This was the westernmost courtyard in the grand residence of Princess Pingyang, consisting of two connected sections. With its serene trees and meticulously clean terraces and corridors, at first glance it didn't differ much from the typical boudoir of a wealthy young lady. However, Wei Shufen was told that this courtyard actually "didn't exist."
Neither she nor Chai Yingluo entered through the main gate of Prince Consort Chai's residence. Instead, they quietly slipped through a side door of a Taoist monastery west of the Chai residence and wound their way eastward. As they walked, Chai Yingluo explained that this monastery was called "Thousand Gold Abbey," originally serving as her master Sun Yaowang's lodging when he visited the capital. Though Sun Simiao was currently in Chang'an, he remained at Great Peace Palace attending to the Supreme Emperor and couldn't leave without imperial decree. Only a few Taoist priests now resided in the quiet and secluded Thousand Gold Abbey.
The two-section courtyard was wedged between Prince Consort Chai's residence and Thousand Gold Abbey. According to Chai Yingluo, most servants in the Chai residence believed the area west of the courtyard's eastern wall belonged to the abbey, while the abbey's acolytes thought the area east of the courtyard's western wall was part of the Chai residence. Thus in broad daylight, these two courtyard sections remained hidden from many people's sight.
A familiar face awaited them in the courtyard. As soon as the two young women entered, Jing Xuan—the Taoist nun who had long managed affairs at Purple Void Monastery—came forward to greet them with warm concern. Only then did Wei Shufen learn that after the nighttime chaos at Great Peace Palace, Chai Yingluo had instructed Jing Xuan to leave Purple Void Monastery with them and return to Guangdefang. The nun hadn't openly returned to the Chai residence but had secretly taken refuge in this courtyard. When officials and Wei family members came searching for the two women at the Chai residence multiple times afterward, the household consistently claimed ignorance of their whereabouts. Jing Xuan had also remained in hiding, only sending servants from this courtyard to exchange messages and items with the Zoroastrian temple.
The rear section's bedchambers had been prepared for the temporary stay of the two daughters of the Chai and Wei families. As Jing Xuan spoke, she led the way. Wei Shufen, being the guest, was politely ushered ahead. Ascending the steps of the connecting terrace between the two sections, she lifted her foot over the threshold—only to look up with a startled cry.
Facing her inside was a man wearing a cage crown.
The figure stood with hands clasped before a long table, dressed in wide-sleeved robes, his handsome features bearing both elegance and vigor. Wei Shufen never expected to encounter a man here and now, stumbling backward in fright over the threshold.
"Ai—A-Fen, your recklessness..." She fell into a soft, fragrant embrace as Chai Yingluo's light laughter sounded above her. "Oh, did this statue startle you?"
Sta...statue?
Supported by Chai Yingluo into the hall, Wei Shufen steadied herself and looked up carefully. Indeed...though this statue looked remarkably lifelike!
The cage-crowned figure, carved from some unknown jade, stood tall with delicate brows and phoenix eyes, lips curved in a faint smile. The black hair visible beneath the crown was carved with such fine detail it seemed real, and the drapery of the sleeves flowed as if trembling. The smooth skin at the crossed collar showed a slight swell, with a rosy mark on the neck...wait?
"Ying-jie..." Wei Shufen turned to look at the courtyard's owner. "Is this your statue?"
Upon closer inspection, the features did resemble Chai Yingluo remarkably. But the statue had a distinct mustache above its lips, indicating it should be male. Yet...the neck appeared smooth and fair, lacking an Adam's apple.
"You flatter me too much. Why would someone my age commission a statue?" Chai Yingluo laughed. "No wonder you're confused. This is a statue of my late mother, Princess Pingyang, dressed in male attire."Wei Shufen suddenly understood and hurriedly bowed to the statue on the altar, murmuring an apology for her rudeness. Chai Yingluo returned the courtesy beside her, took her hand to help her rise, then turned to ask Jing Xuan, "When was the princess's statue moved back here?"
