which shows how good Yan Shang's temperament is.
Yan Shang smiled and answered the princess: "Because Fang Weishi and others were punished because of me yesterday, I came to visit."
Mu Wanyao looked at Fang Tong and the others, and sure enough, they looked extremely moved. It was obvious that Yan Shang had been very successful in winning over their hearts before Mu Wanyao showed up.
Mu Wanyao sneered and ignored him, she walked out.
Unexpectedly, I heard footsteps following me.
She didn't want to catch up with Yan Shang.
Yan Shang followed her and took out a memorial from his sleeve and gave it to her: "I should have given it to His Highness yesterday with other staff members, but I was too busy and forgot. I guess I was worried and anxious, so I naturally went there in person today."
Mu Wanyao took his letter, flipped through it, and asked the maid next to her to take it.
The staff were supposed to give her advice, so she just had to make the big decisions. However, Yan Shang was busy with his studies, so he rarely sent her memorials. She didn't expect him to do so now.
Mu Wanyao muttered a few words in his heart, but didn't take it seriously. However, who knew that Yan Shang hadn't left yet.
When she was about to get on the carriage, she saw Yan Shang standing at the gate of the mansion and watching her go.
Mu Wan shook: "..."
She felt strange: "Aren't you usually at the Hongwenguan at this time? Why are you still at home so late today?"
Yan Shang said ashamedly: "I went to bed late yesterday because I was studying."
Mu Wan shook her head: "Oh."
After a pause, she stared at him for a long time, and thought of a guess, but she felt it was unlikely. But she still hesitated and tried: "Do you want me to give you a ride?"
Yan Shang showed a look of surprise and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Your Highness. I just happen to have some political matters that I would like to consult with Your Highness."
Mu Wan was stunned for a moment, but then she saw the wound on his face caused by the hairpin she had used. She felt relieved and agreed to his request.
-----
Because Yan Shang took the initiative to get on Mu Wanyao's carriage in the morning, Mu Wanyao had been in a daze.
When she was discussing government affairs with the Crown Prince in the East Palace, she was distracted several times, thinking of Yan Shang's smile in the morning. She always felt that his smile was much more genuine than usual, and much closer to her... Was she right?
"Yaoyao, are you listening to me?" The prince put down the letter helplessly and looked at his absent-minded sister.
Mu Wan came back to his senses and said nonchalantly, "I'm listening. Big brother said that there is no one of his own around the emperor, but the imperial concubine is the mother of the third brother, and he is afraid that the imperial concubine will gossip in front of the emperor, so he hopes that I can accompany the emperor more and speak more for big brother."
The prince nodded.
He sighed, "The grand ceremony at the end of this year will coincide with my father's birthday. I want to organize it well and invite all countries to celebrate. This will cost a lot of money. I'm afraid some people will be dissatisfied and need to speak for me in front of my father."
The Crown Prince was born in a poor family, and he was only able to become the Crown Prince because of the title of the eldest son after the death of his legitimate son, the Second Prince.
Suffering from having no one to talk to around the emperor, the prince placed his hopes on Mu Wanyao. After all, the emperor only had two princesses.
Moreover, Mu Wanyao is so pitiful. She is both the legitimate daughter and the youngest daughter. Considering that Mu Wanyao is the only bloodline left by the late queen, the emperor should feel pity for her every time he sees her.
Mu Wanyao was a little unhappy in her heart. She really didn't want to act pitiful in front of others and let others sympathize with her. But now for the sake of the prince, she had to act more obedient in front of the emperor and make the emperor feel that he owed her.
Mu Wanyao promised the prince that she would cooperate with him, and then she would go to her father to show her filial piety.
The prince advised: "Control your temper and act like your former self."
Mu Wan shook his head and said calmly, "I understand."
That's ridiculous.
She actually had to act out her old self in front of the emperor, just to act pitiful and get the emperor's sympathy. Her old self had long been dead...but what everyone missed and hoped for was her old self.
They hope that Mu Wanyao can play herself well and not make them feel guilty.
-----
Yan Shang studied in Hongwenguan all day.
Keep meeting friends.
Whenever his friends saw him and greeted him, they would notice his face: "Su Chen, what's wrong with your face?"
Yan Shang touched the scratch on his left cheek. He had answered the same question countless times in the past two days.
He said simply, "It was scratched by a cat, someone else's cat, and it's gone now. I've taken medicine, and it will be fine in two days. You don't have to help me catch the cat."
Seeing that the usually polite Yan Erlang gave such a simple answer because he was annoyed by the same question, the friend was stunned for a moment, then laughed, bowed and left.
Then another friend came and was shocked to see his face;
Another friend asked him worriedly if this was considered disfigurement;
Another friend stared at his face for a long time, and Yan Shang took the initiative to explain...
In short, throughout the day, everyone who saw Yan Shang was concerned about the injury on his face. After all, it was too obvious. And almost every time someone asked about it, Yan Shang would think about how fiercely Mu Wanyao hit him with the hairpin.
