The wind is calm and the people are quiet.
The prince leaned against a stool, one leg curled up and the other stretched out. He sat lazily, looking at Yang Si who was standing in front of him and questioning him with a bit of boredom.
The recklessness of his youth was replaced by the steadiness of his youth, but Yang Si was still Yang Si after all. He could not just sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor and watch others sacrifice for him.
He was still the handsome and handsome Yang. He disobeyed orders and sneaked back to Chang'an. He didn't care whether he would get the desired result or not.
But he still came.
The prince was about to speak when fireworks exploded outside with brilliant colors.
The prince turned his head to look at the fireworks that were exploding in the sky, seeing how colorful and beautiful they were, and then seeing them falling from the sky like dust.
It was gorgeous at first, but ended up being sloppy.
That's life.
But I am not willing to do so.
The prince said calmly: "Since you have already guessed what I am going to do, why bother coming back? My affairs are naturally related to the Yang family. I just want you to stay away and keep you safe. If I succeed, you will benefit. If I fail, you will be less involved.
"Only a fool would come back."
Yang Si said: "Only a fool would not come back."
He knelt down, looking at the prince's indifferent face. His chest felt like a huge stone was pressing on him, and he wanted to burst out something desperately. He clenched his fists, took a few deep breaths, and opened his eyes again.
He knelt straight like a heavy sword without an edge, and said to the prince in a hoarse voice: "Brother Lang, I don't need you to do this. We have been together since childhood, there is no reason for you to throw me out at this time. You believe this, but will others believe it?
"We share the same fate. I will listen to you. If you tell me to go back to Chang'an, I will go back. If you tell me to leave, I will leave. I will marry whoever you tell me to marry. If you don't tell me to marry, I will say no. And all these years, I have relied on your care... I know I can act recklessly because you are there to protect me. I know I can be the carefree and unrestrained Yang Sanlang because you are there to clean up the mess for me.
"People often say that the royal family is ruthless. You are ruthless too, but you treat me differently. I have nothing to say about how others blame you, but I alone cannot say a word against you. You have done everything for me, but I turned around and left. Brother Lang, how can this be justified in the world?"
There was something strange in the prince's eyes, and the look he gave him was no longer perfunctory.
The prince taunted, "What do you want?"
Persuade him to give up?
Yang Si: "I'll do it with you."
The prince's eyes froze, and he stood up angrily: "Nonsense!"
Yang Si was still kneeling, he looked up, his face was cold, his eyes were calm: "I won't persuade you, I know it's not easy for you. You have endured for many years, but that person has not died yet, and now he needs to be revived by the miracle doctor, and you are about to lose all your bargaining chips... He doesn't treat you as his son, he has been suppressing you and oppressing you.
"You feel aggrieved and you can't stand it... Then let me work with you. Anyway, the Yang family is inseparable from you, and I am from your lineage. Brother Lang, between you and me, there is no such thing as 'fleeing alone when disaster strikes', but only 'sharing weal and woe' and 'living and dying together'."
The prince looked at him in amazement.
After a long while, he lifted his robe and knelt down. He put his forehead against Yang Si's. He was trembling, angry, and sad. There was no need to say anything. He just said, "Good brother, I will never let you down."
Yang Si: "I will not let my brother down either."
Fireworks bloom in the sky, making a loud noise, the light is like a stream, and the world is like a temporary stay.
-----
Fireworks bloomed in the sky, making a loud noise and shining like a stream, but the world was silent.
In Princess Danyang's mansion, a small table was set up in the hall where the screens had been removed. The servants withdrew and the masters reminisced about the past.
Wei Shu looked over and saw that Mu Wanyao had not changed her gorgeous dress, and she was sitting behind the same table with Yan Shang.
She leaned against Brother Yan's shoulder intimately. Because the noise of the fireworks was too loud, she put her hands on her cheeks and whispered in Brother Yan's ears while talking to him.
There was a hint of drunkenness on her cheeks, and her eyes were full of smiles.
Yan Shangze listened to the princess. He smiled and lowered his head to peel some fruit for her.
Mu Wanyao came to greet Wei Shu, and said frankly, "Juyuan, you are like home, no need to be polite. I haven't seen you for several years, and you have already reached adulthood. Today is the day for me to take a good look at you."
Wei Shu felt dazed and thought of a New Year's Eve long ago, which he had spent with his second brother Yan and the princess.
