In early November, Princess Danyang arrived in the South China Sea.
When she got off the carriage, the people of Nanhai rushed to watch. They had never seen a princess come to a place like theirs. The princess was wearing brocade and emeralds, which made them admire her.
After a brief reception ceremony, Mu Wanyao went to the study of Li Zhi, the magistrate of Nanhai County, to pay a visit to her uncle.
Li Zhi would never let a princess bow to him. Mu Wanyao had just bent her knees when Li Zhi helped her up in fear and trepidation.
The uncle and nephew looked at each other and felt that time had passed quickly. They had both changed a lot since they parted in Chang'an three years ago.
Mu Wanyao is no longer the delicate, cute and ignorant little princess who she was when she was fourteen or fifteen years old; Li Zhi already has grandchildren, and now three generations live under one roof.
Li Zhi was a thin scholar. He asked his niece to sit down and asked the maid to serve tea and water. "Your Highness came to Lingnan in October. I have been looking forward to seeing you all day, but it has been more than a month since I saw you. It is really not easy."
Mu Wanyao smiled slightly and said, "We are family, so there is no need to be too polite with me. I fell ill in October and had to recuperate in Shashui Town. I am sorry to have worried you."
Li Zhi asked with concern: "I heard it, but I didn't hear it clearly. Your Highness, can you tell me more about it?"
Mu Wanyao then briefly told the story of how he wanted to find the white bull tea tree and bring it back to Chang'an.
She had asked people when she first came here, and they didn't know much about the white bull tea tree in the South China Sea, which showed that she had really obtained a rare and good thing.
Li Zhi stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "What a good plan. I heard that Yan Erlang is only seventeen years old. He is a good tactician."
Mu Wan was startled.
She thought about the details of her search for tea trees and laughed, "What is uncle talking about? What conspiracy? What does this have to do with Yan Erlang?"
Li Zhi looked at Princess Danyang with deep eyes. Not to mention this niece who didn't understand politics, even he could only sigh "open conspiracy" when he first heard about this plan. And open conspiracy is the most helpless, and it can't be said wrong.
Li Zhi pointed out to her, "Yan Erlang once personally pointed out the interesting features of Bainiu Tea to you. If it is as I expected, he should have guessed your identity before your servant revealed your identity. Since he demonstrated Bainiu Tea to you, why didn't he just give you the tea tree instead of letting you find it yourself?
"Since he is a local, doesn't he know there are snake nests and soul-loving grass there? It can be said that he seldom goes there, so he doesn't know. But he may also know very well. I guess even if Nanhai didn't send people to look for you at that time, Yan Erlang would definitely find an excuse to go to the wild to save you. But no one can say anything about him, because whether you go to the wild or not is up to you; whether the snake bites you or not, the snake is not raised by him.
"He wants to be your savior and wants to get close to His Highness."
Mu Wan was stunned: "Why are you climbing up to me...Yes."
She understood instantly. He became her savior. After she left, the officials in Lingnan Road would definitely pay attention to the Yan family. Yan Shisheng was determined to take the imperial examination and wanted to succeed in this way.
ridiculous!
Li Zhi observed Mu Wanyao's expression and saw her expression turn cold. He asked curiously, "I thought he wanted to marry the princess by marrying the prince? But does Yan Erlang think that a country scholar like him can marry the princess? This doesn't seem to match his talent for coming up with conspiracy."
Mu Wanyao sneered: "He doesn't want to marry the princess at all, he wants to get the recommendation of the officials in the state examination next year so that he can go to Chang'an!"
Li Zhi was speechless, then burst into laughter.
Mu Wan shook his head and said, "Because his poetry is a mess and not worth mentioning! If he can get a place in the state exam with his talent, I can just take his last name! He plays with me like a monkey..."
Mu Wanyao gritted his teeth, became angrier and angrier as he spoke, and slammed the teacup heavily on the table.
She thought Yan Shisheng loved her... She felt guilty towards him before they parted...
Mu Wanyao raised his voice angrily and said, "Someone, go to Shashui Town to find Yan Erlang for me and bring him..."
However, halfway through giving the order, Mu Wanyao suddenly stopped talking.
She remembered that when they were leaving, he was pressed against the wall of the car, his eyes were red, and he was breathing lightly. He was forced to do this for a while and then he became emotional, but when he tried to hug her shoulders, she pushed him away mercilessly...
Mu Wan's cheeks felt hot, and she drank some tea to cover it up, but the tea made her face even redder, as if it was stained with rouge.
Li Zhi paid close attention to the princess's attitude throughout the whole process, with a half-smile on his face.
-----
Mu Wan was upset because she found out that she was used by Yan Shisheng. She couldn't bear it any longer, and at dinner time, the princess, who had been holding back for a whole day, finally let Guard Fang go.
She asked Fang Tong to go to Shashui Town and scold Yan Shisheng harshly for two hours!
Mu Wan smiled and said, "It would be best if you knocked on his door in the middle of the night, pulled him out of bed and scolded him for two hours. Only then can I get rid of my hatred."
Fang Tong came back at noon the next day. After riding at full speed, Fang Tong tiredly described to Mu Wanyao how helpless and surprised Yan Erlang was when he was woken up and scolded in the middle of the night.
When Mu Wanyao heard Shi Sheng's words, he was stunned and helpless, and burst out laughing.
After she forgave the man, she remembered the memorial Yan Erlang had written to her before leaving. Mu Wanyao went to find Li Zhi again and presented him with the memorial Yan Shisheng had written about dealing with Wu Man.
Mu Wanyao wanted to resolve the Meng Zaishi issue, so he hurried to the South China Sea, naturally to ask Li Zhi for advice.
