As thunder rumbled in the distance and rain poured down in relentless sheets, Wei Shufen moved discreetly among a group of palace maids, slipping through the brick-paved passageway of Anren Gate.
Her head was bowed, her steps small but steady, showing little fear of being recognized by the gate guards. She had become quite familiar with entering and exiting various palace and city gates, knowing that as long as she remained composed, the guards usually wouldn’t trouble her. Besides, on a rainy day like this, everyone was cloaked in rain hats and straw capes, concealing their faces and figures—how could she possibly stand out?
She silently thanked the stormy weather of the past two days. Otherwise, she had no idea when she would have managed to escape her home.
That day, when she heard the city-wide tolling of bells and drums, she had been so distraught that she tried to stab her own throat with a hairpin. But gold was soft and pliable—it bent upon meeting resistance, barely piercing her skin. The serving girls and nursemaids nearby had rushed to restrain her, dragging her back to her bedroom, claiming she had been possessed by evil winds. They forced two bowls of calming tonic down her throat until she was too exhausted to resist and fell into a deep sleep.
When she awoke, she learned that the Supreme Emperor had passed away in the Great Peace Palace, and the entire city was mourning with the tolling of bells. The court decreed a three-month halt to all weddings among the populace, which meant the marriage date between the Cheng and Wei families had to be postponed—effectively saving Wei Shufen’s life. Her mother, Madam Pei, took charge, strictly forbidding the household from spreading word of the young lady’s bridal tantrum. She concealed the matter from her husband, Chancellor Wei, and from General Cheng’s household, ordering only that their troublesome daughter be kept under close watch.
Mother and daughter had spoken several times. When Madam Pei asked, “Have you changed your mind about marrying into the Cheng family?” Wei Shufen found herself tongue-tied, unable to utter a single “no.” After all, she had consented to this marriage herself, the betrothal gifts had been accepted, and the marriage contract exchanged. The Cheng family had done nothing wrong—she couldn’t even find a proper reason to call off the engagement.
After stammering for a long while, she only managed to say, “I want to go to the Purple Void Monastery one last time to bid farewell to the High Truth Master”—and to see Prince Wu Yuan-gui again, though she couldn’t bring herself to voice the latter part. Her mother flatly refused, refusing to let her leave the house again.
After that, she had tried to sneak out, but her family had learned their lesson. During the day, two or three serving maids followed her every step, while at night, her nursemaid slept on the outer bed, her body like a mountain guarding the way, her thunderous snores a constant deterrent. Aside from the women sent by the Cheng family and Aunt Cui, she wasn’t allowed to meet with any other female visitors—especially relatives from the Prince Consort Chai’s household and other old Guanlong noble families. It seemed her parents feared she might conspire with them again, so all such meetings were forbidden.
After being confined at home for days, she received a bundle from the Purple Void Monastery—already opened and roughly searched. Inside were only the clothes and items she had used while staying there. If there had been any letters or notes from Chai Yingluo, her family must have taken them first.
Heartbroken and furious, she was sorting through the clothes with a serving girl by lamplight when her fingers brushed against something hard hidden in the lining of a skirt. Sensing something unusual, she discreetly waited until the maid wasn’t looking, then unpicked the stitches and pulled out a wooden tally—her identification pass for entering and exiting the Fragrant Forest Gate.
The Fragrant Forest Gate was the main entrance from the inner city of Chang’an into the forbidden garden, treated as a palace gate with strict surveillance. During her earlier travels around the city, Chai Yingluo had arranged for her to obtain this pass, allowing her to enter and exit the gate to visit the Purple Void Monastery. The female Taoist must have smuggled this to her out of sympathy for her confinement, kindly offering her a means of escape.But what use was a pass to enter and exit the palace gates when she couldn’t even leave her own home?
Wei Shufen rubbed her eyes with a bitter smile. Even so, she carefully tucked the wooden tally close to her body, clinging to the foolish hope that one day she might step outside—perhaps after boarding the Cheng family’s bridal carriage, she could escape midway—and then take this identity document straight to Fragrant Forest Gate.
Some time later, she was finally permitted to receive guests. On this day, Crown Princess Su Shi had sent a female official from the Crown Prince's Palace to her home, ostensibly to deliver congratulatory gifts for her upcoming marriage. Since the order had been issued under Empress Zhangsun’s authority, her mother couldn’t outright refuse and had no choice but to have her dress up and come out to receive them.
The female official sent to deliver the gifts was an acquaintance—Xiaopu, originally Su Lingyu’s maidservant who had accompanied her as part of the dowry. Now promoted to a sixth-rank position as the Crown Prince's Palace’s Secretary of the Inner Quarters, she was highly trusted by the Crown Princess. After completing the formalities, they sat and chatted for a while. It turned out that the Son of Heaven and the Empress had been observing mourning rites in the Supreme Polarity Hall these past days, delegating military and political affairs to the Crown Prince to oversee as regent, while palace affairs were entrusted to Su Shi to manage on the Empress’s behalf. Su Shi, whose health had only recently begun to recover, was now caught up in this flurry of duties. It wasn’t until a few days prior that she had heard of the marriage arrangement between the Cheng and Wei families. Remembering her past friendship with Wei Shufen, she refused to let the occasion pass without acknowledgment and had prepared gifts, sought the Empress’s approval, and sent someone to deliver her congratulations.
