Li Yuangui irritably tousled the hair at the back of his head, his fingers damp and sticky, unsure how long it would take to dry enough to tie up properly.
He had already washed with heated water and changed into the clothes Pei Lvshi had brought. Pei was meticulous—the spare garments he provided had coarse brown outer robes resembling peasant work clothes, but they were freshly laundered and lined with silk padding for warmth and comfort. Changing clothes wasn't the issue; what vexed him was Yang Xinzhi insisting he leave his hair loose until fully dry, claiming it would prevent catching cold.
What kind of appearance was this disheveled state... Especially when he was anxious to check on Wei Shufen in the western chamber of the main hall.
That reckless young woman had been lighting the stove fire when he heard something amiss. Just as he stepped off the kang and around the partition, flames burst from the stove, shooting straight toward her face.
Without thinking, he dashed forward and pulled her aside. The room instantly filled with the acrid smell of scorching. Wei Shufen's face was blackened, sparks still flickering at her forehead. Fortunately, after washing, they found only her eyebrows, lashes, and sideburns singed, with minor burns on her forehead and temples—nothing serious.
Yang Xinzhi and the two elderly women rushed back, ushering the two fire-singed unfortunates to separate chambers for care. Li Yuangui endured Yang Rou-ta's scolding in silence. The moment he finished dressing, he demanded, "Tie up my hair," only to be met with even firmer admonishment. Yang Xinzhi even piled their bedding around Prince Wu, fretting over him catching a chill. "There are no doctors or medicine here. If you fall ill, you'll just have to wait to die."
Rationally, Li Yuangui knew Yang Xinzhi was right—none of them could afford another illness—so he didn't argue. When the Kuzhen Guard was called away by the old woman, he threw off the blankets, found a pair of old hemp shoes, and shuffled toward the western chamber. Then he abruptly remembered his disheveled state and halted.
After a moment's thought, he dug out a piece of black gauze from his bundle, smoothed his hair with his fingers, and tied it loosely at the nape. No topknot or headwrap, but at least it was somewhat presentable. How else could he face anyone?
Yet the moment he stepped into the western chamber, Wei Shufen and the old woman on the kang looked up and burst into laughter simultaneously.
Was a coarse robe and a loose ponytail really that ridiculous... Li Yuangui stiffly ignored them, greeting them before examining Wei Shufen. Thankfully, the burns had been treated with some kind of poultice made from mashed leaves, emitting a fresh herbal scent. Wei Shufen shrank back on the kang.
"Stop looking. It's hideous."
"It's fine. It'll heal in a few days," he reassured her.
"It'll scar," the beauty-conscious girl pouted, then sighed. "Whatever. As long as the Tibetan... Khan doesn't mind."
Li Yuangui glanced at the old woman beside him. The toothless granny grinned, gathered her things, and excused herself with a "I'll get back to work," leaving the two youths alone.
After a silence, Li Yuangui suddenly said, "Gardenia, white gromwell, skullcap."
"What?" Wei Shufen didn't understand."Forty gardenia fruits, five taels each of white fenugreek and scutellaria," Li Yuangui struggled to recall the medicinal recipe his mother had mentioned. "Pound them into powder, then boil with five sheng of water and one sheng of fat oil to make an ointment. Apply it cool to burns—not only does it remove scars, but it also whitens the skin and leaves a lingering fragrance on the face and head."
With a "pfft," Wei Shufen covered her mouth and laughed. Li Yuangui frowned and earnestly explained, "It's true. My mother often made it and gave it to many people. The palace ladies loved using it."
"I didn't mean..." The girl paused, then changed the subject. "But where are we supposed to find those three ingredients now? It's not like we're in the palace."
He could send Yang Da to the West Market to buy them... The words lingered on Li Yuangui's lips for a moment before he swallowed them back. Yang Xinzhi's appearance was too conspicuous—better to avoid him wandering outside. If they needed to go to town, he might as well go himself.
"I—"
"Don't worry about that," Wei Shufen interrupted. "An ugly face won't kill anyone—it wasn't much to look at in the first place. There are bigger things to worry about right now. Who knows how long we can hide here? We might have to move again tomorrow."
Pei Lvshi's reliability was limited. He had already gone out of his way to help, but if the imperial guards came to his estate and questioned him directly, considering his family's past ups and downs and his sister's marriage prospects, it was hard to expect Pei Lvshi to stand firm against the authorities. They hadn't discussed it, but it was an unspoken understanding between them.
Wei Shufen seemed to realize her tone had been too harsh earlier. After a moment of silence, she spoke again, much gentler this time:
"Grandmother used sesame leaves on me. I've read the herbal compendium—they're also good for burns... I didn’t know your mother was skilled in medicine."
"It wasn’t medical knowledge," Li Yuangui said with a bitter smile. "Before my mother married, her family ran the largest spice and medicine shop in the West Market of the capital. She learned the craft from childhood and was adept at blending fragrances. After entering the palace, she oversaw the perfumers in the inner court and was known as the 'Fragrance Blending Lady.' The Supreme Emperor and high-ranking consorts like Consort Wan, Consort Yin, and Consort Yuwen all wore or burned the incense she made. I grew up accustomed to the scents..."
Many of his brothers' birth mothers came from humble backgrounds. While they didn’t deliberately avoid the topic, they usually didn’t discuss such matters casually. But under Wei Shufen's clear, bright gaze, he felt a calm warmth in his heart and couldn’t help but pour out his thoughts:
"In the thirteenth year of the Great Undertaking of the Sui Dynasty, when the empire was in chaos and banditry ran rampant in the capital, my grandfather gathered his wealth and tried to flee with his children to the safety of the Southern Mountain stronghold. But the convoy, laden with riches, was ambushed by bandits halfway. Naturally, everything was looted, and the family was slaughtered—only my mother was spared. The bandit chief took her up the mountain, where they happened to encounter Yingniang's mother—my third sister—"
The familial ties were a bit tangled, so Li Yuangui paused and rephrased: "Princess Pingyang of our Great Tang, who had also sought refuge in the manor at Hu County, was recruiting troops and had already gathered tens of thousands. The bandits intended to join her and invited Princess Pingyang to their stronghold. My third sister, seeing my mother weeping pitifully, declared that the price of their allegiance would be this young woman. The bandit chief tried to renege, but Princess Pingyang, daring even on his turf, drew her sword on the spot. Her companions, Ma Sanbao and Qiu Xinggong, were all exceptionally brave. Against the odds, they fought their way through the stronghold and established their authority. From then on, my mother served Princess Pingyang."In other words, she had entered the lowly register and become a maidservant of the Chai family. Wei Shufen nodded sympathetically, not attempting to console him. In such turbulent times, such occurrences were all too common, and Li Yuangui didn’t feel any particular shame about it. He continued:
"Princess Pingyang favored the Scented Cakes and Scented Pills made by my late mother and treated her with kindness and grace. After the founding of the Tang dynasty, she often visited the palace. Consort Yin noticed the unique fragrance on my third sister and inquired about it. At first, she summoned my mother to the palace to teach her own maids how to blend incense, but later she simply kept my mother there and refused to let her return. Princess Pingyang could do nothing about it. My mother soon gained favor and bore me, rising to the rank of Beauty. In her lifetime, she always regarded the Chai family as her own and even cared for Yingniang and her younger brother when they were children. That’s why my sister and I remained close to the Chai family, ah..."
The consequence of this closeness was that his recent daring rescues of his sister had dragged Chai Yingluo deep into trouble. Thinking about it now, he truly felt guilty toward his third sister, Princess Pingyang, who had passed away so young.
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