"So Consort Yin forged an edict ordering you to attend the bridal escort to the Temple of Common Vocation for Yi Niang's wedding during your mourning period. You endured it because it was the Chai family's marriage, didn't you?" Wei Shufen asked softly. "And of course, because Seventeenth Miss was in Consort Yin's hands... Otherwise, with your temper, Fourteenth Young Master, you would have rebelled right there in the Great Peace Palace."
Li Yuangui gave a bitter smile, lowering his gaze to his hands. The thatched hut had holes for windows but no shutters—in winter, they blocked the wind with tattered reed mats, leaving the interior dim. Sitting half-reclined on the kang with one leg bent, he could barely make out the calluses on his right palm, marks left by years of archery and blade practice—common among warriors.
"You know, I was born the year His Majesty conquered Luoyang. I grew up hearing stories of the Battle of Hulao, where two mighty foes were captured... I always thought that if I trained hard in martial arts and studied military strategy, I could grow up to be like Second Brother or those cousins—the Prince of Rencheng and the Prince of Huaiyang—leading troops into battle, earning glory that would last through the ages... But when I actually grew up, I realized it wasn't like that at all. No one cared about martial prowess or strategy. It was all useless..."
Clenching his hand into a fist, he didn't dare look up, afraid he wouldn't be able to hide the wet heat in his eyes.
"Last winter, my brothers and I attended the Royal Hunt. We had a good haul and even earned His Majesty's praise with a pat on the back. That night, my late mother summoned me inside. I saw her eyes red and swollen—clearly, she'd been crying hard. When I asked what was wrong, she wouldn't say, only told me to stop showing off my skills from then on and to take care of my sister... No matter how I pressed her, A Niang refused to explain. It was late, so I took my leave and headed back to the Seventeenth Prince's Residence. But just as I reached the gates of the Great Peace Hall, I felt something was wrong and turned back to ask again—had that bitch Consort Yin been tormenting us again? When I pushed open the door... A Niang was already hanging from the beam... Beyond saving..."
Through blurred vision, he heard the girl sigh softly. "So that's how it was..."
So that's how it was. He later learned that his mother had indeed been summoned by Consort Yin that night and spoken to before returning to give her final instructions to her son and hang herself. He had always known A Niang was driven to death by that bitch Yin, but he never understood what leverage she had used to push his mother to such despair.
Not until that night when he led the Tuyuhun assassins in a raid on the Great Peace Palace and abducted Consort Yin. In the watchtower, the vile woman, in her dying moments, had laughed and raged at him with near madness:
"Boy, this behavior of yours—it's just like your real father's. Born with a violent, rebellious streak... That lecherous slut A Zhang would rather hang herself with a rope than tell her own son the truth... Bastard spawn, born depraved... Do you know why I sent you to the Temple of Common Vocation to escort Crown Prince Jiancheng's daughter to her wedding?... I wanted to fulfill your filial duty... Do you know why Yi Niang died?..."
At the time, the situation was urgent, and afterward, he was too busy fleeing and searching for his sister to dwell on it. But after arriving at the Pei family estate, with most of his time spent waiting for news and sitting in silence, those words kept surfacing, howling and shrieking in the turmoil of his heart.
"I... don't even know... who I really am..."These words he had never even told Yang Xinzhi, yet now he recounted them to Wei Shufen in fragments, revealing everything in its original form. His mother had never spoken to him about her time as a palace maid in Consort Yin’s chambers. He only knew that period lasted a little over a year, during which his mother became pregnant with him. After his birth and confirmation as a male, she was granted a title, and thereafter, mother and son moved to live in an independent palace courtyard.
In the third year of the WuDe Era, the Tang Dynasty was still in its early stages. The Son of Heaven used Martial Virtue Hall as his sleeping quarters, while Prince Qi Yuanji resided in the rear courtyard of the same hall. Crown Prince Jiancheng lived in the Crown Prince's Palace, and Prince Qin’s family occupied Inheriting Heaven Hall. These palace courtyards were interconnected day and night, and the three elder princes could visit the inner chambers of the imperial consorts without… much difficulty.
