"Hahaha, exactly. That Bana or whatever... ahem, there's a reason he sculpted the princess in male attire. Young lady, you must know how chaotic the late Sui Dynasty was—even the capital wasn't safe. There were constant break-ins and robberies, and rumors of food shortages spread frequently. All the noble families feared starving to death trapped in the city and desperately sought ways to escape and survive. The southern county of Hu, close to the capital with its fertile lands by the rivers and mountains, was an ideal refuge, and many sought shelter in the estates of the wealthy. Our Chai family also had an estate there. In the 13th year of the Daye era, the princess went there to escape the turmoil and mingled with the local elites. From what I recall, calligraphers like Master Ouyang, the Chu father and son, Du Yan, Wang Gui, the Yan brothers—Lide and Liben—and Sun Yaowang, yes, the revered Sun from the nearby Thousand Gold Abbey, were all guests at the princess's gatherings!"
"So Sun Yaowang and Princess Pingyang knew each other that early?"
"Indeed. Master Sun often gathered herbs and practiced medicine in the Zhongnan Mountains. He happened to meet the princess, and they hit it off. After our Tang Dynasty was founded, the princess introduced him to the Supreme Emperor and Prince Qin—our current emperor. Master Sun even served as a military physician in the Tiance Mansion for a time. During the WuDe Era, he frequently visited the princess and her daughter."
In the courtyard, the towering toon tree was greening in the southern breeze, while lush daylilies sprouted new shoots by the steps. Wei Shufen added incense in the hallway, paced the corridor, and occasionally gazed at the patch of blue sky framed by the high walls, listening to the distant chants and drums from the abbey to the west.
"The 'Thousand Gold Abbey' west of this courtyard was originally established by the princess with her own funds. Ahem... it's a long story. Wei Niangzi, you must know that during the late Sui, our Third Sister personally recruited soldiers, raised banners, and led battles. She commanded an army of 130,000 women, and most of the forces attacking Chang'an were under her command! But after the Supreme Emperor took Chang'an and ascended the throne, though the princess wished to continue leading troops, he wouldn’t allow it... The Supreme Emperor said that during the founding of the dynasty, a woman taking up arms was a necessity for survival, and it made for a romantic tale. But now that the court had established order, with officials fulfilling their duties, it was unseemly for a woman to lead troops instead of staying home to tend to her family. Wouldn’t it make the Li men seem as if they’d all died, forcing a young girl to serve as a general?"
At first glance, the jade statue of Princess Pingyang seemed to wear a serene smile, but upon closer inspection, her eyes held no mirth. Her dark pupils stared blankly ahead, filled with a misty haze of resignation and loss.
"Of course, the Supreme Emperor doted on Third Sister—after all, she was Empress Dowager Dou’s only biological daughter. When the dynasty was founded, he rewarded her with a thousand gold pieces, explicitly for her military achievements. The princess used this reward to purchase the dilapidated estate to the west, renovating it into an abbey for Master Sun. She said then that since she, as a woman, could no longer be permitted to fight war with war, she would instead support Sun Yaowang in advancing medicine and healing the sick. At least that way, she could still do something useful for the world."
So that was why the abbey was named "Thousand Gold," Wei Shufen thought. The Li family’s Third Sister, who had witnessed so much suffering during the chaos of the late Sui, had sought to save the people single-handedly, yet..."Was Princess Pingyang's fondness for men's attire also related to this?"
"Young Lady Wei guessed it right at once... Ah, this servant has digressed. The sculptor, Yuchi something-Bana, also met the Princess around the 13th year of the Daye era at the manor in Hu County. He had taken refuge in the Caotang Temple, painting murals for the monastery. One day, when this servant accompanied Third Sister to offer incense and alms, she saw him at work and was greatly impressed. They struck up a conversation, and thus began their acquaintance. At that time, the Princess was dressed in men's attire... She often wore men's clothing back then, partly for reputation's sake—a young married woman frequently entertaining numerous men in her hall would raise eyebrows—and partly because news of the Supreme Emperor and his son raising troops in Taiyuan had already spread. The capital's garrison commanders had drawn up lists to arrest the Li clan's relatives, with both the Princess and her consort named prominently. By then, Consort Chai had already fled north to Taiyuan. Knowing this, the Sui court intensified their hunt for 'Chai's Lady Li the Third,' issuing illustrated warrants with rewards. Dressing as a man made her safer."