Thinking about it over and over again, he was distracted several times, which made Yan Shang smile bitterly. He felt that he could not stay in Hongwenguan anymore... He came here to study, not to be cared about his face every day.
I guess he was reluctant to go to Hongwenguan until the wound on his face was completely healed.
-----
After spending half a day in the palace, he went to visit a sick minister in the afternoon, and when he returned to the alley where the princess's mansion was located in the evening, Mu Wanyao was already exhausted.
She rested for a while in the carriage, and when she got off to go back to the princess's mansion, she saw Yan Shang coming back with a bamboo box of books on his back. He came back in the night wind, and this happened every day, which made Mu Wanyao feel much better after being depressed all day.
After pretending for a whole day, she can now stop pretending.
Mu Wanyao stopped and looked at him for a few seconds. When he saw her, he bowed to her.
Mu Wanyao saw him bowing and sweat covering his neck, soaking wet, even the white shirt under the round collar was wet. When he raised his face, Mu Wanyao saw the scratches on his face and her eyes flashed.
And she saw him sweating profusely, carrying so many books... Mu Wan shook her head: "Don't you want to stay in Hongwenguan? You want to move all the books back?"
Yan Shang naturally didn't say that it was the injury on his face that prevented him from staying in Hongwenguan.
He is a man who always gives people face.
He smiled and said, "It's because the weather is too hot, there are too many people in Hongwenguan, the air is stuffy every day, and I feel dizzy when reading there, so I plan to move the books back home. I won't go to Hongwenguan for the next one or two months."
Mu Wanyao asked curiously, "You brought the books home to read? Do you have ice at home?"
The words are still slightly delayed.
He said: "Even if there is no ice, it is better than being crowded with a group of people."
Mu Wan stared at his embarrassed look for a while, then chuckled. She immediately realized that he was poor and couldn't afford ice.
Mu Wanyao said softly, "Forget it. Since you are so pitiful, you can come to my house with your books to read. It's so hot, don't let yourself get heatstroke, or you will have to waste time recuperating."
Yan Shang thanks her.
He looked at her again and advised her gently, "Since the weather is hot, Your Highness should go out less and rest more at home. Your Highness is weak, how can you stand going out every day like this?"
Mu Wan was stunned for a moment.
Then he lowered his head and smiled.
She was pleased with his concern, but didn't want to show it, so she just said vaguely: "Do you need to tell me?"
Her words were always so sharp, Yan Shang smiled helplessly and said nothing more.
-----
On a hot afternoon, in the main hall of the princess's mansion, only one side of the screen was left open, and the other three sides were empty, so that one could see the scenery of the clear lake and pavilions in the courtyard.
In front of the screen, there was a cage with ice chips to cool down the room. The maids all stayed away so as not to disturb their master.
The sound of cicadas chirping and the sound of turning pages create an extremely quiet atmosphere.
Yan Shang sat at a desk, looking through a book and occasionally taking notes. It was a long desk, on which besides writing brushes, inkstones, paper and inkstone, there were also cut and chilled fruits and vegetables.
And slightly behind Yan Shang, there was a beauty couch.
Mu Wanyao was originally leaning on the couch, reading a book in her hand. But the sun was too bright and dazzling. She blocked her eyes with a round fan and closed her eyes to rest for a while.
After taking a break like this, I felt very comfortable.
Yan Shang finished reading a passage, stretched his arms, turned around, and saw Mu Wan leaning on the pillow on the couch, with a round fan covering her face, her wrists showing a white part, and her fingers loosely holding a book. The maids also saw that the princess was probably asleep, so they came to check.
They leaned over and pulled the fan that was covering the princess' face slightly downwards, and saw a little sweat on her forehead. The maids looked back and saw that the ice in the cage had melted, so they hurried to get some ice again. After the ice was put back in, they wanted to pull the ice cage closer to the couch where the princess was lying.
Mu Wanyao closed her eyes and vaguely heard Yan Shang and the maids talking.
Yan Shang stopped them in a low voice: "The ice is too cool, don't get too close to His Highness."
The maid said, "But your highness is sweating."
Yan Shang hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "I'll fan her with the fan."
The maids hurriedly said: "How dare we trouble Erlang..."
Yan Shang smiled and said, "It's okay. I'm just tired from studying, so I'll just take a break."
Mu Wan closed his eyes, smiled, turned over, and let them toss him around.
-----
Yan Shang sat down beside the couch, lowered his head and called her twice. Mu Wanyao heard it, but she didn't want to pay attention to him.
He probably thought she was really asleep, so he carefully took the book from her hand and covered her with a thin blanket. Mu Wanyao was about to open her eyes in dissatisfaction and ask him if he wanted to suffocate her to death, when she felt the fan covering her face was also taken away, and a cool breeze blew towards her.
Mu Wanyao was startled and did not open his eyes.
There was a gust of cool breeze, and after a while a handkerchief was brushed on her forehead, gently wiping away the sweat on her forehead.
He was extremely considerate and even reached out to gently brush away the bits of leaf debris on her face.
Mu Wanyao was almost terrified.