During those two years, the Crown Prince and Prince Qin were still relatively harmonious, and no scandalous rumors had surfaced about Consort Zhang Jie or Consort Yin’s infidelity. But… who could say for sure? In the third year of WuDe, all three brothers had periods when they were in the capital or away. Calculating the months, any one of them could have been…
“Fourteenth Young Master,” the girl sitting cross-legged on the kang leaned forward, propping herself up with one hand on the mat, drawing closer to him. Her voice was soft. “In my opinion, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself over these matters. Whether it’s true or not, who it is or isn’t—what difference does it make? The imperial genealogy clearly records you as the fourteenth son of the Supreme Emperor, the younger brother of the current Son of Heaven, a descendant of the Li clan of Longxi Chengji. Who would dare question it?”
Li Yuangui raised his eyes to gaze at the indistinct, wavering face of the girl, listening as she continued, her voice quiet yet firm:
“Consort Yin… Yin Shi’s own account has inconsistencies that defy explanation. She speaks of cruelty and rebellion, of you and Yi Niang sharing a bond of flesh and loyalty—how could these two things possibly align? To me, it seems she was simply enraged at the time, lashing out with whatever words would hurt you most. Why should you take the ravings of a madwoman seriously?”
If it had only been Consort Yin’s wild accusations, it truly wouldn’t have mattered. But… long before that, years ago, he had vaguely heard similar words from an old palace maid who had served his mother:
“…If only she had left Consort Yin’s courtyard sooner—that place was filthy… The Fourth Young Master dragged the Eldest Young Master out drinking, and when they were drunk, they’d do whatever they pleased, paying no heed to rank or propriety. It was unbearable to watch… Poor Fourteenth Young Master…”
“Stop thinking about it!”
A crisp, commanding rebuke, carrying the authoritative air of Princess Pingyang and her daughter. The eldest daughter of the late Wei Shizhong, who had spent time under the care of the Master of the Purple Void Monastery, reached out and seized Li Yuangui’s sleeve, pulling his hand toward her to capture his full attention:
“All those involved are no longer alive—the Eldest Young Master, the Fourth Young Master, your mother, Yin Shi, even your father, the Supreme Emperor, doesn’t have much time left… What’s the point of dwelling on these past events? Are you too idle? Your younger sister, Seventeenth Miss, is still missing. All of us are fugitives, unable to return home—the Hu merchants, the foreign tribes, General Cheng, the Emperor and Crown Prince’s family… There’s so much left to do. Why not focus on how to handle these matters instead?”
Compared to these pressing concerns, the identity of my biological father is utterly insignificant, isn’t it…
Li Yuangui smiled bitterly as he studied her. Their faces were now very close, the girl’s brows furrowed, her lips slightly pursed in an angry curve. Perhaps from the earlier burn, her cheeks were flushed, her lips even redder, as if painted with rouge, glowing softly in the dim light.
“A Fen…”He didn't know whether those two words had escaped his lips or merely echoed in the murmurs of his mind. Within the earthen walls, atop the brick bed, the heady aroma of wine and the delicate strains of a flute intertwined and lingered.
Her lips trembled slightly, yet she neither drew back nor closed her eyes. In those dark pupils shimmered bashfulness and uncertain confusion... and something truly beautiful.
"Fourteenth Young Master!"
Yang Xinzhi's loud shout pierced through the thatched walls like thunder from another world, shattering the sweet sanctuary he and the young lady of the Wei family had briefly escaped into.
#####Chapter Note: The burn remedy Li Yuangui mentioned is recorded in "Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies, Volume 78" by Sun Simiao: Treatment for Fire Burns: Forty gardenia fruits, five taels each of white clematis root and scutellaria. Grind these three ingredients, then boil with five sheng of water and one sheng of oil until the water evaporates. Strain and let cool before applying to wash away the fiery toxins, allowing the skin to heal.
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