But at that time, the princess and the second brother Yan were not together openly. At that time, His Highness was sitting with me, and as if to avoid suspicion, he deliberately kept a distance from the second brother Yan.
But this time it was different.
This time, Mu Wanyao could openly lean on Yan Shang's shoulder and rest her head on his shoulder without having to worry about rumors.
Wei Shu smiled elegantly and sighed softly, "That's great."
Yan Shang looked over, his eyes as dark as the night, looking at him with concern.
Wei Shu sincerely said: "I think it's great that my second brother is getting married to His Highness."
Yan Shang blushed slightly, he cupped his hands, and naturally couldn't say anything. Mu Wanyao smiled generously, with red eyes: "I think it's good too."
She sighed, "I was young and ignorant before. I thought getting married was a terrible thing. Your second brother kept telling me to get married, but I refused. At that time, I always felt that whether we got married or not would have no effect on us. Would our relationship be affected if we didn't have a marriage certificate?"
She said sincerely: "Now I know that status is really important. Brother Yan Er eliminated my fear of marriage and let me know that not all men are the same. He eliminated many of my fears..."
She wanted to say that she was not afraid of the man's kiss in the dark because she knew it was Yan Shang; she was not afraid of being hugged from behind because he was so gentle; she was not afraid of the man's dominance because Yan Shang would not do that to her.
A gentleman is like water, and the highest good is like water. Yan Shang is a gentleman like water. He reflects on his words and deeds every day, and he forces himself to be as self-disciplined as a saint. Mu Wanyao enjoys the benefits of his behavior.
Because this benefit was so great, she could accept his other shortcomings——
For example, his love for all things in the world and his many friends.
Mu Wanyao said softly: "If we are not husband and wife, we will never be a family, and there will always be a gap between us. Only when we become a family, your second brother can truly accept me and live a good life with me.
"Did you know that before we got married, he always slept with his back to me... Ugh!"
Her mouth was suddenly blocked by a peeled fruit.
She glared at him, and Yan Shang said, "Eat your food well and don't talk nonsense."
Mu Wanyao knew that he didn't want her to talk about his private affairs. She swallowed the fruit in her mouth, glared at Yan Shang, and then complained like a little girl: "Your second brother Yan is so stubborn."
Wei Shu smiled.
Mu Wanyao is like all married men and women in the world. She is happy and thinks marriage is a good thing, so she hopes that the people around her will be as happy as she is.
Mu Wanyao leaned over and looked at Wei Shu with great interest: "Juyuan, you are already an adult now, do you have any girl you like? The Wei family doesn't care about your marriage? That's impossible, right?
"If there is a girl you like, I can go and see her for you and help you propose marriage."
Yan Shang interrupted Mu Wanyao's high spirits and said, "Juyuan just returned to Chang'an, how could he know any girls? Don't try to match him up with random people."
Who knew that Wei Shu would be silent for a moment, then he said, "I do have someone I like."
Yan Shang raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't expect that Wei Shu, who was so quiet and reserved, would have a crush on someone right after returning to Chang'an. He felt a little uneasy, but he managed to suppress it and asked with a smile, "Which girl is it?"
Wei Shu looked slightly uncomfortable.
He said, "It's Zhao Wuniang."
Mu Wanyao immediately said: "Ah...it's her."
Yan Shang asked, "The fifth lady from Censor Zhao's family, the one who went on the diplomatic mission with you?"
Wei Shu nodded.
Mu Wanyao and Yan Shang looked at each other, and inevitably thought of some hidden dangers. At this time, the two no longer cared about the past when Zhao Lingfei desperately pursued Yan Shang.
But Wei Shu had just returned to Chang'an, and he might not understand the current situation in Chang'an. The couple suppressed their worries and smiled at Wei Shu.
Yan Shang did not say anything else, only Zhao Lingfei herself: "Wu Niang is cute and lovely, bold and lively, and she and Ju Yuan complement each other very well."
Yan Shang spoke so nicely that Wei Shu was naturally happy to hear him.
Mu Wanyao smiled and watched her husband pondering, as if he was going to add some harsh words. But at this moment, the maids outside announced, "Your Highness, Miss Yan is here."
Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao were both surprised, because it was so late, why would Yan Xiaozhou come?
The two men asked someone to invite Yan Xiaozhou over. Wei Shu stood up as the guest and saw a young lady with a slender waist and a pretty face, wearing a thick cloak, walking towards them.