Her uncle once commanded a hundred thousand frontier troops and was also an expert in political struggles in Chang'an. Li Zhi would not be able to rest assured until he had reviewed Yan Shisheng's strategy.
It’s not that uncle Li Zhi loves the only little girl left by his sister.
It was a political matter. Mu Wanyao needed to rely on the Jinling Li family to return to Chang'an. If the Jinling Li family wanted to turn things around, they also had to rely on Mu Wanyao's maneuvers in Chang'an. Both sides benefited from each other and formed a united front.
Li Zhi looked at the memorial, his eyes gradually brightened, and he said, "What a pity."
Mu Wan shook nervously: "What?"
Li Zhi said, "If you hadn't said that Yan Erlang was determined to go to Chang'an, I would have wanted him to be my advisor. You said that you never told him about Wu Man's situation, but he guessed it almost exactly. Such a person has a bright future."
Mu Wan raised the corner of her lips slightly.
It was as if her uncle was praising her.
However, she said disdainfully, "What's so difficult about it? It would be so difficult for him to write poems and essays. I see he has put so much effort into going to Chang'an, but he still has to take poetry and essay exams when he gets there. It's hard for him to even pass the imperial examination, I don't think he has any other abilities."
Li Zhi shook his head and smiled, ignoring the princess's stubbornness.
Li Zhi accepted the memorial and said, "One of Yan Erlang's plans is very good, and I plan to use it. Although I am no longer in charge of the border army, there are still some people in the border army who listen to me. With this plan, I will help Your Highness deal with King Wuman. For at least a year, King Wuman will not have time to harass Your Highness."
At dusk, the eyes are clear and the flowing waves are like frowning mist.
Even Li Zhi, an elder, felt that she was charming and lovely, and his tone softened: "Your Highness has suffered. Your Highness, don't worry, since you have returned from Wuman, I will never let you return to a wild place like Wuman."
Mu Wanyao thanked him perfunctorily.
She knew very well that her marriage to Wuman was the result of a discussion between her uncle and her mother.
At that time, Li needed to sacrifice her in order to gain the right to speak in Chang'an; now Li is helping her so that he can turn things around in the future.
It's just a matter of interests.
If she thought her uncle helped her because he loved her, she would be too stupid.
Sure enough, after talking about this matter, Li Zhi mentioned her marriage.
Li Zhi asked with a smile: "The past is over, and Your Highness is still so young, do you have a man you like in Chang'an? There is no reason why the children of our Great Wei cannot marry again after they have been married. Ordinary people can remarry, and princesses who have been married can certainly do so too."
Mu Wan shook her head slowly: "I haven't. But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has recommended many to me."
Because the prince also wanted to pull her into his camp and wanted the Li family power behind her.
Li Zhi's eyes flashed, but he remained silent.
Obviously, Li both acquiesced to Mu Wanyao's dependence on the prince in Chang'an, and did not want Mu Wanyao and the prince to have a closer relationship.
Li Zhi said: "Before I came to Lingnan last year, I passed by Luoyang. Your Highness should know that the Wei family is a big family in Luoyang. Your Highness should not marry a direct descendant of the Wei family, because His Majesty will be on guard. But if it is just a bastard, His Majesty will not question it too much.
"When I was in Luoyang, I met a talented young man, who was a concubine of the Wei family. His mother was a concubine, and he was not well received after returning to the Wei family. I accepted him as my disciple and taught him for a few days. Before we parted, I told him that he could go to Chang'an to take the imperial examination and become a member of the Princess Danyang family.
"Your Highness, please meet him when the time comes. If you think he is suitable, you may as well make him your consort."
Mu Wan was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Seeing her cold attitude, Li Zhi said a few more words: "Your Highness, don't worry. The disciple I'm interested in is definitely not an unknown person. He has excellent style and talent. If he hadn't been suppressed by the Wei family for many years, it would not be my turn to buy him. Ahem, but Your Highness doesn't have to rush to get married. You can get to know each other first. It's okay to delay it for one or two years or two or three years."
Is it okay to delay it for one or two years, or two or three years?
Li Zhi's words were very strange.
Mu Wanyao looked at her uncle in surprise: "What's his name?"
Li Zhi said succinctly: "Wei Shu, I gave him a name, Juyuan. Maybe you don't care now, but when you meet Wei Juyuan, you will know that I am not forcing you to marry. Compared with the marriage that the prince found for you, Wei Juyuan is more suitable to be your match."
Mu Wan nodded again.
Li Zhi stared at her for a moment.
Asked: "Why, you don't want to? Do you have someone you like? Which family is the other person from? Your uncle can help you find out."
A descendant of a prominent family.
Mu Wan shook her brows and curved her eyes.
I talked with Li Zhi all night long, and the moon was rising high in the sky.
In the elegant room, the sunlight caressed her face. She held her chin with her hand, her eyelashes covering her eyes, and said charmingly, "Uncle has misunderstood. It doesn't matter who I marry."
Li Zhi looked at her for a long time, with pity in his eyes.
He whispered, "If many years have passed and you find someone you like, you can divorce and marry the one you really like. But not now. Do you understand, Yaoyao?"
Seeing her uncle so serious, Mu Wanyao couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Uncle really misunderstood, I don't like anyone. I didn't like anyone before, and I won't like anyone in the future. After returning from Wuman, I vowed to be a willful and bad-tempered princess. Marriage is not a big deal for me."
She turned her face to the side, looking at the moonlight outside the window with a reserved look.
It is not easy for the princess to return to Chang'an.
She can't marry whomever she wants.
So she doesn't like anyone.
She will never let herself or the people around her suffer any injustice again.
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