Yan Shisheng sat blankly at the foot of the wall, looking up at the girl, who looked as bright as youth, climbing up the window. She looked down at him, and after a while, Yan Shisheng remembered that he should get up and salute.
But his brother and Guard Fang trained him too hard. His hair was covered in sweat, his lower abdomen was tight, and his calves were sore and numb. He couldn't stand up for a while.
And looking at the way Mu Wan's eyebrows were slightly curved, she seemed to be in a very good mood and didn't look like she was about to lose her temper.
Yan Shisheng remained seated, chatting with her in a somewhat casual tone: "How are you going to help me, madam? What if I love a ton of money, or a beautiful woman?"
Mu Wan smiled and said, "You love a ton of money, so I'll have someone prepare a ton of money and put it on a horse, and you can chase the horse. You love beautiful women, so I'll have my maids ride on horses and let you chase them. To be honest, my maids are all as beautiful as flowers. When..., I don't know how many people broke down my door."
She mentioned the place name that she had abbreviated, but she didn't say it out loud at all. She just gave it a perfunctory response and passed it over.
Yan Shisheng thought: Why didn't she mention that place name? What's wrong with that place name? Is she afraid of being known, or does she not want to be known?
Mu Wan shook his head: "I'm asking you a question, why are you standing there in a daze?"
Yan Shisheng replied: "The lady's kindness will be wasted. I don't love a lot of money, nor do I love beautiful women."
Mu Wan raised her eyebrows, still smiling: "Then what do you love? Fame? Power?"
Yan Shisheng shook his head and chuckled, "I don't love it either."
Mu Wanyao stopped talking. She stared at him with her clear dark eyes, trying to determine whether he was serious or just pretending.
The young scholar had a dignified attitude and a clear character. His eyes were clear and bright, and he really had no delusions...
Mu Wanyao frowned and sneered twice.
How can men not have desires? No matter if they are high-ranking or lowly, as long as they have the opportunity, they will give up everything to climb up. They will abandon their wives and children without hesitation, and murder and arson are common.
How could Yan Shisheng be different from other men? Why was he different from other men?
The whole place is filthy, how can he be innocent?
He said this just to pretend.
Mu Wan shook her head and said calmly, "Oh, I'm not interested. That's a pity for you. You don't care about fame, wealth or sex. You won't achieve anything in your life."
After saying that, she closed the window above Yan Shisheng with a "click".
Yan Shisheng is inexplicable.
-----
The weather had cleared up, and Chunhua wanted to suggest that the princess set out for the South China Sea to meet her uncle as soon as possible so that the matter here could be resolved sooner.
But now, because the princess was waiting for Yan Shisheng to make the facial cream, Mu Wanyao sent a letter to Nanhai, telling her uncle that she would be back later.
Not to mention how worried Li Zhi, the magistrate of Nanhai County, that is, Mu Wanyao's uncle, was about her, Mu Wanyao remained in the Yan family for the time being, dragged Yan Shisheng in front of her, and waited for the facial cream and hand ointment.
In the evening, the maids and guards stayed outside. Through the bamboo curtain, they saw the vague images of a man and a woman on the hanging screen.
They didn't dare to look any further. At the moment, they were with Yan Xiaozhou, the youngest daughter of the Yan family, staring at the hot wine bubbling on the stove.
People at that time liked to make liquor instead of drinking raw liquor. They used a low fire to slowly boil it, and waited for the liquor to warm the stomach, which was the best thing in the world.
The Lingxi Boluo was given to the princess before, so of course there was no more. But Lingnan was different from the Central Plains. Every family in Lingnan made wine, and the Yan family had other fine wines. Of course, the maids and guards were greedy and wanted to taste them.
The aroma of wine from the stove outside wafted in through the window. Inside the house, candles were lit. Twilight was sitting cross-legged on a brocade couch, with a table beside her, perfect for her to lean on.