After Yan Xiaozhou and Wei Shu greeted each other, they smiled and said to their brother and sister-in-law, "It's like this, we knew that brother and sister-in-law went to attend the palace banquet tonight, so we didn't come to disturb brother and sister-in-law. But just now we heard some movement in the princess's mansion, so we guessed that you were back.
"Father said it's getting late, so he won't ask you to come over to stay up all night. Father asked me to give you some New Year's money."
She took out two red envelopes filled with gold leaves and handed them to the princess' maid with a smile. She smiled apologetically at Wei Shu, indicating that she didn't know this young man was there, otherwise it would be better to prepare an extra New Year's gift.
Mu Wanyao was surprised and delighted when she received the New Year's money from Yan's father.
She always felt that she was far away from the Yan family and couldn't fit in. But receiving this tonight made her feel that Yan's father treated her as his daughter-in-law.
Mu Wanyao looked through the red envelope with great care, and touched the gold leaves inside again and again. She asked happily over and over again: "Is it for me? Really for me? I have never received any lucky money before."
Yan Shang was embarrassed at first, thinking that he had to accept New Year's money from his father after getting married.
But seeing Mu Wanyao so happy beside him, he sighed in his heart, sympathizing with her difficulties, so he took back his words of refusal and bowed to his sister.
His sister was smiling and answering the princess: "Don't we give lucky money to a new bride during the first year of marriage? It's like this here. After all, my brother is marrying my sister-in-law.
"Although my sister-in-law has never received one before, she must have received many gifts from His Majesty, which are many times more precious than this. My father is afraid that His Highness will not like it."
Mu Wan shook his head and smiled, saying, "It's different."
She often accepted rewards from her father, but her father's rewards did not shake any foundation. Her father did not feel any pain after rewarding her. Her father may never know what he rewarded her. He only knew that it was very precious.
But the most precious thing should be the human heart.
The Yan family was willing to give her this heart, but her father would not.
Mu Wanyao smiled at Yan Xiaozhou: "Tomorrow, I will go to visit you and thank you for the lucky money. By the way, we should also prepare some for you - Xiaozhou hasn't married yet, she's still a child."
Yan Xiaozhou suddenly thought of the appearance of Yang Si whom he saw on the street that day.
She blushed and said, "Okay, Your Highness, why are you saying this?"
In this way, Yan Xiaozhou was happily sent out of the princess's mansion. At this time, it was already very late, and Yan Shang saw that Wei Shu was a little tired, so he asked the maid to take Wei Shu downstairs to rest.
Wei Shu liked the couple and felt particularly comfortable in the princess's mansion, so he did not refuse.
After Wei Shu left, Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao went back to the dining table in the lobby and sat down to watch the fireworks in the sky together.
Mu Wanyao gazed at the waves of fireworks in the sky, holding the New Year's money given by Yan's father in his hand.
Watching Wei Shu walk away, Mu Wan sighed, "Mr. Zhao is now a lackey of the eunuchs, and is looked down upon by the scholars. Ju Yuan likes Zhao Wu Niang, but the Wei family will not be willing to marry a lackey of the eunuchs."
Yan Shang said in a low voice: "Yes. I will explain this to Juyuan another day. He does not understand the contradiction between the eunuchs and scholars now. Now that Juyuan has returned from his diplomatic mission, his status is far from what it was before. The Ministry of Personnel is discussing giving him a position as a doctor in the Ministry of Rites. He is in his prime, and the Zhao family is also in their prime... but it is different from Juyuan's.
"The two sides have such different positions. The Wei family cultivates Juyuan as an outstanding heir, so they will definitely not accept the girl from the Zhao family. If Juyuan is the Juyuan of the past, it would be fine for him to marry Zhao Wuniang... But he is so talented after all. Once he shows his talent to others, he will definitely not be able to do whatever he wants."
Mu Wanyao was silent for a long time.
She suddenly whispered, "Even though we have different positions, we may still be related by marriage."
Yan Shang's heart moved and he turned his head to look at her.
She stared at him, very seriously: "As long as there is determination to move forward, determination to sacrifice, and two people really like each other, there is still a way to be together. Positions can be adjusted and circuitous. As long as you really like this person, you will naturally go to him without hesitation."
Yan Shang's face felt slightly hot.
He wanted to say something, but in the end he just smiled, poured a glass of wine as if to reward her, and handed it under her eyelids.