She no longer felt the heat, because the sun in front of her was blocked by Yan Shang. He even fanned her, or at least fanned her, his hand actually fell on her face, helping her wipe something. His fingers were slightly hot, and he wiped her face little by little, and Mu Wanyao blushed under his touch.
She had to try extremely hard to keep her eyelashes from moving and to keep from opening her eyes.
I just feel that if they open their eyes now... they will both be embarrassed.
Yan Shang placed his hand on hers and wiped the sweat off her palm with a handkerchief. He murmured, "Your Highness, why do you keep your fists clenched when you sleep? Aren't you tired?"
Mu Wanyao thought to himself, if you didn't sit here with me, I wouldn't have to resist with my fists.
He wiped the sweat off her face, but because he was sitting right in front of her and too close to her, he would touch her here and there, and tidy up her clothes. Mu Wan became stiff and collapsed.
Her face was getting redder and redder, but Yan Shang was still tormenting her slowly.
Just when he was about to open his eyes, a maid came to announce: "Your Highness, Wei Qilang is here."
Yan Shang looked over and was hesitating whether to let Wei Juyuan wait for a while, when he felt the movement behind him. He turned around and saw Mu Wan yawning and sitting up. When she sat up, her thin sleeves touched his hands.
The beauty was breathing slightly after her nap, her cheeks flushed, and her beautiful eyes looked at him in surprise.
The words were still stiff.
My face turned red when she looked at me.
He said dryly, "Your Highness has fallen asleep. I am fanning you."
The two looked at each other for a moment.
Then they looked away, pretending nothing had happened.
Mu Wan shook his head and said, "Oh."
-----
Wei Shu was led over by the maids.
Mu Wan was fanning herself impatiently, feeling very hot. She saw Wei Shu coming over. Under the summer sun, the young man was still walking in the courtyard like a handful of snow, cool and refreshing, without any sweat.
When he walked over like this, it suddenly seemed that it wasn't so hot here.
Mu Wanyao was happy to see the beautiful boy and smiled: "How come Juyuan has time to go out on such a hot day?"
Yan Shang couldn't help but look at Mu Wanyao, and saw that she was staring at Wei Shu intently. She was happy when she saw such a handsome young man, not to mention Wei Shu's quiet personality.
Basically every time Wei Shu came to see Mu Wanyao, Mu Wanyao was in a good mood.
Wei Shu was also used to it.
But Yan Shangduo just glanced at Mu Wanyao and frowned slightly.
I wondered if she was always so direct when she saw a good-looking man?
She doesn't smile when she sees him, but she smiles when she sees all the good-looking men?
Wei Shu saw Yan Shang was also there and asked in surprise, "Why is Second Brother Yan here?"
Yan Shang was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer.
Wei Shu's inquiring eyes fell on the princess and Yan Shang, and he thought: "I have long felt that Your Highness and Second Brother Yan..."
Evening shakes a horror.
He quickly interrupted: "Juyuan, don't talk nonsense! Yan Erlang and I are innocent!"
Wei Shu: "Why is Brother Yan here?"
Mu Wanyao said, "He is my retainer. What's so strange about him being here?"
Wei Shu thought, but you obviously look like you just woke up... You let Second Brother Yan sit beside your couch and watch you sleep?
Wei Shu has a strange face.
He was intelligent, so Mu Wanyao didn't dare to let him think too much and asked quickly, "Why did Juyuan come to see me?"
Wei Shu replied, "I want to borrow a rare copy from His Highness. I asked someone and they said His Highness should have this book."
Mu Wanyao said, "Okay, I'll go and help you find it."
It was obviously impossible for her maids to find the book, so Mu Wanyao had to get up and go to the library. Before she left, she was afraid that Yan Shang and Wei Shu were together, and Wei Shu asked what their relationship was. Mu Wanyao glanced at Yan Shang and immediately realized what Yan Shang was thinking.
Yan Shang stood up and explained to Wei Shu: "I will help Your Highness find a book for you."
Wei Shu watched them stand up together. His eyes were dark and clear, and he remained silent.
-----
Walking on the corridor leading to the library, Mu Wan shook her head and followed Yan Shang.
She got angry and said, "Wei Shu asked you questions just now, why didn't you speak? Let me speak?"
Yan Shang: “What?”
Mu Wanyao was furious: "He misunderstood our relationship. I explained that we were innocent. Why didn't you explain? Juyuan always had reservations about what I said, but he trusted you very much. If you had explained it at that time, he would have believed it."
Yan Shang was silent for a moment.
Mu Wanyao pushed him impatiently: "Speak!"
The sunlight from outside shines in through the tiny holes, and the shadows under the corridor are like layers of swimming algae in a pond.
The cicadas were chirping and the afternoon was hot and muggy.
Mu Wanyao heard Yan Shang's low and cold voice: "How should I explain? Your Highness and I, are we innocent?"
Mu Wan was stunned and turned back to look at him suddenly.
He stopped and looked at her quietly.
He said, "Perhaps your Highness is innocent. But I am not."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