Smelling the aroma of wine, Mu Wanyao, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and looked at Yan Shisheng who was sitting beside him.
On the long table in front of Yan Shisheng, there were books on the left and baskets of materials on the right, including white aconite, angelica dahurica, sweet piney grass, costus root, patchouli... there were twenty or thirty kinds of materials in total.
These materials were provided by Mu Wanyao, while the craftsmanship of grinding facial fat and hand ointment was given to Yan Shisheng.
Yan Shisheng had been sitting here since the morning, and had tried many times, but none of them were the same as the one Muwan had used to shake her mother. Yan Shisheng was not discouraged, and tried again and again.
Mu Wanyao sat next to him, watching him work with great interest as he worked hard all day.
He lowered his brows, his face was solemn, and he said nothing. To Mu Wanyao, this look was really interesting.
Now smelling the aroma of wine, Mu Wanyao stared at Yan Shisheng's profile, and then she realized that he seemed to have not changed his posture for a long time. Mu Wanyao took out a fan from the side and changed to a casual kneeling sitting posture.
She fanned herself. Perhaps because the room was quiet, she hadn't spoken for a long time. When she spoke, her voice was lazy and charming: "Ah Lang."
But she cast a wink at the blind man.
Yan Shisheng didn't respond.
Mu Wanyao threw the feather fan inlaid with pearls in her hand over to hit Yan Shisheng on the back and called out again: "A Lang!"
Yan Shisheng turned his head and looked at her in surprise: "... Are you calling me?"
Why did she change her name again?
Mu Wan snorted, and when he stood up and returned the feather fan she had thrown to him, she propped her chin up with the feather fan and said with a smile, "They are drinking outside. It's such a delicious wine. Would you like to have a drink, Alang?"
Yan Shisheng smiled and shook his head: "I'm afraid of making mistakes, so I don't drink."
Mu Wan shook: "..."
She looked him up and down, wondering what kind of weirdo he was. He was only seventeen years old, yet he could resist drinking. In the entire Wei Dynasty, there were only a handful of people who didn't drink.
Mu Wanyao sneered: "You are too cautious."
He smiled slightly, said nothing more, and continued to study the ointment according to the book. Mu Wanyao saw several styles in front of him, but he was still not satisfied.
Mu Wanyao felt a little bored.
The two of them were sitting close to each other, and when she saw Yan Shisheng's calm and peaceful appearance, she couldn't help but want to disturb him.
She stretched out her instep and gently poked his back with the tip of her shoe. Mu Wan shook her head: "Ah Lang!"
The woman kicked him with her feet, which seemed light and heavy, like a punishment, but also like a flirtation. It made people feel hot and cold in their hearts, and a layer of electric shivers could not help but appear on their backs.
Yan Shisheng turned his head stiffly. Behind the candlelight, her collar was slightly exposed, revealing the warm glow of her breasts.
His face suddenly felt hot, and he turned his head away and said awkwardly: "...Madam, please don't call me 'A Lang' anymore."
It made him break out in a cold sweat.
Mu Wanyao ignored him and chatted with him: "Let me ask you, that day my maids had their hair cut off because they falsely accused your third brother, and then they were beaten with thirty sticks. Do you remember this?"
Yan Shisheng lowered his head and said "hmm" lightly.
Mu Wan shook his chin and asked, "Have you visited them since then and given them medicine?"
Yan Shisheng was surprised and didn't know why she asked that. He shook his head: "No."
Mu Wanyao: "Oh, you treat me differently. You went to visit when Guard Fang was injured, but you didn't go when my maid was injured. I can't figure out the reason."
Yan Shisheng didn't say anything and didn't turn around.
Mu Wan waved her feather fan slowly, and when he didn't answer, she stretched out her foot to poke him again. Her silk skirt was embroidered, and her pearl shoes were luxurious, poking Yan Shisheng's waist again and again.