"After the seventh-day memorial of the princess, the consort ordered it returned, saying it pained his heart too much to look at," Jing Xuan replied. Chai Yingluo nodded, instructing them to "add another incense burner as offering," then mentioned she had matters to discuss with her father. She ordered Jing Xuan to escort Wei Niangzi back to her quarters to rest before taking her leave.
Wei Shufen couldn't tear her gaze away from the jade statue, growing increasingly dazzled the longer she looked, reluctant to depart. As Jing Xuan had someone fetch the incense box, Wei Shufen volunteered to help. Kneeling together with the middle-aged Taoist nun before the low altar table, they slowly arranged charcoal in the burner, buried ashes to create air holes, placed mica separators, and took incense pellets to burn. As they worked, they chatted idly.
"...This statue was originally enshrined in this courtyard. Before the eldest son's wedding, the consort ordered it cleaned and moved to the main hall, saying he wanted Princess Linfen to pay respects to her parents-in-law upon entering the household, where husband and wife would receive the bride's obeisance together... Ah."
"High Truth Master resembles her late mother so much—even the red mark on the neck is identical."
"Not entirely identical. The young mistress's birthmark leans left, while the princess's leans right, differing in size and shape too. The princess's mother, Empress Dowager Dou, also had this mark, but lower on her chest. So when the princess returned to her maternal home during the eighth year of Daye reign in the former Sui dynasty to give birth, her grandmother held the newborn, immediately noticed the neck mark, and laughed heartily, saying 'This female-exclusive imprint has returned, this time resembling Guanyin's beaded necklace'..."
Thus Chai Yingluo's childhood name was coined by her maternal grandmother—the birth mother of the current Son of Heaven, Lady Dou. Though the claim of "passed down only through daughters" wasn't entirely accurate.
"Actually, Empress Dowager Dou also passed that red birthmark to her youngest biological son, Fourth Prince Yuanji—just in the wrong place, so she refused to acknowledge it... Fourth Prince was born with a large, unsightly footprint-like birthmark on his right cheek. Moreover, their Hedong ancestral home considered this ominous, believing it meant he'd been stamped by underworld imps during reincarnation, bringing yin malevolence and misfortune. Furious, and having suffered greatly during his difficult birth—which seemed to confirm the 'ill-omened arrival'—Empress Dowager Dou ordered the household servants to abandon the infant."
Wei Shufen gasped, recalling she'd heard this before. Later, Fourth Prince Yuanji's wet nurse Chen Shanyi secretly kept the baby to nurse him behind her mistress's back until family head Li Yuan returned. And then... She shook her head, unwilling to dwell further.
She asked many questions. Ever since first hearing of Princess Pingyang's exploits at age five or six, she'd held inexplicable admiration for this founding heroine of Tang. Back then, the naive girl's simple thought was "A princess who leads troops is amazing." Now having "met" her childhood idol in person while listening to intimate anecdotes from those who knew her, reminiscing carefully stirred complex emotions.
"This statue is peculiar. Though too young to have witnessed Princess Pingyang's heroic bearing myself, I've heard countless praises. Why didn't the sculptor create a lifelike portrait in women's attire? That would surely have been even more breathtakingly beautiful.""Lady Wei, don't underestimate this statue craftsman. He was a royal from some kingdom beyond the endless deserts, surnamed... ah yes, Yuchi, same as that great general today. As for his name, this servant truly can't recall, only remembering he came to China as an official as early as the Sui dynasty, exceptionally skilled at painting portraits and sculpting Buddha statues. During the Daye era, his fame was immense. Back then, households in Chang'an constructing residences or temples would compete fiercely to commission his paintings and sculptures. Truly the foremost brush in the capital, his renown far surpassed even the Yan brothers of today."
"Was it Yuchi Bazhina? I've heard of his great reputation too. They say this Western Regions painter had a style utterly distinct from Central Plains traditions. When painting figures on paper or walls, though the strokes appeared flat, the images emerged with striking dimensionality, lifelike in their depth. So this statue was Bazhina's masterpiece? No wonder it startled me so."
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