Among the gifts were gold, jade, and fine silks, as well as a handwritten congratulatory letter from Su Shi herself, its elegant prose and graceful calligraphy brimming with heartfelt warmth. Wei Shufen’s heart ached as she recalled the joyful days they had spent together at the Purple Void Convent Female Academy. Lost in reminiscence, she suddenly had an idea.
Rolling up the letter in her hand, she smiled at her mother and said, “The Crown Princess has some private words of advice for me.” Then, beckoning Xiaopu aside, she whispered, “Her Highness told me not to make a fuss and to quietly follow you into the Crown Prince's Palace to meet her—she has something to say to me in person. Did you know about this?”
“No…” Xiaopu looked at her in confusion. “Really? Before we left, Her Highness didn’t breathe a word of this to me.”
“How strange. Ah-Su is being overly cautious…” Wei Shufen mused, waving the letter slightly. “Back at the Female Academy, we used to play around and agree on secret codes. She clearly meant this… Well, whether it’s true or not, I’ll quietly go with you to see her. If I’ve misunderstood, I’ll just come back—no harm done. But don’t let anyone know. What if she really doesn’t want others to find out?”
Since Su Lingyu had been entrusted by the Empress to temporarily manage palace affairs, meeting privately with the daughter of a chancellor and her close friend wasn’t a big deal. Xiaopu’s bright eyes studied Wei Shufen as if she had guessed something, smiling as she said, “When this servant came, Her Highness did mention asking if Wei Niangzi needed any help… In that case, I’ll follow your lead, Wei Niangzi.”
After whispering a while longer, the two women returned to their seats to continue the formalities. As noon approached, the sound of wind and thunder grew outside, and Xiaopu took her leave. She had arrived with three or four maidservants, along with eunuchs and laborers carrying poles—quite a large entourage—all bustling about the Wei residence’s entrance, packing up, donning oiled cloaks and rain hats, and preparing horses and carriages.
Wei Shufen excused herself to her mother and returned to her room. Madam Pei’s attention was on seeing off the guests, so she paid no mind to her daughter. Amid the clamor of thunder and rain, seizing the moment when the household was distracted, Wei Shufen slipped into the gatehouse, grabbed a rain cloak and hat, and then stealthily joined the Crown Prince's Palace’s procession. Concealed among the carriages and horses, she departed her home alongside Xiaopu and the other female officials.The procession had just left Yongxing Ward when her wildly beating heart began to calm slightly. Along the way, she learned from Xiaopu that the Son of Heaven and the imperial princes were observing mourning rites daily in the Supreme Polarity Hall. She briefly considered rushing straight there, but the Crown Prince's Palace female official immediately said, "I can only escort Wei Niangzi to see the Crown Princess. If you go missing along the way, this servant cannot bear the responsibility." She had no choice but to abandon the idea and proceed directly to the rear hall of the Crown Prince's Palace to meet Su Lingyu.
Upon seeing her, Su Lingyu was naturally astonished. Wei Shufen asked her to dismiss the attendants, and before she could say more than a few words, overwhelmed with grievances, she burst into tears.
The two close friends held each other and wept bitterly before slowly recounting their stories. The incidents at Wangsheng Temple and rescuing the Seventeenth Princess at Gongren Slope were events Su Lingyu had personally experienced, so she understood all the causes and consequences immediately. When she heard about the later turmoil at Great Peace Palace and the subsequent events, she could only sigh and shed tears, deeply sympathizing with the ordeals of Li Yuangui, Wei Shufen, and the others. When Wei Shufen concluded with "I just want to see him once more before I marry, and I'll die content," Su Lingyu gave a bitter smile and patted her shoulder:
"At least you still have something to hold onto in your heart... Sigh, though Fourteenth Young Master isn't far from here, he's surrounded by brothers and nephews, all observing mourning in the Supreme Polarity Hall. Even if you could sneak in, how would you meet and talk?"
Wei Shufen gazed at Su Lingyu through tear-blurred eyes, watching her furrow her delicate brows in thought, just like when they used to play mischievously together. After not seeing each other for days, though Su Lingyu was also dressed in mourning hemp, her complexion looked much better, no longer as haggard and distressed as last time. Instead, she now carried a subtle air of a dignified lady in charge, giving a glimpse of her future as the mother of the nation.
"Alright then, it happens I have matters to attend to today with many attendants around. You can disguise yourself as a palace maid, and I'll take you inside," Su Lingyu resolved. "Fortunately, the Supreme Polarity Hall is large and crowded, so finding an empty corner shouldn't be difficult. Once inside, after I finish my business, you and Seventeenth Aunt can find a place to wait. I'll just say Seventeenth Aunt has something to tell her brother and have someone call Fourteenth Uncle out to the eastern chamber for you to meet... But remember two things: first, avoid the Empress and don't let her attendants recognize you; second, after meeting and talking, I'll have someone escort you home to spare your parents from worry. If this escalates, it won't look good for anyone..."
Wei Shufen naturally agreed profusely and thanked Su Lingyu for taking such a huge risk to help her. The Crown Princess ordered attendants to bring plain palace maid garments for Wei Shufen to change into, removing her makeup and styling her hair to make her as inconspicuous as possible. She instructed her to keep her head down and not look around during the journey. After all the preparations, the Crown Princess's procession departed the Crown Prince's Palace, heading west along the transverse street.
OpenNovel