Mu Wan curved her eyes, accepted Yan Shang's toast without hesitation, and drank it all in one gulp.
You Yanshang noticed that she didn't drink much after marriage and only drank a little each time. This made every opportunity to drink seem more precious.
The wine was sweet, and her husband's shyness was also sweet. All of this made her head dizzy, and she wanted more.
Mu Wan grabbed Yan Shang's sleeves and spoke sweet words to him without asking for money: "I have liked you since I was eighteen! I have liked you since we were in Lingnan!"
Yan Shang smiled and said softly, "I know."
Mu Wan raised her eyebrows, and Yan Shang lowered his head: "I knew you liked me at that time. When you flirted with me vaguely, I felt something in my heart. But you were too arrogant at that time, and I couldn't look up to you at all. Later, later... I felt that your love was worthless, so forget it."
Mu Wanyao immediately retorted: "Why is my love worthless?"
Yan Shang thought for a moment and said, "Because you liked me at that time, I think it's no different from liking a kitten or a puppy. You just thought I was funny and liked to tease me. Because you were too depressed at that time, you just entered the political arena and didn't know anything, and you were always being calculated. You needed to find some fun in your life, and you happened to think I was funny, so you teased me.
"But you don't actually want to take responsibility. I didn't look for you when I first arrived in Chang'an. I think you must have been relieved in private."
Mu Wan shook her lips.
She really had nothing to say about her previous ruthlessness, but Yan Shang's words about how innocent he was made her unhappy.
Mu Wanyao retorted: "How can you be simple? You are the same. When you talked to me, you often ran out of words. Wasn't it because you felt guilty? What's wrong with me teasing you? With your personality, aren't you just waiting for me to tease you? When I kissed you, you clearly opened your mouth..."
Yan Shang covered her mouth all of a sudden, blushing and spitting at her: "I was only seventeen years old at that time, I didn't know anything..."
Mu Wan shook his hand down, her eyes were round and charming like a cat, "You opened your mouth without knowing anything. You clearly have a crush on me, but you just didn't dare to admit it. I dare say that if I wanted to sleep with you at that time, you would have agreed half-heartedly."
Yan Shang was annoyed: "Nonsense! I would never be like that."
Mu Wanyao wanted to refute, but suddenly paused, wondering what she was doing, as if she was going to bring up the past and quarrel with him. And the dispute was about who liked who first.
Mu Wanyao couldn't help but laugh, and rested her head on his neck. She smiled coquettishly and said, "Okay, whatever you say, I know in my heart how easy it is to push you down."
Yan Shang's cheeks were burning hot. He turned his head and looked down at her helplessly: "From now on, let's talk about this kind of thing in private. Don't let outsiders hear it, okay?"
Mu Wanyao secretly reached for the wine cup on the table and said nonchalantly, "No."
Yan Shang: “…”
He didn't say anything, but reached out and pressed his hand on Mu Wanyao's to stop her from drinking. Mu Wanyao tried to grab the wine jug from him, but he refused to give it to her.
He was usually very casual with her and rarely disobeyed her. Only at this time, Yan Shang firmly refused to give her wine, and Mu Wanyao became anxious and red-eyed.
She scolded: "You bully me!"
Yan Shang whispered, "What do you mean by 'bullying you'? You must have drunk a lot of wine at the palace banquet tonight without telling me. What did I say? You drank so much at the palace banquet, but why did you drink again after you came back? Drinking is harmful to your health, don't you know? When you have a stomachache, you don't know who you are making sad."
Mu Wan shook her head and said angrily, "I was wrong before. It's not good to marry you. You control everything about me. I have to report to you wherever I go. You make me restricted."
Yan Shang said softly: "Marriage is not free. Even if you say so, I can't let you drink tonight."
Seeing that she couldn't take the wine from him and that he refused to cheat her, Mu Wanyao angrily let go of his hand. She turned her face stern and didn't want to pay attention to him anymore.
Seeing her like this, Yan Shang hesitated for a moment, then leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
Mu Wan raised his eyelids and said stiffly, "What? Just a kiss will do? Am I so easy to deal with?"
Yan Shang: "Shall I peel the fruit for you to eat?"
Mu Wanyao turned her head to look at him and saw that he lowered his head and started peeling the fruit again.
