When Li Yuangui mocked him to his face with the phrase "a loving father doting on his daughter," Wei Zheng's expression darkened. After a pause, his face turned stern as he said:
"To bear a daughter is to give her a spindle—she must be without fault, without reproach, bringing no disgrace upon her parents. Since ancient times, sages have taught women propriety, hoping they would be virtuous, chaste, and serene, supporting their husbands, nurturing their children, and bringing harmony to the household. The King of Gaochang, indulging in personal affection, provoked enmity with a great nation—this is utterly unacceptable and should serve as a warning to all parents under heaven."
"Between father and child lies affection; through kindness, virtue is nurtured. Illustrious teachers and ministers are watched by the people." Li Yuangui struggled to quote more classics, implying that as a father, one should raise children with love, and as a high-ranking official, one should set an example for the world—deeds like selling daughters for profit or buying brides for sons should be avoided. "The King of Gaochang's love for his daughter stems purely from human nature and familial bonds—it is not something to be harshly criticized. I, Yuangui, am unfilial, bringing calamity upon my parents, leaving only a younger sister in this world. My many misdeeds also arose from this, as you all well know."
The assembled ministers, having participated in the deliberation of his case, had presumably reviewed the records and knew he had acted to save his half-sister. Confucianism upholds the principle of familial affection—beginning with love for one's kin and extending to loyalty to the ruler—a point beyond reproach.
"Though I, Yuangui, am young and ignorant, foolish by nature, I still understand the fairness of Heaven's way. Those in high positions should care for the orphaned and weak, act with chivalry and righteousness, and must not abuse power to oppress others or amass wealth through force." Li Yuangui finally dared to raise his eyes and meet Wei Zheng's gaze, but the latter averted his own. "I, Yuangui, born of the imperial house, hold a place among the feudal lords—to the Sage Emperor, I am both subject and younger brother; to the common people, I am their protector. After the great turmoil, the people's livelihood is in ruins, and the masses suffer greatly. They urgently need us to nurture them with kindness and justice, just as we would care for orphans. If I could not stand idly by while my younger sister was harmed, how could I possibly instigate conflict and bring suffering to the people? Lord Wei, you worry too much."
Starting with his seventeenth sister, he became impassioned and spoke of the tragic fate of Fen Dui, the foreign girl he had taken in, the lack of laborers and difficulties in farming he had heard about from Zhang Zhuangtou at his estate north of the Wei River in Xianyang, and even the "fortunate hands" of the boatman couple on the Wei River flashed through his mind. As he recounted these examples with heartfelt sincerity, he noticed Wei Zheng and Sun Fu-jia's expressions softening significantly—far more effective than his dry recitation of ancient texts.
Especially Chief Minister Wei... Well, Li Yuangui admitted with some guilt that he had taken advantage of the conversation between the emperor and his ministers he had overheard in the small hall after his failed suicide attempt. He knew Wei Zheng had recently been preoccupied with cases like Zhang Zhuangtou and the "fortunate hands and feet." Having personally experienced these matters, speaking of them publicly served as personal testimony for Chief Minister Wei, proving that his words were not fabricated but supported by widespread public sentiment—surely this would reflect well on the chief minister?
"Prince Wu's profound understanding of righteousness brings me great comfort," Wei Zheng finally praised him. "However, what Your Highness mentioned earlier—your intention to defy the King of Gaochang and bring the girl back to Tang—is genuine. Yet you claim neither to instigate conflict between the two nations nor to wish to mobilize troops for war. How do you reconcile this? Does Prince Wu have a brilliant strategy to achieve both?"
Li Yuangui had just begun to smile confidently when he suddenly remembered he was a filial son in mourning and must not show joy. He quickly schooled his expression."Lord Wei mentioned Fu Jiezi, who displayed his valor by slaying the King of Loulan in a night raid, yet it did not lead to the Han army marching beyond the frontier for bloody battles. Yuangui would rather emulate Ban Chao of the Later Han Dynasty, who crossed the Congling Mountains and reached Xiandu, spending twenty-two years traversing the Western Regions. Over fifty kingdoms submitted without exception, their kings replaced and their people pacified. He won the allegiance of distant barbarians and united hearts across diverse customs—without mobilizing the Middle Kingdom or exhausting its warriors, he executed Heaven's punishment and erased past humiliations! Venturing into the tiger's den, he burned and killed enemy envoys—thirty-six men were enough to subdue the foe. Why waste the resources of Huaxia and burden the military with conscription? Here, Yuangui swears an oath: once beyond Yang Pass, I shall not request a single soldier or grain of provisions from Great Tang as reinforcement. Should I break this oath, may I share the fate of this staff!"
Carried away by his fervor, he raised the bamboo staff in his hand and snapped it over his knee with a sharp crack . Everyone in the hall rose from their seats in unison, their expressions solemn.