"Not just men's attire, but... with a fake beard as well?"
"Yes, hahaha! After all, she was a young beauty, and her feminine features were too obvious. A turban and round-collared robe alone wouldn’t suffice—people would instantly recognize her as a woman in disguise. But with a Caged Crown and Wide-Sleeved Robe to obscure her figure, a fake mustache glued above her lips, and sometimes even a long beard attached to her cheeks and chin, passersby truly couldn’t tell. That was how Yuchi what's-his-name first saw the Princess. Later, after they became familiar, they even joked about this getup. After the Princess passed away in the sixth year of WuDe, that fellow spent an entire year secluded, carving this statue without prior notice to the household. When it was delivered, the statue’s chin bore a real beard... exactly as he had first seen her."
Jing Xuan smiled wistfully, and Wei Shufen mirrored her expression, thinking that the foreign painter must have deeply admired Princess Pingyang to remember their first meeting so vividly.
Nearly twenty years ago, in the 13th year of Daye under the Sui. Chaos reigned, and everyone feared for their lives. How many men of the Li clan were hunted down, imprisoned, or forced to flee? Li Jian-cheng, Princess Pingyang’s elder brother by four or five years, had been tasked with protecting the family in Hedong. When the rebellion loomed, he failed to shield the household’s elders and children, let alone raise troops to aid the cause. In the end, he escaped to Taiyuan with only his brave and capable fourth brother, Yuanji, while the rest—younger brothers, wives, and children—were captured by Sui officials and brutally killed.
Their cousin Li Shen-tong fled the capital with his son, hiding in the mountains and nearly starving to death, reduced to relying on his filial son to beg for food. The husband of their fifth sister, Zhao Ci-jing, refused to abandon his elderly mother in the capital and was imprisoned. Being an outsider, he was fortunate enough to survive until his father-in-law took Chang’an.
As for Chai Shao, the husband of Lady Li the Third, he escaped—at her urging. The young wife returned to their rural manor with their infant daughter and a handful of servants, fortunate just to survive. Yet in those perilous times, she didn’t cower in fear. Instead, she stepped forward, traveling openly to rally an army in support of her father and brothers, intimidating the Guanzhong region... Where did such courage and capability come from?
Perhaps it was this very courage and capability that made her radiate such vivid beauty?In those bygone days, the woman who mingled among scholars and heroes in men's attire, chatting and exchanging pleasantries with spirited elegance, captured the heart of a master painter who had spent years immersed in ink and brushwork. He was smitten at first sight and could never forget her. She fell in her prime, never allowing the world to see her gray hairs, leaving behind only sighs of regret. This moved the foreign painter to pour his soul into carving this jade statue of her. Thanks to this, though she passed over a decade ago, her figure remains vividly alive before later generations.
Light smoke curls upward from beneath the lotus petals of the gilded silver incense burner shaped like a reclining turtle with five legs, its subtle fragrance filling the hall.
Whenever she has a spare moment, Wei Shufen lingers before the jade statue in the corridor, sitting cross-legged and gazing up in reverie. Lost in thought, her vision blurs, and she feels that if she could emulate Princess Pingyang just once—even if only once—to rise with vigor and leave a legacy for eternity, then dying young would not be in vain.
She sees the tall woman with delicate brows and phoenix eyes enter the corridor, walking straight toward her, a faint smile on her lips but a trace of worry between her brows. She even catches the scent of the woman’s perfume and hears the tinkling of ornaments at her waist...
“A Fen,” she hears the jade statue call to her, “get up, let’s go. I’ve found Empress Xiao of the former Sui Dynasty.”
#####This chapter’s notes discuss the story of the artist Yuchi and the artistic depiction of Princess Pingyang. For the full notes, visit the author’s Weibo. Search for the ID “Tang Dynasty Tour Guide Forest Deer” on Sina Weibo. Welcome to engage in discussion.
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