She smiled and said, "Ah Lang, why are you ignoring me again?"
Yan Shisheng was finally cornered by her.
He stood up and sat further away from her before answering, "Madam Mu, I am not a saint. That day I saw them slander my third brother with my own eyes, and my third brother was almost injured by your sword. How could I not blame them, and how could I visit them without any grudges? I am not that kind."
Mu Wan shook her head in surprise: "Aren't you a good person?"
Yan Shisheng looked up helplessly: "When did I become a pushover?"
His long eyes met her round and clear eyes. They stared at each other for a moment in silence, and suddenly felt that the atmosphere was a little strange.
Both of them looked away calmly.
Yan Shisheng lowered his head and made the ointment.
Mu Wan shook his head and touched his chest, feeling a little absent-minded.
She was in a daze for a while, not knowing what she was thinking. Suddenly she asked Yan Shisheng, "Why isn't your ointment ready yet? It's so late, why don't you leave? Are you taking this opportunity to stay here with me?"
Yan Shisheng: “…”
He replied in a gentle voice: "I have studied it for a whole day, but I can't completely restore the ointment your mother left you. Now it is only about 70% complete. I am afraid I need to study it for another two days..."
Mu Wanyao interrupted: "It's enough to be about 70% complete. There's no need to spend too much time on it. When it's done, hand it over to my maid."
Now it was Yan Shisheng who looked up in surprise and looked at her.
Mu Wan shook her head in a calm voice, "My mother wasn't very good to me either, 70% to 80% similar, just like she was 70% to 80% good to me. She gave me this facial cream and hand cream to get me married. She just wanted me to remember her kindness and listen to her orders. Now it's over, there's really no need to be completely consistent. You can leave now."
Yan Shisheng was silent and shocked.
He blurted out: "Send you to marry? Have you ever been married?"
Mu Wan shook: "..."
Her charming eyes were covered with a layer of frost, and she looked at him coldly: "Why are you so surprised? Are you discriminating against me?! Do you look down on me?!"
Yan Shisheng hurriedly said: "No, no, I just..."
I just think she is still young, and I really can't tell that she is a married woman. And a married woman, coming to Lingnan...
Yan Shisheng hesitated for a long time and did not ask the questions, "Where is your husband?"
Because Mu Wanyao was already slamming the table, furiously: "Get up! Get out of here!"
She was really angry this time, which was completely different from the previous minor quarrels.
Yan Shisheng was caught off guard and was driven out of the house by her. When he turned back to apologize, the door had already been shut hard, almost breaking his nose.
-----
The mood is unexpected in the evening.
That night, she had a dream and dreamt about her wedding banquet two years ago.
She had never dreamed of that wedding, because it was a nightmare. She had already shattered that nightmare with her own hands, and she had no guilt in her heart, and she didn't want to relive it. But tonight she dreamed of it.
She dreamed of vast plains and numerous troops. The fifteen-year-old Princess Danyang was wearing a long red dress with pearls and jade hanging from her forehead. She was dignified and noble, with her hair and face covered with clouds. The hem of her skirt spread on the plain, as dazzling as the afterglow of the setting sun.
This symbolizes the unparalleled grand beauty of the entire Wei Dynasty.
The red robes and red flags remained silent in the background, and the empty flags whistled in the air. Above the heads of Princess Danyang and her husband, hawks soared and circled in the sky, making clear whistling sounds.
Princess Danyang stood expressionless in front of thousands of people, waiting for her husband to hold her hand, swear an oath of blood with her, make a covenant with her, and promise never to let her down.
Mu Wanyao waited for a long time, but she never saw the man coldly pulling her hand when she was fifteen. She looked over calmly without any emotion - but she was horrified at the sight.
In her dream, the newlywed husband standing next to her had gentle features and a jade-like temperament. This husband was no longer that person, but... the second son of the Yan family, Yan Shisheng.
Mu Wan shook: "..."
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