Crown Prince Li Chengqian arranged for Li Yuangui to meet privately with his younger sister, the Seventeenth Princess, as promised, five or six days after the Supreme Emperor's encoffining. Over the past month, the siblings had actually been quite close to each other, both keeping vigil in the Supreme Polarity Hall, their mournful cries faintly audible to one another. However, Li Yuangui had remained dutifully behind the Son of Heaven with his brothers, seated on straw mats in the eastern chamber, while the inner palace ladies, consorts, and princesses, led by Empress Zhangsun, observed mourning rites behind curtains in the western chamber. This was the first grand funeral ceremony since the founding of the Tang dynasty, and the rituals and protocols were not yet fully established. Occasionally, men and women crossed paths while entering or exiting, and Li Yuangui had glimpsed his sister a few times, though they never had a chance to speak alone.
Even this meeting arranged by the Crown Prince felt rushed and chaotic. Li Yuangui arrived first at the small hall he had moved into after his failed suicide attempt, waiting with the understanding that his younger sister would be brought in by Empress Zhangsun herself. Unexpectedly, the sound of many footsteps and faint exclamations of surprise echoed from the corridor outside.
Fearing something had happened to his sister, he hurried to the door and saw a group of women in hemp mourning skirts—the Empress, the Seventeenth Princess, and others—gathered around a fainting figure in funeral attire. It was Chai Yingluo.
Seeing Chai Yingluo dressed in hemp mourning robes alongside the Empress and others, Li Yuangui froze momentarily. Though she was the Supreme Emperor's granddaughter and there was nothing improper about observing mourning for her grandfather, she had long since received her ordination certificate as a female Taoist priest and should not have adhered to secular mourning rites. At the funeral of her sister-in-law, Princess Linfen, she had not publicly participated in the mourning. Now, had she "temporarily returned to secular life for three days" to play the role of the Supreme Emperor's granddaughter? Moreover, she had always been robust—how could she have suddenly fallen ill?
The woman in hemp robes supporting Chai Yingluo looked familiar. As she massaged Chai Yingluo's philtrum, she explained to the Empress:
"...She complained of feeling unwell yesterday, dizzy spells while kneeling, and hasn't eaten or drunk anything all day. I urged her to rest, but she refused, saying Her Majesty's health was more important..."
"Oh dear, this child," Empress Zhangsun frowned deeply. "This is no time for stubbornness. With so many imperial physicians on rotation, do I lack her alone to attend to my health? Pei, escort her back to Purple Void Monastery. Arrange for a comfortable carriage—let her lie down properly. Take some people with you to settle her in, and request whatever is needed..."Hearing the Empress call out "A-Pei," Li Yuangui suddenly remembered that the woman supporting Chai Yingluo was the newly appointed Princess Consort Zhao, younger sister of Pei Lvshi and his sixth sister-in-law. The two had previously avoided each other due to propriety, meeting rarely, and with the mourning attire, it became even harder to recognize her at first glance. It seemed Princess Consort Zhao was quite close to Chai Yingluo, for upon the Empress's instruction, she promptly responded and, along with several palace maids, helped escort Chai Yingluo out.
A gust of wind swept through the corridor, bringing a slight chill. It was an overcast day, with thick clouds slowly gathering in the western sky, hinting at possible rain. After some commotion, the group of women moved on. Li Yuangui, not wanting to cause a scene by appearing, quickly retreated back into the small hall to wait.
Empress Zhangsun entered with only two attendants and the Seventeenth Princess. After exchanging greetings and being seated, Li Yuangui, concerned about Chai Yingluo, wasted no time in asking what had just happened. The Empress sighed and said:
"It's all because of my illness, and I don’t know how many more people will be affected before it ends. You know, Fourteenth Brother, enduring the hardships of mourning is to be expected, but the entire palace is terrified something might happen to me. When the news of the Supreme Emperor’s passing reached the Hall of Established Governance, I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t rise. Fortunately, Chengqian was there—he directed the removal of celebratory attire and mourning preparations, reporting to the Ministry of Rites, all while remembering to immediately summon Sun Simiao, the Medicine King, from the Great Peace Palace to the Hall of Established Governance to treat me. With acupuncture and medicine, he restored my senses. Later, when the Emperor returned to the palace, he greatly praised Chengqian’s quick response and also ordered Sun Yaowang to remain at the Hall of Established Governance to attend to me. Ah, this is truly a sin..."
"A sin?" Li Yuangui was puzzled. "Sun Simiao can apply his expertise, and the Empress gains the aid of a divine healer—isn’t that a good thing?" There was another thought he didn’t voice—after the Supreme Emperor’s passing, there was precedent for the new Emperor to vent his anger on the imperial physicians. By ordering Sun Simiao to shift his duties to treating the Empress at the Hall of Established Governance, the Crown Prince had spared him from potential disaster. How could such a measure be considered a "sin"?
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