She looked at his jade-like profile and his pure white clothes. She stared at him for a long time, and the anger in her heart dissipated. At the same time, her heart felt as if it was brushed by a feather and was gently swayed.
Mu Wan held his chin and asked him, "Second Brother Yan, are you sleepy?"
Yan Shang thought for a moment: "Not bad."
He sighed, "The fireworks are so noisy, and I have to attend a big banquet tomorrow morning. I won't be able to sleep well tonight."
He paused, then tilted his head to look at her: "Are you sleepy? Then go to sleep. Um... do you want me to accompany you?"
Mu Wan shook his head: "Dumbo head."
Yan Shang tilted his head: "What's wrong with me?"
Mu Wanyao repeated: "Second Brother Yan, do you want to sleep?"
Yan Shang stared at her eyes for a moment, and suddenly realized what she really meant. His face suddenly became hot, and he turned his head away in embarrassment, not looking at her beautiful and seductive eyes.
His Adam's apple rolled slightly. Because they were both busy, it had been a long time since they last met...
Yan Shang whispered: “What do you mean.”
Mu Wan smiled seductively, and he felt embarrassed, but she came closer, and her long eyelashes brushed against his face, making his face even redder, and his eyelashes began to tremble.
His arms on the table tensed, and his whole body began to become as hard as stone.
Mu Wanyao preferred his honest reaction. She smiled and said, "What do you mean by 'what do you mean'? It means sleeping. Can you stay up all night?"
Yan Shang blushed, but couldn't help laughing: "I don't know."
Mu Wan was drunk and murmured, "Silly brother, why are you saying 'I don't know' at this time? You should say you can do it."
He turned to look at her, and Mu Wanyao winked at him.
He curved his eyes, reached out to hold her face, and bent down to kiss her. Mu Wanyao closed her eyes, enjoying his tender kiss. But suddenly, she felt a coolness on the tip of her nose, and she couldn't help but open her eyes.
Mu Wan shook her head: "It's snowing."
Yan Shang lowered his eyes and smiled: "Yeah."
The two of them sat in the hall, Mu Wan held Yan Shang's arm, he bent down to kiss her, she smiled and pulled him to watch the snow together, not letting him kiss her. He felt helpless, but finally smiled and accepted her new idea.
-----
Auspicious snow indicates a good harvest, so the couple sat together under the veranda watching the snow.
The sky and earth are filled with silver and white.
Mu Wanyao said thoughtfully, "I hope that the man I have loved since I was eighteen years old will accompany me every year and every month in the future."
Yan Shang whispered: "Even if he is very bad?"
Mu Wan shook: "He is the best."
Mu Wanyao quickly became dissatisfied again: "I've already said it, why don't you say a few nice words?"
Yan Shang sighed and smiled, he looked up at the snow in the sky, his eyes were as dark as night, yet as clear as lake water.
As she wished, he spoke slowly: "Yaoyao, we have spent our whole lives making difficult choices between reason and emotion, balancing each other. Some people won with reason, and I won with emotion. No one can say that they made the right choice, all they want is to not regret it.
"The girl I fell in love with quietly when I was seventeen is the love of my life. In my heart, I have long wanted to marry her."
He tilted his head and looked at her tenderly: "I don't regret meeting you."
Mu Wan looked at him, she was immersed in the dream he had woven, the emotions in her eyes were eager to try, always strong and flamboyant. Yan Shang loved her like this, so he looked at her in a trance.
Mu Wan hugged his arms tightly and said softly: "I don't regret it either."
Yan Shang smiled, he didn't say anything, but hugged her tightly and asked her if she needed a cloak. His wife shook her head and just buried herself in his arms, saying that she felt warm in his arms - this was his wife.
She is the wife who will always be with him no matter what happens.
Yan Shang felt peaceful and warm in his heart, and he lowered his head to kiss Mu Wan's shaking head. They still watched the snowflakes flying between heaven and earth, the sound of fireworks faded, but the snow covered the sky, enveloping the whole world like goose feathers.
As the two of them gazed at each other, the new year arrived.
-----
With the arrival of the new year, all things come back to life and the spring examination also arrives.
Yan Shang presided over the imperial examination that year. At the same time, the Yan family said goodbye to them and left Chang'an to return to Lingnan.
There was no movement from the Crown Prince, and the King of Qin, after enduring a whole winter, finally could not bear it any longer when the official positions of the Jiang family in Nanyang were about to be removed one after another.
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